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1:24 am
April 9, 2009
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Hello,
I am a senior living alone and recently separated,the home phone has been disconnected and unknown to me account hadn't been paid since last August...anyway,I was advised to impose on your expertise and ask your advice as to which wireless plan you could recommend for me...
I live in Alberta and really only need an Alberta plan....I am on a limited income..the phones and plans confuse me.So please if you can advise me,I will be very grateful...
Sincerely.....Dee
1:33 am
October 21, 2008
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FOr ease of understanding you can't beat prepaid plans. There are no contracts either.
Basically, you buy airtime, add it to your phone account, and then pay for each minute of use.
If you use very little, then you'll pay very little. If you use a lot, then maybe a plan might be more cost effective.
Basically, if you use 150 minutes per month or less, then a prepaid plan works the best.
With Speakout, if you buy a $75 or $100 card (for simplicity's sake, just buy one of those, it'll be cheaper and easier), you'll be paying the equivalent of $0.80/mth plus $0.20 per minute.
1:35 am
October 21, 2008
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Oh, and I forgot to mention, any money on your account that you haven't used in a month doesn't expiry, it just gets forwarded over to the next month. Any money that you've put on the card, and haven't used, takes a full year to expire, so you'll have to buy airtime at least once per year, or when you use it up, whichever comes first.
4:22 pm
April 9, 2009
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Thank you Big Ang,
I forgot to ask about the wireless phones...I looked at them in the 7 11 store but found them confusing.
Can I impose again and ask for a recommendation.
Thank you...Dee
6:43 pm
October 14, 2008
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I recommend the Nokia 1208. It's an excellent basic phone.
1:43 am
October 21, 2008
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I'd recommend the Nokia 2760 flip phone. The keypad is larger than the other phones, and the screen is a decent size.
But really, it all depends on your preference. All the Speakout phones work well and make calls, etc., so if you prefer one over the other, then pick the one that you'd prefer.
2:13 pm
I recommend the 1208 or the older 1600, if available,
but certainly NOT the 2610. From hands-on experience, the 2610 cannot be used outdoors in the daytime. The display is NOT glare-free... lots of glare... you can see almost NOTHING in the display outdoors.. to see who is calling or to look for a number in your phonebook, all you can see is the reflection of the sky, or trees, or whatever is reflected!
I used the 1600, 1208, then the 2610, now back to 1208.. no more 2610. The 1600 and 1208 are both great and basically the same with only a few cosmetic keyboard changes.
2:20 pm
PS... forgot to mention that in addition to the heavy, bright glare of the Nokia 2610 outdoors, the display words are tiny compared to the 1208 making it even harder to make out any words or numbers outdoors. The glare indoors is ok except for the very small print.
4:27 pm
Personally, I prefer "bar" phones over flip phones. From a safety point of view, esp if you are driving, one look at a bar phone and you can see if the call might be urgent. If not ugent, can let your voice mail take over. Or if need to answer, just press a button on the bar phone.. don't need to fiddle around to open the flip using both hands if not familiar using one hand.. many flip phones don't have external displays.. so just to see who is calling you need to open the flip, likely using 2 hands... not safe esp while driving.
Much less convenient, too, if not driving but if your hands are greasy cooking or dirty gardening or wet if washing.
Whereas if it's a bar phone, like the 1208 etc, just press a key while the phone is on the table etc... don't even need to pick it up.. and you can talk.
6:20 pm
Dee said:
Hello,
I am a senior living alone and recently separated,the home phone has been disconnected and unknown to me account hadn't been paid since last August...anyway,I was advised to impose on your expertise and ask your advice as to which wireless plan you could recommend for me...
I live in Alberta and really only need an Alberta plan....I am on a limited income..the phones and plans confuse me.So please if you can advise me,I will be very grateful...
