I went on vacation last summer and my cell phone went completely dead after it was accidentally dropped in the lake. There was no saving it. We went to a local store and found some pay as you go wireless phones. I cannot stand the feeling of not being able to call emergency if I need it, so I purchased one. I do not use this type of plan at home, but when I needed it, I was thankful that it was there. When I got back home I had my phone replaced. I used up all of my minutes from the prepaid phone while my replacement was shipped to me.