When
in the market for a prepaid cell phone or a free prepaid cell
phone, you must decide on who will use the phone and what
their needs are.
Will the
kids use their free prepaid cell phone for school? Will a
prepaid cellular plan be perfect for mom's emergency needs?
A prepaid cell phone might just be the perfect gift for cousin
Annie? A free prepaid cell phone could be used a secondary
emergency phone for the whole family. These are some common
decisive factors in the shopping for a prepaid cellular phone
and plan.
Tracfone
and Liberty
Wireless are the top U.S. prepaid cellular plan choices.
Tracfone offer's a premium free prepaid cell phone with generous
monthly airtime options at a great price. Other major carriers
for Pay as you Go or prepaid cellular phone and plans are
AT&T Wireless(Free2Go), Alltel, AIrvoice, CallPlus, TMobile,
Cingular, Verizon Wireless(Free up), Boost Mobile by Nextel
and Sprint PCS. Tracfone and Liberty Wireless will tie in
an accessory package to maximize your purchase. Free Prepaid
cell phones are also offered by AT&T Wireless and Liberty
Wireless.
Most major prepaid cellular plan providers also include a
certain denomination or prepaid cellular card in you cell
phone package. This is known as a 'prepaid starter kit' package.
Some
differences between Prepaid Cell Phone Plan and Monthly
Wireless Plans:
Prepaid
Cell Phone- Pros
Prepaid
cellular plan minutes can be spread over several
months, usually two or three, so if you only use your prepaid
phone occasionally, it can be less expensive than paying every
month for airtime that you won't use.
Prepaid
Cell Phones are Perfect for the credit challenged,
since monthly billed cellular plans require credit approval.
No
monthly service fees on Prepaid Cellular Plans
No
monthly bill, so you avoid potential check or cashier's
fees for the payment of your prepaid cell plan.
No
security deposits for Prepaid
Cellular Phone and Plan. Some monthly wireless plans
may require a deposit.
There
is no contract to sign for Prepaid Cell Phones
Better
cost control. You know exactly how much you will
spend.
No
need to disclose your real identity.
In most cases, you can activate a prepaid cell phone plan
under the name Mr.Joe Shmoe if you wish.
Prepaid
Cell Phone/ Prepaid Cellular/ Pay as you Go/ Free2Go- Cons
More expensive on a per minute basis. Typically,
a minute can costcost twice as much in a prepaid cellular
plan compared to a monthly wireless plan. Check the prepaid
cell plan's details before buying. A good option to consider
is Boost Mobile by Nextel, as it allow's the user to walkie-talkie
or push to talk(PTT) with another Boost Mobile or Nextel subscriber
for a $1 a day(unlimited usage for day).
Sometimes,
not all services are included. For example,
you may not be able to surf the wireless web or use your phone
in analog areas. Most new offerings provision internet access
on prepaid cellular service.
Extras
may cost a lot more. Long distance calls, for instance,
may be charged a premium fee over what cellphone monthly plan
consumers pay.
The
bottom line:
In fact, you can buy and use a prepaid phone and prepaid
calling card almost as you would with a disposable camera:
hassle-free. But the downside is you will pay a higher fee
for each minute.
So
what should I do?
Very
occasional users: if all you want is to carry a cellphone
in case of emergency and rare calls or if you know you won't
use more than 60 minutes per month, then go for a free prepaid
cell phone and prepaid plan.
Credit
challenged: for those with bad credit, prepaid cellular
is usually the only solution, though some companies will also
accept you in a monthly cell plan with a huge deposit. Annual
contracts however offer a vast array of free cell phones compared
to prepaid cell service.
Prepaid
phones for business travelers: Business travelers
are usually better served by national or international "one
rate" type of cellular plans where you pay only one rate,
no matter if you are in another state or even in Canada. However,
if you go to Europe only two or three times a year, using
a "global or GSM/ triband phone" and while you are
there might cost a fortune, up to one dollar per minute. One
solution might be to buy a prepaid cell phone in the country
you are visiting and buy a prepaid cellular card only when
you are there. Free prepaid cell phones or handy phones are
included with international plans too.
All others
might be better off with an ordinary monthly wireless plan,
which is always the best value for heavy cell phone users.
Please
feel to ask us any questions
regarding Prepaid Cellphones/ Prepaid Cellular/ Pay as you
Go/ Free2Go or Free Prepaid Phones and we will get back to
you via email in 24-48 hours. |