Sincerely.....Dee
Hello Dee. Do you have a rough idea as to how many minutes per month you might be on the phone (either for calls you make or receive)? Do you anticipate an increase or decrease in time-spent-on-the-phone due to your recent marital status change? As others have pointed out, prepaid plans such as Speakout can be very economical, especially if your usage is low. (For example, I only use a few minutes a month, and a $25 voucher lasts me a whole year!) Were you planning to have a land-line phone as well? Many cell phone users don't have a land line at all (which is a further cost savings).
As far as phones are concerned, when I started off on Speakout, I was lucky enough to buy a used Nokia 1112 phone, which is a bare-bones bar-style model with a monochrome (non-colour) display. It is all all I need, and the monochrome LCD is very easy to read in any light conditions.
6:57 pm
Picking a cell phone plan would certainly depend on the minutes you spend on the calls you make or receive each month. It also depends on the cell phone company you use. For example, a person with lots of money to throw away can throw his or her big money Rogers, Bell, Telus, Koodoo, etc's way.
In your case, if your average is 100 minutes or less a month, then the 7-Eleven Speakout no contract (prepaid plan) is the best deal. If between 100 to 200 minutes a month, then Virgin Mobile MIGHT be your best bet using the $20 Anytime 200 minutes/month prepaid (no contract) plan. BUT downside to this Virgin plan is any unused minutes expires at the end of each month and you have to pay $20 (or $21 with gst included) EVERY month... Unlike some of the big cell phone providers' names that I mentioned earlier where you might have to pay for sooo many other little items (caller id, voicemail, service charges, and all kinds of scam charges... not kidding... the so-called "spectrum" fees is/was a REAL scam fee now replaced with a new name but still a scam fee, nevertheless) that can bring your fish-bait starting $15 or $20 to become $35 or over $40 per month, but for Virgin Mobile, you pay only $20 plus gst $1=$21 only each month. ,,, Caller id, voicemail, etc are included... nothing else to pay for.
Another thing to look at is, if your monthly usage is not constant but again averages 100 mins per month, then the 7-11 Speakout would be the best because whether it's a $25 or a $100 voucher, they DON'T expire for 365 days!!
The upside to the $75 or $100 vouchers is that it's only 20 cents a minute, and also expires only after 365 days and when you add another voucher before the 365-day expiry, then all the unused minutes plus the new minutes will go for another 365 days from the date you topped up.
Hope that helps.
8:14 pm
April 9, 2009
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Thank you so much for all your responses...I didn't expect so many.I have read them but am really going to seriously ponder over them..
Did I mention that I was confused at 7/11 store...!!?
My land line was cut off 9 weeks ago...and have had no phone since that time...as it wasn't in my name for 35 years and have no credit,they won't cater to me.It was very frightening at first esp.when computer crashed...used make urgent calls in-30 at outdoor gas station phone..but amazingly,I have coped and realize one can adjust to any situation that presents itself..
Hopefully,my minutes will expand to previous normal social interaction but presently I guess I just need a phone....
Did not know such phones existed till I got gas at 7 11 and was just browsing around store..asked employee for info and she was extremely helpful....wanted one right away..but thought it was a gimmick..."senior mentality" and so here Iam..sincerely with thanks ..Dee
9:32 pm
April 14, 2009
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In addition to all of the above, you might want to consider this alternative IF you spend many hours on the phone for local and some long distance calls.
Get 2 phones:
1) a 7-Eleven Speakout cell phone for urgent, emergency, and mobile calls when shopping etc and
2) at the same time, get a landline home phone for all the hours on the phone for free local calls and some long distance/international calls.
That might work very well, depending on your needs and usage.
Like Walter_Wpg, a $25 voucher might last you a year for urgent and/or emergency and some mobile calls and for the rest of the calls, you can use your home landline phone with free local calls and pennies for international calls.
So that might work for you depending on your pattern of use.
Cheers
8:47 pm
Dee, do you have a high-speed internet connection in your house? (you said you had a computer, it doesn't matter if its still crashed as long as you still have the cable internet service).
If so you might consider a Voice-over-Internet phone. They send you a box with a telephone jack and you connect it between your incoming internet cable and your computer. Then you plug your phone into the jack.
