I guess the title is self-explanatory here, but I'm looking for a cheap cell phone, and also a cheap plan, that does NOT include data.

I've been using a Nokia 5310 for like the past 3 years, and every month I've paid about $42 total for talk and text. But now my phone's all cracked up and its reception sucks, so I need a new one. But these bastards at T-Mobile (the same folks who've been touting their "2 years is too long to wait for an upgrade!" promotion) want me to pay a minimum of $70 for a new phone (and the $70 one is probably a piece of shit.) And I'm poor.

I really don't give much of a damn about surfing the internet with my phone...I just want to be able to call and text. So, do you people have any suggestions about phones/plans which would give me texting and voice for as little as possible? It would also be really excellent if I could keep my number.

Any and all suggestions would be welcome. Thank you.

8/21/2013 12:48:56 AM

http://www.sprint.com/asyougo

$50/month for unlimited err thing, Samsung slider phone = $80. No contract.

8/21/2013 6:09:27 AM

buy a phone off craigslist or check for deals on att go phones (i remember they had some nokia/motorola phones for $10-$15)
get straight talk prepaid ($30 for 1000 mins/1000 text or $45 for unlimited)
no contract bullshit to deal with either


http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A2407749011%2Cp_36%3A2491155011

[Edited on August 21, 2013 at 9:19 AM. Reason : link]

8/21/2013 9:18:10 AM

yeah, there are deals on AT&T go phones on a regular basis...like free or $10 or something

also, second craigslist

check slickdeals

8/21/2013 9:48:09 AM

just buy a motorola razr on egay

8/21/2013 1:18:32 PM

Thanks for the ideas, guys. Buying a secondhand phone sounds like a good idea.

But if I buy a phone from a random person, do you know if I can use it on my current t-mobile contract, and keep my number? (I could easily investigate this myself, obviously...but that might require calling t-mobile, and I don't trust my phone not to drop in mid-call.)

8/21/2013 1:39:02 PM

As long as it's a gsm phone from AT&T or Tmobile, you can just put your sim in the new phone and keep your same number, etc.

8/21/2013 1:45:02 PM

^

Superb. Thank you.

Okay, so I'm going to start checking out craigslist and ebay and slickdeals. I'll let you people know how it turns out.

8/21/2013 1:53:35 PM

My first suggestion is http://www.republicwireless.com. 19.95 a month unlimited, no contract.

second would be to get a Nokia 520/521 which are on sale routinely now for 75-85 bucks and then get either straight talk or net10 or t-mobile prepaid depending on your needs

[Edited on August 21, 2013 at 2:24 PM. Reason : z]

8/21/2013 2:24:32 PM

I ended up getting a T-Mobile Sparq 2



for like $40 at Best Buy. Then they just transferred my SIM card from my old phone, and I was rarin' to go.

I like this new phone because it's not a piece of shit and I can now have conversations without calls dropping all the time.

Again, thanks to everyone who offered advice.

/happyending

10/17/2013 11:28:22 PM

who still uses their cell phone to talk?

10/17/2013 11:30:50 PM

Straight Talk from Wally World. $30/mo for 1000 mins/texts.

10/17/2013 11:49:01 PM

See ringplus from another thread

http://www.ringplus.net/plans/

10/18/2013 12:09:57 AM

I know you said you dont care for data, however if you're looking to save money, check out Republic Wireless. It uses WiFi as its native calling/texting/data source, and then relies on Sprint's network when you're not connected to WiFi. The phone is $99 (it is a smart phone, the Deft XT), but the plan is only $19/month for unlimited everything with no contract, and most of the time you can port your number in. I've been with them a few months and switching from Verizon to them was the best decision i've made in a while.

You can buy their phone online, or in person at the NCSU bookstore.

10/18/2013 9:04:35 AM