Originally posted by: Jawadali
Ok, let me get this straight (I'm new to cell phones, and am looking for a cheap prepaid one). Theoretical situation:
1) You buy the phone at Staples today (4/10/2005) for $20 after rebates.
2) You then buy a $100 card to add 1000 minutes to your account. These minutes will not expire till 1 year after purchase (4/10/2006).
3) Additionally, this $100 minute purchase makes your account gold, which means that any minute purchases after that will be increased by at least 15%.
Now (this is the confusing part), from what else is said here, any minute purchases ($10, $25, $50, $100) after the initial $100 purchase will automatically extend all of the remaining minutes for an addtional year. If I buy that addtional $10 card on lets say 4/20/2005, My total minutes would be extened to 4/20/2007. Also, if this second purchase is another $100 purchase, I will get 2000 minutes instead of 1000 minutes because of the gold status.
So all I have to do is keep buying a prepaid card (like $10) every year for additional year extensions (there is no way I'm going to be using 1000-2000 mintes of talk time, so I'd just like to extend the minutes for the cheapest amount).
Also, does this phone have any internet-capable functions? If so, where I can find the hotspots/fees?
Sorry for all the questions, but I just wanted to clear a few things up. Thanks.
That is not correct. From the T-Mobile Terms and Conditions (12/2004):Originally posted by: syzygy
you must add at least 25.00 to your account every 3 months for service to continue. failure to do so results in the termination of your number and service.
Your number will be discontinued only if your balance is zero for 90 days. The old terms also had a requirement to make at least one call a month but I don't see that now.
24. Additional Terms for Prepaid Customers. You are responsible for prepaying all charges for using the Service. The airtime balance in your prepaid account is reduced by the charges attributable to your use of the Service. Service lasts as long as the earlier of a) the time period on a prepaid card or coupon or b) when the airtime balance goes to zero, then Service will be interrupted. You may continue to use Service by purchasing additional prepaid Service. If your account expires, you may lose your Number. You will not receive a monthly bill or activity record. Prepaid Service is non-refundable (even if returned during the return period), and no refunds or other compensation will be given for unused airtime balances, lost or stolen prepaid cards or coupons. Applicable Taxes & Fees will be included in your prepaid charges.
T-Mobile runs an annual promotion in which you can a 1-year expiration for all your minutes if you add $25 or more during December. According to the CS rep I talked to last week though, $10 at the end of the year would be sufficient to roll over any unused minutes as a Gold member. If in fact it takes $25, that would still be a good deal.i don't believe your unused minutes will roll over if your new card purchases are less than 25.00 plus tax (over a three month period).
Have you tried it? If you call your own number and are forwarded to your voice mail, you can input your password and retreive your messages.as to whether you can contact your cell number from private land line free of charge, that i'm not sure of. i would guess not.
Originally posted by: syzygyafter you've purchased 250.00 worth of pre-paid cards, all subsequent cards become 'gold' and that automatically doubles the number of minutes you purchased.
Originally posted by: dud
This IS a great deal for prepaid or pay-as-you-go cellular service. I know because I did a TON of research a few months ago when I was looking for such service.
HOWEVER, as good as this deal is it is NOT the best IMHO. After I did my research every piece of data I collected pointed to one and only one provider:
GOBEYONDWIRELESS
3 - You then can log onto their site and purchase additional minutes, as much or as little as you wish ($5 up to $100 minutes). Here is the beauty of this service: THE minutes NEVER expire, so long as you use the phone once every 60 days
Originally posted by: NIVO
ok here is a question for this. Im very interested in this deal. I was just browsing the t-mobile website and saw the 4 phones on the site. For me personally the Siemens CF62T will suit me. But out of curiosity, is their any other phones out there that will work with the prepay service? Say, like the 730 from motorola? or any along those lines? Thanks.
Originally posted by: z0mb13
also what is this sidekick thing?? you have to pay $1 each day for that?
Originally posted by: mscdex0
Originally posted by: Jawadali
Ok, let me get this straight (I'm new to cell phones, and am looking for a cheap prepaid one). Theoretical situation:
1) You buy the phone at Staples today (4/10/2005) for $20 after rebates.
2) You then buy a $100 card to add 1000 minutes to your account. These minutes will not expire till 1 year after purchase (4/10/2006).
