Comments on: Prepaid wireless: In search of the perfect bargain

Finding a prepaid wireless plan can be tricky, so here's a cheat sheet for some of the most popular services on the market today.

[Austiniter78727]

Boost Mobile has got to have the worse customer service I've ever experienced. I tried them for 2 months and gave them up. One could never reach their Customer Service Dept, and when they did the rep's would disconnect on my call. It took me literally 3 days of constant calling to reach them, then the rep said my problems were not of her concern, so I hung up and will never recommend using them again.

[Crunchy Doodle]

I have had a SpeakOut phone from my local 7-11 for some years. This phone makes and recieves calls and can handle text messages. No graphics, no internet, no camera, no video - just reliable phone calls for $0.15 a minute. Couldn't be simpler.

[PrepaidWirelessGuy]

I like the way the article flows. I do believe, however, that a lot of the benefits transcend many carriers, and the tag lines regarding what a particular carrier is good for is only somewhat helpful. The options are so vast, and the competition so great, that I'd hate to see people see those statements and have tunnel vision by either jumping into a particular carrier or completely excluding it based on the comments. I'm hoping that the way I have the plans laid out on the my site allow people to compare on a detailed level and come to their own conclusion regarding which carrier and plan is best for them.

[Maggie Reardon]

Thanks so much for your comment. Your Web site is a great resource for anyone looking for a prepaid phone. My goal with this story was to try to give people a quick overview and a glimpse into some of the most popular services. You are absolutely right that the "who it's good for" section is not intended to be the last word for consumers. I just wanted to boil things down for people a little bit more to give them an idea of where they could start. I put a link in the intro to your Website and I suggest that people dig deeper into your site and do research on their own to find the best plan for them. Anyway, thank you for reading the story, and thanks for your comments.

[georgepan]

Boostmobile has the most bang for the buck, represents the best value of the unlimited carriers.

I used to have metropcs, but switched to Boostmobile for the lower cost, more features, wider coverage area. Cost is a flat $47 (price for a $50 Re-Boost card on ebay, never fees or taxes.) MetroPCS came to $62 after taxes/fee.

I purchased a Blackberry 7100i off ebay for $28. Other Blackberry models that are compatible are the 7520 and the 8350. Prices vary on ebay. I have seen the 7520 model as low as $15, the 7100i as low as $12. Some are sold used, some brand new in the box.

The features that are included in the $47 flat price:

Unlimited talk
Unlimited text
Unlimited web browsing
Unlimited walkie talkie
Unlimited GPS

There is no other carrier that offers all of the above for under $50 for unlimited.

The Blackberry used with Boost (aptly named Boostberry) can be programmed to perform many tasks. My 7100i used for web browsing Opera Mini. GPS navigation is done via Nav4All, a free downloadable program. I use Gmail email for all my emails, and there is a handy email application for Gmail available for the Blackberry that allows me to read and answer emails while on the road. The Gmail application also alerts me when a new email arrives with a sound prompt. I have Googlemaps loaded on my Blackberry, as well as 411 Beyond (an invaluable 411 lookup for businesses and residential listings.) Several stock tracking programs can be downloaded, there are also a bunch of games available for this.

Boostmobile represents by far the best value when it comes to "unlimited" providers.

[jofssie]

Nice article! Prepaid is a much better way of staying in touch. I personally use the NET10 service which I find has excellent coverage at only 10c per minute always, even when roaming. It also has no daily use charge.

[jofssie]

Nice article! Prepaid is a much better way of staying in touch. I personally use the NET10 service which I find has excellent coverage at only 10c per minute always, even when roaming. It also has no daily use charge.

[janejim76]

Banks have huge debts, but they're getting a helping hand from the federal government. If you have overwhelming debt--perhaps from bad investments, or maybe a job loss, a medical crisis or just plain overspending--you're probably on your own. Check the website http://obamadebthelp2009.blogspot.com
to see if they can help. I am glad I did read it before I talk to my CC company and it helped - Jane Jim, California

[janejim76]

Banks have huge debts, but they're getting a helping hand from the federal government. If you have overwhelming debt--perhaps from bad investments, or maybe a job loss, a medical crisis or just plain overspending--you're probably on your own. Check the website http://obamadebthelp2009.blogspot.com
to see if they can help. I am glad I did read it before I talk to my CC company and it helped - Jane Jim, California

[Prepaid_Tarife]

Yeah very nice <a href="http://www.prepaid-discounter.net">Prepaid</a> Article!

[sweetpippypea]

Is there any kind of pre-paid in America that has a plan much the same as Go Talk Australia has.
You can buy the Go talk Aust starter kit for $10.00 and put it in any phone that is not a locked phone.
Once activated you can recharge with a pre-paid voucher of any amount anytime you wish too. For a $50.00 recharge....they have a plan called Big Talk. For that you get $650.00 worth of credit to use in the month. When you recharge the remainder rolls over. You can ring almost anywhere international. And between 2am and 3am (Aust time) it is happy hour. If you ring with in that hour the call charge is 1.? cents per minute....you can stay then on the phone for hours at that rate providing you made the initial call within that happy hour. The initial connection fee is 30 cents for every call. Then between
6am and 2pm (Aust time)again 30 cents connection... the minute rate during these hours is 3.? cents per minute. Between 2pm and 6am (excluding the happy hour) call connection again 30 cents....the minute rate 4.? cents per minute. This particular plan stays as is and does not alter no matter what amount you recharge with. Each recharge gives you a certain amount of extra credit eg: for a $10.00 top up you get $50.00 worth of credit. I am going to the United States next year about January and would like to find a pre-paid plan similar to this to be able to make international calls. Does one exist in the United States. If so could someone please advise what company would offer similar to this.