Best Carrier | Other carriers | Consumer forum

iamdrumming said:

rivigirl99 said:

Ok guys i need ur help
I want to know what is the best prepaid carrier
im 13 going into highschool next year and i use around 50-60 min a month and lots of texts!
what i like about SO is you buy the airtime and activate it and there you go lol!
no extra charges
whats ur opinion i really need help
thanks
riva

---

If you are going to use a phone a lot, and send many texts, SpeakOut might not be the best option for you. SpeakOut was designed for light users. It might be more economical to get a plan from one of the other carriers that supports unlimited calling and/or unlimited texting. I know my friend's daughter texts a few thousand times a month. For them, an unlimited texting plan was cheaper than going with SpeakOut.

I agree. When you do the math, here is what Speakout will cost:
60 mins x 20 cents/min = $12
300 text msgs x 5 cents/msg = $15 (what is a lot??)
Total $27 per month - remember that 5 cents is charged for each incoming AND outgoing text message.

Whereas with Fido and Virgin Mobile, $25 monthly plan gets you 100 minutes anytime, unlimited minutes evenings and weekends, unlimited text messages, and no system access fee. However, you do have to pay a one-time activation fee, caller ID costs an extra $7 (fido), and you have to pay a penalty if you want to get out of the contract early.

rivigirl99 said:

what i like about SO is no contract and the only way to buy airtime is at the store
my sister had a telus pay as you go and said it was terrible so...
is it true SO might get unlimited texting?
do u know for how much?
thanks
4 ur help
riva

There are pluses and minuses with contracts. With prepaid (no contract), you have to buy your phone up front. With a contract, the phone is heavily subsidized and many of the phones cost little or nothing (but you are paying for it in your monthly payments).

There are other things in the fine print as well. With SO and Virgin, the phones only work in Canada. Fido works in Canada and the US (prepaid and contract), and Europe (contract only). Virtually all prepaid providers charge an activation fee (money grab), except for SO.

I had a Telus prepaid phone before switching to SO. It was OK, but couldn't use the $10 every month because of my low usage. I ended up with a $180 balance when I ditched it. And Telus prepaids don't work in the US either (I travel there occasionally).

Personally, if I use as many minutes and text messages as you do, I would lean towards the Fido monthly plan and buy the iPhone.