Temporary Phone for Landlording

[Dana R.]

Is there a way to only get a cellphone for just a few weeks?

Most of the time, I don't really need a cellphone or smart phone. I can see the obvious benefits and convenience about having one, but its not really a necessity for me. 

The only reason I'll need one now is when I'm showing a rental and I'll need a number for somebody to contact me while I'm at the rental.

[Bob H.]

I think some posters here misunderstand your situation. I think you have a working home phone and think you need to be contacted elsewhere only when showing your rental.

I have spent more time than I'd like to admit studying cheap cell phones. I settled on a Moto G from TextNow for $23, including shipping, plus $18.99 a month for unlimited talk and text and 500 mb data. Ting was my second choice. As others have noted, many companies have cheap pay-as-you-go plans that have no continuing cost if you allow your minutes to expire.

If you want some phone service while not at home, get a cheap phone and then get a Google Voice number or a free number from RingTo, which will let you make and receive calls free from any wifi hot spot, such as McDonald's or Starbucks.

For an extremely cheap home phone, assuming that you have Internet service, get a box from Obihai for about $50 and pay $12 a year for 911 service.