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Are you planning on purchasing a new cell phone? Well now is a good time; there are several options available to you in terms of air time and minute packages, plus you can choose from an endless list of great handset designs with excellent features to make your life easier. Depending on your budget you basically have a choice between 2 main types of service, prepaid and contract, each has its advantages and disadvantages though your final choice should depend on how often you use your phone.
What is a prepaid cell phone?
If you’re not familiar with this type of cell phone service it basically includes buying a SIM card at a fixed price, there is no network setup fee, just simply insert the card into your mobile and make a call. When you run out of air time you can stop into any supermarket or phone shop to top up your minutes that means you can only spend as much as you have on the card. This type of service is especially useful for people who don’t use their phones very often and receive more calls than they make, or people who tend to send more text messages. The main advantage to prepaid cell phones is that you are not locked in to a contract, there are no monthly bills to worry about or having to check whether you have gone over the fixed number of free minutes. This prepaid SIM card doesn’t require you to have a credit check before being accepted, nor does it need the buyer to be over a certain age limit, which is something that younger cell phone users will be happy about. Prepaid cell phones also allow short stay visitors to any country the ability to open up their own mobile phone lie for the duration of their stay, the SIM card can be easily thrown away when finished with because they are so cheap.
Prepaid over contract a comparison
Though prepaid SIM cards have their benefits they also have a few downsides, for example the cost per minute on a prepaid cell phone is slightly higher than the contract offer. The contract cell phone will also get you a brand new handset, which can be upgraded every 6 months to a year, though you are expected to pay a deposit before your line is activated. Where as prepaid rates can fluctuate up and down, a contract runs on a fixed rate plus each depending on the length and cost of your contract you will get a set number of minutes free per month, this could be anywhere from 200 – 2000 or over for group deals.
| T-Mobile Nokia 1208 Prepaid Cell Phone |
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Contract phones are useful for businesses or people that need to make calls often, though if you choose this type of deal be sure that you will use your fixed number of free minutes as they will be wasted if you don’t. The other downside being stuck in a contract deal is that you have to stay with that particular network until the time is up, so if you are not happy with the connection reliability or strength, tough luck. In comparison, prepaid phones offer more freedom of use and flexibility, they don’t come with a free handset or extra features, but they will save you money in the long run just make sure you keep them topped up.