GPS Forum

[lyuda_88]

Is there a "service fee" to use a GPS? Because I was thinking of buying a gps navigation system for my car, but I wasn't sure if I need to pay for it every month or not. So do I pay every month for it (service fee), or do I just pay once for the gps and no service fee??

[Chinook]

You just pay once for the gps and no service fee.

[JCBI]

If you buy a built-in GPS with your car, you can treat it as a service fee because they are so expensive. Especially they may integrate a backup camera with it, or cell phone with some monitoring service along with it.

Get a partable unit that you can mount in your car, and take it with you when you travel. Think about it, do you ever get lost when you are at home driving around your neighborhood, or do you get lost in a strange city?

Think about a GPS as an am/fm transister radio. To use it is free. But if some vendor integrates a cell phone, kitchen sink, and other junk with it, then it won't be free to use it.

Another thing you might want to think about. After a while, your car GPS may need some new software, and after a few years you will need to update the maps. You will have to take the car to the dealer to get that done, and it will probably cost a bunch, and they may not even be able to update it. If you have a portable handheld GPS, just hook it up to your PC to get software updates, and pay about $100 for a map update.