How to Choose Between a Pre Paid or Post Paid Cell Phone

Steps

1. Look at providers. Well known prepaid providers include Tracfone, Virgin Mobile, Amp'd, Boost Mobile, and Net-10. A lot of contract providers also offer prepaid options. These include T-mobile and AT&T GoPhone.
2. Look at phones. Prepaid phones usually cost more, and come with less downloads and features.
3. How much do you talk? If you use more than 200 minutes a month, than you'll need a phone on a contract.
4. If you have bad credit, or are tight on money, a prepaid phone is for you.
5. Prepaid plans normally come in two types. By the minute and by the dollar. By the minute plans (like TracFone) Feature minute accounts. Each minute is deducted from a bank of minutes. These plans don't usually have may downloads. By the dollar (Like Go-Phone) plans have money in place of minutes. Each minute costs somewhere around 10 cents a minute. The plans often have a lot of downloads. Which makes more sense: 10 minutes or $1 for a ringtone?
6. Prepaid phones are good choices for children and teens.
7. Boost Mobile offers walkie-talkie service just like Nextel.
8. Last but not least, contract phones feature monthly bills and a $270 cancellation fee. Prepaid phones don't have these restrictions.

Tips

• Look at only well known providers.

Warnings

• Some prepaid phones can become very expensive.

Things You'll Need

• $30 a month

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Choose Between a Pre Paid or Post Paid Cell Phone. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.