Hobby Phone question - yes, again

I have seen a number of threads talking about phone models, but they all seem to be shrot on payment plan details.

I am looking for a complete end-to-end process of getting a phone AND service and NEVER having to produce ID or pay anything except cash.

That means NO credit card information and NO getting an e-mail account that I will have to access from my home PC.

So here is the requirements list:

1) Buy a phone with cash

2) Get voice and text on a pay cash-as-you go basis or a monthly basis - BUT low cost - under $50/month.

3) No on-line sign up procedure. The phone and/or SIM card starts up right out of the box. This means no e-mail interaction.

4) Advanced features like browsing and navigation are NOT needed. I can do that separately on an iPhone.

5) Preferably nationwide coverage. I would like the phone to operate outside of DFW.

Can you please identify both a phone make and model (e.g., Tracfone, LG, etc,) and a service?

It isn't always clear from website details whether you have to provide a credit card. I don't want to buy a TracFone, open the box, and find out I have to go on-line and provide a credit card as backup

I still have my flip tracfone, I just gave bogus answer to zipcode location, phone contact, etc, very simple bullshit to answer when I initiated the sign-on, and I also called from a phone where I knew there where no security cameras and basically no way to trace back to me. But it's all cash and then buy a card from a store for additional minutes. I know Tracfone has smartphones now but I haven't looked into yet. I would like having web access instead of using my work computer to access eccie or P411. It will just cost you minutes when using the Tracfone, as with any other type of burner phone.

There is no credit card on record (unless they've changed it) check out Target, Walmart, pretty much anywhere phones are sold, and you can always tell them you want no records or credit cards on file.

one more item, I usually keep my hobby phone in my truck or on my bike and always erase everything after I've used it in case the SO finds it. I'll just tell her I found it in a parking lot and then find another place to hide it.

what HD said - tracfone from any merchant that sells them.
i got a simple phone w/ keyboard at krogers for $10. just calls and text. buy as many minutes as you need. some phones will double or triple the minutes you buy.

use something else to surf the web.

Parrot Post Alert!!!

What the two gents in front of me said, exactly. Tracphone, 90 day cards with enough ho-minutes for $20. Hell the phones are $7 at Walgreens on blow out. And everybody should still have a Hotmail or Me or Live or yahoo or other free and low volume check elsewhere login manually email account. You can't be emailing the wimmin if need be from anything legitimate from the RW.

What the other guys said. Tracfone, buy it with cash, buy refill minutes/days with cash. Register it at a public computer (for example, in the service department of a car dealer while you wait). Registration asks for, but does not require, your name and other personal info. Leave it blank.

If you REALLY want a month to month phone, Metro PCS still doesn't require ID (at least, they didn't 2 months ago). I've had a phone with them under my professional name without any issues and you can go into any location and pay the bill with cash in hand.

T-Mobile pay as you go plan is $50/month. Unlimitied text/call and 2GB data. No ID to sign up but need a T-Mobile compatible phone.

tracphone is your best option it cost five dollars cash only. It comes with enough minutes to confirm and get to an appt.

All you do is register it with your HOBBY email and then throw it away after your meeting.

Just bought one today.

If you REALLY want a month to month phone, Metro PCS still doesn't require ID (at least, they didn't 2 months ago). I've had a phone with them under my professional name without any issues and you can go into any location and pay the bill with cash in hand. Originally Posted by GracePreston

+1000

I've had a MetroPCS phone once - I just gave them a complete BS name and paid for a phone - No ID required.

I got a MetroPCS phone. $80 including the phone and first month's payment. Including data and unlimited minutes. I didn't have to provide ID and you can go into the store and pay cash. I'd say it leaves no real paper trail that I can see.

I have no idea how you explanation away being found with an extra phone. I use Google Voice, personally, but am not married so have little to loose other than (generally) temporary girlfriends. But when I was married or in serious relationships, an extra phone would have set off WAY more alarm bells than some odd number or two (since I frequently make phone calls to all kinds of folks in my work or investing).

guess im the only dumbass using his regular phone. I am usignh a Straight talk phone. i have no SO to worry about catching my texts or what not to a provider. I am the only one who uses my pc as well.

I got a MetroPCS phone. $80 including the phone and first month's payment. Including data and unlimited minutes. I didn't have to provide ID and you can go into the store and pay cash. I'd say it leaves no real paper trail that I can see. Originally Posted by Hélène Stone

I have had MetroPCS in the past - although I had them on a credit card.

Here is my problem with MetroPCS. They compressed the hell out of every photo that someone sent me by someone.

And when i forwarded the photo to an e-mail account, I think they compressed it again.

I got a photo from Janine Lindemulder that was only about 60-70 KB when it was downloading and it looked crappy and grainy on the MetroPCS phone. So I forwarded it to my e-mail account and the attachment was only about 10 KB. I lloked like a fucking thumbnail.

I'm pretty sure the original photo was several hundred KBytes, if not over 1 Mbyte.

Is there a way to stop them from doing that? I would go back to them with a $40/month plan for 2Gb/month of data if they stopped fucking with attachments and photos.

I have no idea how you explanation away being found with an extra phone. I use Google Voice, personally, but am not married so have little to loose other than (generally) temporary girlfriends. But when I was married or in serious relationships, an extra phone would have set off WAY more alarm bells than some odd number or two (since I frequently make phone calls to all kinds of folks in my work or investing). Originally Posted by TexTushHog

"The job is giving us company phones."

That should do the trick.

The issue with MetroPCS is range and texting. If you leave the immediate DFW area service is spotty. Texting is a nightmare. One lady texted me from 10' away. It took about seven minutes to hit my phone.