Cellular Phones/prepaid phone

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Expert: - 4/10/2011


Question
I want to keep a phone in my auto glove compartment for emergencies only.  Is there such a thing as a prepaid phone that includes x number of minutes and does not have a monthly fee?

Answer
Pretty much all prepaid plans do not have a monthly fee, however, all prepaid minutes have an expiration date. If you put $100 on a prepaid plan, the minutes are good for a year, but if you don't use them, you lose them. It's your decision, but it's typically wiser to just use your regular cell phone versus having a separate or spare one just for emergencies. Just my opinion. Hope this helps.  

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DebiN

Expertise

I can answer questions on cellular phones, the physical device, the network, contracts, billing, ordering, porting and what to look for when purchasing cell phones. I am located in the United States. I am an expert on BlackBerrys, Treos, HTC devices and iPhones as well as cellphones and aircards. I have over 15 years of experience in both the wireless and wireline world with the carriers. I have a lot of knowledge regarding the wireless providers - their services, prices and policies, both GSM AT&T and T-Mobile) and CDMA (Verizon, Sprint/Nextel). I am very familiar with the individual devices and their specifications. I can also answer questions regarding BlackBerrys, iPhones and other PDAs, both Palm-based and Windows-based. I can troubleshoot most any problem someone is having with their cellular device or with the provider.

Experience

Over 20 years in the Telecom industry working for the carriers with individuals, small business, medium business and large corporations(Fortune 500). Also worked as a professor in Maryland for 10 years teaching telecommunications.

Organizations
I belong to several organizations

Education/Credentials
Master's in Telecommunications

Awards and Honors
Received several awards for papers that I have published over the years

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