Blackberry on Prepaid

Many of the Blackberry on prepaid deals available require that you purchase a new Blackberry from the cell phone service provider. Inasmuch as this may be an expensive option to somebody who already has a suitable phone, the release from a contractual obligation may just make it worth your while. Whilst trying to identify the best Blackberry on prepaid service provider, we analyzed cost, coverage and conditions, and from all the web sites we visited there was one clear winner.

Boost Mobile were one of the first cell phone service providers to offer a service for Blackberry on prepaid and, as with many other prepaid service providers, you have to purchase one of Boost´s own CDMA Series Blackberrys in order to take advantage of the Blackberry on prepaid service.  Only the older Blackberry Curve 8330 is currently available to clients at $179.99*.

Boost Mobile´s Monthy Prepaid Plan

However, in terms of what Boost Mobile offers to Blackberry users wishing to use their Blackberry on prepaid, their offers are superb. The prepaid monthly unlimited plan is truly unlimited and costs just $60.00/month. Furthermore, if you stay with the Boost Mobile Blackberry on prepaid monthly plan (and pay your bills on time!), you can benefit from their “Shrinkage” scheme.

Boost Mobile’s Shrinkage Scheme Explained

Boost Mobile’s Shrinkage Scheme rewards customers who maintain a long term service for their Blackberry on prepaid, by deducting $5.00 from the monthly cost of the plan every six months (to a maximum discount) of $15.00. Therefore, if you were to stay with Boost Mobile´s Blackberry on prepaid monthly plan for eighteen months (and paid your bills on time!), your monthly cost would be reduced to $45.00/month – The best Blackberry on prepaid deal anywhere!

Boost Mobile´s Daily Unlimited Plan

Boost Mobile also offer a daily unlimited prepaid scheme for Blackberry users who use their Smartphones infrequently. For just $3.00/day, you can enjoy unlimited talk, text, data and web, with only international calls being an extra expense. If you are a Blackberry user, who uses their cell phones less than 20 days per month, this represents exceptional value – and is unique to Boost Mobile.

BoostBerry

*For those interested in more up to date Blackberry Smartphones that can be used with Boost Mobile´s Blackberry on prepaid services, you should check out BoostBerry.com. The web site offers Blackberry handsets for purchase which you can use on Boost’s regular $50.00/month unlimited plan – saving you $10.00 per month and giving you more choice of hardware.

Metro PCS provide a credible service for anybody wishing for a more up-to-date Blackberry Smartphone. Furthermore, their standard $60.00/month unlimited prepaid monthly plan is currently reduced by $10.00/month for a period of twelve months if customers purchase one of their Blackberry Curve 8530 cell phones for $199.99.

Metro PCS Monthly Unlimited Plan

Their unlimited service does not have any restrictions in terms of monthly data allowances, and there is even the facility to add unlimited international long distance calls ($10.00/month) and corporate email accounts ($5.00/month) which none of the other Blackberry prepaid service providers seem to offer.

Metro PCS Bundles and Add-Ons

Additional and inexpensive bundles and add-ons are also available and – importantly to busy Blackberry cell phone users – clearly identifiable on the Metro PCS web site. Metro PCS include all taxes and regulatory fees in their prices, so you know exactly how much is going to be deducted from your account each month, and also offer a multi-line unlimited prepaid Blackberry cell phone service, saving $5.00/month on each line added to a family plan.  

Virgin Mobile include an option for the Blackberry on prepaid in their “Beyond Talk” monthly plan. The plan costs $70.00/month and advertises unlimited talk, text, data and web access at any time of the day or night. However, the Blackberry on prepaid service is only available with a Virgin Mobile BlackBerry Smartphone (the Blackberry Curve 8530 is the only option available at $199.99), and the volume of content you can download from the web is limited.

Virgin Mobile Economy Plans

You can take advantage of lower rate plans, such as “Beyond Talk 300 Anytime Minutes”, which will cost just $35.00/month, but sadly Virgin Mobile have missed the opportunity to include a service for Blackberry users on the pay-as-you-go “PayLo” service. Due to the number of people asking for it in the “Ask and Answer” section of their web site, surely it cannot be too long in coming.

Cricket Mobile has a similar “unlimited” prepaid monthly plan to Virgin Mobile – only $10.00/month cheaper. However, before you go rushing over to their web site, it is worth pointing out that their fair usage policy caps the data allowance at 1Gb/month, after which the speed of data transfer you receive will be reduced.

Cricket Mobile for Existing Blackberry Users

Cricket Mobile also only offers the Blackberry Curve 8530 to their clients. Their price is $179.99 once you take advantage of the $50.00 cashback offer which you have to mail in for. However, there is no indication on the Cricket Mobile web site that you actually have to buy their phone to use their service, plus they do not charge an activation fee and include free overnight shipping in the price of the Blackberry phone.

Verizon Wireless does not have a dedicated Blackberry on prepaid plan, but allow Blackberry users to latch on to their prepaid “Talk” or “Talk and Text” plans for an additional $30.00/month. With monthly prepaid talk plans starting at $44.99/month (450 anytime minutes), this means that Blackberry users will be paying a minimum $74.99/month to use their cell phones through the Verizon Wireless service – an amount which leaps to $129.99/month if you require unlimited talk, text, data and web access.

Manipulating the Verizon Wireless System

There is possibly a way in which Blackberry users could manipulate the Verizon Wireless system by ordering a full months service for just one month, maintaining $30.00/month payments thereafter on the data package only, and purchasing a $100.00 refill card which does not expire for a year. However, with all the additional charges Verizon Wireless adds on for roaming, 411 Directory Assistance and practically anything useful you want to do with your Blackberry cell phone, you are much better off sticking with one of the other prepaid cell phone providers listed above.

Conclusion

Watch out for further carriers being added to the list of those who supply a Blackberry on prepaid service – T-Mobile have already announced that they will be launching an all-inclusive unlimited prepaid monthly plan ($80.00/month) to compliment their Blackberry Curve 8520 Smartphone and no doubt many other operators will review the recent growth in prepaid cell phone telephony and realize that there is a market for a genuine prepaid pay-as-you-go Blackberry service. Until then, it looks as if we will all be using the services of Boost Mobile.

