The theme of this site is, of course, “The Best Prepaid Cell Phones.” I’ve intentionally left that open to include both phone plans as well as the actual devices. There’s been a new development recently in terms of the best devices of the prepaid phone world.

Picture of Samsung Finesse r810c from Straight Talk

Straight Talk has introduced a new touch-screen phone that certainly qualifies as “high-end” in the prepaid market, at least in terms of price. The Samsung Finesse r810c is being sold by Straight Talk for $329. At that price, consumers have great expectations, and rightfully so.

Unfortunately, in many cases those expectations won’t be met. I’ve written a full, very detailed review of the Finesse, and set up a separate site to host that review: Samsung Finesse r810c review site.

I think many people will find greater value with one of the lower-priced Straight Talk handsets. The Finesse might be worthwhile for some though, so check out the full review here if your interested.

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T-Mobile recently announced two new plans seemingly designed to compete with the barrage of new high limit or unlimited prepaid cell plans offered by the likes of Page Plus, Straight Talk, and others.

The two plans, named “Even More” and “Even More Plus,” both offer unlimited in-network calling as well as unlimited nights and weekends. The Even More package requires a 2-year contract and focuses on voice calls. It does not include any text messaging or data in the plan.

Perhaps more appealing to prepaid customers will be the Even More Plus suite of plans, as they are offered with NO contract. They offer the following levels:

• Unlimited talk for $50

• Talk and text for $60

• Talk, text and web for $70

You can also save $10 on any of the plans by dropping down to 1000 anytime minutes instead of unlimited, or save $20 at the 500 minute/month level. There are also family plans available under these plans.

While I certainly believe this is a step in the right direction in terms of making cell phone plans more consumer-friendly in their pricing and structure, I do not recommend these plans at this time for most consumers. The reason comes down to a couple of factors, primarily T-Mobiles lackluster network coverage. Out of the four major U.S. networks, T-Mobile covers the least area. And their high-speed 3G network is even worse.

Further, for people interested in unlimited, prepaid plans, there are a variety of options from other providers, namely Straight Talk and Page Plus. Both of these providers utilize the expansive and growing Verizon network, and offer lower prices than those available from T-Mobile.

However, if you’re interested in learning more, you can do so here.

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Straight Talk Wireless, Net10, and TracFone, which are all owned by the same parent company, have all introduced several new phones this fall. Coming in at various price points ranging from $15 all the way up to $100, these new handsets should offer something for a wide variety of consumers with different needs.

The LG 100c, LG 220c, and LG 290c are available for all three services. The Samsung r451c, featuring bluetooth, qwerty keyboard, and mp3 player, has debuted for Straight Talk and Net10. Finally, the Samsung T401g is available for Net10 only at this point.

Check out this article for more info on the new phones.

I’ve twice tried the service provided by Go Phone; once when it was still under the Cingular brand name, and again after AT&T took over. I was enticed each time by low-cost introductory phone offers. However, it’s clear from their pricing that AT&T much prefers to serve the postpaid market.

The most basic prepaid plan charges $.25 per minute, which is much higher than the rates you can get using one of the other services I recommend. They have other plans that offer lower per-minute rates, but these all require daily access fees of $1-$3, making them higher priced than other high-volume calling options.

GoPhone also offers several monthly plans, where a monthly fee allows for a set number of minutes. In each of these cases, better rates can be found with other providers. Net10 is perhaps the best example of this, since they use the AT&T network and offer minutes at a flat ten cents per minute.

The only situation in which I’d recommend GoPhone service is for people that want or need a no-contract solution, but wish to use a very specific GSM phone. An iPhone, for example, could be used with AT&T’s prepaid service. However, in this case, you’ll be paying high rates for the privilege of using your preferred phone.

Who it’s for: If you insist on using an unlocked or AT&T GSM phone that you already own, or want to purchase for an unsubsidized price, AT&T can accommodate your requirements. It won’t be cheap, though.

