In a previous post, I declared Net 10 the best cellphone bargain. That post was written almost one year ago, and I have not changed my mind on the subject. As a matter of fact, there are more phone options, and more features with the service today than there were at the time of that post.
There were basically two complaints that seemed to come up in the comments over and over. One was the apparent discontinuation of the 150 minute phone card($15), and the other was below average customer support. As I’ve addressed previously, I can’t comment on the customer support issue, as I’ve never called. My wife and I have both been using Net 10 for about 3 years now, and not once have we had to call customer support. Maybe we’ve been lucky, maybe not. But that’s how it’s worked out. So that hasn’t been an issue for me so far.
On the other issue, I can’t see any particular reason for them discontinuing the 150 minute card. Buying a card with more minutes doesn’t make the cost for operating the phone any more expensive, you just have to buy more minutes at a time. I received an email from Net 10 the other day that revealed they now have 200 minute cards available. As previously stated, I’ve always bought 300 minutes at a time. I’ve never gone over on those minutes, so I always get 2 months service for $30.
Whether you have to deal with bad customer support at some point, or buy more minutes at a time than you would like, you have to admit that my original claim still holds true. It’s simply the best bargain around for a cellphone.
Net 10 versus Other Prepaid Plans
Most mobile service plans today offer a prepaid service option. Most of them have a catch, however, that just doesn’t exist with Net 10. Most of these companies boast 10 cents per minute(like Net 10), however they all have extra fees that add to that cost. With Net 10, 10 cents per minute means just that. No other fees, no tricks, no hooks. Here is a rundown of some of the other companies and what prepaid plans they have to offer.
AT&T Go Phone
AT&T offers a 10 cent per minute prepaid plan. With their plan, calls placed are 10 cents, plus you have to pay a toll. Each day you use your phone, you pay a fee of $1 plus 10 cents for each minute you talk. So doing the math, if you use your phone everyday, that’s $30 per month plus 10 cents for every minute you talk. I can see this getting expensive pretty quick. You also have the option of not paying the $1 per day fee, but if you go this route, the cost rises to 25 cents per minute.
T-Mobile
Like AT&T, T-Mobile also has a $1 fee for each day you use the phone, then 10 cents per minute on each call. So again, you’re looking at $30 per month if you use your phone everyday, plus the 10 cents for each minute you talk. Also, if you like to send text messages, T-Mobile will charge you 10 cents to send a text, and 5 cents to receive. Net 10, one the other hand, charges 5 cents to send or receive a text message.
Verizon Pre-Paid
With Verizon, you have several options to choose from. 1)You can pay 10 cents per minute with a 99 cent daily fee. 2)You can pay 5 cents per minute with a $1.99 daily fee….or 3)You can pay only 2 cents per minute with a $2.99 daily fee. This could get really expensive if you use your phone daily.
Thanks, but I’ll Go with Net 10
This is why I’m such a fan of Net 10. Even if I have to call their customer support at some point and become completely frustrated by it, there still is no other cellphone service that I can use as cheap. So, if you’re looking for an inexpensive way to have a cell phone, probably the cheapest way to get started would be to buy a $30 dollar phone with 300 minutes free. How can you go wrong with that? There is no service contract. If you decide you don’t want it, just stop using it. It’s that simple. I hope this Net 10 Wireless comparison has been helpful, and I hope that I’ve clearly made my point with this post.
Click here to purchase Net10 airtime: always 10 cents a minute!
I still believe Net 10 to be an amazing bargain when compared to mainstream contract cellphone plans. After using Net 10 for several years, I must admit that I have moved to a contract carrier. Not because I was unhappy with the service or that it was a better bargain(it’s not), but truth is I couldn’t resist the lure of the smartphone. I gave in. – October 2011
Well, That appears to be a cheap way to try it out, by using up the minutes, then if you don’t like it, don’t add any more minutes. What about coverage, roaming fees, etc? I’m thinking this may be a good aption for a teenager, then you wouldn’t have to worry about them running up a huge bill.
You’re exactly right. If you gave one of these phones to a teenager(or anyone else when you’re footing the bill), if they run out of minutes…oh well. They can either buy more minutes or they’re out of luck.
As far as coverage, it’s my understanding that Net 10 uses AT&T towers, so you have excellent coverage. There are no roaming fees. The 10 cents per minute price is nation wide. You can call internationally, and the rate is a little higher(I think 15 cents per minute).
i completely agree, i had a sidekick prepaid and got sick of paying a dollar every single day. My LG 600G just came in the mail today but sadly it had the wrong battery with it (what are the odds?) so i called customer service, actually I had no problem with there service except the first person i talked to didnt speak very good english. But luckily there sending me another phone with the right battery! I was also pleased with how fast the phone got here, they said 3 days but it got here in 2.
