Burner Phone

[JohnyMac]

Our tribe is about to pick up "burners" (Urban lingo for a disposable phone) for back-up communication.

I will not go into much background on burners as we all know they were made famous by drug dealers and spouses with infidelity on their minds. With that written they perform a lot of above board reasons for having them. Some reasons are:

> Selling something on Craigs List (Use a burner instead of using your regular number)
> Have a family member who doesn't use a cell phone. Throw a burner in their glove box for an emergency.
> Keep a phone in each of your families BOB.
> Others? 

It looks like you need a MVNO type phone. The best companies to go with are:
> Virgin, and
> Tracfone.

Popular Models are:
> Motorola EX 431G Tracfone
> Samsung Entro, and
> Kyocera Coast Prepaid Phone

With that bit of background I went off to the store to buy a burner.

This Sunday I found myself standing in front of a locked case at Dollar General. There was a shitton of phones to pick from some of which are listed above. The prices ranged from $9.99 to $49.99 with the more expensive ones smart burner phones.

Each phone said, 30, 60 or 90 day use. Not knowing what that meant I asked the sales girl which was useless as she didn't know squat.

So lets start a thread on burner phones for the folks who might be burner phone ignorant and are to embarrassed
to ask. Here are some immediate questions that come to mind:

1) If you turn the phone on, do you only have 30, 60 or 90 days to use it even if the phone was off? If so
     how do you get the phone number for the phone without turning it on?
2) I assume when you turn it on you have to give a name. I also assume a fictitious name will work.
3) Other questions folks?

Have at it!


 
 

[special-k]

From my understanding, the 30, 60, 90 day thing is about roll-over minutes.  But, I could be wrong though.

[CJS06]

John
Great subject.  I am anxious to hear how this truly works.  I have asked a few people and gotten very different answers to the point I have not gone any farther. From what I had read up on Tracphone, you pay 19.99 for a 3 month service and get x minutes per month. These minutes roll over. If that is the case then it is not a "glove box and forget till needed" item which is what I was looking for.

Chris

[JohnyMac]

Exactly Chris. I want a phone that I can turn on and use when I need it. I also want a phone that I could share the phone number to selected group of family & friends.

This is the wall I am coming up against.

If the illustrious folks here do not have an answer I may just buy one and see how everything works.

[Kbop]

to save a few pennies, only get a flip type or candy bar type phone.
i don't suggest a smart phone - they cost more and need a data plan
when you use your email - unless it is disposable too, you have just tagged the burner as belonging to you.

the flip phones are more rugged and don't have a large fragile screen.
battery life on a flip phone is longer.
make sure it is AWS capable - there are 3 main cellular bands in the US.  (850MHz, PCS and AWS bands)  best to be able to use all three.  if you live outside the US, make sure it will work with 900, 1800 and the UMTS band.  outside the US you can get cheap phones and SIM cards in vending machines in airports.  In the US, many convenience stores sell them.
keep the battery out of the phone, unless it is in actual use.  - like any other radio - set up a regular contact schedule to minimize the amount of time your phone is on.  you can pick up your text messages and voice mail then.  don't use the phone in a location easily traceable to you.  (use a blootooth headset with the phone in a pocket - cuts down on the likelyhood a cc camera will tag you in a public area as the user.

[special-k]

...don't use the phone in a location easily traceable to you.  (use a blootooth headset with the phone in a pocket - cuts down on the likelyhood a cc camera will tag you in a public area as the user.

Look at Kbop gettin' all Jason Bourne and shit.

[JohnyMac]

  S-K!

Jason Bourne Kbop, so you buy the cheap flip phone. Turn it on to get your phone number. Turn it off, remove the battery and store it in a ziplock bag in your BOB for an emergency. Is it only good for 30, 60 or 90 days even if it is stored away and you do not use it? Or

Never turn it on, take the battery out and then store it in a ziplock bag in your BOB for an emergency?
007 Here JohnyMac

[Kbop]

lol Jason borne yesterday maybe

lithium batteries will hold a charge for a good long time - do the smoke detector thing and recharge spring and fall.  suggestion - get an external charger for the battery or get two of the phone you currently have.  I'm assuming you are using the burner once a month or so to check vmail and text's. 

one other Jason B. suggestion.  do not take your daily use phone with you when you use the burner so they don't register at the same time in the same place all the time.  Don't turn the burner on at your home or work place unless it is an emergency.

SK, i'm an RF nerd

[JohnyMac]

Great info so far. With that written...

"so you buy the cheap flip phone. Turn it on to get your phone number. Turn it off, remove the battery and store it in a ziplock bag in your BOB for an emergency. Is it only good for 30, 60 or 90 days even if it is stored away and you do not use it? Or

Never turn it on, take the battery out and then store it in a ziplock bag in your BOB for an emergency?"

Does anybody know the answer to these questions?

[JoJo]

 We have a Virgin Mobil phone that we keep in our car for emergency's. It cost $20.00 for three months before another $20.00 is due. When you use the phone the first 10 minutes are 25cents a minute then drops down to 10cents a min.per call. You have to top up if you use all of your money's worth. If you don't spend all of your money it rolls over, you don't get minutes.
 Right now we have about $120.00 rolled over. That's the bad part, if you don't use the phone you still have to pony up $20.00 every three months.

[JohnyMac]

Thx JoJo.

[crudos]

What you could do is buy a pre-paid card for the phone, but don't activate the card until needed. So you get your phone, and some minutes on the phone, figure out the phone number. Get something like a $15 prepaid card for the phone which would have a scratch off number you input when ready to use it. Once the pre-paid card is paid for, but not activated on the phone, then you'd be set without ponying up money every month or two. Verizon you can get $15 cards and activate whenever you want. I don't think there's an expiration date on the card once it is paid for, but might want to check on that. Hope that sorta makes sense.