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The Best Prepaid Cell Phone Service Providers

for Keeping in Touch/Infrequent Use

Many prepaid cell phone users do not use their cell phones very much at all. Even though they have the hardware which may enable them to tell the time in any major city of the world, using their prepaid cell phone to actually communicate with anybody is virtually classified as a unique experience. For those people, and for subscribers who keep a prepaid cell phone only for emergency use, AT&T is one of the best prepaid cell phone providers for your needs.

AT&T GoPhone – AT&T GoPhone requires no activation fee or that you keep a minimum balance in your account to maintain an incoming service. Charges for making calls are $0.25/minute – irrespective of where you are calling in the States – and to send or receive text messages costs just $0.20. If you have reason to temporarily increase your volume of use, AT&T GoPhone offers a $3.00/day unlimited call option, where allows you to make as many calls as you wish to cell phones and landlines throughout the US.

Best Value AT&T Recharge

The minimum amount you can recharge your AT&T prepaid cell phone is $15.00 but, as credits of this value have a 30 day expiry period, we believe it is better for infrequent users to recharge their prepaid cell phones with values of $25.00. Recharges of this value (and above) have an expiry period of 90 days and benefit from a “rollover” scheme, where unused credits are carried forward when subscribers refill their accounts before the end of the expiry period.

The Best Prepaid Cell Phone Service Providers

for Like to Chat/Casual Use

Despite the growth in popularity of online social networking sites, sometimes there is no replacement for picking up the phone and having a chat with somebody. It is often more effective to speak with family members, friends, work colleagues or clients than send an email or leave a message on their wall, and for cell phone users who like to chat at any time of the day, Net10 is probably the most suitable of the many prepaid cell phone providers that offer a budget service.

NET10 Airtime on Demand – Net10´s “Airtime on Demand” is one of the most economic and versatile prepaid cell phone schemes available to the casual user. Their “10 cents, nationwide, anytime day or night” marketing strategy is a simple and effective concept that has won them many casual subscribers who do not want to wait until 9.00pm to talk on their cell phone. To receive or send texts only costs $0.05/message and Net10 offers excellent rates for web browsing on compatible cell phones, overseas calls, a monthly “Easy Minutes” plan and an unlimited use option.

Optimum Net10 Prepaid Package

Recharge cards are available in a variety of denominations from a large number of retail outlets or online – with the optimum package for a casual user being a $30.00 card which has an expiry period of 60 days. All values allow unused credits to be carried forward to the following period if a further recharge is made within the specified period, and those who like to chat a lot will be interested in the discounted recharges available exclusively online which offer 900 minutes of call time for just $60.00.

The Best Prepaid Cell Phone Service Providers

for Friends and Family/On the Phone all the Time

Many people have a close circle of friends or like to keep in touch with other members of their family on a frequent basis. For four or five individuals to collectively maintain unlimited prepaid cell phone plans can be expensive – particularly if three of them are your kids and you pay all the bills! Simultaneously registering groups of phones can be an extremely economic way of maintaining regular contact between your loved ones, and this is why we like Cricket PAYGO´s Family Plans.

Cricket PAYGo – Cricket PAYGo has an exceedingly generous number of flexible prepaid cell phone options including daily unlimited calls from just $1.00/day. However, friends and family members who sign up for a Cricket PAYGo Family Plan at the same time can have the additional benefits of unlimited text messages, free voicemail, caller ID and 3-way calling for just $33.00/month each. Additional features include free 411 directory assistance, free mobile web and free unlimited international texting. This is also an ideal service for small businesses or those with a limited number of employees out on the road all day.

Best for the Larger User

In terms of cost alone, this Family Plan makes Cricket PAYGo the best prepaid cell phone provider for the larger user, and although there should be a minimum of three subscribers to take advantage of this offer, even if there were just two of you, it could prove more economic to purchase a third cell phone than use the unlimited options available through some other prepaid cell phone providers.  The Cricket PAYGo Family Plan can be activated online or through any of their authorized dealers.

Conclusion

Technological gurus and cell phone subscribers who use Smartphones may wish to review our articles on prepaid broadband options, and prepaid services for the Blackberry, iPhone and Android cell phones, where we reveal the best prepaid cell phone providers for your requirements. For those who use a prepaid cell phone for less advanced use, we believe that the AT&T GoPhone, Net10 “Airtime on Demand” and Cricket PAYGo services represent the best of the best prepaid cell phone providers.

Prepaid Broadband Options

As well as stand alone prepaid broadband options, most prepaid cell phone service providers offer combined talk, text and data packages as well. As it may well be more economic for people who infrequently use their web browsers to take advantage of a package, we have included details of some of the best value deals around from a selection of prepaid cell phone service providers.

Pay-as-you-go - T-Mobile do not offer a pay-as-you-go package which includes broadband access, but what they can provide prepaid cell phone users with is an add-on Web DayPass for $1.49/day which provides unlimited 24-hour mobile web access for pay-as-you-go clients. They also include a data allowances in selected monthly plans.

Monthly Plans - Inasmuch as the $30.00/month prepaid talk and text package provides a sufficient data allowance to watch a YouTube video for 24 minutes once a month, their more reasonable $70.00/month prepaid unlimited talk and text package includes 2Gb of data – equivalent to 180 hours of using you cell phone to write to your buddies on Facebook (although it would be even cheaper if you called them!).

Prepaid Broadband Options – For those wondering about prepaid broadband options only, there is a choice of three mobile broadband “passes” available. A $10.00 pass allows you 100Mb of data and is valid for just 7 days, a $30.00 pass provides 300Mb of data and 30 days in which to use it, and a $50.00 pass allows for 1Gb of uploading or downloading data – also within a 30 day period.

Summary – Unless you just have to turn on your Smartphone or notebook every day of the week, it seems to make a lot of sense to just use the basic prepaid pay-as-you-go service from T-Mobile and take advantage of their Web DayPass. Even if you got on the web, or checked your emails, 20 days each month, the total cost would be less than $30.00. Or are we missing something? BEST FOR regular (but not constant) web use.