HAVE HAD NET FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS! THE ONLY PROBLEM IS DROPPED CALLS AND SIM CARD
ONE OF MY MAJOR GRIPES ARE THE DROPPED CALLS, CALL WILL DROP FOR NO REASON (NOT MOVING ETC), BARS WILL REAPEAR AFTER HANGING UP????
HAVE HAD 4 DIFFERENT PHONES, ALL HAVE DROPPED CALL PROBLEMS???
JUST GOT ANOTHER PHONE, AND THEY ADDED TIME??? UP TO 1200 MINUTES??
ONE OTHER PROBLEM IS U CANNOT SWITCH SIM CARDS, SO IF U BREAK UR PHONE, ALL UR INFO IS LOST!!!! SO SAVE UR INFO !!!
I was using smoke signals (completely free,) but the EPA shut me down. Now, I’m using cell phones. Good article, Anthony!
James – I just upgraded to a LG 600G. Very smooth transition from the old phone. Hope you continue to have good service.
Scott – Dropped calls? I’ve never had that. Maybe I’ve just had really good luck, but I can’t recall ever having that problem. You make a valid point about the Sim cards. I keep my contacts saved in a text file on my computer. My point of this article was not that Net 10 was perfect in every way……no company or phone is. But that it’s the most inexpensive way that I have found to have a cell phone.
Dad – hahaha. I might consider the smoke signals route, but it takes too long to have two-way communication =)
Long time no new posts here…
This is true. Life has gotten busier, etc. I notice it’s been even longer since you’ve posted on your site
I have been using T-mobile prepaid, 10 cents/minute if you buy the $100 prepaid card, it will last for 1 year. No additional Fee. They gave me a basic Nokia phone for $19.99 including a few minutes – I forgot how many, this was 6 months ago. There is a SIM card, so i can use my old phone with it and transfer all my old numbers.
The upside of Net10 is you can buy smaller minutes with the same minutes fee, however the validation is also shorter, unless you buy the $200 cards. The text messaging is also only 5 cents.
So for what I am using, T-mobile, $100, 1000 minutes valid for 1 year is comparable to buying Net10 $200 – valid for 1 year. Unless I get the $400 card that lasted for 2 years, but I have commitment issues
My wife and I have been using Net 10 for over five years, and is still the best for our situation. I do not like long term phone commitments, but for my wife I just recently purchased 4,000 minutes for two years with and additional 1000 minutes added for a total of 5,000 minutes. That averages out to 8 cents per minute, which is hard to beat. I rarely have to call customer support, but when I have there has been no problems. I do try to do everything on line and adding minutes is very simple. I do see that not being able to use an old SIMs card could be a hindrance, but I’ve used my current phone (Nokia 1100) for years, so I have not crossed that bridge yet. . The phones are not fancy, but are adequate. Net 10 is not for every body. My 14 year old daughter uses a Virgin Mobile monthly plan because V-Mobile has a very good unlimited texting plan. For controlled costs with no hidden fees, phone purchases with free 300 minutes added, no activation fees, and a very good minute rate, NET 10 is the best.
If you only use 200 minutes of your 300 minutes in 60 days, do you loose the other 100 minutes?
No, the minutes roll over. I always buy the 300 minute card and never go over. I think I have around 1100 minutes built up right now.
If I have used 200 minutes at the end of the 60 days, can I still use the phone until the other 100 minutes have been used without buying a new card?
No.
Thanks for the feedback. A sales person at a big box store told me the opposite!
You’re welcome. My point out of all of this was…if you buy a 300 minute card every 60 days…..that comes to $15 per month. I have yet to find a cell phone plan where you get more for the money.
I agree and expect that someday I may get chatty and use up all those extra minutes. I worry though that I will be preoccupied and forget to add minutes once and loose the minutes and the phone number.
Thanks again
When you add another 300 minute pack, lets say ..after 50 days, and you have used only 200 minutes of your 300 minute pack card. Along with the 100 minutes rolling over for a new total of 400 minutes, do the 10 days left go away, or does the next 60 day card add on to the end of that like tracfone does and give you a new expiration date of 70 days?
You get the new expiration date of 70 days. This hasn’t always been, but they changed this a while back to where your minutes AND days roll over.
Anthony,
Thanks for posting so much useful information.
I communte between two different coverage areas, where different net 10 phones are offered. In trying to figure out if I could use a phone from one coverage area in another, customer service explained that while I would not be charged for roaming, my friends would. Do you have any experience with that?
Maggie, I don’t have any experience with that. I’m not completely sure I understand why your friends would.
I have a tracfone and have had it for quite a while, but I’m starting to look at net10. One question I have that the site didn’t answer was this: with Tracfone you can call internationally. My boyfriend lives in England. I can call his landline, but it won’t let me call an English mobile phone. Will net10 work with English cell phones? If so I’m buying one of those so fast it wouldn’t be funny.