They also have an interesting option for people that use their phone only occasionally, but use the phone a lot on those days. One of GoPhone’s pay-as-you-go plans costs $3 per day on days it is used, but then allows for unlimited calls on that day.

Boost Mobile gained popularity by being one of the first U.S. prepaid companies to offer an unlimited calling plan. They operate on the iDen CDMA network that was initially part of the Nextel network, but is now owned by Sprint. While they have retained a fairly large customer base with their unlimited offering, I do not recommend Boost for a few reasons:

1. Poor network coverage. Take a look at their coverage map here (or look here for a zoomed-in look), and you’ll see that their network leaves a lot of the U.S. without coverage. This is a big problem for me, especially when you consider that for many people, the times that they use their phone the most are when they are traveling outside of their home area. What good is a phone that won’t work where you want to use it the most?

2. Expensive start-up – the cheapest phone for Boost is $50, and that is just a basic model without a camera or bluetooth. On the plans that I recommend, you can get started for much less, and use a basic phone to try it out first to make sure it’s a good fit for you. And on plans like TracFone or Net10, even the best models with Bluetooth, a camera, and qwerty keyboard don’t cost more than $50 or $60.

3. Their biggest selling point, unlimited service, is overpriced. I have to give Boost a lot of credit here, as they really pushed the envelope by being among the first providers to offer unlimited service. Their action was what initiated competition among the other providers, which was a big positive for us consumers. However, they are now over-priced. Straight Talk and Page Plus, two of my preferred services for higher-volume users, as well as Virgin Mobile, all offer unlimited service for a lower monthly rate. And in the case of Straight Talk and Page Plus, the coverage is better, too.

Who it’s for: As you may have gathered by now, I’m not a big fan of Boost Mobile. However, I understand that it may still have its place in the prepaid market. If you will be using your phone 98% of the time in an area where you know Sprint offers good coverage; if you plan on using the walkie-talkie feature that is unique to boost; and if you really like one of the Boost phones and don’t mind paying the price to get that phone, then Boost Mobile might be the right choice for you. If that’s not the case, though, I suggest you keep looking. Straight Talk and Page Plus are good places to start.

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As the name indicates, this service is the pay-as-you-go offering from T-Mobile, one of the largest providers of contract wireless service in the U.S.

The biggest advantage of T-Mobile is that you can use any T-Mobile phone, or any unlocked GSM phone – including an unlocked iPhone – with T-Mobile’s prepaid service. Just pop in a T-Mobile To Go SIM card, and you’re ready to start using your phone. Similarly, if you have multiple compatible phones, you can switch them out as you like, just by switching your current SIM card into your preferred phone of the moment.

Basic pay as you go plan

There are two versions of prepaid service from T-Mobile. The first is the basic pay as you go method, in which you purchase minutes in advance and add the minutes to your account. This model is the easiest to understand, and results in a cost of roughly $.13 per minute on average, though that varies according to the size of the card you add. And airtime purchases, regardless of size, will extend your expiration date by 90 days from the date you add the airtime.

One nice advantage of this plan is their “gold rewards” features. Under this feature, an account is elevated to “gold” status after the addition of $100 in total minutes purchased over the life of the account. Once a user has achieved this level, a 15% bonus is awarded on all minute additions. At the highest denomination of $100, this results in a rate of $.10 per minute. The other advantage of “gold rewards” is that any airtime addition will extend the service date by a full year from the date you add the airtime.

However, even with gold rewards, you’ll need to remember to add airtime at least once every year, or once every 90 days if you’re NOT on gold rewards. While this may not seem like a big deal, there are other prepaid wireless services that make it easier to make sure your service doesn’t expire. TracFone, for example, offer three important advantages:

1. The phones can be set to display the due date right on the phone at all times, so you don’t forget to renew when necessary.
2. There are “value plan” options that can act as a safety net and automatically bill you only if your service is about to expire, thus ensuring your phone always remains active.
3. Most importantly, airtime extensions “stack up.” What this means is that a card with 90 days of service will add 90 days to your previous due date, rather than 90 days from the date you add. For example, if you were a T-Mobile customer and added two cards on the same day, your expiration date would be 90 days from the day you added them. If you added two 90-day cards to your TracFone account, though, you would get 180 days added, since the due dates stack together rather than just going from the current date.

