My boss has a cell phone, but she doesn't use it very often. She told me she uses less than 30 minutes a month.
She's paying almost $50/month for the service. I'm trying to talk her into a pay as you go phone [Disclaimer: T-mobile has not paid me to make this post], as it can be a much more economical option. AJ used a T-mobile pay as you go phone for about a year before upgrading to the plan he's on now. Basically we bought the phone for him, which cost nearly $100 and then we bought 1000 minutes on the “Gold Rewards” for $100.
The minutes are good for one year, and once we bought the “Gold Rewards” 1000 minutes, we could get less minutes at ten cents a minute. So 500 minutes for $50.00, and 250 minutes for $25.00.
I actually suggested to my boss that she take over AJ's pay as you go phone once her contract comes to an end. The only problem we could foresee was she was hoping to stay with the phone number she's had for the last three years. Here's the funny thing about that concern: she rarely uses the phone, hardly anyone in her family calls her on it, she doesn't even know her cell phone number, and furthermore, she turns it off the four days a week she's at home. She figures why waste the battery power when her home phone will suffice.
But if she would be willing to go with pay as you go phone, she could save so much money! She's paying ~$50/month now, as opposed to possibly paying $25 or maybe $50 in a year!
Let's see… change my phone number and pay $50/year or keep my phone number and pay… $600. Clearly, changing the number is the better option.
While we still have AJ's phone, I realized another use for it. I had to place a classified ad for a week, and I put my phone number in the ad. Once I'd placed the ad, I realized I *should* have put his old phone number in the ad. That way, when it rings, surely it will be someone from the classified ad calling. As long as my phone number is in the ad, my privacy is compromised to quite an extent. What I mean by that is that I don't get many calls at all on my phone, and my family (mom, siblings, in-laws) knows that I go to sleep very early at night. Rarely would I get a phone call after 7pm, unless it were an emergency. I do have AJ call me when he's on his way home when he's out late at night, it just helps a mother to sleep better, especially when the route home is on a deserted highway in the middle of the desert. But while my phone number is out there, I could get calls day or night without knowing who is calling. Which I really dislike. I guess you could say I've become a bit phone-phobic.
Anyway, another good use for a pay as you go phone would be for an elderly person who you want to have a cell phone, but they won't be using it much. One of my coworkers has had her mother-in-law on their plan for the past year and she says the MIL has used exactly 12 minutes in the last year on the phone. And they've been paying a monthly fee! The MIL is faithful to charge the phone and take it wherever she goes, so the worry factor for the family is lessened, but think of the savings if they invested in a pay as you go phone, instead of a monthly plan fee.
Last year, when my cell phone had long distance and roaming charges, AJ's phone came in real handy when we were out of state together. His pay as you go phone had no roaming charges, so that was another good use for that type of phone.
I've been buried at work, we are still working to get the fiscal year closed. I put in 19 hours overtime this weekend alone, and am really feeling the strain… I thought I was busy before, I have just been totally swamped.
So what say you? Have you used pay as you go phones? Hated them, loved them?
Yours Truly,