Who Needs a Prepaid Phone?

by Chris Morris — Oct 29th 2009 at 11:48PM

10. If you're an infrequent business travelers...
Prepaid's benefits extend beyond voice calls and text messaging as well. A mobile broadband service is an incredibly helpful tool for corporate road warriors, but if you don't travel often, it can be a money waster. Cricket's prepaid mobile broadband costs $20 per month less than a comparable one from Verizon Wireless -- but make sure the coverage is sufficient for your needs (especially internationally).

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

farmgirlinfl2 said 6:45AM on 10-29-2009

I had Sprint for five years and was paying about $65 a month. In September, I cancelled that service and went with a pre-paid plan. I don't talk much and really did not need all the "bells and whistles". I got a Tracfone for $30 which offered double minutes each time I added minutes. $20 a month is what I pay now for the minutes I add each month...that's a savings of $45. Great deal, I think.

blhomesales said 10:27AM on 10-29-2009

Prepaid is the way to go if you talk a lot. I run my own business and 99% of the calls I get are on my cell. I have had Metro PCS for 6 years, and not having to worry about overages is a great thing. I also got the Boost phones for all my teenagers. That way they can talk, text, take pictures, etc. and I dont have to worry about getting aa huge bill at the end of the month.

fastgoldvette said 10:46AM on 10-29-2009

Pre Paid Phone's don't have great service. If you send a text message to another phone it could take up to 10 minutes just for that message to come through. But if you don't text, it's a great deal. I saw a Trac phone at Walmart for $10.

Bruce Munro said 12:05PM on 10-29-2009

You didn't mention Tracfone. Twenty bucks for the phone and sixty for 300 minutes which I do't use in a whole year!

Bruce

jgwilliev said 11:18AM on 10-29-2009

Had sprint/nextel, 3 lines, 700 minutes, used about 250 minutes, no roll-over, paid 135.00 a month. I got rid of all that and switched to Boost Mobile w/walkie-talki unlimited for 50.00 for myself. Now that my kids have to pay the 3 lines, they want to switch over to boost.

writesomeone said 11:27AM on 10-29-2009

I've been using Virgin Mobile. I think it's great. You have to load $20.00 every 90 days Which is good for me, this is just a spare I use for a small business. If you talk alot, I would switch to a unlimited plan that they have going on nowadays- I heard Virgin Mobile, now has a play $49.99 unlimited talk and text and no contract - that sounds good, I never tried it because in addition to my pre-paid phone, I also have a Contract line with Verizon. If you have time on your hands please write a lonely prisoner: www.writesomeoneinprison.com They would love to hear from you! Thanks

pjdurant2 said 11:26AM on 10-29-2009

i have tracfone and have had it for years. i got the phone for free have even upgraded the phone for free. i get the year plans. 400 or 800 mins for a years time for $100-150. so $100/yr for cell cannot beat that. i only use it for emergency or on vacation. the time rolls over.

mepair said 12:02PM on 10-29-2009

My husband and I each have a NET10 phone. It's $30. for TWO months, always works, seldom has "dead" areas for reception/transmission. Perfect for us -- we never lose the unused minutes (I have 3000+), don't use it a whole lot but VERY dependable when necessary, has enough bells and whistles to keep most people happy. The screen tells you when your next 60 day period is approaching so coverage doesn't lapse, you can add the next 2 months online, very uncomplicated and we LOVE it.

oneroundko said 12:58PM on 10-29-2009

The third line we have (as a package with T-Mobile) is only ten bucks. That means we get three lines for about ninety dollars. That doesn't include texting however.

moneyoverbichez said 2:10PM on 10-29-2009

i love sprint they have great service and great phones. they now have a plan which is 69.99 for unlimited talk to any carrier, unlimited text/picturemail/web browsing and 450 mins.

cheryl said 2:55PM on 10-29-2009

I switched to tracfone years ago & average $10 a month. I have better service with my "cheap" phone that my husband had with nextel @ $70 a month.

Diane said 8:14PM on 10-29-2009

I have had Virgin Mobile for 5 years now and love it. The coverage area is better than some of my friends who have those pricey plans. You can even get a text package at 5.99 for 1000 txts per month. Plus you can see all the phone calls in and out online, which is great if you have a teen.

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'Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

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Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

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