Pay by the day

The second plan from T-Mobile is the pay-by-the-day plan, which charges $1 only on days when you actually use the phone. This allows for unlimited calls to other T-Mobile customers, and free calls from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Any call during “daytime” hours to a non-T-Mobile number will still cost $.10 per minute.

This is an excellent plan if you talk a lot and mainly talk to other T-Mobile customers and during night time hours. I don’t recommend this plan for low or moderate callers, though. Here’s why: let’s assume you’re out shopping and need to make a quick call back home to ask about what’s on the shopping list. Your home number is NOT T-Mobile. If you talk for just one minute to clarify the list, and don’t use your phone any more that day, that single call will have cost you $1.10 – $1.00 for the “daily use” fee, plus $.10 for the call to the number that is not owned by T-Mobile. For that same $1.10, you can get 11 minutes on the best prepaid cell phone plans that I recommend.

Another big disadvantage is the quality of coverage of T-Mobile’s network. T-Mobile, in my experience, has the least network coverage of the four major network providers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile). While T-Mobile does have roaming agreements in place with other local carriers to cover some of T-Mobile’s dead areas, the cumulative coverage is still inferior to that of Verizon and, to a lesser extent, AT&T. And since most people, especially prepaid customers, use their phone when they’re away from home, wide coverage is a very important consideration.

And related to the point about coverage is the availability of local numbers. If you live in an area with no T-Mobile service, you won’t be able to get a local number. Even if there is a roaming “partner” network available in your area, you can’t get a local number assigned to your T-Mobile account unless T-Mobile’s network covers your area.

As you can see, there are some pretty significant drawbacks to T-Mobile’s prepaid service. Despite these drawbacks, though, it might still be the best prepaid cell phone service for you. Most importantly, though, you need to make sure that T-Mobile provides service in your area. If that’s true, then I find that T-Mobile To Go is best for one of the following types of people:

1. People who talk enough that the pay-by-the-day plan is a good value. This would mean people that talk at least 500 minutes a month, mainly to other T-Mobile users, or during the 7 p.m. – 7 a.m. nighttime hours.
2. Those who want to have prepaid service with the high-end GSM phone of their choice. You can then use an unlocked GSM phone, slip in your SIM card, and you’re ready to go.

In either of these scenarios, you’ll first need to get an account started by purchasing and activating a phone. If you plan on upgrading a phone shortly, I suggest you get a phone as cheaply as possible to set up your account, then swap out the SIM card that came with the prepaid phone for use in your preferred handset.

A great place to start looking for T-Mobile phones is Amazon.com – they have a wide selection, customer reviews, and occasionally run specials on T-Mobile phones. Click here to find the T-Mobile prepaid phone selection on Amazon.com.

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Virgin Mobile is one of the most famous as well as one of the best prepaid cell phone companies, at least when judging in terms of popularity.

Sprint provides the network for Virgin users. This is the biggest disadvantage of Virgin, in my experience. Though the Sprint Network is growing, coverage can still be spotty in many places across the U.S., especially less populated areas. Additionally, I’ve found the various rate plans to be confusing in terms of rollover minutes and top-up expiration dates.

The biggest advantage of Virgin, on the other hand, is the cost of text messaging, assuming you add a “text messaging pack” to your phone. This is where it gets a little complicated Virgin also offers a fair variety of phone choices. While Virgin forces the customer to select from a roster of phones developed specifically for its brand, these choices tend to be a little more “cutting-edge” than TracFone or Net10, for example. The handsets fall short of many phones offered for free “contract” accounts, though.

In general, Virgin Mobile tends to be more popular with a younger demographic. Their service is ideal for those who talk at least 200 minutes a month and do a fair amount of texting as well, or consumers who do a LOT of texting and a little talking. If you fall into this category, and don’t mind working around a little fine print with regards to figuring out how to get the best plan for your needs, then Virgin just might be a good choice.

