BusyMom chooses Net10

by Mrs J.
(Philadelphia)

We left Nextel just as they were merging with Sprint. After more than 4 years as happy Nextel customers who had used cell phones in lieu of a landline, we had become frustrated with soaring prices, constant changes, policy inconsistencies, and bad customer service. The final straw was when we moved from VA to PA. Our new home was in an area where Sprint's coverage was truly abysmal. Luckily, our contract was within 2 months of its end date.


Shortly after our move, we purchased two Net10 phones with the thought that they would work just until we could research and find a "real" cell provider. (Like a lot of other folks, we used to turn our nose up at prepaid. Back then, prepaid was mostly known as being for people with no credit or bad credit.)

Fast forward... Three years later, we are still with Net10!

I think the main attraction for us, after the bad experience with Sprint is Net10's no-nonsense fee scale. No hard-to-understand price structure or randomly added fees. No smoke and mirrors. No bait and switch. And of course, NO contract.

Granted, we are not heavy users. We make a few, daily short calls to family members and our kids' schools. I'd estimate hubby and I average less than 500 minutes per month each. In our case, Net10 has been an excellent option.

Net10 has a wide variety of options for purchasing minutes. Some of our handsets are set to refill automatically at $15/month. Other times we purchase a $100/1000 mins which lasts for 6 months. Being a real penny-pincher, I most often buy refill cards via a few trusted eBay sellers. Or I use Callingmart.com (so far with good service/no issues). By using these options I often pay LESS than the retail $.10/min rate because of cash back and coupon codes, and I avoid paying taxes (as with the Net10 site or the Airtime on Demand feature).

Net10 offers a host of options to let me
know when my expiration date is nearing. It's always shown on the phone display, of course. Additionally, I signed up at Net10.com to receive emails and set my account so they text me. I also requested to get a recorded call to my landline before my due date. (Hey, I'm busy! I need a lot of reminders).

From the beginning, I was really surprised at the clarity and how rarely we experienced dropped calls or ran into dead zones. In our experience, coverage is excellent! Hubby travels for work so thus far, we have talked between PA, MD, NJ, DE, VA, NC, TN, MS, TX and CA with great success. No roaming charges, ever.

I think we have tried just about every facet of their service by this point. Twice I have ported a number. Once it required help from CS and took some time. I did hate the delay, but CS was very kind and worked it out. My next port was snag-free.

Over the years we have owned 4-5 different phones. Some I bought used on eBay at reduced rates (afterwords simply request a SIM card free from Net10). Other handsets we bought new. They're easy to find at local retailers or via the Net10 site.

Über fancy smart-phones are NOT available (so far) via Net10. That doesn't bother me, but some people may find it a big issue. They have camera phones, flip phones, some with blue tooth features, and sliders too.

Overall I have been an extremely happy customer! I love knowing that I can walk away anytime I want - not tied to a contract. We still average less than $100/month with 3 people in our house talking and texting, which is better than most post-paid family plan options I found. So, yes, I would recommend it to a friend. If you are a light to moderate user and want to be in control of your spending, on a solid network with great coverage, Net10 is worth checking out!

Comments for BusyMom chooses Net10

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Mar 20, 2010
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The best money saving choice
by: Kimberly

It never really occured to me how much I was spending on my cell phone every month until I moved out on my own. Paying more $100 a month was killing me, so when I heard about Net10's $0.10 a call guarentee, I had to give them a try. The "easy minutes" monthly plans are super inexpensive and range as low as $15 for 150 minutes - I opted for the $40/400M plan and I'm saving more than $60 a month. If I get in trouble with minutes one month, I can just purchase more and easily upload them directly from my phone. The phone selection, which some say is limited, is very affordable and you can purchase them anywhere from Target to Best Buy. Cheap texting and international calling also made Net10 a great choice for me. Ultimately, it ws the savings and being on the dependable TMobile network that made breaking my previos contract worth it.

Feb 28, 2010
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Net10 is amazing.
by: Anonymous

After being on contract for some time, I made the leap and changed to Net10 Prepaid. It is amazing how much less I am paying Every month now for almost exactly the same thing. The deal is great $30 for a phone and 300 minutes to start. The calling rate is so reasonable at only 10 cents per minute that I can use the phone when ever I need it. Ive heard that some of the phones work better in certain areas than others. This is because net10 uses the other companies towers to get a very wide coverage area. When you buy the phone check the barcode for the dominant carrier in that ares. The reviews have recently listed net10 as the number one prepaid provider for customer satisfaction. I personally found customer service polite and helpful. In terms of a prepaid provider I put them at my top. There are no bill, no hidden costs, unused minutes carry over, calls are 10 cents a minute and texts are 5 cents.

Aug 24, 2009
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Why Net 10?
by: Robert

Why Net 10? when you can get Air time for 6 cents per min on the same system that you are paying 10 cents for? What is the advantage of paying more for the same thing.

Aug 23, 2009
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eMMIT
by: Anonymous

Nextell the same as Boost has unlimited for $50.00 per month but there system is the worst thats the problem.

Aug 23, 2009
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Joe
by: Anonymous

Net 10 is by track fone and 10 cents all the time is very simple. Page Plus is a better deal, They use Verizon (The Best) and you can go as low as 6 cents per min or unlimited for $39.95.

Aug 18, 2009
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Slice of life!
by: Anonymous

Great review.

I appreciate the fact that it relates to your family's experience rather than the state of the industry or other people's opinions.

It's really refreshing to read an intelligent, well-informed commentary like yours. Thanks.

Net10 IS a terrific deal. As more people like you come forward with similar success stories, I'm sure they will continue to grow!

Jun 26, 2009
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Prepaid Competes With Postpaid!
by: PrepaidWirelessGuy

This is a fantastic, not too mention, detailed review! I think it really speaks to the evolution of prepaid wireless offerings. The stigma that has been around prepaid in North America is starting to erode (although it still has a long way to go!).

500 minutes per month, while not a huge amount of minutes, is still quite a lot more than a glove box user (i.e. someone who uses their phone just for emergencies or truly occasional calling). I conjecture that a lot of people are in the same boat in terms of usage patterns.

You also make a great point regarding the ability to setup autopay and reminders. This means that unlike what some people believe, just because you have a prepaid plan, doesn't mean that you have to be inconvenienced having to buy topup cards/PINs. That's certainly another option, but if you have a credit/debit card, your prepaid plan will feel a lot like a postpaid plan without the headaches.

A number of prepaid wireless providers are starting to offer some pretty sleek phones (check out the Mobile Email section). Eventually all carriers, including Net10 will have broader selections for those who crave more advanced handsets. That said, many of us don't need anything more than a phone for voice calls, texting, and the occasional weather, stock, or movie check.

Bottom line is that prepaid can compete with postpaid more than ever, and we're seeing somewhat of a revolution here in the States. I believe that this review will resonate with a lot of people; thank you for sharing!

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