I have an app called text free on my tablets. They assign you a number that you can text from and make calls from. To make calls, you can either buy minutes or watch short videos/ads to earn minutes. You'll need a tablet with a cell connection or a wifi connection. If your tablet doesn't have a built in mic, you'll need a headset with a mic. You also need to send at least one text a month to keep the number.
I was hoping that in the modern day there was an alternative to starting a countdown clock to expire your purchase and force another one?
We have 3 tablets between us. The daughter has 1 for the 12 year old and we have 2. That app is on all of them.
The terrorists (avatar) have discovered it and send text and call each other. 1 goes to the back of the house and the other in the family room. It is hilarious.
^^This!^^ My old LG "candy bar phone" gets charged once a week.Prepaid cellphone and minutes card. Charge the battery, keep it in the glove box, and forget it's there until you need it.
Most prepaid services give you so many minutes or so many days of service before they require you to re-up. So redeem the card and activate the phone just prior to use.
Also, any phone capable of connecting to the tower will by law place a call when you dial 911, regardless of service plan or the lack thereof.
If you buy a prepaid phone and keep it in the package and unactivated, will the minutes you get with it still expire?
The only problem with that is that once you activate, then you are obligated to use it up (with the different phone number,) before it expires. It just seems more complicated than it could be? Using the burner, that will expire, will likely involve extra voice mails and calls or txts explaining who you are? Then you go back to your known number and there is more confusion.
Seems as though you would be working hard to not break into that backup phone to start the clock on the next minutes purchase? That also wouldn't be conducive to not returning home when you forgot your regular phone. Also not near as apt to hand off the backup to someone else in the same circumstances.
I wonder if there is not something you could do with your sim card to duplicate it? With your sim card, could you not activate any phone compatible with your service?
Could you not activate a tracphone or the like with your sim card and use from your normal account (and telephone number) vs the different number's minutes? Thus, not be on the clock to use up the "emergency" minutes with the different telephone number before they expire?
I was hoping that in the modern day there was an alternative to starting a countdown clock to expire your purchase and force another one?
If you buy a prepaid phone and keep it in the package and unactivated, will the minutes you get with it still expire?
No. Just don't expect to be able to activate it quickly in an emergency. It can take up to an hour, but usually about 10 minutes.
...and I have been using a prepaid cell phone (Tracfone) since 2003.
You can always activate it and just purchase a 365 day re-up every year and forget about it the rest of the time. The cheapest way to do that is to buy some minutes, then buy the 365 service as an add-on to the transaction.
Very interesting. How does the 365 re-up differ from the minutes purchase? Approx costs for these services?
Wonder how this compares to my AT&T GoPhone service? I've been buying service monthly for fourish years.
With the odd exception, I really don't talk on the phone much anymore. Communication is nearly all txt. Data (txt included I assume) is a huge factor though, as I send and receive a lot of pics and vids. Not to mention that the minicomputer in my pocket pulls and pushes a pretty fair amount of web data, e-mail checking and functions as TV/radio/jukebox when out and about.