How To Compare Prepaid Cell Phone Plans

Prepaid cells phones can be wonderful for the person that doesn't want to be in a long-term contract. They are ideal if you don't use your cell phone much and there is an ease to keeping track of your minutes. With prepaid phones there are no contracts to sign, no monthly bills, no commitments, no credit checks, no age limit and no hidden fees.

Whatever the reason you have for being drawn to a prepaid phone, it can be difficult to know which carrier and what plan is best for you. Every carrier has some good and some bad features. In the end it comes down to your particular usage. Here are some things to consider that will make the process of comparing prepaid plans an easy one:

1. Price per minute - prepaid cell phones minutes cost between 10 cents and 60 cents. That's a huge range. With some prepaid providers you buy a bucket of minutes, and the more you buy at one time, the less per minute cost. With others you put dollar amounts on your phone. With more money you add, your number of minutes per dollar will increase. Long story short, the more you spend, the cheaper each individual minute will be.

2. Expiring minutes -This is really important. Once your minutes expire, you will lose them. If you use your cell phone often, this probably won't be an issue. But, if you are buying a phone for emergency purposes or to use infrequently, you might want to spend more per minute for a later expiration date. Some carriers also make you add a certain amount of minutes or money per month in order to keep your account active.

3. Daily Fees -Some carriers charge a fee for each day your phone is used. This can be as high as $1.00 a day, but will come with lower per minute fees. If you use your phone infrequently this might be a good deal for you. If you use your phone for many days a month, you will be paying too much, especially if it's for short call.

4. Nights and weekends/ mobile to mobile -Some plans offer free nights and weekends and some offer free calls to others with the same carrier. Again, you might want to pay more per minute if you will be able to take advantage of these features.

5. Roaming charges - Some carriers have roaming charges and other have none. It is important to find out if there will be times that you will be roaming. If you will be roaming frequently, you will want to avoid a carrier that has roaming fees. Some are up to 70 cents per minute.

6. International calling -Some prepaid plans offer it and some do not. If you need international calling capabilities you will want to be sure that the carrier you select offers this service. Finding the best plan can be a daunting task. Be sure to sit down and write what your needs will be before shopping. If you know what your needs are for the above topics, you will be able to make an educated comparison of prepaid plans.