Question about a pay-as-you-go phone plan

[6lue]

Didn't see a thread on phones, but if there is one sorry about this post. I'm confused on how the plan works. Just wanted to ask a list of things.

1. I checked the Rogers.ca site and for the monthly plan. There is a recurring charge of 29.99/m--- http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-products/paygo_rates?content10=paygo_rates ---- I don't really get how this works out. Does that mean that I get charged 30c per minute other than 3-6 pm, and that gets deducted from the 30 bucks I'm paying monthly? Does that mean that whatever minutes I don't use just carries over to the next month? I'm just kind of confused as to why the 30 is automatically taken from your account. I always thought pay as you go was like a credit system. Pay only when you need to refill the minutes.

2. Would I still be charged for an activation fee every month on a P.A.Y.G plan?

Blah. Sorry if these are pretty dumb questions, I just don't understand how it works.

[Gasaraki]

well I dunno about rogers or whatever but I use virgin mobile which has a pay-as-you-go type plan if you want. You basically pay minimum $10(up to $50 I think is the limit) and that gives you about 5 months(I forget the actual length) of time to use calls, and 1 minute of a call costs 18cents of that $10 that you put in.

So if those 5 months pass and you never added any minutes and still have some money left from the $10, you would not be able to use it without reactivating the account with another $10

[Pryde]

Well, if the 30 bucks it being taking out of your account every month, that means you're on a plan, and NOT a pre-paid plan.

as Gasaraki said, you put money towards the account and you use the phone when you need it. I believe you have to buy a card to actually activate the phone if I'm not mistaken. That's the way it used to be down here, but I don't know anymore. You can buy a $10 card or a $20 card and up. Then you would call and follow the prompts of the card and you'll have the credit on your account, then you can start making phone calls. That's a pre-paid plan.

[SoupyShoe]

damn, i was about to post a link to the phone thread, but i guess i unsubscribed.

[sillypuddy]

I think the pay-as-you-go monthly is like a regular plan.. they tried to be sneaky and got it in there.. the only diff is there is no contract

you would want the "by the minute" column of that page..

btw.. i think my friends went with telus because their pay as you go is a way better deal

-joe

[Prophestus]

Virgin Mobile gets ridiculously expensive if you, ya know, actually make calls. For me its I had to add $20 to my account every 3 months. More often than not I just used the phone as a pager =\. Upside is there is no contract, and absolutely no personal information associated with my account.

[kimterran]

damn, i was about to post a link to the phone thread, but i guess i unsubscribed.

here you go.

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=163314

[6lue]

Thanks for all the replies guys. The help is really appreciated. Thanks for explaining how the plan works to me. I can kind of see how that would work with the by minute plan on the Rogers website, but the daily and monthly plan still don't make sense. Been looking at different reviews for pay as you go plans and phones as well, still unsure as to which company to go too. Anyways, I guess I should the other questions on the phone thread. Thanks again everyone.

[Nick T.]

It depends on what you want out of the phone.

If you like the service, you can go with AT&T:

1. Rollover minutes:
Loading minutes before the expiration date rolls whatever minutes you have left + whatever you added.
2. Better service overall
3. Good rates.

Boost:(Sprint prepaid)

Right now Boost has an unlimited everything plan for $50 a month:
Includes:
1. Talk
2. Text
3. web
4. walkie talkie

Not bad

Virgin Mobile:

Last i heard Virgin Mobile has better rates overall compared to the others(except maybe Boost at the moment.)
Minute packs
maybe a BIT cheaper
No rollover minutes
somewhat nicer phones.

Avoid Net10 and tracfone, their rates are horrible. Even with the double minutes promotion, they charge an arm and a leg for BS service, and the customer service is horrible.

[6lue]

Thanks Nick, aren't those companies only for U.S. though? Sorry, I probably should've mentioned I resided in Canada. Unless those work in Canada as well.