Dirt cheap cell phone plans

My company pays for my cell phone service, even though I rarely use it for work. That's likely to change with budget cuts, so I'm on the look out for dirt cheap service, basically for emergencies or quick, infrequent calls. I'd like to send and receive occasional texts - like less than one or two a week. It's been so long since I've had to pay for my own service and I'm not willing to pay the $39/mo plus charges I'm seeing on most of the major companies' web sites ... anyone have suggestions for cheaper options?

Sounds like the pay as you go stuff would work for you.

I hardly ever use my cellphone, so I have a cheapo service from Virgin Mobile. The phone was $20. I pay $20 every three months to keep the service active (so, less than $7/month) -- I can't remember how much calling time that is, but I never have to pay any extra. I think texting may be extra -- like 18 cents per text or something like that?

Definitely pay as you go. That's what I do, and it's so much cheaper for the occasional user. My plan is through T-Mobile. When I got my phone I bought a $100 card. By doing that once I became a Gold Member, or something like that, and the main benefit of being a Gold Mmber is that all my refill minutes will stay good a full year, whether I buy $10 worth or $100 worth. I only make a few short calls a week, so a $100 refill covers me for a full year with time left over. I don't text at all, but I could if I wanted to and would just pay out of my refill minutes. I can't say whether they still offer my plan to new subscribers since I know they have newer ones, but I've been very happy with it.

I bought a Trac phone last June for $10 bucks. I got their "year" card for $99 bucks that came with 300 minutes. When I activated my card I got a bonus of 100 days and 100 minutes. So for $120 bucks (that included taxes) I had 465 days of service and 400 minutes. I use my phone very infrequently and I still have almost 200 minutes left!!!

Each minute used is a minute gone and to send or receive a text it's .30 minutes...so roughly for every minute you have you could send 3 texts or receive 3 texts.

My husband likes this deal by Net 10, in fact he keeps buying new phones instead of new minutes because it is cheaper. I have been using this Net 10 plan and it has been very reliable:

http://www.techbargains.com/product/net10

Basically you get the phone and 300 minutes for $22. If you choose to get a refurbished phone you get 600 minutes. You are required to buy minutes every two months @ $30 for 300 minutes - $15 a month or 10 cent a minute. The texting is 5 cents per text message. Unused minutes rollover and accumulate.

I am not a heavy cell phone user so this is more than sufficent for me. In fact, I have over 900 minutes on my phone right now because I never use them up.

Pre-paid Verizon is wonderful for that. I had them for years and years and only paid $40 a month (that includes the tax).

Mobile PCS also has a plan where you pay 40 dollars a month with unlimited texts, local, long distance and internet. That includes taxes and everything. If they are available in your area that is. We have decent coverage here in Florida with them and if I needed a cell for myself I would go with them but we have a cell that my husband and I share since he is out of work it is all we really need right now.