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Whilst this is technically true, it's assuming a home internet connection (when the point I got from the story is you can't assume this).

The assumption was that porting your landline to magicJack may free up enough money in the budget to buy home Internet from the cable company.

Also, there are cellphone options even cheaper (if you don't need many minutes); specifically, the plan I started my kids off with at $10 every 4 months (100minute pool to use over the course of the 4 months @ $2.50/mo, taxes included, PagePlus).

Is this carrier willing to activate low-minute, voice-only service on a smartphone? Or is it like Virgin Mobile was a few years ago, where only flip phones qualified for this sort of low-usage service and people with smartphones had to settle for a substantially more expensive ($35/mo) plan intended for higher-usage subscribers, which includes 450 minutes and data? The notice "You cannot activate a 4G device on this plan" on Page Plus's page for the plan you describe worries me.

PagePlus Cellular doesn't require a data plan. They use Verizon's network though so that is unfortunately a limiting factor because Verizon doesn't tend to like activating phones that were not bought through them (i.e., BYOD). Using smartphones with PagePlus is a hit-or-miss story, but I mention them anyway because they are widely known.

AT&T's Prepaid options include pay-as-you-go basic phone plans that do not include data (I lived on the 10c/min, 20c/text plan for years), and they also have a no-contract monthly $25 smartphone plan that does not include data and does not require you to purchase any either. AT&T also now owns and operates pre-pay-only carrier Aio Wireless, though I don't think that one does no-data plans at current.

There is also GoSmart Mobile. They are owned and operated by T-Mobile, like MetroPCS is. Also speaking of subsidiaries, don't forget Net10 which belongs to Tracfone, and does not require data. However I believe Net10 requires you use one of their own devices, not bring your own (much like Tracfone itself).

There's a whole host of little-known MVNOs as well. If you have an interest in Ting (which yes was one I might point out), then I might also suggest ChitChat Mobile, which like Ting also operates on Sprint's network. It has plans that do not require data, and they even openly advertise that they allow smartphones on those same no-data plans. Their homepage currently boasts that they'll activate Sprint iPhones on their $10/mo talk/text/no-data plan.

There are options from most of the carriers. I'm doing the Republic Wireless $10 unlimited talk and text, but with no data. Having a 4G phone with no data sucks, but the price is compelling, and I should be able to add a prorated data plan for the times when I expect I do need it. Having WiFi calls when I'm at a place with no cell reception is also nice. However, counting the phone, my bill is higher than if I had been able to keep my dumbphone on somebody's T-mobile family plan.

Ting is a great choice for Sprint, Airvoice is a great choice for AT&T, PagePlus is decent for Verizon.

One interesting option is FreedomPop, but they seem to be in beta. Earlier versions of FreedomPop phones had poor performance and very poor voice quality, but they're supposedly improving. It would be interesting to see if they go anywhere with that.

There are plenty of non-unlimited plans out there.

I have a $12 a month plan with only 250 mins and texts. Low limits, but cheap as hell. Only 5c a min if I go over, which I've only done once in a year.
www.pagepluscellular.com

$10/4 months/100 minutes Gotta remember to pay the $10 3 times a year, but close to what you want.

I have used it for my 9 year old daughter's line since she turned 8, it's perfect for emergency use & minutes roll-over, so when she actually starts to use the phone more often, she'll have minutes banked.

Service is VZW, I use the $80/yr plan & am on track to get a whole year out of it (2000 minutes, I use voip when on wifi). I can recommend a dealer if anyone wants, he has taken really good care of me.

From my experience: Pageplus Talk n Text 1200 is a very cheap effective plan for moderate users. $30/mo. including all taxes, uses Verizon's 3G network. (You can get further discounts ~10+% if you buy these pins online at http://www.pageplusdirect.com/ or wherever). 1,200 Minutes, 3,000 Text/Picture Messages, 500 MB Data. https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/talk-n-text-1200/ Buy a used HTC Incredible from ebay, activate it, save your money.

There are lots of re-sellers who provide you with the same networks but don't require crap like this. http://www.pagepluscellular.com/ is what my wife uses.

I've deactivated my phone completely and use it with google voice / voip on wifi for free. http://sipdroid.org/

Forgive me for being a Brit so not really understanding what this is all about, but is it not the case that when you buy a phone in the US you are buying it for a small fraction of the actual cost (or being given it free) under the condition that you only use it on their network and hence pay for the calls to the people who subsidised the phone? That is how it works over here.

