Benefits Of No Contract Unlimited Cell Phone Plans

Benefits Of No Contract Unlimited Cell Phone Plans

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For some people signing a contract and paying month to month on a contract plan is a no brainer for them. They know what they want, they know what they need, and they love to have that top of the line phone to do it. For others, having a cell phone isn't a dire necessity and signing a contract may be torture for them. It's true, when you sign a cellular phone contract, you're signing two years of your life away to a major cellular provider. For that two year duration, you have to keep your contract going otherwise you will be hit with a hefty early termination fee. There are many advantages and disadvantages of both types of cellular phone plans, and it is suggested that you weigh both options before making your decision on no contract unlimited cell phone plans.

Compared to a contract plan, a no contract plan (otherwise referred to as a prepaid plan) is much different. There are no long term contracts to sign, you aren't being sucked into anything that is long term. If you visit a company owned wireless store to purchase a prepaid phone and plan, you may be paying close to retail price for most of their phones. Otherwise, they usually have a display of the lesser expensive prepaid phones that are basic cell phones with not many features. With a no contract plan, you pay in advance for the minutes you're going to use, where in a contract plan the contract loans you the minutes, in a sense, and you pay your bill afterward. However, in a contract, you do have a set amount of minutes per month and a prepaid phone you can buy the amount you need when you need it.

Boost Mobile, Trac Phone, Metro PCS and Virgin Mobile are the independent companies that only specialize in no contract plans. They're very knowledgeable about their services and are able to help people figure out if a regular prepaid plan or an unlimited plan would be more ideal for them. The plans and phone from these providers as well as the major cellular providers all differ greatly.

While prepaid phone plans used to be frowned upon for the ease of purchase and disposability of phones, they have really come into their own and now are almost as popular as contract phones. The quality of the phones improved, offering users smart phone-type devices that have full QWERTY keyboards and ease to text message on the phone. A lot of cellular providers also offer two different types of prepaid plans. These are, traditional prepaid plans and plans called Flex Pay. (Or some variation of it.)

There are a number of providers that do offer the flex pay option including the first ever to offer it, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and even now Sprint. When using a flex pay option it is similar to a contract in that you choose a plan with a set number of minutes. The price is discounted for the minutes you are going to use and the phone is somewhat discounted, yet the price is still close to the full retail value. With a flex pay plan, you do have to give a credit card or checking account number so that the monthly fee can be deducted automatically. There are some carriers who do allow you to get a paper bill in the mail, but the plan may vary or cost more up front. However, this is still a prepaid plan in which you must pay for the minutes you are going to be using up front. You also do have the flexibility to pay for more minutes if you know you are reaching your quota. (Which is not the case with a contract plan.) The downside is that if you don't have the money to pay for the next month, your phone will be disconnected with no grace period. Upside, you won't have to pay a reconnection fee to reinstate service. Just pay, when you can, for the monthly minutes and your service will be back on. For Flex Play plans, they do have unlimited minutes and texting options.

While prepaid plans and flex play plans do both have unlimited minute options, they do differ. With prepaid phones you may have to pay slightly higher for unlimited minutes, while your phone is fairly cheap. Flex pay offers unlimited minutes and texting for a straight $50 or $60 a month, but their phones may be slightly higher in price. With both of these options, there are no hidden fees, as there are with contract plans. Metro PCS has been the most widely publicized and now most popular prepaid plan with their unlimited minutes being the highlight of their advertisement.

A contract unlimited plan is around $99, but that includes many more features than you get for pre paid. It also means signing a contract for those features and more comprehensive phones with latest technology. A pre paid unlimited plan is cheaper because of the fact that you pay more for the phone and everything may not be included. The phones that come with pre paid plans aren't the highest end unless you pay the price for the higher end equipment. None the less, unlimited plans are popular.

No contract unlimited cell phone plans would be ideal for a student who doesn't need a smartphone, the elderly in case of an emergency or someone who wants to have a cell phone for an emergency situation, but doesn't use it too often. Just remember, once you sign a contract you are stuck in that contract for the time duration. Be smart and think it through before your purchase!

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