I have been using Tracphone for the last 15 years or so, and have had at least 5 phones. I love how economical they are. You need to renew the time yearly,(about $125), but that's it. If you need minutes texts or data you can just buy on their website when you open an account. It is a little time consuming to activate a new phone and transfer all your data, but to me it's worth it because of the savings. I've found the best deals on Tracphones on HSN that include minutes, etc.