Cheapskate Cell Phone User

[RougeUnderoos]

I know this kind of thing has been covered before, but the most recent relevant thread is about nine months old, and about that's about iphones vs. Blackberry, and I don't need that kind of thing (or maybe I do).

I'm thinking of getting a phone. It won't be my first, but it'll be my first in a few years.

Now please, nobody take this the wrong way, but I don't really like them, and it kind of drives me crazy to see people fidgeting with them all the time. I won't be doing that. I don't need all the crap you can get, but I want some of it, and I'll use it as little as possible.

I know nothing, so talk to me like a five-year-old if you must.

I don't need a camera. I don't need to play or store music, videos or video games. I don't need a headphone jack. I don't need an internet browser (though I bet that wouldn't hurt).

I need a phone that makes phonecalls, texts and receives and sends emails (preferably with a full keyboard).

Is this arrangement even remotely possible? I kinda figure they all have cameras now and I'll have to pay for that no matter what.

I have no brand loyalty to either phone manufacturers or service providers.

I'm thinking a one-year contract and I'll pay a few hundred bucks for the device. I'm not committing to a three-year deal for a free phone. I didn't commit to my kids that long so I ain't doing it for a phone.

Any ideas? Advice?

[dre]

I went with the pay as you go route. I spend about $50 every 3 months with Virgin mobile. I paid $60 for the phone.

[FlamesPuck12]

I think you should go with a smartphone if sending and receiving email, and having a full keyboard is important to you (On a non-smart phone, sending/receiving email is almost impossible due to the crap application they use to deal with emails).

Phonecalls and texts, that's pretty much the definition of a phone so any basic phone will work.

As for the camera, most of the phone nowadays comes with one. You could look for an older model without the phone, but I don't think they're going to save you any extra dollars compared to a newer model with a phone.

[Antithesis]

Your cell phone needs sound like mine - except my 4 year old phone doesn't have the full keyboard. Pay-as-you-go sounds like it might be the route to go to for you.

Just to illustrate my cell phone cheapskateness, I went to the Telus store 4 years ago and asked for a $0 phone - they gave me one with a camera, free on a 3 year contract, and I asked them if they had anything below even that - mine, without camera, free on a 2-year. They probably had a good laugh at me after I left.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Antithesis

Your cell phone needs sound like mine - except my 4 year old phone doesn't have the full keyboard. Pay-as-you-go sounds like it might be the route to go to for you.

Just to illustrate my cell phone cheapskateness, I went to the Telus store 4 years ago and asked for a $0 phone - they gave me one with a camera, free on a 3 year contract, and I asked them if they had anything below even that - mine, without camera, free on a 2-year. They probably had a good laugh at me after I left.

haha that's funny. I always get the most pimped out phone I can find and I hate when my phone becomes obsolete three months later. I'm a cell phone company's dream customer. What model do you have - I'd like to look it up just for fun.

[Yeah_Baby]

Do they even make cellphones that don't have a camera on them now?

[Kipper is King]

The LG Rumour 2 might fit the bill. Don't get the original Rumour- that phone is garbage in every way possible.

[FurnaceFace]

The first and last stop for this is 7-11 Speakout.

• Pay as you go doesn't expire for 365 days unlike the others which seem to be 30 days (unless they changed recently)
• 25c a minute voice, 10c outgoing text, free incoming text
• Voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, 3 way calling all included
• I believe they use the Rogers network as it's GSM
• With GSM you can pop your SIM card out and use pretty much and GSM phone, many claiming they've had good success using locked Rogers phones.

There is a Canadian based "unofficial FAQ site" which is a great source of info. According to them you can get unlimited browsing should you eventually want to go that route. Lots of talk in their forums about people using different phones including all the shiny new phones.
The phones 7-11 offers are quite basic, and I think some might not even have a camera.
The only drawback to Speakout is they aren't connect with any carriers outside of Canada so you're left with no signal in the US.

