I'm considering not using my every day phone anymore for the hobby, but hate to say I'm clueless on the topic

Please... no ball busting on my lack of knowledge here, any help would be appreciated

1)  Where does one buy a hobby phone?   (I assume not Verizon, T-Mobile stores, etc)

2)  What do you call it when speaking with the salesman?

3)  Do you need to show ID of any kind to purchase one?

4)  How do you go about "loading it" with prepaid minutes?

5)  Buying more minutes when initial minutes are depleted?

6)  Any suggestions on good & affordable phone?   A $400 iPhone is not necessary

7)  Any other info you think is helpful

 
Thanks,
D

These are all fair questions

1. Anywhere phones are sold, including larger supermarkets, Best Buy, Walmart,  and yes, phone shops. Randomly posted a link below to BB.

2. Pre-paid, no contract phone

3. No, but you better hurry - I have heard that ID will be required in the future (which makes sense). And you can and should pay cash for phone minutes card.  

4. Buy a pre-paid card and follow instructions on back. Note: Most plans offer a choice - high rate per call but minutes don't expire (or only expire after a year) and lower price but all your minutes expire in a month or two. Make sure you pick the right one. For me that's a high per minute call rate but cards that don't expire. If in doubt call the carrier's customer service to confirm the plan you are on. Nothing's worse than buy a $30 card, having one short call, putting it away for a month and realizing your minutes are gone.

5. Buy another card

6. Plenty of decent phones available for under $50.

7. You'll probably be texting as much as talking, so look for at least an OK keyboard.

Have Fun!

Thanks William, much appreciated !!

And thanks for the link to Best Buy, quite a few options for m

You can download a hobby phone on to your smart phone.  I use "Burner"  it cost a few dollars a month but i do not have to keep track of another phone nor do I have to explain one to anyone lease

1) I bought my phone and monthly talk/text/data package through Metro PCS.  

2) The sales person never asked. I simply told her that I was interested in purchasing a phone and the pre-paid package each month. If he/she does ask, just say it's for your younger cousin lol.  

3) I did not have to show any ID and put it in my provider name (Rachael Lee).  

4) I just pay in the local Metro store or kiosk outside.  

5) Talk and text is unlimited with Metro.  

6) Metro has a decent little variety of phones, mostly Android. I think mine was like $50 (Samsung Galaxy Core) and I love it.  

7) If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them. You can just shoot me a PM on TER, or email me at [email protected]

yes there are a few burner phones apps like "burner" and "hushed" etc. but if you want a separate phone, there are plenty of options. i would suggest an unlocked GSM phone, android will be cheaper (under 100).  you can buy on amazon or go to a phone repair shop that sells phones too. if its' unlocked then you can easily switch cell providers if u want. you can tell the guy at the store that you need a separate phone for traveling abroad so that you can just pop in a SIM when you get there. some cheap brands are ZTE and Blu. not sure about ID but u can just say you forgot it at home. there are many prepaid no contract plans out there.

they can be as cheap as $15.  The minutes rollover as long as you keep the service active.  You buy cards anywhere & add them through the handset.  As cheap as $100 the first YEAR & cheaper after as you have the phone.  You can also bring your own unlocked compatible phone to TF.  Scroll down, this was mentioned recently.  http://www.theeroticreview.com/discussion_boards/viewall.asp?MessageID=157779&boardID=33&page=1#157779
I like to have a phone that I can switch in my carrier on a date...  My real life phone & hobby are both similar looking LGs.  


-- Modified on 8/10/2016 8:46:45 PM

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with other major carriers & can vary with region.  A family member had terrible reception with a Verizon cell in Brattleborough VT.  I had troubles just before TF forced a move to 3G inmy area of New England, but otherwise it's been fine.  Buy & use the phone in the same area...  good to go.

Quick Answer
TracFone uses AT&T, Sprint/T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular, depending on the phone model. The models that do not use sim cards to connect to a network typically utilize Verizon or U.S. Cellular. Most Motorola models utilize AT&T, while most LG phones utilize Sprint or T-Mobile.

Source:  https://www.reference.com/technology/carrier-tracfone-use-ba86edce27b5cab

There is a push to make, I believe a federal law, to require an ID when buying a tracphone.  I'm assuming you would not need an ID to buy the minutes.  Having to provide an ID would make owning a burner phone almost, but not quite, pointless.

It might be wise to buy 3 or 4 of them now and store them away.  

For a couple of reasons. One is that you'll have spares if yours breaks.  The other is you could make some money selling them used because you'll be able to charge more than what they sell for in the store as you won't require an ID from the purchaser.

for your fake phone.

I use Google Voice with seeming anonymity and success.