Just about every leading mobile phone provider now offers
some sort of prepaid calling plan in order to fit their
customers' budgets. But is is right for you?
The first question you'll need to ask yourself is how
often you'll use your wireless phone?
Since the biggest benefit of a prepaid wireless phone is
there is no monthly contract, you'll pay a little more for
the prepaid minutes you purchase. But if you plan on using
your phone strictly on an as-needed basis for emergencies,
etc., a prepaid wireless program could be just what you're
looking for.
The biggest mistake most people make when choosing to go
prepaid is not reading the "fine print" of the
providers' terms and conditions.
In most cases, the prepaid minutes you purchase will
expire after a certain period of time, usually two or three
months down the road. What this means is, if you buy 300
minutes today and fail to purchase more minutes anytime
during the next few months, the unused portion of those 300
minutes will be unuseable!
This is sort of a convenient way to force you to keep on
purchasing minutes even if you don't actually need them.
Another thing to watch out for is a daily minimum. Many
providers will charge you $1.00 for each day you use your
wireless phone. So if you get a prepaid wireless phone with
the intention of making one two-minute call every day of the
month, in addition to using 60 minutes of airtime, some
providers will also charge you an additional $30 for the
month, since you used the phone all 30 days.
Not a very good deal.
Out of all the prepaid wireless deals out there, TracFone
seems to have the most competitive prices and terms of
service. Although TracFone minutes expire after three months
unless you purchase additional minutes (just like all the
other companies), they also have a one-year activation
service which is perfect for people just needing a wireless
phone for emergency purposes. The deal changes from month to
month, but usually provides for one year of activation,
without requiring you to purchase additional minutes for a
whole year. Thus, your monthly cost should average about
$8.00 and you'll have a wireless phone with a few hundred
minutes that will be good for the whole year.
The choices seem endless, but it pays to educate yourself
about prepaid wireless phone plans.
This article was posted on September 05, 2005