Pay-as-you-go – Metro PCS has always been one of the most innovative and technologically advance providers of prepaid cell phones services, and it is no surprise to discover that they offer a pay-as-you-go scheme which includes data access for 3/4G cell phones and notebooks. A choice of two PAYG cards is available:-

• $20.00 – Gives 500 minutes of talk time plus unlimited text messaging. Allows up to 50Mb of data transfer, deducted from your outstanding card balance at a rate of $0.04/100Kb.
• $30.00 – Gives 1.000 minutes of talk time plus unlimited text messaging. Allows up to 100Mb of data transfer, deducted from your outstanding card balance at a rate of $0.03/100Kb.

The “By the Minute” recharge cards are only available from PCS Stores and Walmarts, or can be purchased online.

Monthly Plans – Metro PCS offer several unlimited monthly plans which represent excellent value when compared to other carriers. For $50.00/month, prepaid cell phone users can have unlimited everything (including web access) provided that your cell phone is compatible with their service and you live within their coverage area.  The same service is also available for a $10.00/month premium (why?) to Blackberry and 4G phone users, with a cheaper version of the package available to 4G users prepared to forgo the pleasures of 4G Video on Demand.

Summary – Despite not offering dedicated prepaid broadband options per se, the “By the Minute” scheme does allow advanced Smartphone users to nip into their local Wal-Mart’s any time they want to browse the web and get the Internet on demand. It sort of sums up what pay-as-you-go is all about. The monthly plans are such good value that if you do not currently live in an area covered by PCS Metro, you should consider moving! BEST FOR unlimited data access

Pay-as-you-go – The AT&T pay-as-you-go “PAYGO” scheme allows prepaid cell phone users to access the web and send/receive emails on compatible phones at a rate of $0.01/Kb. You are able to add data packages on the most basic rate plan, with a 1Mb package costing $4.99 and 100Mb package costing $19.99. Both packages are available from all AT&T retail outlets or can be purchased online whenever you need them.

Monthly Plans – Only the most expensive prepaid “unlimited” monthly plan includes any allowance for data, with a rather stingy 200Mb data package included in the unlimited monthly talk and text plan. Other monthly pre-paid cell phone plans are available, with data transfer charged at a rate of $0.01/Kb or the same data packages available as with the pay-as-you-go scheme.

Prepaid Broadband Options – AT&T come in for a lot of flak in some circles about their unscrupulous profiteering with their Apple iPhone services, but they do at least offer a dedicated prepaid broadband option to notebook and notepad users. A choice of three “Dataconnect” plans are available to enable you to “surf the web on your terms”.

• Daily “Dataconnect” passes are available for $15.00 and offer a data package of 100Mb
• Weekly “Dataconnect” passes cost $30.00 and come with a data package of 300Mb
• Monthly “Dataconnect” passes cost $50.00 and provide a data package of 1Gb

If you exhaust the data allowance on your card, you simply buy a recharge card from any authorized AT&T retailer or go online and recharge from their site. AT&T also include on their site a very handy data calculator, which works out your monthly usage based on the appliance you use and what you do when you access the web. You might be surprised just where that money goes!

Summary – AT&T are hardly going to shed their reputation for being an expensive service, but they do cater for laptop, notebook and notepad users who already have a cell phone and just want a service for their other portable device. In their defense, they do offer a lot of free access to the Internet at their thousands of AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots throughout America, so you might find that you actually use less data transfer than you would with other prepaid broadband providers. BEST FOR people who live near a Starbucks or McDonalds (that´s where many of the Wi-Fi hotspots are!).

Conclusion

Everybody uses their Smartphones, laptops and notepads in different ways, and we have tried to provide details of prepaid broadband options to suit a range of usages. One of the operators above should be the most suitable depending on your requirements for prepaid broadband options, and even if it means that you now have to buy a cell phone to get a cheaper broadband service on your notepad, we hope we have given you some alternatives to consider. Reviews of all the top prepaid cell phone providers are available from our home page, and if you have any comments that you would like to add, please feel free to get involved below.

How prepaid cellular is different from regular

“Regular” cell phone services for most Americans are provided by a number of cell phone service providers on a contractual basis. These contracts typically lock the subscriber into a contract which lasts for a period of two years and clients are billed monthly following that month’s service. Cell phone service providers are very happy with this arrangement, as it practically guarantees their income for the next two years, and in return they offer discounted or “free” cell phones to clients prepared to commit to their services.

Inasmuch as a “free” cell phone might be an attractive proposition to many, you will pay for it during the course of your contract and, before you leap in to that special offer that you have seen in a magazine or on the Internet, you really need to know the number of significant ways in which prepaid cellular is different from regular contract cell phone services.

Credit Checks

The first major difference between the services provided by a regular cell phone provider and those available on a prepaid cellular service happens before you even get a phone. Contract cell phone service providers will insist that you undergo a credit check before allowing you to subscribe to their service – whereas subscribing to a prepaid cell phone service requires no such delving into your financial background.

Although this may not present too much of a problem to most Americans, if you have experienced a glitch or two on your credit history, or you are a young cell phone user who has not yet established a credit record at all, you may be required to pay a substantial deposit before being allowed to subscribe to a contracted cell phone service – or be declined altogether.

Minimal Usage

We mentioned above about regular cell phone providers offering discounted or “free” cell phones when you commit to a lengthy contract. Imagine how expensive this cell phone becomes when you have locked yourself into a contract @ $60.00/month (or more!) and only use your cell phone for the occasional call. Over the course of a two year contract, you would be paying $1.440.00 for the opportunity to make a couple of hundred dollars worth of phone calls – it had better be a pretty good phone!

Using a prepaid cell phone service allows you to credit your account with just the amount you believe you need to get the service you want. Irrespective of whether you are an infrequent cell phone user or somebody who likes to chat, there will be prepaid cell phone scheme which is suitable for your needs and flexible if your needs change. Have you ever heard of a “regular” contracted cell phone company allowing a subscriber to reduce their monthly commitment?

Overage Charges

Of course, you can subscribe to contract plans and packages that cost less than $60.00/month, and these will allow you a limited amount of talk time – possibly quite suitable for your needs. However, you will be independently billed for any text messages you send or receive, and goodness help you if you ever go beyond your monthly allowance of minutes. “Overage charges” are extortionate fees for using more than your permitted limit of talk time each month, and outrageously priced to encourage you to commit to a more comprehensive (and expensive) plan.

