I'd like to ask if there are any readers who use the Jitterbug cell phone. My contract with Verizon will be fulfilled in one month, and while I have generally been satisfied with Verizon I would like to go to a more simple cell phone. My current plan allows 400 minutes a month, and that is just about what I need, although my usage rarely hits even 300 peak hrs. The monthly charge amounts to about $40, which is the same I would pay with Jitterbug.
I know many of you use iPhones and the like, but I simply don't need that kind of service. I don't like to talk on the phone to begin with, and keep it to a minimum if possible. I don't use the camera function, or lord knows what all the other buttons are there for. I just want a simple phone for when I am away from home (and my land line). I especially need something that will work when I drive across the country, which I'm expecting to do this coming April. The coverage map for Jitterbug looks pretty good - no service is available on any network in certain remote areas - and I can live with that.
So I would like to hear from anyone who uses, or has used, the Jitterbug, and what you find are the pros and cons of this phone/service. I forget to take my cell phone with me at least half the time I leave home, but realize I shouldn't do that on a long distance drive.
Also, if any readers can comment on devices that can summon help in an emergency, I would appreciate hearing about that as well. My biggest problem would be where and how to carry a device with me at all times. I don't think I'm ready for it yet, but with heart issues I should probably start thinking about it since I live and travel alone.
After going back to Facebook for several weeks, I have dropped out again, and if I don't log on for 2 weeks they will supposedly delete my account. I'm not sure what happens to any info they have about me as I think it is probably accessible forever to one who knows how to access it. I was never a very active user though, so I'm just going to opt out of this type of social networking. Even after a few short weeks on FB I found I was spending more and more time on it and I didn't want the addiction to develop and grow any further.
Before I get on with today's paint jobs I think I will drive over to K-Mart and pick up a few items. I haven't been there for a while, and it is so close that traffic isn't an issue. I'll just have to stay out of the snacks department - do you know that when I put my groceries away from yesterday I found a can of Pik-Nik shoestring potatos? I guess the little devil that led me to the hot dog and beer departments must have thrown the Pik-Nix into my cart while I wasn't looking. I really do love snacking on those things and they are relatively additive-free, having much fewer added ingredients than regular potato chips. I guess I can look upon them as a "health food" snack!
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You also might want to check into Consumer Cellular. They have various levels of usage. You get a discount on monthly as an AARP member. You can change to any of the various usuage levels anytime and quit anytime without any penalties or long term sign ups. I love that part. Monthly for under 100 minutes is their $10; we are going on vacation in June so at that time I will up my month's usage to 200 minutes and when I get home I will just go back to the bare minimum for $10 a month again. If you want a free phone, you can opt for that as well or you yours, I believe. Go to their website and check it out. They have a coverage map available, too, so you can see where they are good for. I read your blog everyday so I thought I might tell you about them as another alternative to the Jitterbug phone.
ReplyDeleteI've used the Net-10, pay as u go, forever. 15.00 a month, prepaid. Simple phone, works great. Phone didn't cost anything, cause buying it you got the 300 minutes for 30.00, free. You might check it out,,I was in a contract with my 1st,,and NEVER again.
ReplyDeleteNot being a phone person myself I am not much help. Other than a possible emergency sometime I have no reason to phone anyone......
ReplyDeleteMy latest snack that is soooo good are apple chips that I get at Costco.
ReplyDeleteCheck out Tracfone and StraightTalk at Walmart. Cheap and you can pick the kind of phone you want, plus buy as few mins as you want. Tracfone minutes roll over if you don't use them all , but StraightTalk doesn't. But $30 a mo is cheap for StraightTalk. I use Tracfone for husband who doesn't use many mins at all. Way cheaper than any plan we ever had and no contract.
ReplyDeleteBTW, have read your blog for a long time, just never commented. Was trilled when you got your little house! What a gift!
Oops! Thrilled when you got your little house.
ReplyDeleteI haven't used jitterbug but we did have a pay as you go phone from Virgin Mobile with which we were very happy when they were using the Verizon network but then they switched to the sprint network and it seemed we never had coverage outside of larger metropolitan areas to which we don't often go. SO my advice would be to make absolutely sure the network the company uses will be available where you plan to be or whatever phone you have will be pretty useless.
ReplyDeleteDo any of your children have a Verizon account that you could tag along with? It would be $10. a month, plus taxes, but you would probably have to increase their minutes for their entire account if you are using 400 on your own.
ReplyDeleteWe have our son on our account, and that has worked out very well. We can call each other (and any Verizon customer) at no charge.
Even though he has a busy electrical contracting business, he uses only about 50 minutes a month that is not Verizon, and we use about 100, so the number of minutes has been sufficient.
I should mention this is not his main phone number, but allows him to call his customers with Verizon phones at no charge.
we have trac phone and love it..had net 10 (was a bust)...and verizon services before but have had no problems with the trac phone...the one we purchased was around 30.00 plus got some free minutes..when I buy minutes they auto double :)
ReplyDeleteWe are Trac-fone folks when we are in the U.S. We have used it since 2007 and never found a spot where we didn't have coverage and others did. As you said some places just don't need phones. The minutes are cheap and you only pay for what you need.
ReplyDeleteThe last one we bought was 9.95 and I think the minutes cost us around 0.09 per.