3) Additionally, this $100 minute purchase makes your account gold, which means that any minute purchases after that will be increased by at least 15%.
Now (this is the confusing part), from what else is said here, any minute purchases ($10, $25, $50, $100) after the initial $100 purchase will automatically extend all of the remaining minutes for an addtional year. If I buy that addtional $10 card on lets say 4/20/2005, My total minutes would be extened to 4/20/2007. Also, if this second purchase is another $100 purchase, I will get 2000 minutes instead of 1000 minutes because of the gold status.
So all I have to do is keep buying a prepaid card (like $10) every year for additional year extensions (there is no way I'm going to be using 1000-2000 mintes of talk time, so I'd just like to extend the minutes for the cheapest amount).
Also, does this phone have any internet-capable functions? If so, where I can find the hotspots/fees?
Sorry for all the questions, but I just wanted to clear a few things up. Thanks.
I was about to ask the same questions. Anyone know?
Originally posted by: abaez
The time you get when you buy the extra card isn't *ADDED* on to the original one year, the deadline is only extended. Let's say you bought your phone and minutes on 4/10/05, your expiration date would be 4/10/06. Now you buy more time - the date you buy the time your expiration date is extended. So lets say you bought a $10 card on 7/10/2005, your new expiration date (with the balance of the original 1000 minutes+the new time you just bought) is now 7/10/2006. Hope that isn't too confusing.
Originally posted by: ZroK
Originally posted by: abaez
The time you get when you buy the extra card isn't *ADDED* on to the original one year, the deadline is only extended. Let's say you bought your phone and minutes on 4/10/05, your expiration date would be 4/10/06. Now you buy more time - the date you buy the time your expiration date is extended. So lets say you bought a $10 card on 7/10/2005, your new expiration date (with the balance of the original 1000 minutes+the new time you just bought) is now 7/10/2006. Hope that isn't too confusing.
When you 'refill' minutes, does the new rate affect the old rate that still applies to the balance? e.g. If the original rate is 10c per minute ($100 card), I refill it with a $10 card after a year. Will the balance's rate changed from 10c per minute to 20c per minute based on the $10 refill?
Originally posted by: usernamemax20charact
Just noticed that this phone is on clearance now for $25. Got me a PM. Now it's free after MIR.
Originally posted by: dwcal
Virgin Mobile has the best deal on text messaging. Free incoming messages and $.10 for outgoing messages. Saves a lot on airtime.
Originally posted by: ZroK
Which store has clearance?
Originally posted by: ZroK
Originally posted by: usernamemax20charact
Just noticed that this phone is on clearance now for $25. Got me a PM. Now it's free after MIR.
Which store has clearance? T-Mobile or Staples?
Where is it on clearance? I stopped by a Staples on the way home and the price in the system there was $99.Originally posted by: usernamemax20charact
Just noticed that this phone is on clearance now for $25. Got me a PM. Now it's free after MIR.
AFAIK, the promotion at Staples is over. You can still get the rebate if you buy it at another store though -- see http://www.tmobilerebates.com/PDFs/5026-19-775-5.pdfOriginally posted by: treidenb
Does Staples at least have the $20 AR price yet?
I stopped at a Walgreens and noticed they still have it selling for $79 with no mention of rebates. I thought it was the mid-level phone at first. The box still described Gold being after $250 rather than $100 as well.
You can use any T-mobile compatible phone with the prepaid service. If you missed the deal at Staples, you might want to look around a bit before buying directly from T-mobile. Online auctions and shopping channels have better prices. From what I've heard, that Siemens model is not that good a phone but if you want one, HSN is selling them. FWIW, the Samsung is a much better buy and there is a $40 rebate available for that one.Originally posted by: NIVO
ok here is a question for this. Im very interested in this deal. I was just browsing the t-mobile website and saw the 4 phones on the site. For me personally the Siemens CF62T will suit me. But out of curiosity, is their any other phones out there that will work with the prepay service? Say, like the 730 from motorola? or any along those lines? Thanks.
Originally posted by: brucekatz
Gold member? Minutes expire, or not? Link to rate chart.
No requirement for refilling every three months to "stay gold" is mentioned. Hmmm, wonder what the story is on this.Gold Rewards Whenever Minutes
Once you've added $100.00 in refills to your account, you automatically become a Gold Rewards customer and get at least 15% more minutes with every refill and your minutes do not expire for one full year .