How to Buy Cheap Prepaid Cell Phones

If your teen wants to buy a cheap prepaid cell phone, you'll want to arm yourself with as much information as you can.

While texting, emailing and music downloads are popular phone features, a cheap prepaid cell phone offers contract flexibility and money-saving options that are popular with parents and teens.

Before you buy a cheap prepaid cell phone, use these tips to get the best rate plan regardless of the phone carrier and your teen's talking and texting ambitions.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Think about your current lifestyle. Will you use your cell phone for emergencies? Or will the prepaid cell phone be used for text messages only. Thinking about the primary usage of your phone will help you buy the best and cheapest pre-paid cell phone. Some users like the flexibility of the month-to-month prepaid cell phone plans without the fear of cost overruns with minute overages and expensive roaming fees.

2. Choose your cheap prepaid cell phone carrier wisely. Sprint, Tracfone, T-Mobile, Nextel, Virgin Mobile, Sprint and AT&T sell prepaid cell phones but their rates vary. Consider the rate plans offered by the service carrier closely. Some carriers require an extra fee for roaming chargers, while others require a certain block of purchased pre-minutes upon purchase of the prepaid cell phone.

3. Check for the functionality of your cheap prepaid cell phone before you buy. Some cell phones come equipped with music, camera and video capabilities, while other prepaid cell phones lack the functionality of the current iPhone and Blackberry models.

4. Peruse the internet for the cheap prepaid cell phone plans before you buy. Surf the net to examine price plans and phone styles for your budget and lifestyle. Consumer Search and TechBargains both list the best steals and deals for cheap prepaid cell phones. Plan minutes for pre-paid cell phones range from 200 to 1,000 minutes depending upon the cell phone carrier and your prepaid cell phone plan.

Tips & Warnings

• You can select a cheap prepaid cell phone plan with a recurring monthly payment or pre-loaded minutes.
• Some cell phone carriers sell their cheap prepaid cell phones online that feature competitive prices compared to the big box retailers.
• Beware of hidden maintenance fees with your cheap prepaid cell phone.
• Some prepaid cell phone plans do not allow rollover minutes. If you don’t use your cell phone minutes, they expire. And you lose the cell phone minutes and your money.

Resources

• Cheap Prepaid Cell Phone
• Analysis of Cheap Prepaid Cell Phones

[blackcoffee]

on 10/2/2009 Good idea! Once my cellphone contract runs out its cheap prepaid cell phones for me!

[sallyemaycreate]

on 9/24/2009 Great article with helpful tips! I've not had any experience with the pre-paid cell phones... all of this information is good to know. 5*

[arlenice]

on 9/24/2009 what plans have rollover minutes? thanks