I had US Cellular for many years, but switch to TracFone about 5 years ago. I have been very pleased with them other than transporting numbers (in old days this was a new process for us all) but of late no problems. My keypad on my old TracFone is starting to wear out so thought now would be a good time to try Net 10 as they may be cheaper.
However, two or maybe three questions I can not get answers to on their websites. If TracFone and Net 10 are the same company and each is using AT&T or other towers – why aren’t their coverage areas the same?
Is their equipment the same – only the sim card different?
In the total of the thing do you feel Net 10 is less money than TracFone? I usually buy 200-300 min at a time from TracFone and then they give me a bonus of 50 to 100, which in the large picture drops my cost, does Net 10 do this also since I buy on the internet?
Can
Simply the best prepaid service available. I have had the Samsung T201g since it became available and the size and sound quality are excellent.There is a reason why the coverage and call quality is so good. Net10 through Tracfone buys airtime from AT&T and T-Mobile for the majority of their markets.However, AT&T and T-Moble have separate tower networks for their postpaid and prepaid customers. With Net10 you have access to all of their towers! Customer service can be trying but if you pose your question in a way that a five year old can understand, all your questions will be answered. Mine have. At 10 cents a minuet, a reliable phone with enough features for me, superior coverage, why waste your time looking at other prepaid plans? I would highly reccommend my Samsung T201G phone and Net10 to anyone who asks.
I agree with most of your comments. Where I differ is with tmobile. True they require $1 a day to get the .10 a minute option. With the dollar a day plan you get unlimited 7p-6:59a calling at no extra cost. If someone lived in an area where tmobile has GOOD reception, and talk in the late evening, this could be a great choice. Another consideration is that the $10 refill card is good for 90 days. So if you spread out your talk days, you will spend $40 + tax for 1 year of service. I certainly am not knocking Net 10. Net 10 I believe, has better service in some areas.
Net10 has better coverage in 85% of the United States. That’s the coverage footprint AT&T and T-Mobile provide Tracfone with. If we look at your scenario of $40 a year for T-Mobile service, an average user would only be able to use their phone every 9.1 days! What cell phone user goes more than a week without making a call? With Net10 for $120 a year you get 1200 minuets. This breaks out to 3.3 minuets a day for a year. For me this is at least three calls a day. At T-Mobile’s published rates to get 10 cents a minuet, this would cost you $365 plus airtime to use your phone every day. Only if you use your T-Mobile phone every 9.1 days will the $40 a year work out. ! What may seem like a 75% savings over Net 10 for a year, in reality will cost a T-Mobile user over thee times as much as a Net 10 customer to use their phone everyday of the year. Forget T-Mobile and think Net10 cents a minuet with the best coverage across the U.S.of A.!
Ive just gotten a Net10 phone in hopes of soon letting go of my long time land phone sevice . My mum in law has one that she really loves .Gonna give it a few months and then decide . As mentioned,it seems a cheap deal with which to try the cell route . Just wondering-can the original issued number be kept,in case of phone loss or breakage ? Dont fancy having to get a new number for what ever reason.
Yes, you can transfer your number from one phone to another.
I only carry and use a cell phone for emergency or urgent matters.
Maybe use it once a week. I dont do any gabbing.
I dont want to spend 20 or 30 dollars every two months if I have
only used my phone a couple of minutes.
What is the cheapest long term strategy to carry an emergency
use only cell phone ?
I shopped extensively before I bought my cell. I asked all my friends ‘how many minutes do you actually use in a month? None knew…they all bragged about how many minutes they had, free weekends, etc.
I don’t think there is a plan any cheaper than the minimum $15/mo with Net 10.
I’ve had Net 10 for 3 years. No complaints. A couple times I failed to buy my new minutes before the 60 days expired, and both times the customer service person turned my phone back on and saved my minutes. I finally signed up for autopay, so they just automatically send me 150 more minutes on the 25th of every month.
I probably use my phone 3 minutes a day, at most. the minutes keep piling up. I now have a balance of about 1200.
My only negative is the phones. I wish they had a phone more like a blackberry, something that would talk to my computer.
I have used Verizon prepaid and really was not too impressed. The service was not bad, but you do rack up charges quickly. I have never tried Net 10, nor know anyone who has, but if its really only 10cents a min. I may have to check them out! Seems like people are happy with them.
Very happy so farwith my phone, I have had it for over two months now, and in two more I will update to A new camera phone. Looking forward to it.
