Prepaid cell phones: Pros and cons

Prepaid cell phones have been around for a little more then a decade as of writing this in 2008 and over the years have become very competitive with traditional cell phone plans that require contracts and monthly bills. Prepaid cell phones can be a great benefit to some but restrictive to others. Is a prepaid cell phone for you or someone you know? Hopefully this article will help you decide and to make it easier to decide you'll see the pros and cons listed out along with some things to consider before going prepaid.

The things you need to consider before deciding on a prepaid or contract cell phone plan are as follows. You need to consider how often you'll talk on the phone, if you need features like web browsing and text messaging, what kind of phone you want, and if you need a phone that works wherever you are. Think of these things while reading over the pros and cons of prepaid cell phones.

Pros of going prepaid:

- Prepaid cell phones don't require contracts or credit checks and can usually be picked up at a wide range of places from electronics stores to drug stores.

- There are no monthly bills, users pay as they go which is good and only for the minutes they use.

- There is no concern about going over your minutes, being charged over-use fees, late fees, or unexpected charges.

- More and more prepaid plans are offering unlimited calling on nights and weekends as long as you purchase reload cards at least once every 90 days and use them.

Cons of going prepaid:

- Minutes are reloadable, but you often have to purchase cards that have unique codes. It can be a hassle to punch in the codes to add more time to your phone.

- Rates per minute are generally higher then traditional cell phone plans and some prepaid phones charge a connection fee every time a call is made. (If you buy a 50 dollar prepaid card for your phone, fees are drawn from this as well as your per minute use; the cards aren't sold in 'minutes' form.)

- The selection of handsets is generally limited with most prepaid plans offering the most basic and sometimes older models.

- Text messaging rates are usually higher then traditional plans and accessing features such as mobile web are generally not available on prepaid phones except on some phones.

- Some prepaid phones only work in a local area, those that work in a wider area may work within the country, but most will not work outside the country. Rates per minute can vary based on where you call even if you are in the country unlike contract plans which mostly include long distance calling.

- Cell phone contracts are a small way to help build one's credit history, prepaid phones don't do this.

These are just a few pros and cons of prepaid cell phones and as you can see there are more cons then pros to these phones. Prepaid cell phones aren't always a bad choice, if you need a phone only for emergencies you can keep one on hand with an extra reload card. If you have bad or no credit you can get a cell phone. If you are buying for a child or teen you can limit use because prepaid phones can never go over the amount loaded onto the account.

If you are able to get a cell phone plan that isn't prepaid it would be a better value to search for a plan that fits your needs; otherwise a prepaid phone may fill your need for a cell phone in the short term. Also prepaid phones are getting less restrictive over time offering unlimited calling at certain times, more features like text messaging and multimedia content, and nationwide calling but again the phone best for you depends on your needs.