Prepaid Cell Phones
In this day and age, especially if you are young and upwardly mobile, there is just no excuse for you to go without a prepaid wireless cell phone. There are so many deals out there on prepaid wireless cell phones, and the prices have been going down or staying the same for years at this point. Assuming that you use your cellular phone responsibly, prepaid cell phones are really no more expensive than a normal service to your house is. And the advantages hardly need to be explained. Not only can you send and receive calls from anywhere with prepaid cell phones, but you can also t ext, check your email, and even surf the Internet nowadays. It is just so much more convenient than just using a house phone. And best of all, you do not even have to stop at home and check your messages when you use a prepaid cell phone. If you ask me, prepaid cell phones are just a better deal.
Of course, for some of us, there are a few drawbacks to prepaid cell phones that you do not get with just a normal phone. One of these drawbacks is that they are easy to lose or break. I have been using prepaid cell phones for a few years at this point, so I do know what I am talking about, and let me tell you that they are a lot more trouble than you would expect. Not only can they be dropped, but prepaid cell phones are often stolen or lost. They can fit easily in your pocket, but that means that the prepaid cell phones can also fall easily out of your pocket. So if you do not use enough caution with your prepaid cell phones, you are likely to have some added expenses that you will not like, and that is a fact.
But all of these problems are still canceled out by the convenience of prepaid cell phones if you can manage to be careful. The great thing about cell phone plans is that a lot of them include a free first phone, as well as a replacement in a year or two from purchase, which is just simply a really great deal. It means that, if you can manage to keep track of your prepaid cell phone, you will have to invest no additional money in it, besides the cost of the service.
Buying Prepaid Cell Phones
T-Mobile's Prepaid Cell Phone Plan
Buying prepaid wireless phones provides you prepaid wireless service with no credit check. It is also very easy to terminate - the service is automatically terminated after the expiry date.
Attractively priced prepaid cell phones sometimes come with rebates, phone accessories, or phone card with some amount of airtime. Buying a prepaid cell phone relieves you from monthly phone bills, and callers can purchase as much airtime as they want.
Buying a prepaid cell phone does not require security deposits or long term commitment to the carriers. You can buy phones and suitable prepaid plans from electronics, discount, and office supply stores. Before buying a prepaid cell phone, take time to study the airtime expiration policies and current discounts from the fine prints. Different carriers offer different airtime plans. You have to check out which service is right for you and the carrier's coverage area. Many prepaid plan providers give money back or free cell phone offers. Seasonal offers and discounts are available for buying prepaid cell phones. You can use online services to compare cell phone costs and store ratings. Shops selling used cell phones and online shops are the best resources for cheap prepaid phones.
If you are planning to buy a prepaid cell phone, you have to decide how much you will use the phone, and whether or not it is profitable or not, and the affordable service plans available. Prepaid cell phones are perfect for travelers, occasional users, people with poor credit history, people who want to maintain their budget, people who don't want contract plans, and emergency users. For occasional use, a prepaid cell phone is a good choice. Prepaid cell phones sometimes come with hidden charges and restrictions, which you have to beware of.
TracFone Nationwide Prepaid Wireless, Virgin Mobile USA and BoostMobile are the popular prepaid cell phone providers.
Best Prepaid Cell Phones and Plans
Let's start with the best monthly prepaid cell phone plans. AT&T's GoPhone Pick Your Plan is one of the best in the business for monthly prepaid. Refurbished GoPhone phones start at around $10.00 when you buy online. Monthly plans start at $29.99 for two hundred minutes for the basic plan, and $69.99 for their premium plan which includes unlimited mobile to mobile, plus unlimited nights and weekends, and 650 anytime minutes. The best plan for value is $49.99 with 3000 night and weekend minutes, unlimited mobile to mobile, and 400 anytime minutes.
T-mobile also has a very good monthly prepaid plan with all the benefits of monthly post paid. With T-Mobile FlexPay , phones start at around $30.00, but currently free after a $30 mail in rebate. Plans start at $39.99 a month for 300 minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, plus unlimited calling to 5 numbers of your choice with MyFaves . Before signing up for a T-Mobile FlexPay plan you'll need to purchase your phone.
Now for the best Pay as You Go Plans . These are different from monthly because you only pay for the minutes you use, and you can add minutes to your phone whenever you run out. It works much like a prepaid phone card but for your cell phone. TracFone allows you to buy 400 minutes for $99.99, plus get your phone for free. Another benefit to the $99.99 plan is you get to keep your number for an entire year, even if you don't add minutes. You could also get a free phone by signing up for the $29.99 plan with 120 minutes, but you'll need to add more minutes in a specified time range to keep your number active. Top up cards are as little as $20.
Another really good Pay as You Go provider is Net10 with 10 cent per minute calling anywhere, and everywhere. For $69.99 you'll get a very nice camera phone, 300 minutes, and you don't have to add more minutes to your phone for at least 60 days. After that, you can add minutes whenever you need them, and refill cards can be purchased at many local stores, and convenient stores.
Read cnet.com's quick guide on Prepaid cell phones.