Cheapest Prepaid Cell Phone Plans

Whether you are tired of being locked into a cell phone contract or you’ve experienced cell phone bill shock one too many times you may be starting to compare prepaid cell phone plans to see what options are available. When you are looking for the top cheapest prepaid cell phone plans that will meet your needs and fit your lifestyle there are a couple of factors that may help you make your final decision.

Anytime you are looking at the cheapest cell phone plans it is important to look at more than just the price of the plan. Consider how you use your phone. Think about how many minutes you use per month, what kind of minutes and consider your texting and data needs. Are you an occasional user who simply needs a decent low use cell phone plan or do you rely on your cell phone for multiple functions every day?

Defining how you use your phone will help you find the best option in the right category. There are a lot of prepaid cell phone plans available but some are stronger in certain areas than others. Knowing what to look for will help ensure you find the best prepaid cell phone plan for you. Here are some tips that will help you find that plan. Continue reading

Prepaid Cell Phones

With prepaid cell phones you buy your minutes before you actually use them. Basically, you buy credit to use a provider’s network so you can avoid a contract and the recurring bills that come with a contract plan. They are often referred to as a “pay-as-you-go” plans.

With most wireless service providers, you can add credit, or minutes and service time, to your prepaid phone account at any time. This can usually be done by purchasing a prepaid card in a retail store, adding minutes online or using your credit card to buy the additional credit directly through your cell phone provider. In most cases you buy an allotment of minutes that has a service date that expires. If you don’t buy more minutes before this date you will lose any remaining minutes and your account will lapse, but with most service providers if you add more minutes your unused minutes will carryover. Continue reading

StraightTalk

Many people who are looking for cheap cell plans with a lot of talk, text and data all in one simple plan are looking at StraightTalk cell phone plans. StraightTalk is a trademark of TracFone and offered at Wal-Mart as a low cost option for people who need to use their cell phone on a regular basis. The generous amount of minutes on their plans make it difficult to complain about the talk and texting limits, but for some people the data plans aren’t all they claim to be.

Like any wireless service provider they have their pros and cons. The options look good in print, but are they all they are cracked up to be? For some people they have been a great find, but for others they have been a disappointment. Here is a list of their pros and cons including their biggest strengths and biggest weakness. Continue reading

TracFone

TracFone may be one of the most well known names in prepaid cell phone service. They were one of the early providers of this type of service and they are still around evolving their plans. TracFone isn’t one of the cheapest plans if you look at the cost per minute, but they are one of the lowest cost per month options for people who don’t use their cell phone that often. They also offer cheap prepaid cell phones. They don’t have the most advanced selection of headsets, but for the most part their low cost cell phones fit the occasional users they are marketing their services to.

TracFone isn’t the best option for people who use their cell phone frequently or for people who want heavy data coverage, but it is a good option for occasional users. It’s also a good option for seniors or kids who may be getting their first cell phone. TracFone is one of the cheap prepaid options that actually rates pretty well. Continue reading

Net10

Net10 is just one of the many options available if you are looking for a cheap prepaid cell phone. They are more well known than some of the other no contract wireless carriers, partially because they are a branch of TracFone, a well established no contract wireless provider. While customer service seems to be lacking for many wireless providers, including Net10, they have overall good customer satisfaction ratings and a good coverage area.

Net10 plans are simple and their website is pretty easy to navigate so you can find answers to your basic questions. They are getting a better selection of headsets, including touch screen Androids. But they also have simple cheap cell phones and refurbished cell phones to fit basic needs and to fit any budget. Some of their headsets even come with minutes and 30 days worth of service, which makes them a better deal. Continue reading