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Prepaid cellular phones are becoming more popular and you may be wondering if you need one or if they may be a better choice for you. Here are some of the pros and cons of Prepaid Cellular Phones:
<b>No Contracts or Monthly Bills</b>: Prepaid cellular phones do not require you to sign any contract nor pay any monthly bills. Some providers allow you to buy minutes in increments much like you would a prepaid phone card. When the amount you paid for is up, the service will no longer work until you buy more airtime. Most prepaid providers work by the "buy your minutes" model mentioned above, while some prepaid cell phone providers have monthly plans, much like a regular cellular service provider. Still others let you buy up to a year's worth of coverage in advance. You will need to decide which one of these options works best for you.
<b>No Credit Checks or Deposits</b>: Not everyone who wants a cell phone can get a traditional cellular service plan. Some people go to all the trouble of shopping for the
best plan and picking out their phone only to be denied service because of a credit problem. Prepaid cell phones are available without the traditional credit check hurdle.
<b>No Age Limit</b>: Prepaid cell phones can be a good option for teenagers. Some prepaid cell phone plans allow parents to pay for the monthly minutes usage or let their kids pay cash to buy their minutes at thousands of convenient locations. You do not have to worry about the teens driving up big bill since the usage will be limited. It will also be a lesson on teaching them how to budget their money.
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<b>No Hidden Fees</b>: The average monthly wireless phone bill in 2000 was just over $45, according to an industry report by the <A HREF="http://www.ctia.org">Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association</A>. With prepaid plans, you can reduce your wireless cost to less than half of that of postpaid full-service plan. There are also no monthly taxes, activation fees or termination fees with prep-paid wireless.
While these are some of the positive aspects with a prepaid cellular phone calling plan, there are also a couple of disadvantages of which you should be aware:
<b>The Rate Per Minute</b>: Typically, a minute will cost twice as much in a prepaid plan compared to a monthly plan. Check the plan's details before buying.
<b>Included Services</b>: Sometimes, not all services are included. For example, you may not be able to surf the wireless web or use your phone in analog areas. Extras may cost a lot more. Long distance calls, for instance, may be charged a premium fee over what monthly consumers pay.
In summary, prepaid cell phones are of substantial interest to users who might like to have a cellular phone for occasional use -- for unexpected roadside emergencies, for example. But if you just want to have a cell phone as "insurance," it can be irritating to pay a traditional cellular telephone bill of $20 or $30 every 30 days, month after month. For this type of user, prepaid cell phones are a very reasonable choice.
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Theresa O’Donnell is the owner of <A HREF="http://www.budgetdial.com">Budget Dial Communications</A>, a leading provider of discount telecommunications including <A HREF="http://www.budgetdial.com/prepaid-cellular.htm">prepaid cellular phone services</A>
<b>No Contracts or Monthly Bills</b>: Prepaid cellular phones do not require you to sign any contract nor pay any monthly bills. Some providers allow you to buy minutes in increments much like you would a prepaid phone card. When the amount you paid for is up, the service will no longer work until you buy more airtime. Most prepaid providers work by the "buy your minutes" model mentioned above, while some prepaid cell phone providers have monthly plans, much like a regular cellular service provider. Still others let you buy up to a year's worth of coverage in advance. You will need to decide which one of these options works best for you.
<b>No Credit Checks or Deposits</b>: Not everyone who wants a cell phone can get a traditional cellular service plan. Some people go to all the trouble of shopping for the
best plan and picking out their phone only to be denied service because of a credit problem. Prepaid cell phones are available without the traditional credit check hurdle.
<b>No Age Limit</b>: Prepaid cell phones can be a good option for teenagers. Some prepaid cell phone plans allow parents to pay for the monthly minutes usage or let their kids pay cash to buy their minutes at thousands of convenient locations. You do not have to worry about the teens driving up big bill since the usage will be limited. It will also be a lesson on teaching them how to budget their money.
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<b>No Hidden Fees</b>: The average monthly wireless phone bill in 2000 was just over $45, according to an industry report by the <A HREF="http://www.ctia.org">Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association</A>. With prepaid plans, you can reduce your wireless cost to less than half of that of postpaid full-service plan. There are also no monthly taxes, activation fees or termination fees with prep-paid wireless.
While these are some of the positive aspects with a prepaid cellular phone calling plan, there are also a couple of disadvantages of which you should be aware:
<b>The Rate Per Minute</b>: Typically, a minute will cost twice as much in a prepaid plan compared to a monthly plan. Check the plan's details before buying.
<b>Included Services</b>: Sometimes, not all services are included. For example, you may not be able to surf the wireless web or use your phone in analog areas. Extras may cost a lot more. Long distance calls, for instance, may be charged a premium fee over what monthly consumers pay.
In summary, prepaid cell phones are of substantial interest to users who might like to have a cellular phone for occasional use -- for unexpected roadside emergencies, for example. But if you just want to have a cell phone as "insurance," it can be irritating to pay a traditional cellular telephone bill of $20 or $30 every 30 days, month after month. For this type of user, prepaid cell phones are a very reasonable choice.
******************************************
Theresa O’Donnell is the owner of <A HREF="http://www.budgetdial.com">Budget Dial Communications</A>, a leading provider of discount telecommunications including <A HREF="http://www.budgetdial.com/prepaid-cellular.htm">prepaid cellular phone services</A>
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