I’ve had my net 10 LG phone for over 6 months and I haven’t really experienced many problems. I wish the phones were a litle more fancier, nonetheless, it does what it’s supposed to do. Once I didn’t renew in time; my 30 days expired and I DID lose almost 90minutes…I hear folks saying they ‘roll over’, I assume they are referring to if you don’t let your phone expire. Also, I’ve had to call customer service once when I bought minutes online, however, they did not update on my phone. When I finally got in touch with cs, they did give me some extra minutes, however, at times it was rather difficult to understand them; the english was not very good.
Hey Anthony,
I am using Verizon but recently the service has become really bad. So I was thinking of changing it and ur article provided good tips. Thanks!!
Btw, I really like your blog so I submitted it to Viralogy.com. That will help more people discover it! If you want you can claim your blog at http://www.viralogy.com/blogs/my/14184 which will also help your ranking. Hope you get more traffic through that!Anyway, I hope you have a great week and that you will be successful in every activity you engage in!
I kept track for the last 10 months and we (my husband and myself) have used an average of 350 minutes per month at a cost of $70/per month. Even for the highest month (522 minutes) we would still be saving money going to Net10.
So I bought the Samsung T201G. Setup was very easy. Sound is great. We don’t need all the bells and whistles and since Clark Howard recommends Net10 I felt comfortable making this decision. At this rate we might get one for our 10-yr-old to carry in his pocket when we go hiking or to amusement parks.
I wonder what is the cheapest way to keep one active for that purpose. If I buy a long-term card and the phone is lost or destroyed could the service be transferred?
NET10′s CLAIM of 10-Cents-A-Minute is VERY MISLEADING!!!!!
Suppose you buy a Net10 phone and rarely need to use it. What then?
IS YOUR COST REALLY JUST 10 Cents a Minute? NO! NO! NO!
For example, buy 300 minutes for $30.
THE CATCH IS IN THE EXPIRATION!
The ACCESS to your minutes will expire in 60 days!
SO REALLY THIS IS A FORCED $15-Per-Month Cell Phone Plan
which allows you 5 hours of talk time within the 2-month period.
So the Net10 Company forces you to keep paying monthy,
because if you don’t, your service will be locked out.
If you use your Net10 phone rarely, very soon you will be in a situation
where you have over 1000 minutes and still have to keep buying airtime cards
and paying (effectively) the $15 per month charge to keep the service going.
SO FORGET THE CLAIM OF 10-cents-per-minute. RESTRICTIONS APPLY!
For example, if your Net10 phone usage averages about 1 minute per day,
then you are really paying 50 cents per minute to use your cell phone!
Still, it is the cheapest plan for ‘light’ cell phone users that I’ve been able to find so far.
I lived in Moscow 2 years… and there the cell phone plans were SO MUCH BETTER.
You could buy ANY brand of cell phone, and use ANY cell phone service provider.
All cell phones were unlocked, so you could use them for any service.
If you found you prefered a different service provider, you would just sign up for the
different service and then switch your cell phone’s SIM card. So easy!
You could even have two service providers simultaneously (for different purposes)
and yet use the same cell phone! You’d just switch the SIM card to change.
And if you were a light cell phone user, you could have a truly CHEAP cost,
and would only have to prepay for what you truly use without worrying about
some monthly minimum cost. $5 a month for light use was easy.
If Moscow can do this, why can’t the U.S.?
Are U.S. companies more greedy, less competitive?
Bill,
I’m not sure I understand your point, other than the fact that you have an expiration date. If you only use your phone for 1 minute per day, that doesn’t mean your minutes cost 50 cents per minute. You still have the minutes that you paid for. What if you use your phone for 1 minute in a whole 2 month period, then you’ve effectively paid $30 for that one minute, huh?
I have to say, I don’t see anything mis-leading here. As I’ve previously stated, it’s still the least expensive way to keep a cell-phone(in this part of the world) that I’ve found.
Are US companies more greedy? probably.
Net10 has just become the most amazing thing in my life.
Being a teen, it is very important to be incontact!
My parents had me on a pretty expensive contract now that I think about it
but with all the offers from Net10 it was natural to change over.
They still pay on regular basis to keep me activated, but the amount is so much less now. The bonus is I can stil make as many calls as I want and send loads of texts.
So all friends are happy and the parents can smile as they pay less.
I also cant get in to trouble anymore. with Net10 I cant go over the 300minutes and if I have minuses left over they dont go to waste….. BONUS!
Only 5cents a text.. Im gonna be the most popular person ever!
Thanks Net10
I like net10 I have had them for about a year now. I mainly use them for work but I do take it everywhere I go. I recently enrolled in the 400minuet plan which is pretty neat. Even if I run low on minuets I can get more 50 for 5$ more. so its basically unlimited for me now. I can even surf the web by using their mobile site, I can check news,weather,sports and more even download ring tones. I can surf by using minuets. Everything is included thats the way I like it. Texting is .05 minuets which is neat also. This has been by far the best pre paid service I have had.
