Sling TV limits

Tracfone is a subsidiary of American Movil owned by Carlos Slim, (on some years the richest man in the world). Carlos's father, born Khalil Salim Haddad Aglamaz, emigrated to Mexico from Lebanon (then part of the Ottoman Empire) at the age of 14 in 1902 and changed his name to Julián Slim Haddad.

American Movil is by far the largest company in the world by number of cellular subscriptions, and is 5X larger than the second largest company in Mexico. They have extensive operations all though Latin America. It is the largest MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) in the USA.

Quote: Evenbob

It's drug dealers phone of choice, they call them burners because use them a few times and toss them.

Google Voice will give you a phone number (since 2009) which you can operate for free to make and receive calls to anywhere in the USA (from wifi). However, you must supply a valid phone number for reference. Google doesn't want to be in a position to supply endless phone numbers to drug dealers.

Google Voice is extremely traceable,
I've had it for years.

Quote: Pacomartin

In this day and age you can get unlimited talk for far less than $50/month. I've seen plans at Walmart for $20/month. The insurance agent is accessing data every month.

Right. And that is the thing. She probably needs to make lots and lots of quotes. I am not quite in that bad a boat, but when I need a deed or other item I *need* it to get my job done. Clients are paying four and probably five figures for my final report, and it has to be done when it has to be done. Now normally I try to get access at a local coffeehouse or other way. But that is not always possible. I am on a good plan and my highest out the door month was $95 or so. But I totally get where she is coming from. Life in the field is life in the field.

Quote: AZDuffman

Right. And that is the thing. She probably needs to make lots and lots of quotes. Life in the field is life in the field.

Well, that is your business. But I am surprised at millenials who are 20 years old, who work in a warehouse, and spend over $100 a month on a phone service.

Watching Netflix uses about 1 GB of data per hour for each stream of standard definition video, and up to 3 GB per hour for each stream of HD video.

So depending on your plan, watching a 2.5 hour movie could cost way more than a theater ticket or buying a CD. That is even if you get the movie for free.

Quote: Evenbob

Google Voice is extremely traceable, I've had it for years.

I forgot what you cell plan was, but I think you said $20 for 200 minutes every 90 days. You can put google voice on your android phone and tell people you will discuss the issue in detail when you get to a public wifi spot.

Quote: Pacomartin

Well, that is your business. But I am surprised at millenials who are 20 years old, who work in a warehouse, and spend over $100 a month on a phone service.

Watching Netflix uses about 1 GB of data per hour for each stream of standard definition video, and up to 3 GB per hour for each stream of HD video.

So depending on your plan, watching a 2.5 hour movie could cost way more than a theater ticket or buying a CD. That is even if you get the movie for free.

Well yes that is different. I know I use my phone way too much to just kill time, but some of them are crazy. For things that eat the bandwidth I wait until I find free wifi.

Speaking of bandwidth, the guy at the deed desk was mentioning yesterday how the average person doesn't know what it is. He asks me and I say how I know. He is a little surprised then I reminded him I wasn't "average." :-)

Lets just say you have to know the guy and place.

Quote: AZDuffman

Well yes that is different. I know I use my phone way too much to just kill time, but some of them are crazy. For things that eat the bandwidth I wait until I find free wifi.

TARA SIEGEL BERNARD pondered the decision to let go of her landline in the NY Times last year @ $900 / year. Not surprisingly she decided against it because of 911 and power blackouts.


I have seen this suggestion on how to use the small current in a phone line to power a cell phone in an amergency, but that assumes the cell towers are functioning


Hurricane Sandy caused about one in four cell towers to fail, leaving thousands of customers unable to make cell phone calls for days.

If you don't want to keep a landline for backup, you should use Google Voice to make a free wifi phone. You can put the app on your current phone if it is an Android phone. If not the LG L34C Optimus Fuel Android Phone is for sale at Walmart at many different prices, but can be bought for less than $20.

It is debatable that wifi hotspots will be more reliable than cell phone towers in the event of a terrible storm, but at the very least you will have redundant systems. The local Burger King may have power even if the cell towers go down.

In the film, The Impossible, one man refuses to give Ewan Macgregor's character, the father, his cell phone to call home, saying, "My battery is almost dead." Fortunately, another man offers his, despite admitting that he, too, has little juice left. the father had lost track of his wife and son in the Tsunami.

Google Talk is gone, it's now Google Hangouts for
outgoing calls. Google Voice is still there for
incoming messages. I wouldn't get a landline
if it was $5 a month, let alone 900..

Quote: Evenbob

Google Talk is gone, it's now Google Hangouts for
outgoing calls. Google Voice is still there for
incoming messages. I wouldn't get a landline
if it was $5 a month, let alone 900..

The use of Google Hangouts and Google voice is highly recommended for augmenting Ting

For instance, you can activate two mobile phone numbers and a third number for your house. All devices should default to using Google Hangouts and Voice. The default charge would be $6 per phone number - $18.

$47 Kyocera DuraXT Refurbished
$81 Unimax MXE-675 NEW
$88 Kyocera Kona NEW
$91 Motorola Moto G NEW
$97 Home Phone Connect

Now you sum up the minutes or texts on all three devices where you needed cellular, and wi-fi was not available. Most of the time at home it should be available if your internet is working.

If the minutes add up to 500 minutes per month the additional fee is another $18, meaning the total charge is up to $36. If it is under 100 minutes, the additional fee is $3.

It's a very frugal way to keep a landline and two mobile phones going per month. You just have to be careful to use public wifi spots most of the time.