T-Mobile to Go: They seem to
utilize the refill card. The cards range from $10 to $100 which gives the user
anywhere from 30 minutes to 1000 minutes. A special benefit is that when the
customer has purchased over $100 in refills they receive another 15% added. The
exception is the $100 card, which does not add any minutes. The higher the card
amount the longer the expiration date. The average is 90 days.
Internet access is free on this plan. It includes basic news sites, games,
and other things. Text messaging is $.10 to send and free to receive.
Refill cards can be picked up at over 10,000 locations or purchased online.
Virgin Mobile: The target audience for this product
is the college student, as evidenced by the services they provide. Users have
three plan options:
$0.25 cpm/first ten minutes of the day then $.10 cpm thereafter.
$0.35 per day/$.10 cpm thereafter.
Monthly Plans start at $29.99 for 150 anytime minutes and 150
nights/weekends.
Internet access is $.20 per day and does not count against minutes.
Chargeable downloads will be deducted from the account balance.
Refills can be done online, by telephone, on the cell phone, or at stores.
Liberty Wireless: This is a no frills cell
phone with nothing but minutes. There is no text messaging or internet access.
The phones are all refurbished and generally two or three years old. Sprint is
the network that they use. Their strongest sale is the $0.10 flat fee.
TracFone: This is one of the
oldest prepaid cell phone plans. It is also one of the most expensive. Users
purchase phones starting at $34.99 then purchase cards from $19.99 to $79.99.
These cards only keep the number for 60 days. Customers are charged higher
rates for year long access. In addition, customers pay $14.95 per month for
double minute plans. Customers are always aware of how much time they have left
on their phone. There are no activation fees. They can be purchased at over
60,000 retail locations and online. In the event you do not add a TracFone
Prepaid Wireless Airtime card every 60 or 365 days, service will be suspended
until you add a TracFone Prepaid Wireless Airtime card, at which time they will
reactivate your service and assign you another wireless phone number.
Sprint: This prepaid is as close
to the normal one as can be found. Users pay a deposit up to $150, which is
their credit line. Users then get the same plans available to other customers.
The differences run in that if the consumer goes over their limit without
making a payment or are late making a payment; their service is turned off
until the bill is clear. Users have access to the internet and text messaging,
if the phone is equipped for them. The drawback to sprint is that the plan can
become expensive very easily. Unlimited internet, text messaging and pictures
run around $20 per month. Unlimited nights/weekends cost $5 per month. The
first 500 minutes runs around $35. If the phone is purchased online, they
usually can be obtained free with a new contract. They do charge a termination
fee charged if the service is interrupted for any length of time.
US Cellular: This is one of the
best plans on the market. The customer buys a kit for around $125, which
includes a phone, charger, and minutes. The benefit of US Cellular is the free
call me (inbound) minutes. This means a customer can receive calls for free.
All the minutes outgoing are included on their plan. The option is available to
add nights/weekends for $5 per month. There is not an option for internet
access or text messaging. Another plan they offer is the $0.10 flat rate plan.
The cost comes out about the same except the expiration is 60 days instead of
30.
Cingular/ATT: This plan is
similar to the US Cellular plan except they offer a $0.10 rate plan with a $1
per day access charge. They also offer a $.25 per minute plan with no access
charge. The monthly plan must be linked to a credit card or checking account.
Boost Mobile: This plan is for the person who wants
all the benefits of a phone including a walkie talkie. To have the walkie
talkie feature runs $1.50 per day. Calls run $0.20 cpm during the day and $0.10
cpm nights/weekend. Test messaging is $0.10 to send, Internet is $0.20 per day
and does not affect minutes. Voice mail runs the same rate as phone calls, with
the exception being calls made from a landline. The target audience for this is
urban youth.
Where to purchase Prepaid Cell Phones/Supplies
Some of the best offers for cellular phones and supplies happens online at
the actual cell phone company. Some offer free phones or discounted phones that
are not available in stores. Refill cards are usually the least expensive at
outlets such as Wal-Mart. The good thing is that supplies are available 24/7
since they can be purchased at a local gas station. Phones can be picked up at
any location and activated within an hour. Consumers should have an idea of
what plan they are looking for and what they want to pay monthly.
Do the Math
When doing a comparison it would be wise to have a calculator to figure out
which company is the best for the intended user. Some clients may only want a
cell phone for emergencies, which might make TracFone the most reasonable, but
for Johnny at college who has friends around the world that would be an
expensive venture.