Net10 is simply the best. I have had the service for two years and would highly recommend it. I would have no use for 1000-minute or more minutes-per-month, so it would be foolish for me to subscribe. Though the phone I have isn’t as sleek as some, or have as many features, it is a good, basic phone. I mainly make necessary calls and send texts (really cheap!), and have never had a problem. Whoever wrote that their calls get dropped (and have with four different phones) has some strangely unique problem, I think. I’ve only contacted customer service once, and was helped immediately. I just checked and see that I have 123 minutes left and they are good through 1-09-10: your expiration dates moves out as you add additional minutes. I couldn’t be happier with the phone and the service. And yes, I’ve called internationally with no problem — also around the continental U.S. No roaming or other goofy, hidden charges: just good, basic service.
I’m not familiar with all of T-Mobile’s plans, but I have had a T-Mobile prepaid phone for several years and I pay only for minutes. There is no daily fee with my service. I buy a $100 refill card once a year, and it gives me 1,000 minutes of airtime, with a one-year expiration period. That also allows my unused minutes from the current year to roll over (I’m not a big talker). T-Mobile also sells refill cards in smaller denominations, but the per-minute cost is higher that way, and the expiration period is shorter. For a light user of basic phone service such as myself, it’s probably the best deal available.
We just got our teenage son a Net10 phone. We think that should be a good deal for him. He’ll probably use it more than I use mine, but not so much that he would need an unlimited plan (at much higher cost).
Hello. I am looking to get the Motorola EM326g camera phone by net 10. Does any one have that phone and/or any feedback.
I just bought and activated the EM326g one week ago.
Things I like:
The design,a nifty little slider.
The features, the camera has taken some really nice pictures at the maximum resolution which can be used as your wallpaper. The FM radio has been useful for walking, along with the mp3 player (I bought a 2G miniSD card at Staples for $10 that should hold enough songs for me)
It has bluetooth for transfer to and from a computer, along with usb for charging and transfer. The browser button can’t be moved but it can be locked. Still has 4 programmable buttons. The keypad can be locked by pressing and holding the * key for a moment so you don’t end up accidentally making a phone call when you don’t mean to. You can set it to answer by sliding open and hanging up by sliding closed and the keys will remain locked with this technique.
I’ve had fun with the voice recorder, making my own ringtones but I can also use songs from the SD card to set up as ringtones. You can also download more from Net10.
As my third Net 10 phone in 2 years, I really like the extras. I already had some accessories that fit this phone so I didn’t have to spend any money on those. I had a usb cord that fit this phone, a car charger, earbuds, and a case. You won’t get a usb driver with the phone but you can download one from Motorola’s site. I didn’t need one for XP but I needed one for Windows 7RC.
The only thing that I like better on my old flip from them was the ability to set different ringers for different contacts There is a way to accomplish that with 14 contacts if you assign them to their own group but I haven’t done that yet. My first phone was their cheapest which I used for a while to try the service, then I got the flip phone, which I’ve had most of the last two years. When I saw the EM326g, it had the extra features that I knew I’d use while working. I’m happy I bought it. I bought it directly from Net10 and used 2 codes that I found online that gave me an $8 discount also.
Get this. I live in rural Illinois….Verizon uses the lines here and they charge out the “bleep” with contracts, extra fees….on and on. And their pay as you go plan is extremely expensive..per day charges…etc. I found out that Net10 uses their lines in my area. Now I get Verizon service, Verizon voice mail, Verizon quality and coverage, but now no contracts….I choose how much to get….$30 every two months and 300 minutes….& add extra if I need it. I use Skype and Ekiga and IMing to help when minutes are low. Works for me. My husband and I both have the same phones and love them and the quality. Sorry Verizon…we’ll use your lines but pay Net10 instead…..ha
Exactly!!!
I`m considering a net 10 phone but is a little confused do u have to pay a bill monthly fot the phone? The reason i ask is because it say something like 10 cent a min for a text wat exactly does that mean.
You don’t have a monthly bill per se, but you buy a phone card that has X amount of minutes and X amount of days. When the days on that card run out, you have to buy more minutes, or you’ll lose your phone number. So, you don’t have a monthly contract, but to keep your phone #, you’ll have to always have a current card. Calls are 10 cents per minute. Texts are 5 cents each, sending and receiving.
Thanks Alot
I’ve been a Net10 user for a couple years and I was unaware there was web access. They certainly don’t advertise it! I could really use Google Maps or Mapquest while on the road occasionally – not enough use to require a GPS (I’m also a news junkie so if it was cheap enough I might use it for that, too). I cannot find any info on their site detailing what they charge for web use (and I’d be absolutely flabbergasted if they allowed tethering). Can anyone provide info on the web use charges (and whether the map sites are even a possibility)?
