By David
If you have tried shopping around for cell phones recently, then you probably already know that they can get very expensive. On average, cell phone users pay around $70 a month for their cell phone service. This is just too much for many of us to afford. If you would like to get a cell phone more for its native features than for actually communicating though you would still like to have the option open in case of an emergency, than a prepaid wireless service plan may be right for you.
Click here to compare wireless plans. Free comparison tools. Top carriers. Save 100s.
Cost
If you do not use the main features of your cell phone very often (phone calls, texting, and data usage) then getting a prepaid wireless service plan can save you quite a bit of money over the long haul. It has a number of cost advantages over a traditional plan. Most notably is that you do not have a monthly subscription. Instead you will pay in a certain amount, either through the carrier’s web site or by purchasing and activating a phone card. This will keep your service active for an amount of time as determined by the type of card used. Keeping your phone active in this way is the only recurring cost you will have with a prepaid wireless service plan. Any other costs will depend upon your usage of the phone.
Device
The primary disadvantage of a prepaid wireless service plan is that you will have to purchase your phone upfront, so the nicer the phone you would like to have, the more it will cost you to get started. Still, this can also be an advantage because you will not be stuck paying the high monthly fees for your service, saving you enough money to easily pay for the initial cost of the phone and then some. There are a wide variety of phones available for use on a prepaid wireless service plan and what you want to get will depend on how you intend to use the phone. If you are getting the phone purely for emergencies than getting something really cheap with a long battery life is probably a good idea. On the other hand, if you want to do most everything with your phone that you would normally do on a smartphone, you may want to get something nicer.
Click here to compare wireless plans. Free comparison tools. Top carriers. Save 100s.
Getting Started
Getting setup with a prepaid wireless service plan is pretty simple and can be done online or at a local store where they sell prepaid phones. Just let them know you would like to set up a prepaid wireless service plan, and they will walk you through the steps including purchasing your cell phone and initially installing the SIM card and activating the account. After that, you are ready to go, and you will just need to add a time card occasionally to keep the account open, and additional cards if you run out of minutes, texts, or data.
Now that you know how a prepaid wireless service plan works, you are ready to start shopping around for the one that is best for you.
Click here to compare wireless plans. Free comparison tools. Top carriers. Save 100s.
Leave a Reply