Guest Author - Katelyn Thomas

This week, I will review the pre-paid Cingular Wireless cell phone. I originally used this phone a bit over a year ago and was very unimpressed by the coverage area. I had to use a payphone many times when my cell phone did not get any signal. Since I got the phone for emergencies, this made it virtually worthless. However, I understand from current users of the phone that the coverage area has really expanded and the phone company has really improved pre-paid service.

Unfortunately, outside of your specific area, roaming charges apply. This means that you use up two minutes for every minute of talk time. Also, much like with the TracFone, you need to be sure to hang up your phone correctly or you may go to use it and find that it is empty. Finally, you should be aware that minutes on phone cards will roll over, but only if you buy a new phone card before the old card’s minutes expire. This can happen as frequently as every thirty days.