I e-mailed Net10 and their reply was basically that it costs the same as a phone call – every minute you’re on the net uses a minute of airtime. I guess you’re at the mercy of how long the browser on the phone decides to keep the connection open. I would hope that it would only keep it up until the end of the current minute (after receiving whatever data you asked for), but I doubt I’ll be able to get confirmation of that from their customer service, so if I really want to know I guess I’ll just have to bite the bullet and try it.
I guess that’s about all you can do. My phone has the feature, but I never use it, because I don’t want to use up my minutes this way. I got my phone to use as a phone only.
I’ve had my Net10 phone for over a year now, and I really only have one complaint about it.
I live right near the Canadian border in Northern NY, and service can be spotty when I get too close to Canada. I suspect that’s more of a lack of towers in the area than anything, because it’s worked everywhere else I’ve needed to use it. It’s a great phone, and like everyone else has said, you can’t beat the price.
Net10 is absolutely amazing. I’ve had my phone now for almost six months and I have saved so much money. I have bought the Net10 Unlimited plans and its these bundles with unlimited texting, calling, and web browsing. I love it because these bundles can be used for additional service for like international calling too!!
There is no contract and the service has just been wondering. I highly reccomend it.
Bill from Moscow has it right. For a light user, Net10 is not that cheap. It’s all about the days. ATT will get you 90 days for $25 and 1 year for $100. If you are a light user, the minutes are irrelevant because you will have minutes left to roll over anyway. You’ll find yourself with more and more minutes rolling over that you’ll never use (and they know that).
Net10′s CS is horrible and their website is not much better either. I am an immigrant and I know how to speak slowly and communicate with foreign speakers but with Net10, I could not understand what they were saying, there was a horrible echo in the background and in the end, they either could not or would not answer my questions.
US telecoms are basically performing legalized thievery but because most Americans never leave the country, the don’t know it. So they become ecstatic when a crap company offers them a cheap service. I went to Greece for vacation (it’s like a second world country) and their cell plans were so much better, cheaper , and LESS CONFUSING. And all sort of little things. Like you don’t get charged for incoming calls. Why in the hell would I want to pay for someone to call me? How can Greece do that and the US can’t? Easy, the government there works for the people, not the corporations.
I bought a Net10 phone so I could phone home to Canada while travelling in the US. The phone was cheap and the rates seemed good, but I could not get it activated for out-of-country calls (this seems to require a separate step which is not advertised). For several days I called the 1-800 number listed in their manual, but no one ever answered it. Then I found another 1-877 number to call, and this time I talked to someone and he said he would activate it, but it could take up to 3 days. 11 days after purchasing the phone, I still could not call Canada and my vacation was coming to an end, so I took it back to Sears and got a refund.
I decided to go with Net10 after finally getting fed up wiht contract issues and poor service with my previous contract carrier and I couldn’t be happier with the change. Moneywise, Net10 is a real boost to my pocket with their $40/400m “easy minutes” monthly plan that is saving me more than $60 a month versus my previous plan. Their “pay-as-you-go” minutes are also a real baragain make a great idea for people like my grandmother who needed a phone strictly for emergenices. I travel a lot as well and having international calling for .15 a minute and being on the TMobile network has finally given me confidence in a cell phone company. Even the phone themselves are affordable and once you pay for activation, you already get 300 minutes. Net10 is a great choice for those on a limited budget who need quality service.
I use a net10 phone as a backup. Works like a charm. Just keep it in the glove box of my car with a year’s worth of minutes and when ever my phone dies or I’m out of signal on the road I use it. I’m very impressed with the phones and never have a problem with it, has saved my life and job as a traveling man allot of times. Great phones for back up phones
Its so good to hear from people who enjoy using Net10. I’m in the same category, I hated being locked into contracts with all the hidden fees. With Net10 I know exactly what I’m paying for, at a reasonable rate and can stop whenever I need to. I’ve heard their CS isn’t great but have never had a bad experience myself, and plus, name a large cell provider who does have good CS, none of my previous ones have. I think those who have reasonable expectations are the happiest customers, thank you from me Net10!
Exactly!!
I also find that Net10 works best for me. I’m very happy paying $15/month, not having to be tied down with a contract and I never have problem with reception. And with Net10, I get to keep my options open if something better comes along.
When I get an excellent service, a working cell phone, enough minutes to use as I need, and even more roll overed to use as I wish for $15.00 a month…I am a happy man!
I use Net 10 with complete satisfaction and a brother of mine uses TracFone. No complaints.
Now I don’t have contracts, I don’t have fees to worry about, I can cancel by just stop using the cell phone…what else do I want? What else would anyone want!!! (By the way, I would have to be nuts to stop using Net 10).