Virgin started and grew their business as a MVNO – meaning they didn’t own any networks, but contracted with network owners to provide coverage. In the case of Virgin, their network provider was Sprint. In August, 2009, Virgin sold its U.S. prepaid wireless business to Sprint. At this point, it’s too early to tell whether or how that move might affect Virgin Mobile Customers.

A good place to start looking for Virgin Mobile Phones is Amazon.com, as they often have the best prices and occasionally run specials on Virgin phones.

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Straight Talk Wireless is the newest prepaid option from American Movil, the parent company that already owns popular prepaid brands TracFone and Net10. Straight Talk brings a new model to the prepaid game and provides great competition among the best prepaid cell phone providers, targeting consumers who use a high volume of minutes each month.

Straight Talk Samsung r451c

They started out with just one plan, offering 1000 anytime voice call minutes, 1000 text messages, and 30 mb of websurfing and downloads, all for $30/month. Shortly thereafter, Straight Talk Introduced a second plan, with unlimited voice calls and text messaging, plus the same 30mb of data for $45 per month.

The biggest advantage of this service is clearly the lower cost-per-minute (or text message) for people that are on the phone a lot. At this call volume, these plans are better deals than even post-paid accounts, which require a 2-year contract.

Coverage is provided by Verizon’s network, as is plainly indicated on the brand packaging, website, and promotional materials. Some networks provide less desirable coverage for prepaid than they do for their contract customers. However, Straight Talk appears to have use of the full Verizon network, including the former Alltel network, according to early customer comments on various web forums.

Straight Talk phones were initially availalbe only through Walmart stores, but Straight Talk is now selling handsets via its website. And they are actively collecting customer input as they work to add to their line of handsets. Both of these  developments should be beneficial in that they will present more options for the customer.

Time will tell us more about this provider, but based on the early info Straight Talk looks like the best prepaid cell phone for people who talk over 300 minutes per month. If you use closer to the 1000 minutes and 1000 texts offered on the $30 plan, this is truly an amazing value. And the unlimited plan, at $45, is less than half the price that most other providers are charging for unlimited calling on a contract plan.

Click here to check out Straight Talk’s web site.

If you use fewer minutes, you’ll also want to check out the company profiles of TracFone (click here) and Net10 (click here).

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TracFone wireless is the most popular U.S. pay-as-you-go wireless provider. They’ve been around for a long time, and have many loyal users that have been with the company for 5+ years.

TracFone earns my vote as “Best Prepaid Cell Phone” carrier for anyone that uses less than 150 minutes per month. The biggest advantage of TracFone is the coverage you’ll get – TracFone contracts with Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and other network owners to ensure that TracFone customers get the best coverage possible.

TracFone also offers the most flexibility among prepaid wireless service providers – they offers cards varying from 60 minutes up to 450 minutes, and each card adds 90 days of service. Users can buy any denomination you want at any time. This gives you the option of using your phone for just a few minutes one month, and then hundreds of minutes the next, without having to change anything in your TracFone account.

Another advantage is the simplicity – TracFone handsets display the number of minutes you have left as well as the expiration date right on the phone’s screen. When you make a call or send a text message, you’ll have units deducted from your balance. You always know exactly how many minutes are left on your phone.

Further, you’ll never lose your unused minutes as long as you don’t go past your expiration date. Just add an airtime card before you’re expiration date, and you’ll keep all the minutes you’ve paid for.

Finally, another big advantage is that it’s easy and inexpensive to get started with TracFone. They usually offer some kind of deal on their website where you can get a free phone when you buy an airtime card. It’s often possible to get a phone, your first 5 months of service and up to 200 minutes of airtime for around $20. Even TracFone’s most expensive handsets don’t cost more than $50, so if you get started with an inexpensive phone and then decide to upgrade, it won’t break the bank.

