Prepaid Text Messaging?

crazy8tiger · Feb 2, 2008

I was wondering if there is such thing as prepaid text messaging because my parents wouldn't mind me paying for it if I wanted to use it but they don't want me to go over the limit either and start paying 10-15 cents for each one. I was thinking about paying like $10 for 500 messages or something like that then once you send 500 messages you wouldn't be able to send or receive.

If this doesn't really exist, do you guys have ways to prevent going over the limit once you get close to your monthly limit?

swimntennis · Feb 2, 2008

I'm with T-Mobile and I get 400 texts for $4.99 a month. I can check how many I've used by dialing #646# so I don't go over. I do anyway though,and the overages are so much that I'm upgrading to the 1000/month plan. I think it's around $8.99.

crazy8tiger · Feb 2, 2008

I am currently with T-Mobile and I am actually thinking about the $5/400 text plan. I've rarely texted before this so I'm not sure how much I will use it per month but just thinking about it I could use it a lot.

tbini87 · Feb 2, 2008

i have verizon, and have unlimited texting. i probably text about 50 times per day minimum. i think you can text a number to see how many texts you have used, but don't know if t mobile has the same thing.

Deuce · Feb 2, 2008

Writing anywhere near 400 text messages per month is absolutely insane.

Absolutely, positively insane.

Leelord337 · Feb 3, 2008

Deuce said:
Whiting anywhere near 400 text messages per month is absolutely insane.

Absolutely, positively insane.

lol, well...thats normal for kids & some adults now a days.

today for example...I saw a lady on the freeway driving ridiculously slow on the freeway, as i passed her i saw that she was texting and driving. now thats insane.

crazy8tiger · Feb 3, 2008

swimntennis said:
I'm with T-Mobile and I get 400 texts for $4.99 a month. I can check how many I've used by dialing #646# so I don't go over. I do anyway though,and the overages are so much that I'm upgrading to the 1000/month plan. I think it's around $8.99.

Just clarifying, if it's 400 messages, does that mean it's 200 messages back-and-forth?

swimntennis · Feb 3, 2008

crazy8tiger said:
Just clarifying, if it's 400 messages, does that mean it's 200 messages back-and-forth?

Yup, unfortunately that's how it is in the US. I'd go with the $5/400 plan, and then if it's not enough for you, you can upgrade it easily.

Strawberry · Feb 3, 2008

I'm with T-Mobile, and my father got unlimited for our whole family, because it's easier for us to communicate being at 2 houses most the time.

Craig Sheppard · Feb 3, 2008

crazy8tiger said:
I was wondering if there is such thing as prepaid text messaging because my parents wouldn't mind me paying for it if I wanted to use it but they don't want me to go over the limit either and start paying 10-15 cents for each one. I was thinking about paying like $10 for 500 messages or something like that then once you send 500 messages you wouldn't be able to send or receive.

If this doesn't really exist, do you guys have ways to prevent going over the limit once you get close to your monthly limit?

Yes, this does exist. Virgin Mobile offers a pre-paid service where you can only sign up for text messages if you like. It's currently $9.99/mo for 1000 messages, 4.99/mo for 200 msgs. However, you may have to pay a fee to keep the service active (something like $20 every 90 days), you'd have to check on that, but you don't have to buy a voice minute plan and could just use top-up cards.

BTW, normally incoming and outgoing msgs count toward your totals. So if you have a 400/txt plan, each one you send and one you get back would count. So yeah, if you get a reply w/ every txt u send out, it's really only like 200 back and forth.

On a side note, one particularly bad month at work I received 7500 txt messages in a month. We used to have various monitoring systems send out txt messages. We stopped doing that. ;-)

abenguyen · Feb 3, 2008

Deuce said:
Writing anywhere near 400 text messages per month is absolutely insane.

Absolutely, positively insane.

lol a month is insane? well for kids today its all about texting in school and stuff. go into one of my classes guaranteed to have a couple kids texting every 5 minutes. and 400 is nothing to my friends they had 1000 a month and went over lol so now they have unlimited

Freedom · Feb 3, 2008

I'd go for the 1000/month if you can't get unlimited. It'd be better to pay a few extra bucks up front than risk going over and getting slammed with overage charges.

qwerty66 · Feb 3, 2008

i am with fido and i pay 10 bucks a month for 2,500 text
or 5 bucks for 100

Bodacious DVT · Feb 3, 2008

Deuce said:
Writing anywhere near 400 text messages per month is absolutely insane.

Absolutely, positively insane.

tell me about it. I know this kid who is in eighth grade. In one month, he sent over 15,000 txt messages! what the heck does an eighth grader even talk about? it can't be worth 15,000 messages. no way.

Rincon · Feb 3, 2008

Bodacious DVT said:
tell me about it. I know this kid who is in eighth grade. In one month, he sent over 15,000 txt messages! what the heck does an eighth grader even talk about? it can't be worth 15,000 messages. no way.

girls, among other things

trust me i've been in that boat.

Craig Sheppard · Feb 3, 2008

I thought cell phones were banned in school? (They should be)

mhstennis100 · Feb 3, 2008

Craig Sheppard said:
I thought cell phones were banned in school? (They should be)

No, they just have to be turned off. Most teachers are pretty cool about it as long as they don't catch you multiple times.

To OP, I have AT&T and it costs $10 for 400 texts or $20 for unlimited. I went with the 400 and that's enough for 1 month for me.

Hot Sauce · Feb 3, 2008

crazy8tiger said:
Just clarifying, if it's 400 messages, does that mean it's 200 messages back-and-forth?

swimntennis said:
Yup, unfortunately that's how it is in the US. I'd go with the $5/400 plan, and then if it's not enough for you, you can upgrade it easily.

Wow, that stinks! I think I have about 50 a month, but I get unlimited incoming texts.

Deuce · Feb 3, 2008

Bodacious DVT said:
tell me about it. I know this kid who is in eighth grade. In one month, he sent over 15,000 txt messages! what the heck does an eighth grader even talk about? it can't be worth 15,000 messages. no way.

Of course not.
No matter how many text messages teens send, nothing is communicated.
Typically, it goes something like this:
-"'Sup?"
-"Nutin"
-"I just farted"
-"Ha ha LOL"

Paying money in order to do this is insane.

Cell phones for teens are nothing more than toys and status symbols. (Sadly, the same can be said of many adults.)

Craig Sheppard said:
I thought cell phones were banned in school? (They should be)

Is it any wonder that kids can't spell anymore?

Craig Sheppard · Feb 4, 2008

Deuce said:
Of course not.
No matter how many text messages teens send, nothing is communicated.
Typically, it goes something like this:
-"'Sup?"
-"Nutin"
-"I just farted"
-"Ha ha LOL"

lmao at this, b/c you KNOW that happens.

Deuce said:
Is it any wonder that kids can't spell anymore?

No argument there, spelling today is atrocious! I hope they still teach kids that spelling, grammar, and vocabulary really says a lot about someone (at least your intelligence). I get some pretty bad email, even at work.

PROTENNIS63 · Feb 4, 2008

tbini87 said:
i have verizon, and have unlimited texting. i probably text about 50 times per day minimum. i think you can text a number to see how many texts you have used, but don't know if t mobile has the same thing.

I cannot imagine texting 50 times a month. Must have strong fingers.

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