As far as cost, here's my experience. Like you I'm a light phone user. I bought the phone last September. It comes with $20 of credit and I bought a $100 phone credit as they had a promotion on where you got the phone for half price.

As of this September, I had $64 left! Yep, I used only about $60 in a year. My usage included using some roaming/long distance, and a number of calls back and forth with the company who did our renovations this summer including at least a 25 minute conversation over some "issues" we were having.

If you have unused minutes you simply need to but another $25 or more voucher and they'll roll your minutes over for another year. Again, I don't think Virgin or the other P-A-Y-G carriers do this.

I believe Petro-Can also sells phones which are on the same network and have the same features.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

Do they even make cellphones that don't have a camera on them now?

Don't think so but they should. I know it doesn't fit into the money making theme but they need to build a bare bones phone for the elderly. My grandparents don't carry one around, even though I wish they did, because they are too complicated.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

I don't need a camera. I don't need to play or store music, videos or video games. I don't need a headphone jack. I don't need an internet browser (though I bet that wouldn't hurt).

Not going to happen, especially with a device with a full keyboard.

I need a phone that makes phonecalls, texts and receives and sends emails (preferably with a full keyboard).

How many phone calls or approx. minutes will you use?

How many text messages with you send and receive?

How many emails will you send and receive?

How much web surfing will you do?

All on a monthly basis. Of course you don't know but approx. how much do you see yourself using it?

IMO it is better to over estimate and pay a little bit more for a plan and know your never going to go over instead of being cheap and then getting your bill and find out you went $50 over. Plus with most companies (or at least Bell) you can change your plan a few times a year for free.

I'm thinking a one-year contract and I'll pay a few hundred bucks for the device. I'm not committing to a three-year deal for a free phone. I didn't commit to my kids that long so I ain't doing it for a phone.

Any ideas? Advice?

Great idea! Two years would be the max I would ever sign a contract because you would be lucky if your phone made it that long, let alone three years. Three year contracts make baby Jesus cry! Pay as you go might be another option but it will depend on what you think your usage will be.

[keratosis]

Check out Koodo, phones are a bit more money up front.
With the tab it works out pretty well though.

[Antithesis]

I don't even know what model it is. It's a Samsung flip-phone, the case is kind of grey, and it has a really small window on the front of it that tells you the time. That's as good a description as I can give.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by fotze

Rouge has kids? thats probably the only important personal info Rouge has ever given here. That ranks up there with Reggie mentioning he has kids a while ago. The mysteries of the universe continue.

Also if you give me a week or so I will be getting rid of my blackberry curve, then you don't need to have a contract. It has a camera, but it is so crappy you will never use it.

Had kids... they are someone else's now. Why do you think I got rid of my cellphone?

Thanks all for the advice folks.

FurnaceFace: I won't use it much, but probably more than makes 25 cents a minute a decent deal. Just 10 minutes a day makes a lot of regular carriers cheaper than that rate. But I'll check it out. Thanks.

Hoot: I don't know what my usage will be. I recently signed up for something that will likely have me on the phone a lot more than I want to be. I'm not sure how much though. I should try to figure that out. Thanks.

[Rifleman]

It sounds like Virgin Mobile might be what you need. You don't need to sign any contracts, and it's pay as you go. I got an LG Rumour 2 and it works like a charm. I can send texts faster than my sister can on her iPhone. And I pay around $15 a month. The phone itself was about $100.

[RougeUnderoos]

Now that looks the deal for me but I gotta ask -- why are they so cheap?

It is hundreds of dollars cheaper than what looks like a comparable phone at, say, Telus, without committing to a plan.

And when I say comparable I mean it's a phone that gets the internet and has a camera, MP3 player and all the rest of the stuff, like the expensive ones, but they cost $600 bucks at Telus, and this costs $129.

Would the kids call it "ghetto"? If so, even better.