Trac phones?

[WDW&MK]

Hi,
Believe it or not, I have never owned a cell phone DH and I do not have kids, so there's really been no reason for us to have one. Now, my mom will be in an assisted living facility and I feel that I really should have one in case of emergency. I can see making limited calls and doing some texting. Would a trac phone be a good option? If you have one, how is the reception out of state? I am from Wisconsin and was wondering how well it will work on vacation in WDW??
Thanks for any info!!!
Kari

[medic9016]

They use several different networks, verizon, t-mobile, AT&T and others. Your service may very alot from place to place. I had one several years ago and do not remember any major problems. Verizon has a prepaid phone also that may be more of a reliable service and works at WDW.

[Disney4us2]

I don't have trac phone, but I had Virgin Mobile for a short while. No problems with Virgin Mobile.

I just switched to Consumer Cellular. They are a no contract plan and they bill you. I found them to be less per month (for DD and me) than Virgin Mobile. If you have AARP you can get a discount on the plan as well.

[comicguy]

I have a trac phone and for what I use it for it is great. A bit of texting and a couple of calls a day.

Reception at WDW has been great!! I get reception at work when other people don't with their more expensive phones!!

I also get free double minutes for life of the phone!!

[hauntedmansiongirl]

We are Canadian but travel in the US so often that we bought a Tracfone. We love it. We bought the double minutes card as well- so worth it!

We bought the phone in Niagara Falls, NY and gave it a Lake Buena Vista (407) phone number. We have used it in WDW with no trouble. In fact we have used it in NY, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, Illinois, Nebraska, Utah, Nevada, California and even in St. Thomas,USVI. We have never had any trouble with it!!! Buy one- you will not regret it!

[DVC2004]

I have Virgin Mobile and no problems. It works fine in FL at WDW. I have not had a signal in some of the more remote parts of the country like the U.P. and parts of Iowa while driving through. Mine is $35 per month with 300 minutes of talk time and unlimited text/data. Unused minutes don't carry over- it's use em or lose em.

Honestly, I barely talk on mine. I use it mostly for texting and sometimes to make after hours call for work. I never go over my minutes. They have decent phones too though you will pay full price for the phones. They did start offering iphones and have androids. They still offer a few more basic models if you don't plan to do alot with it and don't want all that.

We switched from AT&T to Virgin Mobile and cut our cell bill in half. We used to get killed on the data/text charges but never got close to using our minutes. I am very happy with Virgin- it's perfect for what we need it for.

[WDW&MK]

Thank you for the info!! I know I can always get good ideas and info from my fellow intercotees

I am thinking that the trac phone sounds like the best most inexpensive option for now. I am not used to having one anyway, so as long as I can get good reception in case of an emergency with mom I should be good.

Kari

[Princess'Mom]

I have a trac phone and for what I use it for it is great. A bit of texting and a couple of calls a day.

Reception at WDW has been great!! I get reception at work when other people don't with their more expensive phones!!

I also get free double minutes for life of the phone!!

Ditto on the Trac Phone. Got one for my DD and it is perfect for what she needed it to do. The double minutes/double air time is perfect for us. I don't have to worry about its expiry date each month. I bought the Trac Phone for her last September and have spent a total of $55. on the phone. Sweet deal!