U-Prepaid as an Emergency Car Phone?

[jgrobe]

I am interested in U-Prepaid as an emergency car phone (U-Prepaid is serviced by U.S. Cellular or Alltel depending on the location).
http://www.uprepaid.net

It has two plans of interest:
$1 pay-per-day
Voice: 10¢ per Minute/
Unlimited Nights and Weekends
Messaging: Unlimited
Data: Pay as you go - 50¢/MB
Includes: Voice Mail, Call Waiting, Caller ID, Three-Way Calling, My Contacts Backup
$2 pay-per-day
Voice: Unlimited
Messaging: Unlimited
Data: 50MB included
Includes: Voice Mail, Call Waiting, Caller ID, Three-Way Calling, My Contacts Backup

Suppose I only want to use it half dozen days a year for phone calls. Does this mean my total yearly cost would be $6 plus minutes at $.10 each for the $1 plan or $12 for the $2 plan? Or am I missing something and there are other charges? How long between uses before they would cancel my number?

The data applications I would be interested in would typically involve a bad weather situation. So I would like to see a weather radar map and weather forecast. I might also like to find a motel (I would need a listing of the motels plus maps on how to get there). I see the $2 plan includes 50 MB a data.

U-prepaid only offers a choice of 4 phones:
Samsung Chrono $19.88 (33% reviewers recommend)
LG Saber $29.88 (81% reviewers recommend)
LG Attune $49.88 (47% reviewers recommend)
Samsung Repp $129.88--an Android phone (55% reviewers recommend)

So the phones are mostly lousy.

So right now I am thinking of getting the $2/day plan and the LG Saber phone. Will this get me what I want? I might be interested in a smartphone but the poor recommendations for the Repp make me hesitate.

So any thoughts about this? Or alternatives for a U.S. Cellular based emergency car phone option? (Currently I have a phone-call only Nokia Tracfone which I pay $6.41/month for--this pays for an additional month of time--I already have several hundred minutes from when I was buying time/minute cards).

Thanks for any comments.

[The Beet]

I am on uprepaid I have no idea how their daily plans work bust I love my monthly plan.

The Repp is a horrible phone... But if I was not using it every day it would not be bad...

Personally I would think the 2000min $80/yr card from Page Plus would fit your bill better, the time converts to data/txt whatever u need at the time and you can use just about any phone u want on it

[cellman2424]

emergency as in 911 calls. Any phone will do that. you dont need it hooked up or a plan. Just keep it charged.

[sky diver]

daily plans are for all days the phone is active regardless of use. so you put $6 in, it goes active for 6 days straight, and then goes inactive. some time later the account is cancelled and you lose your number unless you put more money in. this is NOT a "pay only on the days you use it" plan.

as suggested -- for emergencies just keep any old inactive (charged) phone on hand. law requires 911 calls go through.