Prepaid phones
are suitable for anyone who doesn't spend a lot of time talking on the phone and does not want to be tied to a contract. In addition, there is a greater variety of prepaid phone styles now than in the past. You don't have to sacrifice extra perks, such as Web browsing and a camera. You can purchase a prepaid phone that has all the newest features, only you don't have to tie yourself to a contract.
Types
Many companies offer prepaid phones. Tracfone and Virgin Mobile are two of the more well-known pre-paid phone companies, but there are many others. In addition to companies that specialize in prepaid phones, many companies that offer traditional plans also offer prepaid services. Types of phones include flip phones, slide phones, camera phones and Web-enabled phones. In addition, these phones come in a wide variety of colors and sizes.
Prepaid Plans
Prepaid services are usually "pay as you go," which means you can add minutes of call time at any time. In addition to this standard plan, companies such as T-Mobile offer pay by the day plans. For this plan, you only pay a small fee for days you use the phone. T-Mobile and some other companies also offer monthly plans. For this type of plan, you pay a flat fee a month in advance to continue service, but you are not under any kind of contractual obligation.
Features
Although just a few years ago most prepaid phones had only the basic call and text message features, now many are Internet-ready and have a built in camera and full-color screens. These full-featured prepaid phones are not very expensive. Virgin Mobile's Wildcard phone, for instance, has a full keyboard, camera, Web browser and other features but costs less than $100 and there is no contract.
Benefits
Prepaid phones are very easy to activate and use. You will be given a phone number to call and, after calling this phone number or visiting the company's website to activate the phone, you will soon be able to use the phone as usual. Phones usually come with starter minutes and you can add extra minutes at any time, usually by phone card or credit card. Prepaid phones offer greater payment flexibility because there are no contracts. You don't have to worry about getting behind on a phone bill, which would affect your credit rating, if you find yourself in a financial bind.
Considerations
A prepaid mobile phone is a great gift for an elderly relative on a fixed income. These phones may also be a good purchase for a young teen. The phone will give the teen the ability to contact parents in an emergency, but the set number of call minutes will keep him or her from running up a large phone bill.
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