Yes, that's part of the justification for locking phones.

In the US, we also have the same rent-to-own system for paying for expensive electronic appliances and expensive furniture. Basically, in exchange for a subsidized appliance upfront, you end up paying over a two-year (or a three-year) period multiple times the normal retail price for that appliance. Of course for rent-to-own, only the people in the most extreme circumstances end up using that system, and the overwhelming 90% of the population wouldn't even think to enter a rent-to-own store.

For cell phones in the US however, we're not given much of a choice even if we pay the full unsubsidized price. Technically, I could unlock my Verizon CDMA phone, or I could pay full retail price for a Verizon phone, or I could wait until the two years are up and ask that they unlock it for me, but that phone still wouldn't work on any GSM network, nor would it work on the Sprint/Nextel CDMA network. That's how CDMA works. It's a form of proprietary technology lock-in. Once unlocked, the most I could do with it is use it with PagePlus Cellular, or may be with Boost Mobile (assuming Boost Mobile even lets me), but that's only because those two outfits are subleasing the same Verizon CDMA network.

The US is not like Europe. In Europe, the law says that all carriers must all standardize on the same technology. In the US, there is no such law. And even if I were to bring back a fully unsubsidized GSM phone from Asia, or Europe, my choices would be extremely limited in terms of US carriers that would even support that technology (and I'd be lucky for one to even cover adequately my normal geographical area).

Ok, so let me get this straight. If I emigrate to the US with my nice shiny new (unlocked, I bought it for £600 from expansys) Samsung Galaxy S3, I would be unable to go to a carrier an get a contract to use it on their network on a pay for calls only basis? Over here I can just use a pay-as-you go prepay account, do they not exist in the US?

If what you say is right then no wonder you are all complaining so much.

Forgive me for being a Brit so not really understanding what this is all about, but is it not the case that when you buy a phone in the US you are buying it for a small fraction of the actual cost (or being given it free) under the condition that you only use it on their network and hence pay for the calls to the people who subsidised the phone? That is how it works over here.

Yes, that's part of the justification for locking phones.

In the US, we also have the same rent-to-own system for paying for expensive electronic appliances and expensive furniture. Basically, in exchange for a subsidized appliance upfront, you end up paying over a two-year (or a three-year) period multiple times the normal retail price for that appliance. Of course for rent-to-own, only the people in the most extreme circumstances end up using that system, and the overwhelming 90% of the population wouldn't even think to enter a rent-to-own store.

For cell phones in the US however, we're not given much of a choice even if we pay the full unsubsidized price. Technically, I could unlock my Verizon CDMA phone, or I could pay full retail price for a Verizon phone, or I could wait until the two years are up and ask that they unlock it for me, but that phone still wouldn't work on any GSM network, nor would it work on the Sprint/Nextel CDMA network. That's how CDMA works. It's a form of proprietary technology lock-in. Once unlocked, the most I could do with it is use it with PagePlus Cellular, or may be with Boost Mobile (assuming Boost Mobile even lets me), but that's only because those two outfits are subleasing the same Verizon CDMA network.

The US is not like Europe. In Europe, the law says that all carriers must all standardize on the same technology. In the US, there is no such law. And even if I were to bring back a fully unsubsidized GSM phone from Asia, or Europe, my choices would be extremely limited in terms of US carriers that would even support that technology (and I'd be lucky for one to even cover adequately my normal geographical area).

In case you were unaware, there are Mobile Virtual Network Operators that operate on Verizon's network. I haven't tried Page Plus myself, but I've heard good things. I was considering it but went with Cricket's "unlimited" everything for $50, since that also let me bring the Verizon-branded Droid Incredible I snagged off ebay for $150 a couple years ago. I know that kills your wish for unlimited data but it's also a ton cheaper, if you're into sacrificing some usability for a 50+% drop in monthly cell phone bills.

Now that I mention it, though, one of the Page Plus plans might actually work better for us these days...

Alright, Grampa, I'll get off your lawn now.
 
In seriousness, I got my daughter a phone at 8 because she walked her younger sister home from school (just under 1 mile) and I feel safer her having it. It's not like emergency cell service is expensive ...

http://www.pagepluscellular.com/ they use the Verizon network. No Sim cards (since they are CDMA ) but the same idea.
Very good reviews for going 3rd party (same price) for pageplus via: http://www.kittywireless.com/

It's called "alternate revenue streams" and they will try to nickle&dime-XXL you for almost everything. A one-time charge would be plausible, but a MONTHLY fee? This is gauging. But... guess what? There's nothing you can do.

