No contract or pre-paid?
Need a cell that I don't have a monthly charge but don't want the minutes to run out. I rarely need one. I've looked at pre-paid cards - they usually last 90 days and can't afford a monthly bill for something I'll use about once a month. Have no clue how these plans work.
You are looking for something that doesn't exist. However, p. repaid minutes will roll over if you add additional money before they expire. If you choose lower amounts to add, you can keep the cost very low. The problem is that if you don't use any minutes after a while you will end up with a very large balance. One of my friends deals with this by making donations to charity.
If you search around, you will be able to find some companies where the monthly cost ends up being very low. My personal experience is that you will find more opportunities than you currently believe in which the cell phone proves to be extremely useful.