Today I called Verizon to find out what my cancellation fee would be (I was thinking of switching carriers) and was told it would be $155 if I canceled.
Ouch.
The sales representative then asked me why I wanted to cancel. I told him cost was a concern and I didn’t feel I was getting my money’s worth.
Then I found out there not one but three ultra-low-cost post-paid plans available. These are listed nowhere on the Verizon Wireless web site (and if they are, please post a link because I couldn’t find them.)
These are absolute basic no-frills plans with next to nothing in them, just so you’re aware. And bear in mind that yes, these are post-paid plans, not pre-paid (more on that in a moment.)
$34.99 a month
- 300 anytime minutes.
- Unlimited nights and weekends
- Free long distance in the continental US
$25.00 a month
- 100 anytime minutes
- 500 night and weekend minutes
$20.00 a month
- 50 anytime minutes
- 100 night and weekend minutes
A post-paid plan for $20 a month? Believe it. Verizon has it. Granted, it’s not even an hour’s worth of talk-time per month, but the fact of the matter is that YES, you can go that cheap on a post-paid plan. If you’re the type that only uses a cell phone for calling AAA and emergencies, this is perfect for you.
But you have to ask for it.
I was only informed of these plans due to the fact I mentioned cost was a concern.
A few notes on pre-paid plans
A PCMech reader once noted that the best way to go cheap with a cell phone is to go T-Mobile and buy a 1000-minute card that’s good for 1 year. And he was right.
It is in fact the absolute lowest you can go price-wise for a cell phone. Assuming you don’t go over the 1000 minutes in the year, you get a little over 75 minutes a month. The cost translates to under 8 bucks a month (not including the price of the phone itself or overages if any.)
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Phil Meyer said:
6/4/2008 8:57 am
Check out Virgin Mobile’s fee’s.
$20.00 every 3 months equals $6.67 per month!
Cheaper than T-Mobile’s cost!
[Reply]
Rich Menga reply on June 4, 2008 11:31 am:
I assume this is pre-paid? If so, yeah that’s an awesome deal for sure. (If you have a link direct to that plan please post it.)
[Reply]
Tom C said:
6/4/2008 10:07 am
I purchased a cell phone and a basic Alltel plan that costs nothing if you don’t use it. Calls are 25 cents per minute but you only have to make one call per month to keep it active. I bought it for my wife as an emergency way to contact help. So I make one call each month and it costs 25 cents and I have access to help at any time.
[Reply]
Rich Menga reply on June 4, 2008 11:33 am:
Well I definitely haven’t heard any cheaper than that, so you win the prize for “cheapest plan ever”.
If you have a link (and the name) to that plan it please post it.
If the price stays true it only costs 15 bucks for 60 minutes. Not bad a’tall.
[Reply]
Jim said:
8/1/2008 4:28 pm
I am currently paying between $4 and $5 per month for a cell phone, however I average only 30 - 40 minutes a month. I use PagePlusCellular.com. They use the Verizon network and are PrePay with a flat rate of 12 cents per minute. Minutes are good for 4 month and carry over if you add more before the end of 4 months. So $10 gets me 83 minutes which lasts me over 2 months. Phones are nice. Mine cost $30 and came with $10 worth of minutes on it. Coverage is national. Quality is as good as I have had in the past with AT&T, Verizon and Suncom.
[Reply]