by John Bear
Prepaid cellular phones usually offered as pay-as-you-go type plans are the most recent technical developments in communication services. Many people choose to purchase this type of service in order to avoid any kind of lengthy contract, which would lock them into services for a designated amount of time and money. Prepaid wireless also has no credit check, deposit, hidden fees, age limit, monthly bills and most plans won’t make you pay an activation fee. They offer more control over your spending and are a great way to cut down on
cell phone
costs. You just simply add airtime as you need it, if you stop adding airtime to your prepaid phone then the phone will simply go “inactiveâ€.
There are fairly a large number of cell phone provider that has jumped on the prepaid cell phone bandwagon, recognizing the large market of customers that are interested in obtaining cell phones without contracts or obligations. Currently, the chief prepaid cellular phone service providers are Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon, Virgin Mobile, 7-Eleven, Tracfone, Net10 and Boost Mobile.
Cingular wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States. They offer two distinct plan types that give customers flexibility not afforded by many prepaid service providers. They also have great cell phone coverage and have good customer service.
Though they had a relatively late arrival to the US prepaid arena, Verizon Wireless owns and operates the second largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States. This prepaid wireless service provider offers Inpulse and EasyPay plans; and they offer a wide network footprint and a growing 3G network.
Virgin Mobile, the first MVNO carrier in the United States that operates over Sprint’s network has led the way in aggressively marketing its prepaid service to the youth market. If you’ve been to a Virgin Megastore lately, you’ve doubtless seen flashy and trendy Virgin Mobile phones hanging from display racks. Boost Mobile is a “lifestyle based†MVNO carrier that’s aiming squarely for the youth market just like Virgin Mobile. This prepaid cell phone provider is armed with snazzy versions of Motorola’s sensible handsets and push-to-talk (PTT) walkie-talkie functionality on Nextel’s iDEN network.
The 7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless, a Mobile Virtual Network Operator operating out of the United States and Canada is owned by 7-Eleven. This prepaid wireless provider offers a fixed rate of 20 cents per minute for local calls and 30 cents per minute for long-distance calls. Ne10 can provide simple prepaid service pricing and decent phone selection. It offers great prepaid service, minutes are priced competitively, directory assistance calls are charged as normal calls and nationwide long distance is included.
Tracfone Wireless is considered the leader and recognized as the largest provider in nationwide prepaid wireless plans. It offers simple pricing, ease of use and great customer service that make this company stand out as a prepaid service provider. The Tracfone prepaid service is a boon to those who want the convenience of wireless service but want to stay within a budget, infrequent users and it can also offer peace of mind for those who want have a cell phone for emergencies. They have a great selection of mobile phones and they also offer longer airtime; they offer refill cards that are valid up to one year.
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.