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The Best Prepaid Cell Phone Plans: Top Pay-As-You-Go Cellular Phone Services Compared

Nick Mokey By

Cellphone Plans Money

We review the best prepaid cell phone plans to see which no contract service plans offer the top money saving deals.

Potential caveats aside, prepaid and pay-as-you-go cell phone plans make a lot of sense for the right type of users, and not just people who don’t have the credit scores to get onboard with a contract plan. For example: No contract, pay-as-you-go plans make an affordable option for the occasional cell phone user who just needs a mobile lifeline now and then, while unlimited text and voice plans can cut bills for nonstop talkers who keep running over their monthly limits on a contract plan. But with dozens of prepaid and pay-as-you-go cellular carriers populating the U.S., finding the right one can be tough. Here are some of the top-rated prepaid cell phone providers out there, and how they’ve managed to stand out from the pack.

Net 10 logoNet10

J.D. Power and Associates ranked Net10 number one in customer satisfaction in 2009, and all signs point to the cellular service provider’s impossibly simplistic price structure as key. Net10 offers blocks of prepaid minutes for 10 cents per minute no matter what quantity you buy, and has also teamed up with major retailers like Wal-Mart to offer both airtime cards and phones in stores. The selection of available cell phones leaves something to be desired, but prices are reasonable. (For instance, an LG300G goes for $30 with activation and includes 300 minutes.) Net10’s $79.98 unlimited voice and text plan may not be a bargain, but for pay-per-minute users it remains a reliable and affordable option.

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Showing 6 comments

  1. Cell Phone Buying Guide at 1:56pm 9th May 2012 [...] account. Check out our guide to prepaid cellular plans for information on prepaid carriers, and our listing of some of the best if you decide to take that route.The difference between a smartphone and a feature phoneYou could [...]
  2. Buy Guaranteed Facebook Fans at 9:59am 1st December 2011 Sources...[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]...
  3. phill23 at 1:52pm 19th April 2010 I think Net10 is a wonderful service. It benefits my lifestyle completely. It is perfect for my children because I can maintain how many minutes they speak on the phone so they don’t blow my pocket book apart! I was scared when my children were getting to the age of needing cellphones that they would just take complete advantage of us but with Net10 we are really able to have control over how much they speak and text. Plus with only ten cents a minutes and 3 cents a text… you just can’t go wrong.
  4. Kajeet at 9:11am 10th February 2010 Kajeet provides prepaid cell phone service for kids and families. All Kajeet phones have parental controls and GPS enabled. Popular phones at Kajeet are: LG Rumor, LG Rumor 2, Samsung m300, Sanyo 2700 (pink and blue), Sanyo Katana (pink and blue), and more. Visit www.kajeet.com/bargain to get 15% off your Kajeet phone. Or use promo code "BARGAIN" to get 15% off.
  5. Guest at 6:41am 15th November 2009 bump!
  6. StraightTalkMe at 2:04pm 6th November 2009 Please don't forget Straight Talk!It's a prepaid service that requires no per-day or activation fees (unlike some of the others!)$30 for 1,000 minutes and 1,000 texts and 30MB of Mobile Web Access, plus free 411 calls. OR $45 for unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited Mobile Web Access(and 411.)It's available throughout the country at Walmart and online at http://straighttalk.com/ShopPhones
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