Prepaid wireless service may be the way to go If you’re looking to take control of your cell phone usage and bill. They are getting very popular especially since they offering a wider selection of phones to their prepaid customers. prepaid wireless plans have become the fastest-growing segment of the wireless market in the US. More companies offer more attractive and competitively priced prepaid cell phone plans.

Possibly the best thing about prepaid cell phone plans is what it doesn't have. There are no contracts to sign, no monthly bills, no long-term commitments, no credit checks, no age limit, and no hidden fees. These features are what make prepaid wireless plans so attractive.

Most prepaid cell phone companies offer users the choice of a monthly plan or a phone card.

• Monthly plans offer a certain amount of minutes per month and work in a manner similar to traditional cell plans.
• Phone cards can be redeemed for a set amount of minutes, which typically expire after a set amount of time.

The important difference is that prepaid monthly plans work on a month-to-month basis and traditional cell phone plans require a two-year contract. With this in mind, it is necessary for a prepaid cell phone comparison on the different networks.

A prepaid cell phone is also a good solution for parents who want to arm their teenagers with cell phones but don’t want to pay the bill that teenagers can rack up. You can set a spending limit each month and once they reach it, the car shuts off and won’t be re-activated until you (or they) purchase more minutes.

Prepaid plans can be MUCH cheaper than traditional contract plans. However, not all plans are created equal. Take the time to research prepaid cell phone plans so that you get the best cell phone plan for your money.

The Best Prepaid Cell Phone Plans

Republic Wireless

Republic Wireless used to be one of the most simple companies on this list, and while things are a bit more complicated now, their plans are all relatively straightforward. They encourage users to use their home or work WiFi whenever possible so they can get cheaper plans.

• $15/mo: Unlimited talk, text
• $20/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and 1GB of data
• $25/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of data

Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile offers two prepaid phone plans. All of the plans come with unlimited talk and text, mobile hotspot, and unlimited music streaming if you use one of their music partners, in addition to optional add-ons like boostTV and International Calling with $5 auto-pay reductions. The only difference is the data plans that come with the options.

• $35/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and 3 GB of data with mobile hotspot.
• $50/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and data with 12 Gigs Mobile Hotspot plus streaming Videos, Gaming & Music.
• $60/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and data with 30 Gigs Mobile Hotspot & HD Streaming.

Tello

Tello Wireless offers fully customizable plans starting at just $5 per month. Plans come with a firm no-fees policy, unlimited calling and texting, 4G LTE data (with free tethering), and no contract. You can update your plan anytime for free, and the change is instant, with any unused balance rolling over the next 30 days.

• $10/mo: 200 minutes, unlimited text, and 500 MB
• $14/mo: unlimited talk, text, and 1 GB
• $24/mo: unlimited talk, text, and 3 GB
• $39/mo: unlimited talk, text, and 10 GB

TPO Mobile

The People's Operator USA (TPO) separates itself from other alternative carriers by donating a portion of your monthly bill to a cause of your choice. TPO uses a combination of Sprint and T-Mobile.

• Gentle Plan: 500 minutes, 500 texts, and 250 MB for $10/month
• Kind Plan: 1000 minutes, unlimited text, and 500 MB for $16/month
• People’s Plan: unlimited talk, text, and 1 GB for $21/month
• Noble Plan: unlimited talk, text, and 2 GB for $25/month
• Caring Plan: unlimited talk, text, and 3 GB for $35/month
• Thoughtful Plan: unlimited talk, text, and 4 GB for $45/month

AT&T GoPhone

AT&T Prepaid is the new name for the GoPhone brand, with the same great AT&T coverage. All three plans offer unlimited talk and text in the U.S. and unlimited texting to over 100 different countries. Signing up for Autopay will save you $5 a month for any of the AT&T Prepaid plans.

• $35/mo ($30 with Autopay): comes with unlimited talk, text, and 1GB of data
• $50/mo ($40 with Autopay): comes with unlimited talk, text, and 8GB of data
• $65/mo ($45 with Autopay): comes with unlimited talk, text, and data

T-Mobile Prepaid

T-Mobile has grown in popularity since it ditched contracts, but the company offers prepaid plans that are quite a steal as well. All plans include unlimited talk and text and unlimited streaming through most services with T-Mobile's Binge On feature. The T-Mobile One prepaid plan works throughout North America, not just the U.S., so if you're traveling to Canada, Mexico or Latin America you won't have any problems.

• $45/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and 4 GB of data
• $50/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and 10 GB of data
• $70/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and data

Ting Mobile

Ting Mobile coming on the prepaid world in 2012, Ting Mobile runs on the Sprint network and just changes you to the voice talk, text message, and web data you use. You may either bring your Sprint cell phone over toting or perhaps order a new one from Ting. Ting offers different prices for different usage amounts and by the end of each month, the carrier charges you only for what you use. All Plans include: International calling and texting to 60+ countries at no extra cost.

• $15/mo: 100 minutes and 1000 texts.
• $24/mo: 100 minutes and 1000 texts and 500 MB of data.
• $30/mo: 500 minutes and 1000 texts and 500 MB of data.
• $36/mo: 500 minutes and 1000 texts 1 GB of data.

