Are Prepaid Wireless Phones a Good Deal? - Comments Page 2

The answer is "Yes" but ymmv.

I wanted a plain old telephone for when I was at work or away from home. I signed up for the least costly of Net10's Easy Minute plans for $15/month. For this I get 200 minutes a month (7.5 cents/minute). Depending on the phone you buy, texting is only 3-5 cents/minute (compare that to ATT). Unused minutes always roll over so I've accumulated many unused minutes.

You can always add more minutes if you need them but its great to know that I get more than I need for only $15 a month. BTW - Customer service has been great.

Question - can you port your phone number from a contract to a pre-paid phone?

can you tell me about Boost Mobile ? Thank you,

I've studied all the carriers and the best I believe is Straight Talk. By buying three months at a time, I only spent $42/month for all the talk, text, and data I want. I just switched from their CMDA phone to their new GSM network--bought a SIM card and a great GSM Pantech 9060 phone on eBay. Much better coverage than what was offered for Android phones through Straight Talk's Sprint network. This is a much better deal than having a contract.

I used Straight Talk for a while & was happy, ($30/mo. for 1000 min +1000 txt) but then they switched networks & reception went bad. So I got a Tracfon LG800 (best phone I've ever had) for $50 and 200 min/60 days free, but here's the best part - it came with triple minutes for life. I bought a $200 1-year/1500 min card and got 4500 min, so for $50 + $200 (plus taxes) I ended up with 14 months & 4620 minutes. That's

No one ever talks about Straight Talk from Walmart. It is the best deal going. $45.00 per month unlimited everything. Or $30.00 mo for 1000 min talk + 1000 texts + 30 mb web. I run a Samsung Galaxy S on Straight Talk and where I am at and where I travel to the service is way better than rip-off att and verizon.

We have been using trackfone for 8 years, by buying the "year activation" which amounts to less than $10 a month. We use it for emergencys only, but no mater where we have been, we always are able to get service. We have upgraded phones 4 times and always get to take our unused minutes with us to the new phone. I also like the rollover minutes and we now have aprox 3600 minutes to use.

Does anyone know if you are charged for incoming calls with these prepaid plans? Just curious. Thanks.

I have used T-Mobile Pay As You Go for quite some time. I recently bought a nice inexpensive Samsung that i like and transferred the SIM card from an older phone that was failing. Voice is a little expensive per minute (though it's not entirely clear how expensive without some digging) and text is .10/per message. * But * it is otherwise very straightforward: Minutes are good for 90 days. After you've spent $100 on minutes, you get "15% more" and the minutes are good for a year. No fuss, no muss. I don't use my cell very often, and I have no use for a "smart" phone gulping down data, but their other plans seem fairly reasonable. E.g., $15/mo. "unlimited" + .10/min.; $30/mo. will get you 1500 minutes or messages and 30 Mb of data. Monthly plans above that ($50, 60, 70) are all unlimited voice, text and data, data speed being limited by price.

Coverage is great - I was out in deepest darkest rural Utah and got a call from Chicago one night, and I have never had a problem anywhere else (save deep in the mountains). I'm sticking with this plan unless I start using my cell more. This seems a good deal for my purposes, and I was very upset when AT&T was attempting the merger. Fortunately, they screwed it up, and "fair and reasonable" prevailed by default. Anyone considering a prepaid plan should definitely take a look at T-Mobile.

I don't live in the US but when I travel to there, I bring my quad-band GSM phone and AT&T puts in their SIM and charges me US$15 for 150 minutes good for one month. The problem is that I am NOT used to being charged for when someone calls ME even telephone solicitors! Where I live, you make the call, you pay, no double dealing. Its handy to have a working phone where ever you are. And whats left over, if any, I use up calling from the airport on my way home. Works out fine except for all the SMS's saying its time to recharge, even after the first call!

Since the current trend in cellular is definitely moving toward prepaid wireless, this issue is becoming paramount for many people. But Big Wireless isn't your friend, moneywise. That's why Lightyear Wireless is so unique. No Contract, No Credit Check, No Deposit, No Overages, No Hassles. Just affordable wireless, without all the extra fees the major tack onto your bill. And you can change plans from month to month, if needed.