For example, T-Mobile offer a contractual plan for $49.99/month which allows you 1000 minutes of “anytime” talk time each month, plus free calls to other T-Mobile cell phone users and free calls after 9.00pm and at weekends. It sounds a fantastic deal, but for each minute you talk beyond your allotted 1000, you are charged at $0.45/minute. Compare this to the cost of T-Mobile´s prepaid cell phone $50.00 recharge card, which gives you 400 “anytime” minutes for the duration of your credit – at a cost of $0.08/minute!

Replacement Phones

One other major factor in how prepaid cellular is different from regular cell phone is when it comes to wanting to change your cell phone. This may happen because your existing cell phone is broken, or out of date, or you just fancy a change. With contractual cell phone plans, you will have to purchase a cell phone which is compatible with the service that you are paying for and, if you have taken advantage of a “special” offer when first committing yourself to a long term contract, this may mean a very expensive replacement is required.

Let´s pick on AT&T for a change. One of their best package deals at the moment includes a “free” Samsung Strive valued at $169.99. This means that if your Samsung Strive packs up after a year (usually the day after the warranty expires), you are going to have to spend a further $169.99 to be able to use the service to which you are committed for a further twelve months (or $70.00 if you shop on Craigslist). The alternative is to pay up to $200.00 in early termination fees if you want to end your contract before its two year period is up.

Compare this to the flexibility you have with a prepaid cell phone service. If you want to change your cell phone or purchase a replacement, you can change cell phone service providers as soon as the current month is up or your credit has expired. No early termination fees and many of the cell phones available on pay-as-you-go schemes are generally cheaper.

Conclusion

Regular contract cell phone services will continue to exist because of the convenience they provide to qualified people prepared to pay the price and forgo the flexibility offered by prepaid cell phones. If we have convinced you that a prepaid cell phone service is the best option for your way of life, and you would like to find out more about the options available to you, please take a look at our prepaid cell phone service provider reviews, and feel free to add your own comments if you have had any experience of those in our list.

Choosing the Right Provider for …

… Coverage

The first question you need to ask yourself when choosing the right service provider for y0ur cell phone is “Do I need nationwide coverage?” If the answer is yes, you are better narrowing your quest for the best prepaid cell phone providers to those who provide a service through the Verizon or Sprint Nextel Networks.

If not, it may be advantageous to limit your choice of prepaid cell phone providers to specifically covering your region – particularly if they offer special “walkie-talkie” type deals which allow discounted talk between subscribers (Think Boost Mobile – which although nationwide, offer an unlimited “walkie-talkie” feature to other Boost Mobile and Nextel subscribers for just $1.00/day). The best thing to do is speak to friends who live in your area and ask which provider they find best for their needs.

… Time of Day

When do want to talk the most? For many people, their work lives take up the bulk of their day, and they are unlikely to speak on their cell phones until they return home or are out for the evening. If you fall into this category, look for prepaid cell phone providers who offer free evening and weekend calls in their packages, and then look for the best deals amongst them.

For example, if you are a client of STi Mobile you get free unlimited calls from 7.00pm Monday to Friday and all weekend for just $29.99/month and many of the cell phones supplied by STi Mobile come with $20.00 of airtime included.

… Economy

If none of your friends want to speak to you at the weekend, or you have a lifestyle that decrees you need to use your cell phone at many different times of the day, which cell phone service provider will provide you with the most economic service for your needs?

Many of the unlimited prepaid cell phone plans will be suitably flexible for your requirements, but if you are an occasional cell phone user, paying $50.00/month for the privilege of having a flexible service may be a little more than you wish to spend. For anybody who uses their prepaid cell phone to talk on for less than an hour a month, we would recommend AT&T´s GoPhone service.

… Flexibility

Nearly all prepaid cell phone providers offer a service without contracts or any commitment to remain with the same plan for longer than the expiry period of your last cell phone recharge. But within that, it can be very useful to subscribe to a cell phone service which offers the most flexible packages of daily add-on bundles for days when you might be anticipating using your cell phone on a more frequent basis.

Cell phone providers such as Verizon Wireless provide a number of flexible choices, whether you are looking for unlimited mobile-to-mobile communication or reduced priced text messaging. Verizon Wireless are also a very good cell phone provider to subscribe to if you have family or friends in Canada, Mexico or Puerto Rico, as their international call charges are heavily subsidized or even free.

… Kids & Cell Phones

Many parents like to allow their children a mobile phone as a security measure, or even just so that they can call and let you know that they are running late. One important aspect of choosing a cell phone provider for your children is that you want to retain an element of control over their cell phone usage while still allowing them an element of independence.

Cell phone provider -  Kajeet - offers the facility within their prepaid cell phone service for parents to lock the cell phone at certain times of the day and, for an additional premium, monitor its whereabouts using GPS tracking – an excellent way of keeping your kids safe from harm and teaching them responsibility at the same time.

… Data Services & Broadband

If you have a Blackberry or Android cell phone, you will be looking for a prepaid cell phone service provider that offers advanced features which are compatible with your advanced cell phone. Boost Mobile offers possibly the best prepaid cell-phone service for the Blackberry Curve 8330 and also now offer prepaid packages for the Motorola iL Android Smartphone.

Metro PCS have for many years offered one of the most technologically advanced prepaid cell phone services, and they too offer prepaid monthly plans for the Blackberry and fourth generation Samsung Craft. Officially, there is no prepaid service available for iPhones, however if you would like to read our guide to getting an iPhone on a prepaid service, you had better >> click here <<.

Conclusion

Choosing the right provider for your prepaid cell phone can be a bit of a nightmare. How do you select the right one without going through the terms and conditions of the hundreds of prepaid cell phone providers out there? How do you prioritize what is most important to you in terms of service, price, flexibility and features? What if your lifestyle changes and you increase or decrease the amount of use you make of your cell phone?

Hopefully, these categories will have given you some ideas about what to look for when choosing the right provider for your prepaid cell phone, and if you have any comments that you would like to add, please feel free to let us know.

Android on Prepaid

Virgin Mobile recently launched the Samsung Intercept Android Smartphone for $249.00 and extended their “Beyond Talk” service to allow clients to take advantage of an excellent Android on prepaid monthly plan. There are three levels of no-contract prepaid monthly plan you can take advantage of:-

Virgin Mobile “Beyond Talk” Monthly Plans

$25.00/month gets you 300 “anytime” minutes (additional minutes only charged at $0.10/minute), unlimited text, data, email and web access, but no free call time (i.e. evenings and weekends).

