- Do I need my cell phone for work?
- Will I be calling mainly friends and
family?
- Will I be making out of state calls
or international calls?
If the answer to the above number of
questions is no, well prepaid cell phones could be your best
choice.
Prepaid cell phones are ideal for
people who do not intend signing contracts and do not intend to use the
cell excessively. There many advantages and disadvantages with using this
type of cell phone:
Advantages of using a prepaid cell phone:
- No credit check required
- No deposit required
- No monthly rental fee
- No termination fee if you decide not
to use your phone again
- No service fee
- A large selection of phones
available including camera cell phones
- Always in control of call costs
Disadvantages of using
a prepaid cell phone:
- Calls and SMS Text will be more
expensive per minute than using a bill phone
- You could run out of credit at a
crucial time that you need to make a call
- Some carriers will put a time limit
on your credit (you will need to use it up within a certain time or
else it will be classed as invalid)
Children with
prepaid cell phones:
Always purchase a cell phone with low emissions for health and safety
purposes. Children under the age of 7 are not recommended to using any
type of cell phone.
If you like to keep tabs on your children
and you feel a cell phone is a good safe idea, do not make the mistake
that many parents do in giving a cell phone that has line rental. If you
do this be very prepared for a large monthly bill every month from the
mailman. It’s like giving your child a large bag of candy and asking them
not to eat them unless it’s really necessary. Prepaid cell phones are
ideal for children, if their credit runs out, so be it, but you can always
call or text them and it’s then up to you what extra credit to allow.
It’s very difficult for young children to budget wisely and kids will be
kids so you need to careful when it comes to financing them a cell phone.
What are the highest costs involved with prepaid cell phones?
Be careful your credit can be eaten up very quickly. Camera cell phones
are great fun and handy to have at times but if you are using a prepaid
cell camera phone and want to text photos the cost can be very high per
text. Also watch for roaming charges are these too can be very expensive.
Always look for promotions and giveaways with no hidden charges.
Is getting credit easy?
Buying credit could not be easier. Most stores will sell credit for the
different cell phone carriers and some stores have vending type machines
where you can simply follow the instructions and top up your credit. You
can also call your cell phone carrier (usually a toll free number) and
purchase with your credit card. Credit issued as a long number. Simply
type this into the correct section of your cell and that’s all there is to
it.
Prepaid cell phones in brief:
- A great idea for those of us who
need to stay inline with our phone expenses.
- Very handy to have for emergencies
with no rental charge.
- Ideal for children if you wish for
them to carry a cell phone
- A good back up if you experience a
problem with your house phone
Once again always look into the different
cell phone carriers and their prepaid cell packages, not all are the same
with some giving excellent starter packages.
Editor's note: Before you select a prepaidphone plan - check out all the small print.
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