?? re: Pay as you Go Phones

[ringmaster]

Does anyone know the charge if I use my pay as I go phone to text on ship? Trying to find an easy way to keep track of teen DD without using our reg. cells or buying expensive walki talkies. DS has pay as you go phone for occasional use, never seems to use all his min. wondering if this might be a better way,would have to buy another but still cheaper than W/T and if anyone has experience using them and how well did they work? Thanks so much for any/all info:)

[pixiedustdawn]

Does anyone know the charge if I use my pay as I go phone to text on ship? Trying to find an easy way to keep track of teen DD without using our reg. cells or buying expensive walki talkies. DS has pay as you go phone for occasional use, never seems to use all his min. wondering if this might be a better way,would have to buy another but still cheaper than W/T and if anyone has experience using them and how well did they work? Thanks so much for any/all info:)

I never seem to get service on my Tracfone when out at sea.

Dawn

[Sparkylok6]

I never seem to get service on my Tracfone when out at sea.

 

Dawn

 

Did you turn it on???? :rolleyes: Do you know how to work it properly???? :D

[jingle5616]

A couple of years ago a trac phone would work, but alas, they closed the loop hole. No go.

 

Jingle

[pixiedustdawn]

You're funny! Keep playing with that monkey of yours!! Hope it s its on your head.

 

Yes, I did turn it on and yes, I do know how to work it. It is the new phone with the TV, I have no clue about. The only thing on that phone I do know how to work is the TV. So that is why I can't answer your calls. lol

 

I do believe with the regular Tracfone you can't make calls from the ship, unless you are in port, but they also have an international service that you can use. I never did it. I think you have to call them and activate that service before you go.

 

I am thinking the expensive walkie talkies may be the best bet at this point.

 

Dawn

Did you turn it on???? :rolleyes: Do you know how to work it properly???? :D

[ringmaster]

Thanks for the info everyone, i guess I'll have to go the walkie talkie route!

[OfcSupport]

I wish there was a better way to keep in touch. I have a teen son and thought about the walkie talkies but they are a pain to carry around. He's not going to want to carry it while swimming, playing basketball, etc.

 

If anyone has any other ideas please let us know.

[pixiedustdawn]

I wish there was a better way to keep in touch. I have a teen son and thought about the walkie talkies but they are a pain to carry around. He's not going to want to carry it while swimming, playing basketball, etc.

 

If anyone has any other ideas please let us know.

 

If they don't want to carry them, all you could do is tell them to get to a phone every hour or hour and a half, and leave a message in the room where they are, and where they are going to be for the next hour or so.

 

I can't imagine what else you can do, other than that or walkie talkies.

[mking8288]

We just return from the STAR Mex. Rivera over the weekend and my AT&T Gophone worked in all 3 ports while docked and I had data services too using my unlocked Moto Q quad-band phone w. USB cable.

 

FYI - the VZW smartphone also worked flawlessly on the ship while at sea but I turned it off as it was our vacation, text & emails were working - using the ship's satellite link (roamming).

[blindrid]

WE have just done the old fashioned way - let us know where you are (approximately anyway) and check in from time to time. We typically go to dinner late so we set a time we are going down and all meet, clean up and go. It's not that hard to find each other if you need to.

[Zukeeper4]

We just return from the STAR Mex. Rivera over the weekend and my AT&T Gophone worked in all 3 ports while docked and I had data services too using my unlocked Moto Q quad-band phone w. USB cable.

 

FYI - the VZW smartphone also worked flawlessly on the ship while at sea but I turned it off as it was our vacation, text & emails were working - using the ship's satellite link (roamming).

 

We used our phone for less than 20 minutes at sea an entire 8 day cruise and the bill was still$2.something a minuite. Big bill.

 

With Sprint international the port charges for USVI are regular roaming so if you have unlimited roaming its free.

 

All other places had varying rates and none were what I consider reasonable. I called ahead and tried adding an international plan for the month which I had done in the past, they no longer offer that. they caught on.

 

Text messages are the cheapest way to go. For teens, we have our kids leave phone messages when changing locations on the ship...i.e Hi Im at the main pool, Hi Im going to the BBall court etc. The message is timestamped too.

 

Jan

[smeyer418]

a pay as you go phone(sometimes a trak phone) is also sometimes known as a throw away. there isn't any billing. You pre pay minutes in either cash or some other way and the phone doesn't have a bill nor a way to trace it to you. I don't own one of those. I have heard that they used to work on ship's cell towers but no longer do. They have an internal clock to keep track of the minutes. If you run out of minutes you have to call a number with a credit card to refill them or go to an authorized dealer and pay cash to re charge your phone. so if you get a bill its not what the original poster asked about.

[pixiedustdawn]

a pay as you go phone(sometimes a trak phone) is also sometimes known as a throw away. there isn't any billing. You pre pay minutes in either cash or some other way and the phone doesn't have a bill nor a way to trace it to you. I don't own one of those. I have heard that they used to work on ship's cell towers but no longer do. They have an internal clock to keep track of the minutes. If you run out of minutes you have to call a number with a credit card to refill them or go to an authorized dealer and pay cash to re charge your phone. so if you get a bill its not what the original poster asked about.

 

This is the phone we take with us. It is a Tracfone. It does not work on the ship. Wish it did, we would use it, and save money.