Skydog wrote: 
Enjoy it while you can. Trump just announced tariffs on imported string and tin cans.

 

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
I waited and waited and waited, and finally found a deal on an iPhone6 through CostCo about a year ago. The phone was $100, with a mail-in rebate of $99 (which took FOUR MONTHS to be processed, but still). I have an old Verizon plan (for "civil" employees) that I grandfathered in. I have been VERY happy with the phone. And by getting rid of my landline I actually have lowered my monthly bill.

 Alexandra wrote: 
$8/month for pay-as-you-go phone service from tracfone. Includes some data but I only turn that on when I'm traveling and need to look something up. Otherwise I just wait until I find some wifi.

I don't see mine anymore, but here's a Samsung for $30

 Alexandra wrote: 
I have a Motorola Moto G that does everything I want. When I was in the US it worked fine. Forget which networks, but I believe it will work on any because it is unlocked.

 Skydog wrote: 
not to get sidetracked or anything

but this reminds me of a book i never read



because racist

 miamizsun wrote: 
okay here's proof, as you can see here I am also the last person on the moon without a cellphone
.

 

 Skydog wrote: 
impossible!

even tho you don't have a cell phone i'd have to see it to believe it

 Alexandra wrote: 
my plan to be the last person on Earth not to have a cell phone is progressing nicely

 Alexandra wrote: 
Scott's probably paying $8/month for very limited voice/data/text service and not for the phone. 

A lot of wireless phone companies, including Tracfone, sell refurbs. If you bought a refurb from a wireless company, it's going to work on that company's network, although I would double-check with the company for coverage limitations if it's providing coverage by buying airtime from a major carrier like Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc. Those airtime-buying companies are little guys like Tracfone and are known as Mobile Virtual Network Operators. Buying a refurb  phone from a wireless carrier will likely be more expensive than buying from Amazon or Gazelle or Swappa, etc. 

This page offers some good advice about buying used phones including reliable sites. I found it by googling "best place to buy used cell phones online":

https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/utilities/where-to-buy-used-cell-phones/

If you don't buy a used/refurbished phone from a wireless carrier, I would look for a site like Amazon that provides seller ratings and protection against scams, such as vetting of sellers, compensation for non-delivery of the phone or misrepresentation of the phone's condition, etc. If a site lets you pay through PayPal, that's a good sign because PayPal has its own buyer protection policies. 

Not pushing you towards anything, but Amazon is offering its Prime customers a good deal on Moto G4 and G4 Play phones. IIRC, the G4 is on many of the recommended budget Android phone lists that I posted earlier. The third Amazon Prime Exclusive phone, the BLU R1 HD, did not get great reviews. If you buy one of these Prime Exclusive phones, you may need to buy a SIM card to insert into the phone so that it works with your chosen carrier. There is some compatibility information on the pages for each phone. 

https://www.amazon.com/Prime-Exclusive-Phones/b/ref=dp_bc_2?ie=UTF8&node=14613304011

 Coaxial wrote: 
 

 
I'm just tired of everything being app-driven these days, and being handicapped in that way. Half the picture messages/emojis/videos can't view on my basic anymore. It's also a pain the butt to text on that tiny keyboard.

 Alexandra wrote: 
Still rockin' the flip phone here....Good luck with your search.

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
 
If it was free, why the $8/month?
 
Where does one find a refurb?
 

 Alexandra wrote: 
This is how they get so many people to justify a thousand-dollar phone. Well, that, and the phones are pretty cool. 

I got a refurb. LG tracfone for free; still pay around $8 a month. Don't call me tho 'cause the meter's runnin' 

 Alexandra wrote: 
Hey, glad to help! Sorry if I overloaded you. In general, if you're looking to save money on phones, look at the recommended budget Android phones or a used iPhone (an iPhone 5 or newer). You don't need a powerful phone since you're not doing things that demand a lot of computing power, and I doubt that there'll be a new type of smartphone feature in the near future that will demand much more computing power than what's available now.  

Ask your friends and family what they do with their phones, whether they'd like to do more with them and which screen size they like. I doubt you'll a need a phone with bigger than a 5 inch screen (that's measured diagonally).

I had to chuckle over your description of dealing with a Verizon store. I don't know anyone who's had a good experience with a walk-in phone store except an Apple Store...and Apple Stores are a bit odd in a different way. I'm a huge Apple fan but when I went to one a few years ago, it was like going to a clean, well-lit, well-mannered cult. Lovely people, great customer service but they all seemed attuned and committed a Higher Purpose.   

My goodness, kcar - thanks for rounding all that info up—I'm even more overwhelmed than ever, but......it'll be helpful.

 Alexandra wrote: 
Yeah, it can be overwhelming! 

