Prepaid Cell Phone Plans – Are They For You?
Most Americans have cell phone plans with contracts that call for a certain number of minutes per month.
For example, your plan might include 450 minutes per month. If you go over that limit, you pay extra for the extra minutes. Use fewer than the 450 and, chances are, you lose the minutes you didn't use.
An alternative to this kind of plan, that's becoming increasingly popular with some Americans is a prepaid plan, often called pay-as-you-go. In this type of plan, you pay in advance for a certain number of minutes, then use them at your own pace. The advantages to this is that there are no surcharges, and you never have to worry about going over an allotted number of minutes. The way these plans work is that you contact a service provider, and load minutes into your account. There is no contract and no big penalty if you drop out.
You could talk 500 minutes one month, and 200 the next. You will find that with some of the cell phone service providers, your unused minutes expire at the end of the month in which you purchased them. However, with others, you can roll over your the unused minutes – so long as you buy new minutes the next month.
This concept makes good sense for a lot of people. For example, there are many Americans who carry a cell phone for use only in emergencies or for short calls home. So even those plans that offer 250 minutes don't make sense for them. There are also families who want to control how much time their kids spend on their cell phones. And if you're on a budget, a pay-as-you-go plan will save you money as there are never those weird surcharges that can run up a $39.95 plan to more than $50.00 a month.
Most of the major carriers have new or expanded versions of prepaid plans. If you feel that one of these plans might make sense for you, contract several different companies for information as there are vast differences in pricing. For example, some carriers charge a flat fee per minute. In some cases the cost per minute goes down, the more minutes you buy.
On the other hand, there are other companies that charge much less per minute, buy levy a daily rate regardless of use. Some of these plans allow roaming and some don't. Finally, unless you already have a handset that works with the pay-as-you-go plan you have chosen, you will probably pay more for the cell phone itself. This is because wireless companies heavily subsidize these phones, knowing that their customers will be locked into their service for 12 or even 24 months.
The major downside to prepaid plans is that you will most likely pay more per minute. For example, the Cingular GoPhone plan costs $0.25 per minute. In comparison its Nation 450 with Rollover gives you 450 anytime minutes for about $0.08 per minute (plus 5,000 nights and weekend minutes and unlimited calls to toher Cingular subscribers). Of course, requires a two-year contract and any minutes over the 450 per month will be billed at a cost of $0.45 each.
Monthly service plans are probably still the best bet for most people. But if you feel you are using your cell phone less than 300 minutes a month, or just prefer to not have a contract or a monthly bill, a prepaid plan just might be what the doctor ordered.
For FREE help with debt and other financial issues, subscribe today to Douglas Hanna's free email newsletter "8 Simple Steps to Debt Relief" at http://www.all-in-one-info.com
High Quality Conference Calls at Discount Prices
Cell Phone Accessories
Up to 80% Off
Conference Call Companies - Web Conferencing Services
Conferencing Calling Services - Corporate Conference Call Solutions and Providers Available for Your Audio and Video Conferencing Needs.
Check Us Out Now for
Teleconferencing and Web Conferencing Services at Affordable Calling Rates
Unlimited Access To Over 12 Million Songs!
We are the largest file trading network on the planet. Get access to the largest collection of music from all over the world.
Download Unlimited Music, Videos, MP3s and Games - 100% virus, adware and spyware free!
Cell Phone Recycling Profits
Minnesota Couple Makes $64,032 Profit Their FIRST Month Recycling Used Cell Phones and PDAs.
Over 100 Million Cell Phones Will Be Replaced This Year - Learn How To Profit From This Golden Opportunity!
Get Free Ringtones For Your Nextel Phone
Get Instant Access To Free Ringtones, Free Wallpapers, Free GPS, Free Games, Free Apps, And Tons Of Nextel Modifications
Reverse Phone Lookup
Get INSTANT ACCESS to owner information, address history, carrier, connection status, and location details for any phone number.
Database coverage includes cell, residential, business, pager, toll-free, and unlisted numbers. Your search is 100% legal and strictly confidential.
Top Telesales Techniques that Work!
Discover How To Make A Fortune Selling Products And Services By Phone.
Tom Hopkins and Anthony Robbins Top Salesperson can help you increase your phone sales by 30-100% immediately!
