If you read the previous post, you realize that neither my wife's cell phone nor mine were working in Alaska. However, my daughter's was working just fine. We're not the type of people who have to be "connected" all the time, but we did want to stay in touch with friends and relatives back home if needed. And as you know, there aren't a lot of pay phones around anymore!
My wife and I use Straight Talk cell phone service, which is a month-to-month Tracfone service sold by Wal-Mart. We have used it for several months in "the States" and have had absolutely no problem. Before leaving home, I wanted to make sure that the phones would work in Alaska, so I called the Wal-mart in Anchorage from here in Florida. They assured me that Tracfones work in Alaska, and that they sell them there at Wal-mart.
We enjoyed a fine free breakfast at the Quality Suites. I walked a few blocks to pick-up our rental car (see previous post "Reserving a Rental Car.") And on a bright beautiful summer morning - our first morning in Anchorage - we were in .... Wal-mart! I started explaining my phone problem to the sales clerk, and I could tell she knew what I was going to say before I said it. She walked me over to the Tracfone aisle, and pulled a Samsung phone complete with wall charger, and car charger for $8. The phone came with 10 minutes of talk time, and 60 days service. The phone also included double minutes for life. She also pulled a 60-minute recharge card (120 minutes for me) for another $20. She activated the phone for me while I waited, added the extra time, and wrote my new phone number on a little slip of paper for me.
So, within 20 minutes I had a new, basic cell phone with 130 minutes and 5 months of service for only $28. Glad I didn't lose any sleep over that!
Some of you have probably already figured-out the problem with our Straight Talk phones. We don't use SIM cards. Our phones are CDMA, and they don't work in Alaska (you can follow the links for Wikipedia explanations.) My daughter's Verizon phone uses a SIM card.
By the way, I still have my Alaska phone with the Alaska phone number. I think I'll keep it active ($20 every 3 months) just for fun. I wonder what my local Domino's will say when "Anchorage" comes up on their caller I.D. :-)
My wife and I use Straight Talk cell phone service, which is a month-to-month Tracfone service sold by Wal-Mart. We have used it for several months in "the States" and have had absolutely no problem. Before leaving home, I wanted to make sure that the phones would work in Alaska, so I called the Wal-mart in Anchorage from here in Florida. They assured me that Tracfones work in Alaska, and that they sell them there at Wal-mart.
We enjoyed a fine free breakfast at the Quality Suites. I walked a few blocks to pick-up our rental car (see previous post "Reserving a Rental Car.") And on a bright beautiful summer morning - our first morning in Anchorage - we were in .... Wal-mart! I started explaining my phone problem to the sales clerk, and I could tell she knew what I was going to say before I said it. She walked me over to the Tracfone aisle, and pulled a Samsung phone complete with wall charger, and car charger for $8. The phone came with 10 minutes of talk time, and 60 days service. The phone also included double minutes for life. She also pulled a 60-minute recharge card (120 minutes for me) for another $20. She activated the phone for me while I waited, added the extra time, and wrote my new phone number on a little slip of paper for me.
So, within 20 minutes I had a new, basic cell phone with 130 minutes and 5 months of service for only $28. Glad I didn't lose any sleep over that!
Some of you have probably already figured-out the problem with our Straight Talk phones. We don't use SIM cards. Our phones are CDMA, and they don't work in Alaska (you can follow the links for Wikipedia explanations.) My daughter's Verizon phone uses a SIM card.
By the way, I still have my Alaska phone with the Alaska phone number. I think I'll keep it active ($20 every 3 months) just for fun. I wonder what my local Domino's will say when "Anchorage" comes up on their caller I.D. :-)