It sounds like you're leaning towards joining your family's plan with Verizon. That choice alone will likely limit your choice of phones, since Verizon isn't going to support every type of phone available. 

This isn't the newest article, but it might help you figure out where Verizon's policy on accepting unlocked phones is headed:

https://www.cnet.com/news/bringing-your-own-smartphone-to-verizon-what-do-i-need-to-worry-about/

Here's the conclusion: 

The bottom line

If you plan to stick with Verizon as your service provider, I suggest just getting a smartphone made for Verizon. This doesn't mean you have to purchase it from Verizon. You can still get a used or refurbished phone that was made for Verizon. You will be able to save some money if you do that. The reason I suggest buying a Verizon 4G LTE smartphone is because it will work optimally while you are a Verizon customer. And if you do decide to leave Verizon, it will most likely work on either AT&T or T-Mobile. It's a win-win for you.

An earlier excerpt from the Cnet.com article:

The company (Verizon) is making an effort to make it much easier to use some unlocked phones, such as the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Nexus 6 on its network, even if it's a version of the device that wasn't made specifically for Verizon. Customers can visit Verizon's website and check the ID, such as the IMEI number, on their device to see if it will work unlocked on the carrier's network.

If you do plan on buying an unlocked and/or used phone from someone other than Verizon, call Verizon before you buy to check on whether the phone and the operating system that it's running is compatible with Verizon's network. 

If you're going to buy an Android phone (Android is the phone operating system made by Google. The only real alternative to an Android phone is an iPhone, which runs on the iOS operating system), I would look to buy a relatively recent model that has a fairly new version of Android on it.

Why? So many companies make different models of Android phones that Google hasn't been able to provide new versions of Android that will run on all Android phones—even newish phones. This problem is known as Android fragmentation. Only a few models ever get to use the latest version of Android, and even those models fall out of compatibility when a newer version of Android comes out after you buy the phone. 

Even if your phone doesn't run the latest version of Android, it should work on a network. A phone with an older version of Android will likely fall out of network compatibility sooner and not be able to run the latest version of many apps, though. 

Apple's iPhones don't lose compatibility with the latest version of their operating system as quickly as Android phones do but they tend to be more expensive than Android phones. Again, check with the wireless company you're going to sign up with that the phone and its OS version are compatible with the network before you buy. 

Thewirecutter.com is a good site for technology recommendations. It's now owned by the New York Times. 

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-budget-android-phone/ 

Other lists of recommended budget phones:

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/best-cheap-smartphones-payg-mobiles-compared-1314718

https://www.cnet.com/pictures/fantastically-dirt-cheap-smartphones-pictures/

http://www.androidauthority.com/cheap-android-phones-269520/

http://www.androidcentral.com/best-cheap-android-phones
Thewirecutter also has a good article about choosing a wireless plan, if you choose not to sign up with your family's Verizon plan. The article states that Verizon overall has the best plan but it recommends other carriers and plans if you're looking to save money:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wireless-carrier/

I'm finally ready to be assimilated into the world of smart phones. I held out longer than most people I know who were hold-outs. Even longer than my oldest friends.

But I am overwhelmed with decision. I really need to keep my phone bill around what it is now - $37.94/month. I read reviews of the month-to-month cheaper phones (Cricket Wireless, etc.) and they say the phones are no good and will be outdated more quickly (my neighbor has one, for all the same stuff I need, and has no complaints). The phone is free.

Otherwise, family members have invited me to be on their plan—but I still need to pay for a phone. I can't help cringing at paying over $500 for a damn phone. Currently, I'm with Verizon and they don't give you phones for being with them x-amount of months.

All I would use is its calling/texting/picture-taking capability, an occasional email check if I absolutely HAD to, skyping, and GPS. Seriously. I don't want to have my nose in it all the time, and I don't need any bells and whistles. I will probably open the occasional video someone sends me of my great-nieces/nephews. I won't be listening to YouTube songs or watching videos. I already spend enough screen time on a computer.

So. What to do.....

I was completely turned off by lack of attention and enthusiasm for trying to sell me a phone at my local Verizon store (people suck at customer service these days)...so I might just call in the comfort of my own home. 

Got phone service back at 6:18am and text and 4g back at 9:19am. It was down since 4:30pm yesterday. Still not a chirp from Cricket as to what happened or how they plan on compensating many thousands without service. Even though they share AT&T network very few AT&T customers where having problems. Seems the only Cricket customers that still had service were the ones still on Crickets original network. Bastids.

Still down nationwide - found out whatever it is also is afflicting the AT&T network as Cricket shares it. But Cricket is remaining silent with nothing on their website about it and their chat and CS phone lines are still down. 

 DaveInVA wrote: 
I just now finished looking up a company called Selectel Wireless.  I don't know if they have it in your area, but I'm good things about it out here.  I will look into it further when I'm not so tired.