Tag: PREPAID

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) have proposed a piece of legislation that would require consumers to present an ID before purchasing a prepaid cell phone, and would force direct providers to keep those customers' information on file for 18 months after deactivation. The bill comes on the heels of the failed Times Square bombing by Faisal Shahzad, who ...

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines.... Various studies have contributed contradictory evidence about whether or not the majority of DVR owners actually view commercials. The latest survey, performed by Duke University, claims that 95-percent of the material viewed by the focus group was actually watched live, and that the fast forward-ers and live viewers spent roughly ...

9. If you're a homebody... Typical subscription plan providers offer networks that extend over the majority of the country, but some prepaid plans focus their coverage on select areas. If yours is one of those areas -- and you don't travel much (or ever) -- it's worth considering going prepaid, especially if you already have a landline. Call quality might be a concern, but doing a little ...

7. If you travel internationally... While traditional prepaid phones don't work overseas, you can buy a Go-Sim prepaid SIM card for international trips. (They cost $48 at GoSim.com.) It doesn't work in all countries, but when it does function in your destination, it's a great way to stay in touch with family and costs a lot less than roaming with a US-based subscription plan. ...

8. If you're a protective parent (or the child of a protective parent)... You want to be able to reach your kids at any time -- or have them call you in an emergency, but you don't want them running up a big bill. With prepaid phones, you can have cellular security with minimal expense. $20 per month for Virgin Mobile's 'pay as you go' plan is a better cost for security than $40 and up with ...

2. If you are a cellular hater... ...but still want a phone available when you need it, pre-paid plans are a perfect option, since you can literally pay as you go, rather than add another expense to your monthly bills. If you're a really infrequent user, Boost Mobile offers a pay-as-you go plan that charges just 10 cents per minute for calls. << Back Next >> ...

3. If you don't talk much... If you have a lot of leftover minutes each month on your current subscription plan and they don't roll over, you could be wasting money -- sometimes a lot of it. For example, Verizon offers a basic plan for $40 per month, giving subscribers 450 minutes -- or 7.5 hours -- of paid talk time per month. If you only use your cell phone for an hour or so each month, ...

4. If you talk too much.... On the other hand, if you live on your cell, prepaid might still be worth investigating. Prepaid customers average nearly 2,000 voice minutes per month -- twice as much as those on traditional plans. And they pay less for the unlimited calling, all-inclusive programs, which range from $30-$60, depending on your feature needs. Boost's $50/month plan, for example, ...

5. If you have bad (or no) credit... Since there is no contract and no credit check with most prepaid plans, they're perfect solutions for people with bad credit scores who still need cell phones. And if, say, you can't afford a month of coverage? Well, with a prepaid plan, it won't show up as an unpaid bill to negatively affecting your credit score. << Back Next >> ...

6. If you're just not into technology and don't care about iPhones... Plenty of you don't care about the iPhone or other hot smart phones, which means prepaid is a definite option for you. Why? Because none of those hot handsets you don't care about are available with prepaid carriers (without the two-year contract, carriers are reluctant to subsidize the price of these high-end handsets). ...

  1. If you're on a budget... It's hard to argue with the numbers -- a prepaid cell phone will run you less than a traditional plan almost every time. For example, unlimited text and minutes with MetroPCS costs just $40 per month. A similar two-year contract service on Sprint (albeit with a few additional features like GPS, global roaming, and more) will run you $100. Coverage areas generally ...

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 ...

  It's hard to keep up with the cell phone market these days. New models hit store shelves seemingly every week, and carriers roll out new contract plans nearly as frequently. Maybe that's why the prepaid cell phone market is growing so rapidly. Consumers are flocking toward no-contract, unlimited services. At least two prepaid carriers have seen their subscription rates double over the ...

The madness of holiday shopping is upon us, and even though tech prices are dropping to all-time lows, it's still important in this economy to pinch pennies whenever possible. One proven method of saving, particularly for families or frequent talkers and texters, is to cut out those expensive monthly mobile bills and explore some prepaid phone options. Demonstrating the ease of prepaid ...

Even for the homeless and destitute, communication increasingly depends upon technology, leaving those without access out of the loop. And while Google has helped get the homeless set up with voice mail (using its former Grand Central service), and some cities (like New York and San Francisco) are getting the homeless connected to the Internet, one modern convenience has seemed out of reach: the ...