Pay As You Go Phones For the Boys
Back in writer avoidance mode, I did some research into PAYG phones for the boys based on some recommendations from friends, colleagues and Wikipedia. This is what I found:
| Company | Entry-Level Phone Cost |
Initial Airtime | Additional Airtime |
Coverage In My Area |
| Virgin Mobile | $20 | $20 (100 minutes) | $11/hour | uncertain |
| T-Mobile ToGo | $30 | $10 (30 minutes) | $20/hour | good |
| Firefly Mobile | $80 (no keypad) |
$7.50 (30 minutes) | $15/hour | reported |
| Tracfone | $20 (shows time left) |
$40 (120 minutes) | $20/hour | reported |
| Boost Mobile | unknown (bad website) |
unknown (bad website) |
$12/hour | reported |
| Cingular GoPhone | unknown (bad website) |
$10 (40 minutes) | $15/hour + $1/day for usage |
crappy |
| Verizon INpulse | $70 | $10 (100 minutes) | $6/hour + $1/day |
reported |
| Net10 Wireless | $40 (shows time left) |
$30 (300 minutes) | $6/hour | reported |
Assuming I trust my kids to call whoever they want (so long as they pay), it seems clear that Net10 is the way to go. It’s effectively $10 for the entry-level phone (because it comes w/ $30 of free airtime) and $6/hour for more time after the first 300 minutes are gone. Plus, the Net10 phones show the amount of time left on the account, so the boys can monitor it themselves easily. Neither AT&T Wireless or Cingular has good reception in my area, so who knows what the reception would be, but for $40, it wouldn’t be expensive to find out and they sell them at my local Safeway…