Related Articles:
California Businesses Must Assess Liability of New Mobile Phone Laws
CalChamber Highlights Increased Legal Responsibility Beginning July 1
HELIOS WebShare UB+ Proofing for Apple iPhone
HELIOS WebShare UB+ and the Apple iPhone are perfect partners for on-the-go design and print professionals to easily and securely manage, preview, and proof files remotely.
Phonex Announces Supplier Arrangement with Jasco to Provide New Wireless Phone Jack Design
The PX-211, with its powerful design and patent portfolio, will be distributed by Jasco to retail accounts under the GE Brand name
Wind Currents Communications Chooses the Grandstream GXV3000 Video Phone and HT386 Analog Telephone Adaptor for its Residential VoIP Offering
Grandstream Networks, Inc. a leading designer and manufacturer of IP Voice and Video endpoints for broadband networks, and Wind Currents Communications, Inc. (www.v2vip.com) an Internet Phone company that provides videophone and IP telephony calling plans to the global residential market announced today that the GXV3000 IP Video Phone and the HT386 Analog Telephone Adaptor will be IP terminal endpoints for the V2VIP telephony and video end-to-end solutions.
Prepaid Cell Phone Plans – Are They For You?
Most Americans have cell phone plans with contracts that call for a certain number of minutes per month.For example, your plan might include 450 minutes per month.
3 Cool Cell Phone Tricks For You
Cell phones have become ubiquitous. It is now unusual to find anyone who does not have one of the little beasties. The obvious next step was to seek a means to ensure your cell phone is unique and different from all of the others out there. A variety of features exist in varying combinations and there are the usual tricks like customizing the picture on the screen or the ringtone. These are almost all more style than substance.
Agilis MRM Software Certified on Sprint Sanyo 7050 Mobile Phone
The military spec Sprint Sanyo 7050 mobile phone with embedded GPS receiver is certified on the complete Agilis MRM (mobile resource management) solution. The software modules include GPS tracking, mobile work order management with electronic forms, audible navigation, route optimization, DOT miles and fuel tax reports along with the automated customer contact system to alert customers of the mobile workers ETA (estimated time of arrival) or invite them to be the next appointment of the day.
Choosing the Right Business Phone System Simplified with VendorGuru.com Webinar
Business owners know that using the best phone system for their business is critical to their success--but the many choices can be confusing. VendorGuru.com has partnered with TelephonyWorld.com to clarify the business phone selection process in a free Webinar featuring business owners who discuss their experiences with both traditional and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone systems. To take the confusion out of finding the right phone system, VendorGuru.com links business owners with top business phone system providers who best meet their needs.
Mobile Phone Reviews - A Closer Look at the Mobile Phones of Today
Mobile phones have been so prevalent in the market nowadays, and being able to decide which one to buy is already considered an achievement. Among the sea of mobile phones available how are you able to settle the issue of which phone to buy? And for a very particular reason, there is always a certain set of criterion that you have to follow whenever you are looking for a mobile phone. So, as a smart consumer, you just don't buy things out of whim, you buy stuff because you have planned to, and, you just have to stick with your plan.
Camrivox Launches Microsoft® Office Outlook® integration for FlexorTM 500 IP Phone
Southern Cal Telecom Products has Created Separate Division Focusing on Providing New and Used Business Phone Systems to Hispanic Market in All Southe
"With the number of Hispanic owned businesses exploding throughout our region, we knew the growth our company depended on catering to this market. We have even created a section on our website in Spanish."
Text Feet Under With Your Mobile Phone -- Dial-a-Phone Releases Survey Results
Brits are following traditional Egyptian rituals and enclosing 21st century treasures, including mobile phones, jewelry and photos in the coffin when a loved one passes away.
Mobile Phone Deals with Free Gifts
Did you know that the telecommunications industry in the United Kingdom is experiencing a resurgence? This is because the number of companies offering telecommunication services is booming. Also, there are a lot of subscribers, especially from the younger generation.
Noreve Introduces Diamond Case for Apple iPhone 3G
The new pouch by Noreve has 6.8 karats of luxurious diamond and leather protection for the Apple iPhone 3G. This unique case is available in 15 distinct colors for $15K .
Classified Flyer Ads BlackBerry Curve Mobile Phone Giveaway
ClassifiedFlyerAds.com, a leading company in online classified ad creation and distribution, announced today a "Giveaway" promoting their recent addition of several new services focusing on the emerging mobile market.