$40.00/month allows you to increase your “anytime” minutes to 1200. This plan is worth upgrading to if you are talking on the phone for more than 450 minutes/month.

$60.00/month allows you total unlimited talk, text, data, email and web access, and we could not find a data allowance limit in the Virgin Mobile “Beyond Talk” terms and conditions.

Virgin Mobile Exceptional Offer

Provided you are the type of frugal person who limits their Smartphone usage to less than 6 hours of chat each month, the $25.00/month plan is absolutely amazing. As you will see amongst the comparisons below, this is a rather exceptional offer provided you live in an area which receives Virgin Mobile coverage and call afford to shell out $249.00 to purchase a Samsung Intercept.

T-Mobile claim to have America´s largest 4G network, but they have been a little tardy in introducing a service for customers who wish to use their Androids on prepaid. The one phone which can currently be used with their Android on prepaid service is the T-Mobile Comet (currently available from the T-Mobile web site at $199.99) and they are yet to offer a fully “unlimited” plan with which to operate it.

T-Mobile Pay-As-You-Go

In theory, it should be possible take advantage of T-Mobile´s pay-as-you-go talk service (starting from $10.00 for 30 minutes) and purchase an unlimited Web DayPass for $1.49/day for each time that you wanted to use it. However, this might not be the most economic way to use their Android on prepaid service depending on the usage you make of your phone.

T-Mobile Prepaid Monthly Plans

Three prepaid monthly plans currently exist if you want to use your Android on prepaid:-

$30.00/month entitles you to 1500 “Talk & Text” minutes and 30Mb of data transfer (not a lot of data transfer, but you can always top-up with the Web Daypass – see above)

$50.00/month allows you unlimited “Talk & Text”, with 100Mb of data.

$70.00/month offers you unlimited “Talk & Text”, with 2Gb of data.

Boost Mobile offer a Motorola iL Android Smartphone to run on the IDEN network (not CDMA, so you need to be sure you can get coverage in your area). The price is not advertised on the web site as it is only available from Boost Mobile stores. However, it has also been available through the Best Buy web site since June (2010), with the price having risen from $349.99 to $399.99 in the past six months.

Boost Mobile Pay-As-You-Go

Once you have drawn breathe from the shocking price of obtaining your hardware, you will be delighted to discover that Boost Mobile offers one of the most versatile Android on prepaid service available. Their pay-as-you-go scheme is exactly “what it says on the packet”, with calls charged at $0.10/minute, texts (whether sent or received) charged at $0.10/text and web access available for $0.35/day. There is also a “Daily Unlimited” plan, which allows their clients full unlimited talk, text and web for just $2.00/day.

Boost Mobile Prepaid Monthly Plans

If you would prefer the security of a monthly package, you would like Boost Mobile´s prepaid “Monthly Unlimited” plan for $50.00/month, which not only includes unlimited talk, text, image messaging, email, web browsing, 411 Directory Assistance and Walkie-Talkie facility, but also benefits from their “Shrinkage” scheme. This scheme offers a $5.00/month discount for each period of 6 months in which you keep the Boost Mobile Android on prepaid plan (and pay on time!). After 18 months, your prepaid monthly unlimited use plan could be costing you as little as $35.00/month!

Boost Mobile have an exceptionally versatile Android on prepaid service, and their monthly unlimited plan represents excellent value for people who use their Android Smartphones excessively. But with the initial cost of the Boost Mobile Motorola iL Smartphone and queries over the coverage you may receive, you still may have to look elsewhere.

Verizon Wireless offer a choice of Android Smartphones compatible with the Verizon Wireless Android on prepaid service that will delight anybody not content with having an a option of one phone from which to choose. A selection of thirteen Android Smartphones is available – but they are not cheap! Starting with the LG Vortex at $309.99, the range rises through many of the latest hi-tech gadgets until you get to the Motorola Droid R2D2 at a lip-biting $599.99.

Verizon Wireless Data Plans

A Master´s Degree might be required if you want to find out how much your Android on prepaid service will cost with Verizon Wireless as there are so many different options. You can pay-as-you-go, but each Mb of data that you use is going to cost you $1.99 – which is particularly expensive when you discover that you can purchase a 2Gb monthly allowance for just $20.00, or an unlimited use plan for $30.00 if you take out a monthly prepaid plan.

Verizon Wireless Pay-As-You-Go

Once your data is sorted, you can then choose from basic PAYG ($0.25/minute talk time plus $0.20/text), three different daily access plans (starting from $0.99/day) which allow you unlimited mobile to mobile calls with other Verizon Wireless customers, unlimited night and weekends minutes and reduced price texts, or one of Verizon Wireless ludicrously expensive prepaid monthly plans.

Verizon Wireless Prepaid Monthly Plans

If you want to waste valuable minutes of your life, you are welcome to go visit Verizon Wireless´s web site to study each of the available prepaid monthly plans. For those with better things to do, the cheapest “talk only” plan (which includes 450 anytime minutes) costs $44.99/month ($74.99/month with a data package) and full unlimited “talk and text” prepaid monthly plan  will set you back $94.99/month or $124.99/month if you want to include a data package.  You still have to pay $1.99 plus airtime for any 411 Directory Assistance call made and may incur an activation fee of up to $35.00. At these prices, they should give you the phone for free!

Cricket Mobile are not one of the cheapest Android on prepaid cell phone service providers,although  nowhere amongst their terms and conditions does it say that you have to purchase an Android phone from them to take advantage of their Android on prepaid service.

Cricket Mobile “Android Plan”

Their not very imaginatively named “Android Plan” costs $55.00/month and includes unlimited calls, texts and up to 1Gb of data transfer (after which time a slower service is provided). However, when you read the small print, you will find that plenty of things are not included in the price – 411 Directory Assistance, roaming charges and sales tax amongst them – and despite Cricket´s claim of “no catch”, you might discover that their service works out quite expensive.