I have recently been looking in to no contract cell phones. Net10 seems to be one of the best deals around. Could someone please answer one question for me?
I understand calls are 10 cents a minute, and texts are 5 cents each. Does that mean that 20 texts (sent and received at 5 cents each) = $1 which =1 minute of time????? if not then how are texts billed?
Thanks in advance for the help. I text more than call so just trying to determine if Net10 is right for me.
It’s true that 20 texts would add up to $1. I’m not sure how that would be equal to 1 minute though.
If you text more than you call, you might consider Straight Talk, which is a sister company to Net10….both are subsidiaries of Tracfone. Straight talk has a deal where you get around 1000 minutes and 1000 texts for $30 per month…….or unlimited for $45. I think Net 10′s unlimited plan is around $50.
Sorry to be such a numb-skull, but I guess I still don’t understand how text messages are billed.
If I bought the 300 minutes for $30, Then sent and received 20 texts, would I have 299 minutes left?
i think I am getting confused because you are buying minutes, but texts are charged by the $$.
Does that make any sense or am I totally misunderstanding the whole thing?
Thanks again
No, basically 2 texts would = 1 minute of time. Calls are 10 cents per minute. Texts are 5 cents each(whether you’re sending or receiving). Therefore, 2 texts(5 cents x 2) would add up to one minute of time. So, all that to say that 20 texts would leave you with 290 minutes. In your original question, you said:
This would not equal 1 minute of time, because one minute isn’t $1. One minute is 10 cents.
Net10 sucked for me. They did not give me a choice of network or number. So I ended up getting on T-Mobile which sucks donkey balls in my area. The sound quality of the phone was beyond horrible. Practically unusable. I got phone # with an area code from another part of the state. I guess if your standards are zero, you might be happy with the price and all the garbage that comes with it but my standards are a little above zero so I just sold the phone for peanuts on ebay. I only have one question: Why can’t I buy a phone and then choose the service provider without a contract like they do in Europe? Why are phones, contracts, and providers co-mingled in such ridiculous fashion? Buying a phone/plan is more complicated in the US than getting a mortgage for your house.
I live in Dade County Miami, been with Net10 for about 6 months now and never have a problem. I have the LG300 whic is a pretty basic phone but it’s exactly what I need and with the bill of $15 a month, I have no complaints.
My thoughts exactly!
I also have net10 and its SO cheap, im still on the 300 free minutes
I have been using NET10 for several years. I buy the 300 min. card every two months and only carry the phone in case my car breaks down. I accumulated about 2600 minutes and decided to transfer them to my wife’s NET10 phone so I could get a new and better phone and she always burns her minutes up. During the transfer I mistakenly gave them the serial # from the old phone and that screwed everything up. It took about two weeks and two sim cards to finally get the situation resolved. I think the customer service, while sometimes tedious and hard to understand, is pretty good. These people are doing the best they can and if you are nice to them they will help all they can. I have read posts on other sites from people who complain about their time being wasted. If their time is that valuable (right) they should buy an expensive plan with one of the big companies so they can go to the store to get their problem fixed. I have also read posts about people who have lost minutes, etc. Well stuff does happen and NET10 is inexpensive enough to buy a new phone and toss the old one rather that spending a lot of time complaining on internet forums. Sometimes I think some people just enjoy being a-holes and if I was in customer service I wouldn’t want to go out of my way to help either. That’s my two cents worth.
We are still NET10 customers and will continue to be.
I agree Tom! When you get impatient with Customer Service(with any company), they probably will not be as helpful as they would if you’re patient with them and don’t get an attitude. Airing your frustrations to them doesn’t help. They can’t fix all the problems with the company.
It would be great to see another update, a year on from when this one was posted. Although my suspicion is that nothing has changed. In my experience Net10 has been the best cell phone deal out there. Not only are their rates the best, they’re clear and with no hidden fees or charges. Their call quality has been great and the phone I got with them (Samsung 401g) has been great. Still a good service and great value.
Thanx for all the info Anthony….did not want to read all the posts, so I’ll just ask you…can I keep my current phone number (with virgin mobile) if I switch to Net10? If so, I’m going shopping for a new phone…now!
thankx
Well. Great article. I started using this phone about two days ao. I also saw they have easy bundle minutes. $15 dollars a month for 200 minutes. Th only catch is you have to enroll your bank account. I’ll think about it
For now I will stick to my LG 600 with the free 300 minutes. I feel happy .. So good calls, everyone,
Jessy
OH yeah I agree with you Jessica. The LG600 has been so great and using that free 300 minutes just added to the great savings I was already getting. I was a little nervous about the fact that a prepaid phone wouldn’t have good enough service. But I have found that to be the complete opposite. I actually have had no service problems and just saving all that money….. is unreal. I could not even imagine going back to a contract phone and spending so much more money for the exact same thing.
i was wondering i just got a net10 phone with the 300 min . i do alot of texting how many text can i send and recieve before i run out of min. thanks
CB, I also think and update would be great, but as you said, it may not be necessary.
