hobby phone

[sirro]

I need to pick up a hobby phone, went to best buy to see what they had and everything seemed to need more personal info than I want to give.

I've tried to search this site for threads that could help but didn't come up with anything so I need some help / advice.

I don't hobby that often and really want to avoid a monthly payment or commitment. Is there anything out there I can pick up, pay for minutes/service and use only when I need it and then ignore for possibly months at a time? It's a hobby phone so I don't really care if I maintain the number but also don't want to pay an activation fee over and over again.

[Lil Oral Annie]

Trac phone. Pay for it with cash. Buy your minutes with cash. And to not give any identifying info, probably stay away from smart phones. Get one of those cheapie flip phones that can text and make calls.

[Guest021417]

Originally Posted by Lil Oral Annie

Trac phone. Pay for it with cash. Buy your minutes with cash. And to not give any identifying info, probably stay away from smart phones. Get one of those cheapie flip phones that can text and make calls.

LOA has good advice. That is exactly what I did. Go to Kroger and pick up a cheap Trac phone. (Don't use your Kroger membership card!)

[pyramider]

There are over two hundred threads on icky regarding hobby phones. The Search tab is your friend.

[billw1032]

What LOA said. Trac fone registration asks for personal information, but it is not required. Leave it blank. When I got mine the only thing required was the zip code where you will use it most. Pick a random zip code somewhere in DFW. Register from a public access computer or network, not your home.

[sirro]

Thanks for the advice all!

[msjazmine]

Tracfone is good. You said you didnt want a monthly plan but tmobile has one for $25 a month unlimited talk and text, no data...Also when I activated my phone in the pass I did it over the phone. They just normally ask for some sort of pin number i could make up !! And you can give them a anonymous name

[milfy2002]

You could also use an app and not have a whole extra phone to keep up with.

I've had the most functionality out of both Google Voice and Sideline. I've tried a bunch of others but those two are my favorite.

[sirro]

I have used google voice but when I got a new phone a while back, I had it misconfigured and it rang my home phone instead of my cell when a provider called me (unsolicited mind you) and my SO picked up. I managed to dodge that bullet but need something a lot safer so it doesn't happen again.