But since Lightyear doesn't spend $500 Million/yr. on ads, like Big Wireless does, which their customers pay for in higher costs, you probably haven't heard of Lightyear. But it's solid, dependable, and uses the best network in wireless. I've used them for nearly two years now.

Need a lot? Truly Unlimited Everything (Talk, Text, and Data (No Data Caps), for only $59.99/mo. for 3G and only $69.99/mo. for 4G/3G. Need a little: $20/mo. for 200 min.; $30/mo. for 300 min.; minutes roll over for both plans; texts are 10 cents each. Or $35/mo. for 700 min. & 700 texts. Only state sales tax, if applicable, is added to your bill; not all of the other fees you see on everyone else's bills.

You're no longer stuck with Big Wireless, Americans. Just check out Lightyear Wireless. You can search for "Lightyear Wireless" to find an independent distributor who will help you save money and make money on wireless.

I think that all pre-paid phone plans are almost impossible to compare due to the complexity of the the price structure. I have used Tracfone for several years, and it might be the best choice for the light user. By buying a cheap phone with double minutes and a one year card you can have a decent phone for under $10 a month. The activation process is probably only a little easier than the task sequence for launching a nuclear missile attack, and customer service is weak, but once it's activated you can add minutes easily and you always know how many minutes and days of service you have left. My wife just got one, too, and was able to port her old Verizon number over without a glitch.

I made this comment the last time Prepaid cell phones were discussed...Why is no one mentioning STi Mobile? Buy minutes when you need them/if you need them, nothing more. No minimums. Rates...8.9c per day, 8.9c per minute...period. What could be simpler? Uses Sprint network.

I live outside the US, so have a Net 10 phone I use on trips to the US 2-3 times a year. I buy 200 minutes just before leaving. The minutes that I do have not used on previous trips have rolled over, so even though the time expires, the remaining minutes are added onto the new 200 minutes on subsequent trips.

Hey Bob, How about the Republic Wireless's new plan for unlimited text, talk, and data for $19.00 per month. Check it out at Republicwireless.com They require you to have a wireless network at home and purchase a custom smart phone which works on wireless when you are home or work that has wireless network and it works on Sprint's 3g wireless when you are roaming. This is going to kill the Big 3.........bob hall

Hey Bob! First time writer here, how are you? I just wanted to mention that Net10 also has a $15/month plan that works for people who don't rely on their cell phones as much. I think you get 200 minutes, and if you set up a monthly pay plan, you never get disconnected. The phones leave a lot to be desired; mine's a basic Samsung with no frills, but it does the job.

For people who make fewer calls, prepaid is the way to go. I've had tracfone for many years, and for (me) it's well worth the $7 bucks and change per month. If one buys a newer phone TF will transfer the unused minutes to the new phone.

No tax and hidden fees, ya gotta love that!

Ya, I got a year's worth of Tracfone for $99.00 five years ago with 600 total minutes of airtime. We don't use our cell much, and still have a little over 100 minutes left. Tracfone has a monthly fee of $5.99 plus tax to keep the minutes rolling over. So I'm paying about $80 a year. Not good for everyone, but it works for me/us.

As a light user of cell service, I've been pretty happy with STiMobile (www.stimobile.com/rates-services.html) which has a pay-as-you-go rate structure. You add, say, $25 to your account, and (in the plan I have) they deduct 9 cents per day, plus 8.9 cents for calls and 5 cents for text messages. Picture messages and web browsing are additional daily deductions, but only if you want them. When my account dips below $5, I have it set up to automatically charge my credit card another $25. There are some limitations to service and functionality compared to standard cell phone plans, but my $25 probably lasts two months or more on average, and I'm happy with that.

StraightTalk from Walmart is a great alternative too. 1000 minutes, 1000 texts and 30MB web for $30/month, or unlimited talk, text and web for $45. Uses the Verizon network just like Tracfone. the $30 plan works for me. The only downside I know of is no rollover minutes.