Emergency Cell Phone

[VirginiaHuguenot]

I am interested in getting an "emergency" cell phone for an older relative. This is for occasional use in situations at home or while driving in which a phone call to 911 or possibly a long-distance call could come in handy.

Are there any good recommendations for such a phone / service?

 

[panta dokimazete]

I am interested in getting an "emergency" cell phone for an older relative. This is for occasional use in situations at home or while driving in which a phone call to 911 or possibly a long-distance call could come in handy.

Are there any good recommendations for such a phone / service?

Do they live in the same city as you?

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Do they live in the same city as you?

No, different state.

 

[Arch2k]

I know that any old phone should work (even without a service plan) to call 911. If the occasional long-distance call is a must, you will need a cheap plan as well.

 

[MrMerlin777]

There are some prepaid services available.

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

There are some prepaid services available.

Any info on specific prepaid services?

 

[MrMerlin777]

The phone I have is with virgin mobile. Nothing fancy the phone itself only cost me 40 somthing and I only need to put at least 20 dollars into it every three months to keep the account open. I only keep a few minutes on it for emergency purposes and the "calling home for the shopping list" stuff.

It depends on how much one wants to use the phone. Cost per minute is usually a bit higher with prepaid services and one burns minutes whether you make a call on the phone or are called on the phone. Prepaid is good for the reasons I use it though and I find it easier to budget.

 

[JohnV]

I guess things are different here in Canada. I've got just such a phone. I use it for "situations", as I'm on the road during the night times. I bought a cell phone, and then pay $10/mo. for a pay-as-you-go card. That's all I need. So my monthly bill is no more than $10. Only occasionally does it exceed that, but that's because I will sometimes use the phone for a few extra things as the need arises.

If that's available in your area, Andrew, it's the best deal out there. At least around here its the best deal. All you really pay for is the phone, a simple cell phone without all the extras, and then the amount of time you need per month.

 

[Pilgrim]

You may want to look into TRAC phone too. The last time I checked, minutes only expired after a year, but that was 3-4 years ago so I don't know what their policy is now.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Adam,

Things may have changed but, if this is only for 911 calls, then any old cell phone, even without a service contract, should work.

When my wife worked at a crisis center they used to receive old cell phones as donations to give to women in times when they needed to call 911. At the time, at least, the cell phone carriers patched through 911 calls even for phones that had no plan.

I'm not sure how you would check for sure but I imagine Cingular or some other provider would list that on their website.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

I just saw the "...or possibly long distance..." call on there.

When I was in the States, I bought a Cingular Go Phone. It allowed me to prepay a certain amount of minutes with no plan. I picked up a phone at Radio Shack that only cost $29. One of their plans gives you $.10/minute calls that expire in about 3 months. The other plan gives you $.25/min calls and I think the minutes never expire.

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

You may want to look into TRAC phone too. The last time I checked, minutes only expired after a year, but that was 3-4 years ago so I don't know what their policy is now.

I'm following up on several avenues mentioned but leaning towards this.

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Jitterbug