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Thread: How can I conserve talk minutes on my phone?

  1. #1
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    How can I conserve talk minutes on my phone?

    My phone plan has been fine for the 3 years I've had it. Lately with the pandemic I found I use up my 1000 talk minutes.
    Frustrating at first but it turned out to be a good learning experience.
    Text and facetime is free and works when I run out of minutes. I'm using that more.

    Now I want to save talk minutes for medical , banking and urgent stuff that won't do text or facetime.

    My voicemail seems like a waste of minutes and time. I'd like to turn that off.
    Any other ideas on saving minutes. Not ready to get a new phone or plan right now.
    Thanks
    "Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t - you’re right."
    - Henry Ford

  2. #2
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    Huh, I thought unlimited ( or nearly) minutes were the standard thing now. My plan has 2500/mo, but I've never needed that many. It's an old plan but all the new plans my carrier has are unlimited.

  3. #3
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    Assuming you are calling from home or another place with WIFI, you could use WIFI calling. I don't have your problem so I haven't had to use it but here's a link which explains it. https://www.verizon.com/support/wifi-calling-faqs/

  4. #4
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    I'll assume this is a geographical issue and that you have limited carrier choices. On the left coast, Consumer Cellular is under $20 for unlimited talk. There should be a similar reseller in your area but, maybe not.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  5. #5
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    Try and substitute texting as much as you can, unless you have a limit on that. I found it much more convenient and efficient for most things. Just not as sociable.

  6. #6
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    If you have data bandwidth available, you could certainly use, in addition to Facetime, WhatsAP, Facebook Messenger, etc., to do calling via IP rather than use "phone minutes". But yea...limits on voice minutes is something strange to me, too. Professor Dr. SWMBO uses WhatsAp to speak with her sister in Spain all the time.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    If you have data bandwidth available, you could certainly use, in addition to Facetime, WhatsAP, Facebook Messenger, etc., to do calling via IP rather than use "phone minutes". But yea...limits on voice minutes is something strange to me, too. Professor Dr. SWMBO uses WhatsAp to speak with her sister in Spain all the time.
    The audio quality with WhatsAP is usually much better than regular telephone too.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    If you have data bandwidth available, you could certainly use, in addition to Facetime, WhatsAP, Facebook Messenger, etc., to do calling via IP rather than use "phone minutes". But yea...limits on voice minutes is something strange to me, too. Professor Dr. SWMBO uses WhatsAp to speak with her sister in Spain all the time.
    Limited minutes may not be common but such plans exist. SWMBO has it on her phone, she hates cell phones. 10 cents a minutes for voice calls, 10 cents per text. $10 good for 3 months so it costs her $40/year for cell phone service. It's more of an emergency, "hey where are you?" type usage. The same company offers unlimited talk & text for $18/month with autopay.

  9. #9
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    I switched to Mint mobile. No conservation or special phone required,

    https://www.mintmobile.com/plans/

  10. #10
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    Or you could talk very fast, when you have to talk. This would depend on the hearing ability of your listener too, I imagine.

  11. #11
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    Tons of VOIP options on the App Store that allow for calls to land lines (eg: Vonage). Can’t imagine any of them cost more than $8/mo for unlimited talk time.


    Could also call your mobile provider and demand to know why your plan doesn’t include unlimited minutes. Pretty common these days..

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    If you have data bandwidth available, you could certainly use, in addition to Facetime, WhatsAP, Facebook Messenger, etc., to do calling via IP rather than use "phone minutes". But yea...limits on voice minutes is something strange to me, too. Professor Dr. SWMBO uses WhatsAp to speak with her sister in Spain all the time.
    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    I'll assume this is a geographical issue and that you have limited carrier choices. On the left coast, Consumer Cellular is under $20 for unlimited talk. There should be a similar reseller in your area but, maybe not.
    I have consumer cellular here in Arkansas and believe it’s available everywhere. Besides the price point I went with them as I could have multiple phones added to my account for a few bucks more. No limit talk/text and no contract. SIM is free for your existing phone.
    My three favorite things are the Oxford comma, irony and missed opportunities

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  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Curt Harms View Post
    Limited minutes may not be common but such plans exist. SWMBO has it on her phone, she hates cell phones. 10 cents a minutes for voice calls, 10 cents per text. $10 good for 3 months so it costs her $40/year for cell phone service. It's more of an emergency, "hey where are you?" type usage. The same company offers unlimited talk & text for $18/month with autopay.
    My sister in law has Page Plus and she gets 4 months 166 minutes for $10 she is just like your SWMBO only for checking in and emergencies. I probably had my cell longer then most of you got it in 1988 and still have the same number. I used it a lot when I was working but now I only use it for when I am away from the house.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerome Stanek View Post
    My sister in law has Page Plus and she gets 4 months 166 minutes for $10 she is just like your SWMBO only for checking in and emergencies. I probably had my cell longer then most of you got it in 1988 and still have the same number. I used it a lot when I was working but now I only use it for when I am away from the house.
    Wow, I feel like she's drilling holes with a gimlet, I'm happy with a crank drill, but you all have electric drills

    Thanks for the replies. Great info.
    "Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t - you’re right."
    - Henry Ford

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Pratt View Post
    The audio quality with WhatsAP is usually much better than regular telephone too.
    The quality with voice over LTE or WI-FI calling is pretty good these days. I suspect a lot of folks with limited voice minutes also have a flip phone which mostly don't do voice over LTE.

    Verizon was supposed to shutdown 3G/CDMA at the end of 2020, but they postponed it again and are not giving a new date. I wish they would just kill 3G so they can install more LTE and 5G. Verizon sells new flip phones with voice over LTE.

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