As much as I like TracFone, there are some drawbacks. The biggest problem I hear is that some people find it confusing to hunt down the best deal on TracFone Minutes. Indeed, the cost per minute is on something of a sliding scale, where you can get the best deal by purchasing the largest number of minutes. There are also some phones that double all airtime cards, as well as “Promotional Codes” that award bonus minutes when you add an airtime card.

I understand this can get a little confusing, which is why I wrote a short ebook to help sort it all out, and publish a blog to help people stay on top of TracFone news and deals. If you end up selecting TracFone, I strongly suggest you download a copy of my ebook and subscribe to my blog.

Another disadvantage for some is the limited selection of phones. TracFone service only works on TracFone-branded handsets. These phones have special software installed that allow them to act as a TracFone handset. So customers are limited to selecting from the phones offered by TracFone, which at any time is usually only about 10-12 options. These phones usually are a little behind the newest “contract” phone offerings in terms of features.

Still, TracFone is a great option for people that want to use the phone just a little – less than 150 minutes per month – and want to find great coverage. If you want to give TracFone a try, check out my current deals page by clicking here.

Before settling on TracFone as your best prepaid phone choice, though, you should also check out Net10. Read about it here.

* The TracFone logo is  a registered trademark of American Movil

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Net10 Wireless, in my opinion, is the best prepaid cell phone provider for people that use between 150 and 300 minutes per month. Net10 is a sister company to TracFone wireless, and shares many of the same advantages (strong network coverage, simplicity, rollover minutes, low start-up cost) and disadvantages (limited phone selection). They offer many of the same phones between the two brands.

As with TracFone, all network usage, whether in the form of voice calls, text messaging, web surfing, or downloads, will deduct units from the same “bank” of airtime. This make it less complicated to keep your phone loaded with the appropriate amount of airtime.

If you’re comparing Net10 and TracFone, there are some important differences you should know about.

Net10 takes the concept of simplicity one step farther than TracFone. All airtime, regardless of how much you want to buy, will cost a flat 10 cents per minute. There are no “double minute” phones or promotional codes for bonus minutes. 10 cents per minute is how much you’ll pay.

Another difference between these sibling companies is the startup cost. Net10 phones are generally $10-$20 more expensive than similar TracFone models, but the Net10 version comes with 300 minutes and 60 days of service included free when you activate the phone. This is a tremendous incentive to get started with Net10.

Additionally, Net10 usually offers a free phone deal where the customer receives a free phone with the purchase of a $30, 300-minute airtime card direct from Net10. Since the phone also includes the 300 starter minutes I mentioned above, this deal results in 600 total minutes for $30 plus tax. Further, at this time there is an affiliate code for an $8 discount off any order. So your total to get started with Net10 is just $22, and shipping is free! For more info on this deal, check out my Net10 deal page by clicking here.

A further advantage of Net10 over TracFone is, at this time, Net10 has the most advanced phone ever offered by these two companies (shown at left). The Motorola EM326g slider phone is slim and compact, and offers a 1.3 megapixel camera and an mp3 player with a microSD memory expansion slot. This phone appeals to people who would like to have flexibility in their devices. Currently, the best camera offered on a TracFone model is a .3 mp version, and no TracFone handset includes an mp3 player.

There are some things to carefully consider if you are about to select Net10 over TracFone, however. First, the minimum number of minutes you can buy for Net10 is 150 per month. This means your minimum cost to maintain a Net10 phone is $15 per month (on average), excluding any deals you can find on the minutes. By comparison, a TracFone line can be maintained on just $7/month.

Just to be extra-clear about this, if you use 50 minutes one month and 250 the next, you’ll be fine on Net10. Just make sure your AVERAGE usage is at least 150 minutes per month (or very close to it).

Further, texting on Net10 is a little more expensive at .5 units per text, whereas TracFone costs just .3 units per text. So if you use your phone mainly for texting, TracFone would be most beneficial to you.

In conclusion, Net10 is one of the best prepaid cell phone choices for people that plan to use their phone for 150-300 minutes per month. Once again, check out this page for my list of current Net10 deals.

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