Prepaid Wireless Choices

By John Bear

If you don’t want to be locked into an iron-clad contract, have a credit check performed, provide a security deposit, pay a monthly fee, if you are an infrequent user or if you want to manage your wireless spending, then you may just want to stick with a prepaid cell phone plan. Pre paid cell phone plans allows you to easily budget your minutes from month to month and keep control over your cell phone bill. A prepaid cellphone is one in which you purchase the phone and minutes upfront; you can buy minutes ahead of time and replenish them as needed.

You can choose from a number of prepaid cell phone service providers that has jumped on the prepaid cellular phone bandwagon. Cingular, Verizon, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Tracfone, Boost Mobile, and Net10 are the chief prepaid wireless providers.

Cingular wireless has all the benefits of traditional service in a prepaid cell phone plan. This prepaid service provider has a wide range of coverage areas, has good customer service and cool features. The T-Mobile Prepaid is another big brand that gets into the prepaid cell phone market. The T-Mobile’s To Go plans that offer great coverage in T-Mobile friendly areas, wide array of basic phone features and competitive pricing make this prepaid service provider a great option.

Verizon Wireless has a long-standing tradition of superior customer service and product dependability. Verizon Wireless INpulse offers rates as low as 10 per minute, perfect for teens and people who talk a lot on the phone. For credit challenged people who want regular post pay style calling plans, they can opt for Verizon Wireless’ EasyPay Plan.

Virgin Mobile offers one of the most feature-rich prepaid wireless plans available. They have a great coverage area and plan pricing is competitive, although it can be a little complicated. Boost Mobile is a reliable prepaid cell phone service provider that takes special aim at the youth of the cell phone user population. They have tons of in demand features available, which it is easy to see why Boost Mobile is a popular choice for the younger generation.

The 7-Eleven’s Speak Out charges a flat 20 cents a minute (except for roaming charges of 39 cents a minute) and offers a choice of six handsets from Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson priced from $60 to $150. However, unlike services that require activation online or by phone, 7-Eleven’s phones come right out of the box. Net10 is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that is operating on TracFone Wireless’ network. They offer the best per minute rate for prepaid voice service and the prepaid service requires no yearly commitment. Net10 phones start at $20 and include 300 minutes/60 days of service.

Tracfone prepaid has the distinction of being the only prepaid cell phone company to offer a phone in every zip Code in the United States. While tracFone Wireless’s prepaid cellular service may hardly be the envy of most teenagers, it has proved popular among older consumers as an emergency phone. Tracfone is the leader in the prepaid cellular industry in the US and is sold at over 60,000 retailers nationwide, as well as in the Internet. Tracfone wireless prepaid emphasizes affordability and service quality over flashy features. It has established agreements with more than 30 carriers that provide service even in traditionally underserved rural areas and they are using a mix of TDMA, CDMA and GSM technology.

Whether or not to commit to a prepaid wireless service really depends upon your personal needs and preferences. Before deciding on your prepaid service provider, it is important to do some research; look at the various carriers’ Web sites to familiarize yourself with what they have to offer. - 23594

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