Conclusion

Even with the cost of purchasing a compatible prepaid Android Smartphone from Virgin Mobile, the prices of their 300 minutes Beyond Talk service will mean that the cost of the Samsung Intercept has been covered within a year. Looking at what the competition has to offer – we don´t believe that sort of value can be beaten. Of course, if you know better, we would love to hear from you.

iPhone on Prepaid

At the time of writing (November 2010), the only official way in which you can use an Apple iPhone in the United States is through a minimum two year contract with AT&T. There are plans for Verizon Wireless to release a contractual service in the New Year but, despite corporate denials to the contrary, the two companies will effectively have a iPhone users held to ransom for at least another two years while they continue to make substantial profits from their iPhone services.

New iOS 4.2.1 and Baseband Traps

Because of the excessive costs involved in having an Apple iPhone, many users have resorted to jailbreaking or unlocking their iPhones so that they can be used with services provided by other cell phone service providers, including prepaid services. Apple responded to this by releasing iOS 4.2.1 on 22^nd November 2010 which contained “baseband traps” – meaning that tampering (attempting to jailbreak or unlock) with the operating system would reduce the capabilities of the iPhone to only the basic functions available in “recovery mode”.

Jailbreaking & Unlocking iOS 4.2.1

iPhones purchased prior to this date, and those available from sellers on the Internet, can still be jailbroken or unlocked with programs such as Ultrasn0w, although these procedures are an infringement of Apple´s copyright, may make your iPhone prone to viruses and will void Apple´s warranty on your iPhone. Newer models (post 11.22.2010) on selected basebands can now be unlocked, but the current unlock methods are quite complicated and it may be a month or two until unlock codes for all basebands are available and the process is more streamlined.

That should not put you off taking the first steps now to get your iPhone on prepaid.

How to get your iPhone on Prepaid

Step 1 – Get a “Cheap” iPhone

If you do not already have an iPhone, you could be looking at spending over $1000.00 for the latest models on eBay – Ouch! Your best option is to take out a two year contract with AT&T on the Apple iPhone of your choice and cancel your contract after a month. Although you will have to pay an early termination fee of $315.00, this means that you can have a refurbished iPhone 3GS (8Mb) for just $334.00, or a superb brand new Apple iPhone G4 32Gb for $614.00!

Step 2- Unlock your Apple iPhone

As mentioned above, not all the unlock codes are available for the Apple iPhones on iOS 4.2.1 right now (November 2010), but by the time your month´s initial contract has run, the process for unlocking your iPhone should be much easier. If you have doubts about whether your iPhone can be unlocked yet or how you should do it without getting into “recovery mode”, use a search engine to get the latest information or ask an expert. If you get it wrong, don´t panic, you can just restore your iPhone from iTunes.

Step 3 – Make a MicroSIM

Regular SIM cards for prepaid services are larger than the MicroSIMs used on the iPhone, and you will need to cut one down to size to enable it to fit correctly. SIM cards are usually available free of charge from your local cell phone store, or you can pick up one for the provider of your choice from the Internet for a few dollars.

The most important thing to get right when making a MicroSIM, is to have the three contacts on the SIM card in the same position as the MicroSIM. You can double check this by matching the two center lines on each of the cards. Use a sharp, strong heavy knife to score corresponding straight lines on your SIM card, and then cut to shape with scissors. You may just need to file the corners of your “new” MicroSIM to get it to sit perfectly in the iPhone MicroSIM holder.

Choosing an iPhone on Prepaid Service Provider

When you are choosing a prepaid service provider for your Apple iPhone, you have to ensure that they operate on the GSM network to be fully compatible. The five main operators in America operating on this network are:-

The AT&T GoPhone pay-as-you-go scheme is best for infrequent users, with a huge network of retail outlets for easy credit recharge and a “rollover” scheme for any unused minutes when you refill your credit before the previous minutes have expired. Using their web packages for surfing the web can be expensive, and AT&T has no fully comprehensive monthly prepaid plan to offer customers.

Net10 offers customers very flexible options with their “Airtime on Demand” program and “Easy Minutes” prepaid monthly plans. Minutes spent surfing the web are charged at the same rate as you would spend chatting on the phone, so it is very easy to work out how much credit you have used, and which refill or monthly plan would be best for you. The lack of a truly “unlimited” monthly prepaid plan may make Net10´s iPhone on prepaid services expensive for very heavy users.

Straight Talk is Tracphone´s budget service which is exclusively available through Wal-Mart stores. It offers customers a choice of two prepaid plans:-

• The “All You Need” $30/month plan has 1000 minutes of talk time, 1000 text or multimedia messages, 30Mb of data transfer and 411 Directory Assistance at no extra charge.
• The “Straight Talk Unlimited” plans are available with unlimited talk, text and data from $45.00/month, however if you purchase more months at a time, you can make larger savings.

T-Mobile offer a good pay-as-you-go service for infrequent users and a selection of monthly prepaid plans depending on your personal usage. Although not offering a fully comprehensive “unlimited” plan, customers can purchase a Web DayPass for $1.49 to add to, or top up and existing monthly prepaid plan. The most suitable iPhone on prepaid plan from T-Mobile would cost $70.00/month and include unlimited talk and text with 2Gb of data included.

Verizon Wireless are great if everybody you know is also on the Verizon Wireless service, as you get free calls to other Verizon mobile customers and free calls after 9.00pm during the week and at weekends. For iPhone on prepaid customers, if you wanted to use your iPhone for web browsing you would have to purchase a separate data allowance ($20.00/month for 2Gb) on top of a monthly talk/text package which could be as much as $94.99/month if you wanted a completely unlimited service. Do you think Verizon Wireless might be ripping customers off even before they launch their own iPhone contract service?

Summary

All the time that Apple and AT&T want to profiteer from their exclusive arrangement with the iPhone, there will be ways of customers getting a genuine service from other Smartphone service providers (except Verizon Wireless). By unlocking your Apple iPhone and using one of the alternative prepaid iPhone service providers, you could be saving over $1.000/year compared to the price of having an Apple iPhone on contract with AT&T.

]]> http://prepaidcellphones.net/iphone-on-prepaid/feed/ 0 http://prepaidcellphones.net/virgin-mobile/ http://prepaidcellphones.net/virgin-mobile/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:00:58 +0000 andy http://prepaidcellphones.net/?p=472

Virgin Mobile USA was originally introduced to the United States in 2002 and was the first wireless cellphone provider to offer a totally prepaid service to subscribers. Acquired by Sprint Nextel in 2009, the company continues to operate from its headquarters in New Jersey, offering a comprehensive selection of nationwide pay-as-you-go and monthly plans. Catering for the subscriber with the minimum need for a cellphone, right up to providing an unlimited service for the latest Blackberry Smartphones, Virgin Mobile seems to have a prepaid cellphone plan for everybody.