Page Plus

Page Plus offers five prepaid plans with different amounts of talk, text, and data starting at $12 a month. The small prepaid cell phone carrier that no one has ever heard about actually has quite a good reputation thanks to its dirt-cheap prices and reliance on Verizon’s relatively large and reliable CDMA network.

• $12/mo: 500 minutes, 500 texts, and 100 MB of data.
• $30/mo: Unlimited talk with $10 international calling credit and unlimited national & international texts and 2 GB of data plus $10 international calling credit.
• $40/mo: Unlimited talk with $10 international calling credit and unlimited national & international texts and 5 GB of data
• $55/mo: Unlimited talk with $10 international calling credit and unlimited national & international texts and unlimited data.

Net10 Wireless

Net10 Wireless is a prepaid cell phone service that runs all four major networks. The carrier has the same set of plans that work on all networks. Net10 offers plans for every need: monthly plans, family options, pay as you go, upgrade phone plans and more, which is a positive thing.

• $35/mo: Unlimited talk and text and 2 GB of data
• $40/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and 4 GB of data
• $50/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and 5 GB of data
• $60/mo: Unlimited talk, text, and 10 GB of data
• $65/mo: Unlimited national and international talk, text, and 8 GB of data

Cricket Wireless

Cricket Wireless is an MVNO that operates on the AT&T network. It’s one of the latest network services on this list. All plans contain unlimited text and talk, as well as unlimited, throttled web data. If you are using the auto-pay credit, all of the charges are reduced by $5 monthly.

• $25/mo Plan: comes with unlimited talk and text
• $30/mo Plan: comes with unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of high-speed data
• $40/mo Plan ($35/mo with autopay): comes with unlimited talk, text and 5GB of high-speed data
• $55/mo Plan ($50/mo with autopay): comes with unlimited talk, text, and data (speeds up to 3Mbps) plus Unlimited texts from the U.S. to 37 countries with unlimited calls, texts to and from Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.
• $60/mo Plan ($55/mo with autopay): comes with unlimited talk, text, and data (fastest 4G LTE speeds) plus Unlimited texts from the U.S. to 37 countries with unlimited calls, texts to and from Mexico, Canada, and the U.S

Considerations While Choosing a Prepaid Phone

When it comes to looking for a prepaid cell phone plan, it’s important to keep the following factors in mind:

Budget: if you’ve chosen a prepaid cell phone it’s probably because you wish you skim the extra from your monthly charge. Before actually surfing the offers available, figure out the quantity you really can afford to invest depending on your general budget.

Plans: on regular, what exactly does the phone usage consist of? Do you spend most of your time sending texts to family and friends? Or do you utilize your cell phone mostly to browse the Internet and check e-mail? Figure out precisely what part of your time you spend texting, data and talking. If you find that you really lean largely in a single area over the other, a pay-as-you-go plan may be your best option.

Coverage: as with any cell phone carrier, coverage is really important. First of all, make sure that the provider coverage is available in your location with high speed. You will find a map describing the coverage places on the carrier’s website.

Phone Selection: not prepaid phone carriers usually operate offers that entitle you to the latest phones at a reduced or small price. By charging high monthly costs and signing up for a set term agreement they’re in a position to recover the cost of the cell phone. Because a lot of prepaid cell phone providers perform without contract terms and to provide a cheaper monthly price, you’ll most likely spend a lot more at first for a phone.

Prepaid cell phone plans don’t require you to sign a contract. There’s no credit check and you don’t need a contract since you pay for your minutes upfront, before you use them. If you use up your minutes before the end of your activation period, then you simply buy more – or not, if you don’t want to. You don’t have to buy more minutes. You can let your prepaid service lapse. You could also switch companies just as easily.

prepaid cell phones give you the flexibility to tailor your cell phone budget to the number of minutes you use. You can increase or decrease the number of minutes you purchase based on how many minutes you actually use.

If you use your cell phone consistently month in and month out, then go with a monthly plan. Even if you only use a few minutes a month, if you are sure you are going to use your cell phone, go with the monthly plan. Monthly plans are offered in varying minute packages so you can tailor your budget to your usage. Also, if you use a LOT of minutes every month, then you’ll want to go with an unlimited monthly plan. the unlimited plans offered by prepaid cell phone companies are significantly cheaper than almost any contract plan.

At the end of the day, it’s eventually your choice which company to sign up with. Make sure to check their network coverage availability along with the aforementioned points.

A recent study shows that prepaid cell phone plans for kids are growing faster in terms of popularity as an effective means of saving money targeting wireless bills. Sources came from the International Data Corporation that of about 4.3 million innovative retail donors at top wireless delivery service in America in the 4th quarter in the year 2009, wherein 65% were prepaid consumers. At some point, huge companies have pricey postpaid plans inclusive of long-term contracts.

The Prepaid phone plans, it does not require contracts, roaming fees, or even credit checks. Depending on how much you have been utilizing your cell phone, the prepaid cell phone plans can be a very great way of putting aside money most especially if you have been using the phones carefully

There are many other prepaid cell phone services to consider. Some are local, while others are nationwide. Take the time to figure out how much you use your phone to determine if it makes sense to switch to a prepaid plan.