Prepaid phones are phones you use without signing long-term contracts with service providers. With prepaid cellular phones you add minutes or credits as needed through your service provider’s website, or prepaid cards available in many local stores. The major advantage of prepaid phones is the absence of contracts, but they are more expensive to own and operate.
Decide the type of prepaid phones you want and the features they must have. Write down the features you must have like slide-out keyboards, touch-screen and Bluetooth. Decide whether you want bar, sliding or flip phones.
2
Decide the features your prepaid plan must have. Some service providers have plans that include free nights and weekends, unlimited text and picture messages, unlimited mobile-to-mobile and no roaming. Write down what is important to you.
3
Log onto the Internet, and research prepaid phones that have the features you want. Websites like Phone Scoop and Prepaid Review allow you to search for prepaid phones by features and manufacturers. See Resources below for additional information.
4
Research prepaid service providers online and select a plan with the features you want. Service providers like Boost and Cricket Communications offers unlimited monthly plans without contracts while others like T-mobile, Sprint, Verizon and AT&T require you to pay as you go. The plan you choose depends on how often you use the prepaid phone. See Resources below for additional information.
5
Buy prepaid phones online or through your local store. When you decide the type of prepaid phone you want and the features you must have, buy the prepaid phone online or go to your local retail store and make your purchase.
Tips & Warnings
Using prepaid phones may look like a great idea since you aren’t tied to a particular service provider through a contract, they are more costly. You pay full price for the prepaid phones and the per-minute cost is higher.
Service providers won’t replace your prepaid phones when you lose them, so be careful when using a prepaid phone, especially if it is of higher quality.
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Touch-screen phone