Pros of Virgin Mobile

· 90 days to refill accounts.

· Text messaging from $0.01 per item.

· Effective pay-as-you-go calling rates as low as $0.05/minute.

Cons of Virgin Mobile

· Expensive “occasional” web browsing.

· Customer Service is frequently subcontracted overseas.

· No free/discounted night and weekend minutes in most plans.

Virgin Mobile Pay-as-you-go

Virgins Mobile´s basic pay-as-you-go plan is unique inasmuch as it only requires subscribers to make a minimum refill of $15.00 every three months to keep the account active. Furthermore, there is no activation fee and new subscribers are often given free minutes with the purchase of their Virgin Mobile cellphone to “get them started”. Subscribers who want to bring an existing cellphone number with them to the Virgin Mobile service can do so without any charge.

The “basic” rate at which subscribers may make and receive calls is $0.20/minute however there are a number of minute bundles available through Virgin Mobile which considerably reduces this cost. Subscribers can purchase bundles of 200 minutes ($20.00), 400 minutes ($30.00) or 1000 minutes ($50.00 – equivalent to $0.05/minute) which can be used at anytime and have a lifetime of 30 days. Unused minutes can be rolled over into the following month when a further minute bundle is purchased prior to expiry.

Domestic text messaging under the Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go option costs $0.15/item (International $0.20 to send / $0.10 to receive) and picture and media messages can be sent or received at $0.25/item (no international service available). Text messaging bundles are also available for domestic use, starting at $2.00 for 30 messages, $5.00 for 200 messages and $10.00 for 1000 messages, with an unlimited option available to subscribers for $20.00. These bundles expire after 30 days and any unused text balances do not roll over into future periods.

Access to mobile internet is included in many of the Virgin Mobile prepaid plans, but for pay-as-you-go-subscribers who may infrequently choose to use the service there is a charge of $1.50/Mb unless a data pack is purchased which allows subscribers to surf the net for rates as low as $0.40/Mb. Virgin Mobile operates an enhanced 411 Directory Assistance program. Each enquiry costs $1.75 plus airtime, but includes free call completion, movie listings, restaurant reservations, sports scores, horoscopes and weather forecasts. Subscribers also receive a text message with the 411 listing free of charge.

Virgin Mobile “Beyond Talk” Plans

Virgin Mobile has a series of monthly prepaid plans to suit the needs of their subscribers – all of which include unlimited messaging, email access, data messaging and mobile web. The only difference between the plans is the number of talk time minutes included and their respective prices. For just $25.00/month, subscribers get the full beyond package plus 300 minutes of airtime. Subscribers requiring a greater amount of airtime can pay $40.00 to receive 1200 minutes, or $60.00 for a fully comprehensive unlimited package. There is also a $70.00 option for Blackberry users which includes all the unlimited facilities plus Blackberry Messenger and Blackberry App World.

Virgin Mobile also offer direct dialling overseas calls to their subscribers. Calls to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are considered as domestic and have no international premium attached to them. Overseas rates for other international destinations start from just $0.02/minute plus the airtime used for the call. International texting is only available to selected destinations.

Virgin Mobile has an extensive web site with many Q&A´s set by subscribers themselves. There is an in-depth knowledge base and customer support is available via the web, from subscribers´ cellphones or via a toll-free number 24/7. There is also a 24/7 number for support to Spanish speaking subscribers. All Virgin Mobile subscribers can refill their cellphones, purchase additional bundles and manage their accounts from their cellphone, via the Internet, by phone or through a substantial network of authorized retailers.

Prepaid Cell Phones.net Rating. In compiling this review, it was difficult to find many holes in the Virgin Mobile prepaid cellphone service. Apparently there have been a few Customer Service issues, and the range of prepaid cellphones sold by Virgin Mobile may be limited for some subscribers. However, the versatility, economy and convenience of the Virgin Mobile make it one of the leading brands available amongst prepaid cellphone companies in the U.S.

]]> http://prepaidcellphones.net/virgin-mobile/feed/ 1 http://prepaidcellphones.net/xtreme-mobile/ http://prepaidcellphones.net/xtreme-mobile/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:00:33 +0000 andy http://prepaidcellphones.net/?p=489

Xtreme Mobile was founded in New York in 2004 by like-minded executives of existing wireless cellphone service providers, drawn together with the common aim of providing an uncomplicated pay-as-you-go option that still featured the facilities offered by the larger cellphone providers. Being able to pick the “best bits” from their established rivals, Xtreme Mobile can offer a variety of extras to their subscribers, who also enjoy an economic nationwide service via the Sprint Nextel PCS network. Xtreme Mobile now has a national presence, with a network of regional distributors for their products as well as access through affiliated e-commerce web sites.

Pros of Xtreme Mobile

· Inexpensive talk and text rates.

· Very simple plan to understand.

· Unlimited evening and weekend calls.

Cons of Xtreme Mobile

· Daily activation charge.

· Lack of information for new subscribers.

· No monthly plans or prepaid text bundles offered.

Xtreme Mobile Pay-as-you-go

The Xtreme Mobile pay-as-you-go plan is the only option available to new subscribers. However, it is exceedingly simple with the activation charge included in the price of Xtreme Mobile cellphones and subsequent refill amounts available in denominations of $5.00, $10.00, $20 and $50 thereafter. Airtime is charged at $0.15/minute between the hours of 7.00am and 9.00pm Monday to Friday, with all evening and weekend calls absolutely free.

Xtreme Mobile charge subscribers $0.60/day for their service, irrespective of whether the cellphone is user or not, and SMS text messages are charged at $0.05/message sent or received. There is the facility to send picture and video messages between compatible phones and for this service Xtreme Mobile charge a transmission fee of $0.05/kb. Data bundles can be purchased separately, costing $25.00 for a 150Mb card, however these expire after only 8 days.

Xtreme Mobile also offers a push and talk walkie talkie program. Called “Presto”, subscribers can opt to pay $1.00/day (instead of the daily activation fee) and have unlimited communication with other subscribers on the Xtreme Mobile network. Calls to 411 Directory Assistance cost $1.95 plus the airtime used and roaming is not allowed outside of the Sprint Nextel network.