I got Net10 2 weeks ago (yeah! I know,,, I was living under a rock!) I was waiting on my contract to finish, you know the evil contract?
So anyway, I went all the way and got me a Samsung, with mp3 player and camera, the phone is great and I couldn’t be happier with the service and the price, amazing.
Throw away service. Throw away phone.
My wife and I have had Net 10 for about 6 months, and since we don’t use the phone ver much, it is very expensive. In addition, we have had untold dropped calls using our LG 400 phones and the Net 10 service! Recently, in Reno, NV, my phone and the Net 10 service could not connect for a distance of approximately 1/4 mile. It would also not connect on many of my calls from Reno to Sacramento ——- we are dropping the service!
so yeah I Got rid of my contract fourth months ago and was a little nervous about it, but now I’m glad that I made the switch. Unlimited everything, I never have a dropped call, and its sooooo much cheaper lol. Its just the right way to go. And I love laughing at all my friends who pay DOUBLE what I pay. .and usually my signal is stronger….
With Net10 complaints about dropped calls are being blamed on the wrong company. Net10 doesn’t have its own towers, it uses AT&T or T-Mobile (depending on where you live). So if you are having dropped call issues, it isn’t Net10 it is the owner of the towers! I have been a Net10 customer for years. It is cheaper for myself (who uses about 150-200 minutes a month) and my preteen son (who uses about 20-30 minutes a month) to pay about $75 every two months (since I need to buy an extra minutes bundle of about 115 minutes for $10 every time I get a $30 300 minute/60 day card) than to get any of the so called family plans with the major carriers.
Net10 has the new 750 minute/30 day cards for $25 available now and I have switched to that for my LG 900G phone. Since I use this model for a great deal of internet searching etc. in addition to my usual calling, the $0.033 cents per minute works very well. The one warning I will give is that if you switch from the traditional 300 minute/60 day $30 cards to the new cheaper ones, you will lose any roll over minutes or time that you have saved up. I just have to remember to add a new $25 card every 30 days on my phone. Also, if you somehow forget your end date and your phone goes dead one day, you can just go and add more minutes back on and you don’t lose your phone number. Too cool!
So for $80 every two months I get basically unlimited calls,texts, and emails for me (1500 minutes is a lot) and my son has more than enought to call, text, and download (using minutes to pay for games and ringtones since he doesn’t use all his 300 up in that time). Heck of a lot better than $69.99 EVERY month for the family plans of AT&T or Verizon, etc.
Net10 is a really great bargain for the quality of signal strength that it provides. It uses both Verizon AND ATT towers for signal so you know you’re getting the best coverage possible from a prepaid service. It’s not as powerful as the contract boys in terms of 3G and all that, but it’s only 50 a month for unlimited everything so sacrifices are neccesary somewhere or other.
I had T Mobile in the NY area and was very disappointed with their serivce and support,. After seeing a Net10 commerical on youtube and reading some of the comments i decided to give it a go. This was about 4 months ago and so far i am very happy. My T-Mobile phone was more expensive even thought my phone now has a much better camera and the serivce is national. I use the unlimited plan for $50 a month and def would recommend it to anyone who has a local network
Yeah I also was unhappy withe t-mobile in the miami area, they don’t have great coverage and I always needed to go outside to get the level of coverage that I needed. Now that I have net10, it’s much better than any contract service that I have been on even tho the internet is a little slower. 8/10 satisfied.
I want a net10 phone so bad. Is the only one i can afford
But still i saw this LG900G phone, which is kind of what their smartphone is. I can’t wait to see how the phone performs under the coverage of the verizon network. My friends who do have the phone tell me that it is reliable.
I have had dropped calls. I had trac fone before and never had this problem. I don’t understand if there is anything I can do. Someone will call me and I won’ t get them until they say, “Hey, did you get my text?” and I shut the phone off and on again and it shows up 5 minutes later. That defeats the purpose when they are asking me, “Do you want me to pick up dinner?”
Which sucks, because of course I want him to pick up dinner.
Then he comes home, with no dinner, thinking I ignored him.
I was a net-ten user for years, wanted to upgrade my phone to something modern. So I went to net-tens web site and ordered a beautiful LG 900g. But when it came it was not a net ten phone but a trackfone, really disappointed, my net ten service was great always had full signal everywhere but with tracfones service I get no signal at work were I would use the phone the most ARRGGG.
I realize net-ten and tracfone are sister companies, but are not equal and now I want my net-ten service back tracfone suckssss.