How to Choose Prepaid Cell Phones

If you’re having trouble qualifying for a cell phone service plans because of bad credit or simply don’t want to sign off on a long-term cell phone contract, prepaid cell phones might be your answer. These pay as you go cell phones allow you to purchase minutes, much like a prepaid phone card, that you can use each month. The cost and features of prepaid cell phones and their accompanying plans can vary, however, so it pays to research the options you want. Consider these tips to help choose prepaid cell phones.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Be wary about immediately accepting the “free” cell phone that accompanies the plan when you’re trying to choose prepaid cell phones. A prepaid phone service that’s bundled with a free phone may also charge more for each block of minutes. Free phones are also typically outdated or bottom of the line models with few features, no additional options and poor construction.

2. Find your prepaid phone service provider first, then consider the available models to choose prepaid cell phones that suit your requirements. Providers such as T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Metro PCS and Virgin Mobile offer prepaid cell phone options. When comparing prepaid cellular plans, consider factors that contribute to the overall price such as charge per minute, night and weekend minutes, text messaging rates, deadlines for using the prepaid minutes and roaming charges.

3. Look at the pay as you go cell phones offered by your provider of choice. Because they have no guarantee that you’ll continue to sign up for minutes after the initial batch, most prepaid cell phone providers will require you to pay full price for brand name phones with additional features. Decide if multimedia features such as an Internet browser or GPS are worth the added cost—if you’re trying to choose prepaid cell phones to save money, a basic phone with a text messaging feature may suffice.

4. Choose prepaid cell phones with essential features if you’re opting for a basic model. Even older phones should have a hands-free speakerphone or Bluetooth option, the ability to alter your ringtone or select a vibration alert and a battery that provides enough talk and standby time to get you to the next charge, for example.

5. Get a rebate or better price on a higher-end, current model cell phone (such as BlackBerry, Motorola or Samsung prepaid cell phones) by purchasing a plan with additional minutes. While some service providers offer fifty dollar rebates on phones with larger prepaid cellular plans, determine if you’ll really use all of the allotted minutes before they expire.