Subscribers need to be aware that keeping a zero balance on their Xtreme Mobile cellphones will result in suspension of the service, and although Xtreme Mobile claim that there is no expiry period for the minutes purchased on a refill card, it has to be remembered that there is still a $0.60/day activation charge and that a $10.00 refill would only be sufficient to keep an Xtreme Mobile service active for 17 days.  Should subscribers lose their service through not maintaining their account, there is a $45.00 re-activation charge with no guarantee that the same cellphone number will be available when the account is reinstated. An auto-refill facility is available via the Xtreme Mobile web site to avoid this scenario.

Customer Support can also be contacted via the web site, toll-free telephone number or from #333 on the Xtreme Mobile cellphone. All pay-as-you-go options available through the company include voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, and three way calling, however the choice of cellphones available to Xtreme Mobile subscribers is limited and there is no support for Smartphones or Androids.

Xtreme Mobile International

International Direct Dialling is available for Xtreme Mobile subscribers. Overseas rates are generally inexpensive (starting from $0.02/minute) depending on the destination, although airtime is deducted from the minutes outstanding on the account.

Prepaid Cell Phones.net Rating. There is very little information available regarding the services offered by Xtreme Mobile until after subscribers have signed on the virtual dotted line, and much of what is openly available is misleading or conflicting. Although the facility for unlimited nights and weekend calls looks very appealing, the Xtreme Mobile pay-as-you-go service effectively costs $18.00/month to maintain on activation charges alone. For anybody who would talk during peak time for over 3½ hours in a month, an all-inclusive package for $50.00 from most other providers would represent better value.

U.S. Cellular is a Chicago based wireless service provider, serving 23 states in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, parts of the East and New England. Originally founded in 1983, U.S. Cellular has achieved popularity for its prepaid cellphone service by allowing subscribers to receive texts without charge whilst in their local calling area. The company now also offers a choice of pay-as-you-go options, prepaid monthly plans and unlimited accessory bundles to its significant database of subscribers.

Pros of U.S. Cellular

· Low roaming charges.

· No charges for receiving text messages.

· Free battery swap service if you are out and your battery expires.

Cons of U.S. Cellular

· High activation and service fees.

· Some of the accessory bundles have excessive calling charges.

· Not all cellphones are fully compatible with U.S. Cellular services.

U.S. Cellular Pay-as-you-go

U.S. Cellular offers a choice of two basic pay-as-you-go prepaid cellphone options to its subscribers. Both require an activation fee of $50.00 and a monthly subscription, but thereafter the cost of using the cellphone to make and receive calls and send texts is relatively inexpensive. The $6.00 monthly pay-as-you-go plan allows subscribers to make domestic calls from their cellphone at the rate of $0.15/minute within the U.S. Cellular area, with roaming charges of just $0.29/minute when required. Sending text and picture messages costs $0.25/message, but there is no charge for receiving them.

The second pay-as-you-go prepaid cellphone option has a $10.00 monthly subscription charge with talk time charged at $0.10/minute and the same rate applicable to text and picture messages. Both services include free nationwide long distance calling (via the Verizon network), a voicemail facility, conference calling, call waiting and caller ID.

U.S. Cellular Monthly Plans

Irrespective of whether subscribers prefer to talk, text or communicate via the web, there seems to be a suitable prepaid monthly cellphone plan available through U.S. Cellular. The unlimited talk package costs $49.00/month (with a $30.00 initial activation fee) and allows subscribers unlimited airtime throughout the month. To send text and picture messages will still cost $0.25/message, unless subscribers purchase the unlimited talk/text package ($59.00 – with no activation fee) or the unlimited talk, text and web access for $69.00/month (again – no activation fee).

Unlimited plans are also available through U.S. Cellular for subscribers who solely use their cellphone for texting ($24.95/month), text and picture messaging ($30.00/month) or texting and surfing ($40.00/month) although each of these plans has a $30.00 activation fee and also charges $0.50/minute for airtime used talking on the phone.

Selected cellphones in the U.S. Cellular range are compatible with their “easyedge” mobile browsing service. This service is included in the comprehensive unlimited monthly plan or can be purchased in blocks of 1Mb ($3.00) or as a monthly stand alone add-on ($4.99) for pay-as-you-go subscribers. This service also gives access to the downloads section of the U.S. Cellular cellphone site from which subscribers can add wallpaper, ringtones, games and other apps from just $1.99/item. There is also a GPS navigation application available for $2.99/day (or $9.99/month) and a free conversion facility to allow non-compatible U.S. Cellular cellphones access to the GPS service.

U.S. Cellular International

Direct dialling to overseas destinations is available for subscribers to all U.S. Cellular prepaid cellphone plans. Rates vary according to which of the 200 countries the subscriber is dialling, however most calls will cost $0.50/minute or $1.25/minute plus airtime (Canada $0.19/minute – Mexico $0.25/minute). International text messages are charged at the same rate as domestic messages via a limited number of overseas carriers, however not included in unlimited text plans.

Cellphone refill options include visiting one of the many U.S. Cellular stores or authorized retails agents where subscribers are able to top-up from just $5.00. There is an instant refill option available from cellphones or subscribers can establish a monthly auto-fill payment plan. There is also an auto-fill option for pay-as-you-go subscribers, who can set up a program to automatically add $10.00 to their account whenever their balance falls below a predetermined level.

U.S. Cellular have an extensive knowledge database on their web site, however for subscribers with more advanced queries, customer support is available free of charge from U.S Cellular cellphones, or there is a toll-free landline service and email facility.

Prepaid Cell Phones.net Rating. Despite the convenience factor enjoyed by U.S. Cellular subscribers and the company´s award-wining customer service, the payment structures for the pay-as-you-go and monthly prepaid cellphone plans give the impression that the company only want to provide the fully inclusive comprehensive package – which is up to 40% more expensive than other carriers.  So many of the options available to U.S. Cellular contracted clients do not appear in the prepaid plans (no nights and weekends discounts, no mobile-to-mobile option, no family plans and not even the military discount offered to contracted subscribers serving in the Armed Forces) and it makes one wonder if U.S. Cellular wants to offer a prepaid service at all!