I don't know if this will help but, I have Verizon and I think it is a great arrangement for me.

First, I don't use the phone that much but I feel better, when driving somewhere, or out driving my parents around to doctors or whatever, if I have a way of calling for help if needed. Or, when I am out, having a way for my family to reach me if something is wrong with my parents or if they need me to pick something up on the way home. I live at home with my two parents, in their 80s, who have challenges that I help them with. Also, they have issues where they get confused when people call for me, say for something business related etc. With such situations around home, with me sharing the phone with others and not getting messages etc., Having my own phone with a voicemail box is helpful if someone wants to reach me. It is private and things don't get messed up due to confusion on the part of whomever answers while I am away.

Other cell companies I had, offered voicemail but it was a system where you had to set up a separate box with it's own number. You then would program that number in your phone to forward to if busy or unanswered. That was too much of a hassle. Verizon, along with others, have voicemail included in their plans and systems and the phone automatically forwards to that box when busy,unavailable, off or dead. One of the problem with the other systems was that, if my phone was off, unreachable, out of range or the battery dead, it couldn't forward because the phone never rang. With Verizon, I don't have that problem. Having the phone, even though I thought I didn't really need it, I realize that I am never unreachable or out of reach when I want to be.

On my plan, I have IN Network so I can call friends or family with other Verizon phones, without incurring any minutes or charges. I also have America's Choice (???) and Family Share. Americas Choice, I think it is called, is the national plan that allows me to use my phone almost anywhere, or call almost anywhere,or receive calls from almost anywhere or receive calls almost anywhere I might be, using my anytime minutes. I can use it in SW FLA, Vegas, Wisconsin, almost anywhere I go. Also, my account has unlimited weekends so I can time some calls for then and not use my regular minutes.

I recently added the Family Share Plan and added 1 extra line for my girlfriend so that she could get a phone. I originally got my Verizon Phone and the America's Choice plan, last year when I went to Vegas. I travel with a group usually and It is really tough keeping in touch with others in the huge casino environments. With the Verizon National Plan, I could call my friends and we could find eachother when going out to the strip, the pool, to the buffet or wherever. This year, now that my Girlfriend has a phone too, we shouldn't get separated from eachother, like we did a few times last year.

She doesn't need a phone a lot either except to talk with me. I live about 20 miles from her and whenever we would talk, there were added charges on her regular land line phone. With the Verizon, we can talk as much as we want for nothing. Since we are on family plan and IN Network, and, with the Americas Choice, She can call me, her roomate or many of our friends on Verizon, without using any minutes. Her home phone bills, I guess, have gone way down. Also, by timing the calls on the weekend, she uses her phone to talk to her mom in Seattle. We are in Chicago... So, I don't get minutes used there either. Then, her mom can call her after 9 or on weekends and not use minutes either. Works out great.

There is the added benefit of all this that, I feel better with her having it, in case she has car trouble or something. Even if she doesn't use it a lot. So that she can call me if she wants, or I can call her, and she doesn't have to worry about the costs of our calls, the hassles from her roomate over phone bills, the other mentioned confusions with my home phone and parents etc... or that if she leaves me a messag, that I will get it, if I can't answer. Also, we have discovered and used TXT messaging a lot lately. When she is working, I can txt her quick messages without interrupting her. She can retrieve them at her convenience. Since she works late nights, usually till 1 or 2am, she can zap a quick txt message when she gets home without disturbing me, if I have already gone to bed.

With all the above, We didn't cave to the pressure from the sales person for upping the minutes in my plan. With the fact that so much of our calls are IN network or Family Share, we haven't really used that much. I think the only overages that we have incurred on my regular plan is probably the TXT messages. There is a plan where I can add unlimited TXT and PHOTO if I want. But, as is, my plan runs about $78 with all taxes and the two lines and all. I have gotten a few bills ro about 80 or $82. Only about $4 over. The TXT and PHOTO plans, I think are around $15 more.

Anyways, I guess what I am pitching above is, and sorry for being so long here, For the cost of the phone and the additional $20 for the additional line, (I think that is what I paid), without changing your calling plan, you could get a phone for her that she can use if she needs it and not use if she doesn't. But, it is there if necessary. Maybe, don't buy an expensive fancy phone. Get something that is on special at the time. Something basic maybe. As for the New Jersey number, I don't know that, that is necessary. Just get something compatable with the number you have on your existing phone. Something easy to remember. If you have the national plan, she should receive calls anywhere she is and make them as well. If the number is an Arizona number, and she is in Arizona, and a friend in Chicago calls the AZ number, it should ring if in NJ or NV or FL or anywhere. Assuming you are in a compatable cellular system. Last time I looked at a Verizon map, it looked like about 90% of the country was compatable.