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Prepaid Cellular Phone Service

On one of my many cross country train trips, a fellow in an adjoining sleeper became frantic about the train's arrival being delayed. He was not particularly upset about the train being late, but rather concerned that the San Francisco hotel would not hold his reservation. At one stop, he tried to access a pay phone to call the hotel, but so many passengers had the same idea that he was unable to make his phone call. Noting his frustration, I lent him my cell phone to call the hotel and five minutes later he was calm and ready to enjoy the balance of his trip. When I initially purchased my cell phone, I had struggled with my reasons for doing so. There were many things I did not like about cell phones, such as figuring out those calling plans, having to pay for a call someone made to me on the cell phone, surprise charges on monthly bills and just the general concept that I am reachable anytime and anywhere. However, I felt that I needed a cell phone to carry in my car, since I often drive alone through some very challenging terrain in some very bad weather.

I never had any intention of bringing the phone along on my train trips, but discovered that it did give me the opportunity to notify people of any delays I might be experiencing as well as periodically checking my regular voice mail for any emergencies (not that I could do anything about burst water pipes when I was sitting on the California Zephyr crossing the Sierra Nevada!)

Since I do not use the cell phone regularly, nor do I give out my phone number to anyone, I chose a prepaid cell phone service, Tracfone. The Nokia phone is purchased outright, and there are a number of models to choose from. Amazon is currently offering two models, which are also available on the Tracfone site. Once the phone is purchased, the user periodically buys phone minutes, which can be purchased at many retails outlets and many online stores. Every couple of months I usually purchase 120 minutes of phone time for $49.99, although Tracfone's frequent special offers usually result in my receiving either a cheaper price or more minutes for the same price.

The phone itself is a good product. I received a free car charger when I made the purchase, and since I keep the phone in the car except when I travel by train, I just leave it plugged into the car lighter and it always stays charged. When I am on a train, I am usually able to make calls if sitting near a window.

Although some Amtrak lines do have Railfones onboard, calls are very expensive, and seem to average between $2.25 and $3.00 per minutes. A Tracfone is a much more economical alternative.