by John Bear
Wireless communication is one of the recent trends in the communication industry. A wireless network uses radio waves, instead of cables. The wireless and portability factor has led individuals holding a mobile phone to experience a possibility of anytime, anywhere communication. Now, prepaid cell phones are gaining popularity among mobile phone users.
A prepaid, or “pay as you go†plan for your
cell phone
offers the same convenience as a regular or postpaid plan but with the added benefits of no monthly bill or long term contract. Aside from being free of contracts, prepaid services have also helped people budget the costs of their cell phone bills. You can decide on a network service provider and subscribe to their services by buying talk time in the form of minutes. Whenever your talk time runs out, you can refill it anywhere and anytime.
This service is perfect among people who don’t use their mobile phones often and those who plan to use mobile phones solely for emergency situations. It would also be ideal for keeping the use of cell phones by teenagers and pre-teens from getting out of hand.
The main providers of prepaid wireless communication are Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon, Virgin Mobile, 7-Eleven, Net10, Boost Mobile and Tracfone. These carriers are offering very recommendable pay-as-you-go deals.
TracFone seems to have the most competitive prices and terms of service out of all the prepaid wireless deals out there. Although TracFone minutes expire after three months unless you purchase additional minutes, they also have a one-year activation service, which is perfect for people just needing a wireless phone for emergency purposes. The deal changes each month, but usually provides for one year of activation, without requiring you to buy additional minutes for a whole year. Thus, your monthly cost should average about 8 dollars and you’ll have a wireless phone with a few hundred minutes that will be good for the whole year.
You can get stylish handsets from Nokia, Samsung and Motorola under these deals, such as Nokia 6111, Samsung D900, Samsung X820 and Motorola V3i. You can easily choose between folder mobile phones, camera mobile phones and multimedia marvels. You really have to know what you will be using the mobile phone for and if the features really will be worth all the money that you will be spending.
Committing to a prepaid cell phone really depends upon your personal needs and preferences. For example, if you plan on using your phone strictly on an as-needed basis for emergencies, a prepaid wireless program could be just what you’re looking for.
If you don’t want to be locked into an iron-clad contract, have a credit check performed, provide a security deposit, you don’t use a lot of minutes each month or pay a set monthly fee, then you may just want to stick with a prepaid wireless cell phone.