One company that does this is Vonage. http://www.vonage.ca $20 per month and that includes 500 minutes per month of free long distance within north America, a full message center, call forwarding and call display. There are no extra fees except GST and PST.
You DO need to have a credit card which they bill monthly, but then they don't need to qualify you for an account. No contract, so you can stop anytime, and if you stop paying, the service is cut immediately.
The start up costs are @ $70 to buy the box (but that includes one month of service). The service also has 911, but the phone won't work at all during power outages or when the cable is 'down'.
In Alberta the service is available in the following 403 area code communities: Airdrie Calgary Canmore Cochrane High River Lethbridge Medicine Hat Okotoks Red Deer Strathmore, and in the 780 area code: Edmonton Fort McMurray Grande Prairie
Sherwood Park St. Albert.
If you've been turned down for an introductory low-limit credit card, you can apply for a 'secured' card where you must pre-pay a certain amount, and that amount becomes your initial limit. I see that the minimum amount to secure such a credit card was $75, but a friend of mine was asked for $500 (and then her limit would have been $500). The annual fees are around $65 - you can find information online - 'secured credit card Canada'.
I personally feel that having a cell phone is important for safety (and it can be used during power outages). Thanks to the advice on this forum I will be purchasing a SpeakOut phone as soon as my contract is up with Bell Mobility.
Hope this doesn't further confuse you.... just want to see you safe and 'connected'.
9:14 pm
April 14, 2009
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Talking about hi-speed internet and phones remind me of Skype - http://www.skype.com/ - FREE for all your local and international calls. I've used Skype to talk with my friends in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia from Canada. And it's good... not just voice but video, too, where you can see each other while talking... neat, huh? All you need is your computer with speaker and microphone. Almost all computers have speakers... laptops usually have both speakers and microphones ... if not, you don't need to buy expensive, fancy speakers or mics. Those C$10 or below works just as good. All calls sent or received, local or international, are FREE. Your computer will ring just like a home phone.
BUT there is a downside... Free only from computer to computer and both PCs must be "on" at the time of call.
But you can also call from computer or Skype phones to landline home phones or cellular phones to almost anywhere in the world for only pennies. Not sure how that works because all I've used were the free voice/video calls. But you can check it out at http://www.skype.com/
9:26 pm
April 14, 2009
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PS... about using Skype, forgot to mention that if you want to see the person you're talking to, you'll need a webcam that also comes built-in with most laptops or you need to buy webcam... purchased mine from Future Shop for C$15 that time... if your laptop is newer, they come with speakers, mic, and webcam already built-in... speakers usually below the display... mic and webcam above the display.
So you need to buy NOTHING... just need to download Skype and Skype will start working when you complete the steps to install and follow the test call.
More about Skype :
http://www.skype.com/download/.....0000034771
5:24 pm
Hello again and thank you all....I have a computer and laptop...connected w/ dlink box..will check vonage and see if they will take direct monthly withdrawals as I've never had credit card except the one where you are the other person and that is not available to me anymore. Airkarat,never heard of a secured credit card before...I must look into that...I like the idea now of prepaid everything and appreciate your mentioning it, not just for Vonage.
Mudskipper,Skype is not a good idea..when I started this post several days ago, I had gray hair,having looked in mirror this a.m.,I didn't recognize the white haired person smiling at me...how dare she smile....
Seriously,once again,I am terribly grateful to each and every one of you ...I am learning so much...and just when I had made a firm decision,along comes another response giving me further info to consider...all of you have certainly given my brain a jolt and despite my continuing confusion over which phone to get...this has been a fun interaction for which I am more grateful than you can ever imagine......Dee
12:36 pm
October 21, 2008
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I know this is WAY off topic, but I think the private messaging function has been disabled. My apologies to everyone. Comment by admin: see this thread about why it has been disabled and to continue discussion on that matter if you'd like.
Dee, here are some details from the federal government regarding secured credit cards (although I would suggest applying for a regular credit card before going this route).
