No Contract Plans Tips
Read these 6 No Contract Plans Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Cellphone tips and hundreds of other topics.
Competition Over Extras in the No Contract Phone Game
No contract, no extras? No, don't think that! Carriers such as Tracfone and Liberty Wireless as well as the big wireless providers offer perks if you go contract-less. Everyone's happy except the lawyers.
A no contract cell phone carrier often includes extras with its prepaid service in order to be more competitive than the next no contract wireless phone carrier. For example, most no contract cell phone services include standard cell phone services: voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling, 411 connect, call conferencing, and nationwide long distance.
Extra tip: Some carriers even include unlimited night or weekend minutes, unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes, and bonus anytime minutes with each reload. Also, a few select carriers will allow their no contract cell phones to sign up for Roadside Assistance and phone warranty coverage.
Compare wireless plans on Wirefly.com or another cell phone shopping site--and if you don't see extras listed, ask for them.
Net 10: Another No Contract Cell Phone Option
Net 10 is another no contract wireless phone provider.
Net 10 has a low flat per-minute fee of 10 cents (available across the United States), like the Liberty Wireless flat rate plan. All the consumer needs to do is purchase a Net 10 cell phone online or by phone and activate it. Airtime can be purchased as needed either online or by phone as well. The phone can be used anywhere at any time for a low 10 cent per minute rate. Text messaging is also available at 5 cents per message. This is less than any other no contract cell phone carrier. With a 10 cent rate per minute the math is easy. And, to sweeten the pot, you can get rollover minutes with active service. Plus, Net 10 offers Nokia and Motorola phones which are well known for their reliability and ease of use. Plus, you can get voice mail at a per minute rate.
All these choices--how do you select a no contract cell phone provider when the major wireless providers are switching to no ocntract? If you want to just pay for the minutes you use, the smaller no contract wireless phone providers offer you that option. Net 10 points out that the other carries have conditions attached, such as access fees. Read your service plan carefully. Boost Mobile has a per-minute charge. The choices seem clearer now!
No Credit Check Cell Phones
Ever tried to buy a cell phone and been turned down simply due to having bad credit? Fortunately, no credit check is required to purchase a no contract cell phone (also referred to as a prepaid cell phone). Minutes for no contract cell phones are purchased up front and can be refilled at any time.
Carriers such as Liberty Wireless feature the no credit check option. But beware: Unscrupulous wireless carriers may take advamtage of your less-than-ideal credit history. When shopping for a cell phone, decide how much you can afford to pay per month--err on the conservative side. That way, you'll repair your credit by repaying debts with the money you save on your cell phone bill.
As Heard On Laura Ingraham: TracFone
You may have been listening to talk radio and heard about TracFone, available from Wal-Mart.
TracFone is a no contract cell phone carrier. TracFone does not require a credit check to purchase a cell phone and with a TracFone you pay no monthly bills! Instead, you prepay for airtime in advance, so you only pay for the phone time that you actually use, and minutes purchased never expire! There are no hidden fees as airtime rates include all applicable taxes, and your airtime balance can be tracked on the phone's display.
A TracFone can be purchased through the TracFone website or your local Wal-Mart. It comes with a cell phone, battery, charger, 60 days of active service, and 20 minutes of starter airtime. Minutes must be added from a prepaid wireless card only every 60 or 365 days to keep the phone active, depending on prepaid wireless card denomination. It's a great deal for a no contract cell phone!
You may be thinkking, "Okay, another tal kradio soft sell, why is this different?" TracxFone allows you to track how many minutes you've used right on your cell phone. When's the last time you did that on your Treo?
Tip: Wal-Mart and other discount retailers offer you discounts on TracFone, so you save even more. Tune that in the next time the talking heads rant about the consumer getting ripped off by big business.
No Contracts, No Kidding
No contract cell phones provide cell phone service that is not paid for by a typical monthly service plan. With a no contract cell phone you pay for minutes as you use them over the course of a month and can choose to pre-purchase minutes in bulk or in simple dollar increments. In contrast, cell phone contracts require you to pay a certain amount every month regardless of whether you use all the minutes provided by your plan or not.
Wireless carriers such as Verizon Wireless, Cingular, Liberty Wireless, and US Cellular all offer no contract cell phones. Liberty Wireless and other prepaid wireless services also offer no contracts, but the market has moved towards no contract, and so your options are greater. The only limit is the coverage map!
Virgin Mobile and No Contract Cell Phones
Virgin Mobile is a prepaid cell phone service like Boost Mobile.
Virgin Mobile makes no contract cell phones simple. Virgin Mobile requires no credit check, has no contract to sign, no monthly bill, and no hidden fees. As long as a user spends at least $20 only every 90 days, his or her account remains active. To get started, all you need to do is purchase a phone, activate it for free online, and begin talking. It's that simple!
Virgin Mobile offers free voice mail and text messaging for 10 cents per text message. Airtime minutes cost 25 cents for the first 10 minutes and 10 cents for each additional minute, and for additional small charges a user can download games, ringtones, screen savers, pictures, wallpaper, and more! With so have many great phones to choose from, including name brands like Audiovox, Kyocera, and Nokia, it's another great no contract wireless phone carrier.
Tip: Compared to Virgin and Boost, Liberty Wireless doesn't charge a per minute rate. Over time, per minute rates can add up, so shop wisely.
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