$20 Top-Up Card

Virgin Mobile's prepaid service is pretty good, if not exactly cheap. It's definitely for people who don't make a lot of calls, since each call costs 25 cents per minute (10 cents after first 10 minutes each day). If you just want a phone only for needy cases (not for mindless chats), this is a good deal. Minimum refill is $20 (twenty) every 90 days, so you can keep a cell phone for only $80 (eighty) per year.Pros:- 90-day balance period, plus 60-day grace if you don't refill- Free voicemail, unlike T-Mobile or AT&T Wireless or Verizon Wireless- Stylish phones- MTV content- Uses Sprint PCS network, decent voice clarity, ok coverage- Great customer service, resolves problems quickly- Easy to activate and refill- Easy (and free) to get balance on the phone- No credit check, no taxes or surcharges, just flat fees- You can stay completely anonymous if you wantCons:- Extremely annoying menu system when you call- Very annoying website, slow and stupid and confusing- Initial cost of phone is high (i.e., no subsidies)- MTV content costs extra- Sprint PCS not available in many rural areas- Network can be busy in the evening

I bought the kyocera K9 Virgin Mobile pre-paid phone for $[...] and had a $10 store rebate on it December 2004. It also came with a $10 pre-paid card to start off with it's usage. So, basically it cost me $10 for the phone. It is easy to get it activated and you can "top-up" with pre-card you pay.I used to pay $40 a month for my own phone service which I did not use that much so VM phone is a great way to go. My brother also got the same phone for emergency uses and he likes it too. $20 for every 90-days to keep it activated and you can find out how much is left on your account by clicking "check balance".I still have this phone and it's June 2006 and it's working great. It saved me so much money. 25 cents for first 10 min and 10 cents after that each day. It's better than phone booths ~35 cents per minute (in my opinion). Sometimes certain stores have the top-up cards for a deal like two $20 cards for $30 (save $10) and these cards expires like 1-2 yrs later.Virgin Mobile is a great way for non-frequent phone users like myself. (It is NOT a great deal if you are a frequent phone user). Parents will love this deal for their kids in cases of emergency. I'm thinking of getting one for my 5th grader.

I got my phone (Vox 8500)in March and have been using it ever since I received it. It is a good phone plus the Top-Up card I received today has an experation date of Dec. 31, 2004 and I don't have to Top-Up again until June 13, 2004. The back of the card has a space for you to scratch off to reveal the pin number. I think it's good that it has a long lasting use by date since I can keep it until I need to Top-Up again to keep my account active. I only needed the phone for occassional use and it is good for this and inexpensive. The phone is clear and loud and easy to program and feature packed. Get this phone if you don't want a high cell phone bill but want a cell phone that you can use. I like the long experation date so I can buy them in advance and hold them until I need to use the card. Well worth it.

I like the top up cards but they charge too much for the cards and it takes forever to get them by mail.Ill never buy another Top up Card on Amazon.com again.

I found the Virgin Mobile Phone service to be the best for my needs because I don't use the phone that often. I only carry it in the car for emergencies, so I don't care about the 25 cents a minute costs. The service is very reliable. A very easy way to stay "paid-up" for the service.

The Virgin top-up card Amazon sent me was expired by more than a year. It's impossible to see the expiration date before opening the card. Due to their policy of not refunding cards, Amazon refused to take it back. However, to their credit, the Amazon folks did get on the line with Virgin and got them to accept the card. However, this was way too much hassle and involved three or four phone calls. You don't save any money anyways on this item, so just top up directly at Virgin's website and save yourself the hassle.

We like Tracfone (which we have) a lot better. We consider Virgin Mobile to be one of the worst websites ever. Very confusing, at best.

Just a warning - the last two times I purchased these cards from Amazon, they sent me cards which display an expiration date of 31-DEC-04.The cards still work just fine, but it's a bit unsettling when you receive it and look at the back of the card.