Talk & Text Only Cell Phone for Under $50 a Month - Does It Exist?

Updated on September 14, 2012
H.G. asks from Mount Joy, PA
14 answers

Does anyone know of or own a cell phone with a FULL KEYBOARD where you pay less than $50 per month for a talk & text plan? I have Verizon and although I like my plan and phone, it would cost close to $50 to add a line for my 13 year old daughter. She has a TRAC phone right now and it's a flip without a real keyboard.

We don't need touch screen or all the latest bells and whistles, just a phone that's reliable for talking and texting. Anyone have anything like that? Ideally, I'd love for it to cost no more than $25 per month, but I don't think that exists. TIA.

1 mom found this helpful

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S.S.

answers from Binghamton on

My daughter has a Virgin pay-as-you-go phone that costs 30$ a month for 1,500 minutes of talk and some huge number of texts I have forgotten. It's a cute little phone too that flips open to a key board. We got it at Best Buy in July.

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L.F.

answers from Chicago on

I just got a phone from Walmart's Straight Talk plan for under $50. It is a Samsung, and it looks just like a Blackberry (full keyboard). The cheapest prepaid plan you can get (talk/text/web) is about $33/month, which includes tax and the 911 access fee. This was the cheapest cell phone plan I could find.

My specific phone uses the Verizon network, which was important to me because Verizon has the best coverage and fewer dropped calls in my area. Look at the Walmart Straight Talk phones online (often cheaper online than in stores). You might find that it is cheaper to get new phones and prepaid plans for you and your daughter than it is to stay with the traditional Verizon service. Good luck!

ETA: You can still buy a prepaid Verizon phone at Walmart or Target and add it to your existing Verizon plan. It will still probably only run you about $50. No contract renewal needed.

2 moms found this helpful

J.A.

answers from Indianapolis on

Walmart's Family Mobile is pretty simple. You pay for the phone. The first line is $50 a month. Any added lines are 25 more a month. My husband and I have been with them for over a year now. Our bill is always the same amount. We have unlimited talk and text and picture messages. You can use the Internet or download things by adding money into a spend account. And if you ever can't pay the bill the phone is simply shut off. You just pay it when you can, and there are no late fees. We have never had any issues with their service. It is run by TMobile.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

Okay.... both exactly what you're asking for AND exactly what you're asking not for:

My son has an iPhone 3gs.

It cost $1 to buy the phone (it's 2 generations back)

It's $10 a month for the added line.

ALL features are under parental control. Meaning that everything can be shut off and passworded EXCEPT talk & text (although we find the calendar and camera hugely useful for homework).

It's touch screen (so full keyboard, but touchscreen keyboard).
It DOES have all the bells and whistles (internet, iTunes, etc., which again, can be shut off if you don't want them).

Ours is through AT&T

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J.Y.

answers from Chicago on

I have boost mobile for my daughter and myself. You have to buy the phone (my daughter's has a full keyboard for $75) and then the plan starts at $50/month. Every six months you pay on time your bill will be reduced by $5 until you reach $35/ month. The plan includes everything and there are never extra charges.

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J.C.

answers from Rockford on

My son got a $60 straight talk phone, has a pullout keyboard, and pays $30 a month + taxes for 1000 minutes of talk, 1000 texts and some data. My husband got a more expensive phone, but only pays $45 + taxes for unlimited text, talk, and data. These are prepaid, so no contracts.

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E.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

iwireless through Kroger.

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

I've never heard of it. We do have ATT and each line that is added is $10 a month BUT that does not include the other features.

We all have the latest IPhones with unlimited data and text and I pay $240 a month for the 3 of us.

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

We have Verizon, and my line costs around $60, and to add my husband's it costs around $20/month extra (including taxes/fees). We do not have an internet plan. We do have talk/texting. If I added unlimited texting for my husband it would add $5/month more than what we pay for his 250 texts (he never even uses all those).

I don't know why it would cost so much to add her to your existing Verizon plan?

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K..

answers from Phoenix on

I pay $45 a month for 1200 talk minutes, and unlimited text & data through Virgin. I have an Android Smartphone, but they have other, simpler phones a "Pay Lo" program/plan, which is even cheaper and includes phones with keyboard.

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cell-phone-plans/paylo-pla...

You really should check out some of the prepaid carriers, they have lots of cheap phones & plans.

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

My USB device is through Virgin Mobile. I don't know what they offer re: phones, but I'd look into them.

E.A.

answers from Erie on

We pay $40/mo for 1200 minutes and unlimited text and data on each phone (we have 2). We use Virgin Mobile and have always been happy with them, we both have the Rumor Touch, which is really inexpensive now. And there's no contract. You can get cheaper rates with fewer minutes or no data in the plan.

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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

IPhone 3s are FREE with Verizon and I think $25 per mo to add to an existing account.

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