Actually, yes, there is a lot you can do. These days prepaid, non-contract cellular service compares favorably and most times you come out ahead. I used to be with Verizon Wireless until I discovered Page Plus Cellular in January of 2009 and haven't looked back. Page Plus Cellular uses Verizon's network and you can activate a Verizon-branded phone or buy one from PP's website. For 55.00 per month, I have unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of 3G web. That 55.00 per month includes taxes too. If you don't have a smart phone, you could go with Page Plus' 49.95 plan which gives you unlimited talk and text with 100mb of data. I don't mean to be an advert for Page Plus but the service is so good that I want to help others save money and say "no" to the ridiculous business practices of big telecom. The choice for me is contract-free!

Check out Page Plus: http://www.pagepluscellular.com/

They are prepaid reseller using Verizon network. There is a forum here: http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/364-Page-Plus-Cellular

Someone else already mentioned 3G Android phone. I recommend http://www.pagepluscellular.com/ (prepaid Verizon reseller). They have monthly plans and pay-as-you go plans. I use $80 card that gives you 2000 minutes and lasts a year. Data on this plan is $1/MB but it is still viable if you use rarely and limit background data usage with Droidwall app (your phone needs to be rooted)

Yet another reason I'm happy with PagePlus http://www.pagepluscellular.com/ ! Mobile Virtual Network Operators FTW!

Take a look at http://www.pagepluscellular.com/ - they are prepaid Verizon reseller that I've been using for years. They allow BYOD; you can use most of the Verizon phones (except BB, IPhone and Verizon prepaid phones) - I use Droid Incredible. I am on their "Pay-Per-Minute" plans because it fits me the best - my usage is quite small. There is a forum about PagePlus here: http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/364-Page-Plus-Cellular

i use page plus. the service and prices are great, but i hear customer service is lacking. i've never had a need to contact them though, so i wouldn't be able to comment on that. per minute price varies from $0.06 to $0.10 depending on how many minutes you purchase. balance expires after 120 days but will rollover if you add more before the expiration date. i don't use data transfer, so i can't comment on the specific costs of that. they provide service over the verizon network and you can activate pretty much any verizon phone on their service. obviously your sim card requirement isn't met here though.

FYI Their are a couple other options from MVNO's, for instance http://www.pagepluscellular.com/ seams to have decent reviews, and uses the entire verizon network. Their unlimited plan is about as cheap as I have seen (no unlimited data plans though)
(never used them, only looked at there site and am thinking...)

Bette than Tracfone's 2 or 3 months per minute card, better data transfer over network, and you only need to buy 1 card for every 4 months of service with free voicemail. $0.0012/KB or $1.20 every MegaByte (I think). http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Plans/Standard%20Plan.aspx

And not to mention, it's on *cough* Verizon network from Page Plus Cellular.

Tracfone is American Movil, moved from Floriduh to Mexico. I have 2 of these phones, 1 for Craigslist and Law Enforcement to think I live in another city, and the other is for messing with hookers from Romania. Works good for me, but I think I want to switch to Page Plus just to have redundancy of a GPRS/GSM Tracfone and then a CDMA Verizon.

No termination fees:

• Cricket
• PagePlus - uses the entire Verizon network unencumbered
• Boost Mobile (Sprint/Nextel network, I think)
• T-Mobile Prepaid @10c a minute
• etc., etc., etc.

Each has its pros and cons. There are choices out there if you try a little.

It reminds me of people complaining that B of A cranked up their credit card but, for some reason, won't check a local bank or credit union.

Sometimes, it's just easier to complain.

I, too, have been using T-Mobile TOGO for many years. It's simple and cheap.

Another alternative is PagePlus which uses the Verizon network. Some of their recent plans are awesome - $40 for unlimited phone/text, $30 for 1200 mins + 1200 texts.

They even have the decency to bundle all the tax bullshit in the price. (Same goes for T-Mobile, 10c a minute, period.)

Take a look at Page Plus Cellular, a Verizon MVNO with pre-pay plans. They allow you to use just about any CDMA phone and can even port existing Verizon numbers to their service.

You can find more information about them on Howard Forums.

I like your fiscal planning. I wish there was a decent prepaid carrier with good network. Verizon's "prepaid" essentially costs the same as their regular service and you don't even get minutes

Look at PagePlus. They use Verizon's network. I have used T-Mobile prepaid for about 4 years and am happy with it.