Jim Burks wrote:

> Guess I'll switch mom to Virgin Mobile. They have a
> pay as you go plan that's effectively $20/quarter, so
> I'll be saving $$. Only downsides are that it's CDMA,
> and on the Sprint network, so coverage is spotty off
> the highways.

Pageplus is a better option than Sprint. They use the Verizon network,
and unlike Virgin, allow roaming onto other CDMA and AMPS networks (at
extra cost). As long as most of the time she'll be in a Verizon area,
it's the best prepaid choice in terms of both price and coverage. Much
less $ per quarter as well, $10 every 120 days, so it'll be $30/year,
$7.50 per quarter.

PagePlus coverage is essentially equal to Verizon's InPulse service, and
is far better than T-Mobile, Cingular, or Sprint coverage.

On the minimum card value, it's $10 for 80 minutes, and there is a 50¢
per month charge, so it works out to about 14¢ per minute on the $10
card. Higher value cards give you more minutes per $. I wish that they'd
offer a one year, $100 card, because it'd be less hassle than adding
money three times a year.

You can use any Verizon CDMA phone, even older non-E-911 phones, and
even an InPulse phone that you buy new.