Prepaid Mobile Phone Comparison Chart
UCAN News
Save money on phone service by switching to prepaid. Compare providers with this useful chart.
Prepaid Wireless Comparison Chart
UPDATED: 08/22/2011
| Provider | Set-up | Cost to Talk | Long Distance | International | Coverage | The catch | Comments |
| payLo by Virgin Mobile | Cost of Phone (Starting at $9.99) |
$20 - $0.20/min, $0.15/mess, $1.50/MB. Expires in 90 days $20 - 400 min, $0.15/mess, $1.50/MB. Expires in one month. $30 - 1500 min, 1500 mess, 30MB. Expires in one month. |
Yes US, PR, and USVI |
See Rates | Check Coverage | Need to top up every month to get $30 plan. | Simple plan for no frills user. If you want a smart phone, check out Virgin's Beyond Talk below. |
| Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk | Cost of Phone (Starting at $89.99) |
$35/month for Unlimited Text, E-mail, Data, Web, and 300 Anytime Minutes $45/month for Unlimited Text, E-mail, Data, Web, and 1200 Anytime Minutes $55/month for Unlimited Text, E-mail, Data, Web, and Anytime Minutes |
Yes US, PR, and USVI |
See Rates | Check Coverage | Monthly minutes expire if they are not used. No night and weekend minutes | Pretty good deal with no annual plan. No longer a premium for Android or Blackberries b/c built into cost. Decent selection of prepaid Android phones. |
| Tracfone | Cost of Phone (Starting at $9.99) |
$0.17-$0.33 per minute | Yes US, PR, and USVI |
Many international calls are charged at the same rate as domestic. See included countries. | Check Coverage | You have to top up every so often to keep your account current. Rates can be high. | No contracts and local rates to many international destinations. Free nights and weekends. |
| Tracfone | Cost of Phone (Starting at $9.99) |
$0.25 per minute Double Minutes For Life Card ($19.99) halves the minute price |
Yes US, PR, and USVI |
Many international calls are charged at the same rate as domestic. See included countries. | Check Coverage | You have to top up every so often to keep your account current. | No contracts and local rates to many international destinations. Free nights and weekends. |
| Verizon Prepaid | $25+ Cost of Phone (Starting at $19.99 with $10.00 worth of airtime.) |
Basic: $0.25 p/m, $0.20 p/text Core: $0.99 on days you use $0.10 p/m, $0.10 p/t Plus: $1.99 on days you use $0.05 p/m, $0.5 p/t, unlimited Mobile to Mobile and Night & Weekend Unlimited: $3.99 on days you use Unlimited talk, $0.01 p/t |
Yes US and PR |
See Rates | Check Coverage | Most plans don't have free nights/weekends. Activation fee. | Kind of different that you pay only on the days you talk. No long-term contract. |
| AT&T GoPhone | Cost of Phone (Starting at $9.99) |
Pay as you go: $0.25 p/m Pay as you go unlimited talk: $1.00 on days you use $0.10 p/m; $3.00 per day unlimited talk $60/month Unlimited Talk and Text |
Yes US, PR, Guam and USVI |
See Rates | Check Coverage | Top up cards for <$100 expire in 30-90 days. | Pay only on days you talk. No long-term contract. |
| Cost of Phone (Starting at $19.99) |
$10 card = 30 minutes ($0.333 p/m) $25 card = 130 minutes ($0.192 p/m) $50 card = 400 minutes ($0.125 p/m) $100 card = 1000 minutes ($0.10 p/m) $0.10 p/text (to send) |
Yes | See Rates | Check Coverage | Top up cards for <$100 expire in 30-90 days. Whatever you do, don't call Vanuatu or Tuvalu ($5.10 p/m) |
$100 cards are best value | |
| T-Mobile--Prepaid | Cost of Phone (Starting at $19.99) |
$1 on days you use $0.10 p/m $0.10 p/text (to send) |
Yes | See Rates | Check Coverage | Calls to voicemail will count as a call. You will be charged. You will be charged for any data sent to your phone whether you want it or not | Unlimited nationwide calling from 7pm to 7am to any T-mobile number. |
| T-Mobile Prepaid | Cost of Phone | $50/month for unlimited talk and text | Yes | " | " | ||
| T-Mobile Prepaid | Cost of Phone | $15/month for unlimited text, 10 cents/min for talk | " | " | " | ||
| Net10 | Cost of Phone (Starting at $29.99) NOTE:You get 300 minutes worth of calling when you buy a new phone ($30 value). |
$0.10 p/m $0.05 p/text |
Yes | See Rates(Calls to included countries are $0.05 p/m + airtime ($0.10). So $0.15) | Check Coverage | Top up cards for <$200 expire in 30-180 days. | Very good deal. Stripped down, not trying to sell you bells and whistles. Just cheap calling/texting.
The company slogan is: |
| Cricket--Prepaid Mobile Plan | Cost of Phone +$15 Activation Fee |
$35/month - Unlimited Talk and Text $45/month - Unlimited Talk, Text, and Web |
Yes | See Rates | Check Coverage | High roaming charges ($0.25) Limited coverage area |
No plan. |
| Cost of Phone +$15 Activation Fee |
$55/month - Unlimted Talk, Text, and Web (1GB 3G) | Yes | |||||
| Cricket--muve music plan | Cost of Phone +$15 Activation Fee |
$55/month - Unlimited Talk, Text, Web, and Music Downloads | Yes | ||||
| Boost--Daily Unlimited | Cost of Phone (Starting at $29.99) |
$2/day for unlimited talk, text, and web | Yes | See Rates | Check Coverage | Cheap talk/text rates if you are heavy user on some days (e.g. weekend) and not at all on other days (e.g. weekday) | |
| Boost--Monthly Unlimited | Cost of Phone (Starting at $29.99) |
$50/month Unlimited talk, text, web, and walkie-talkie. |
Yes | See Rates | Check Coverage | ||
| Boost--Blackbery Monthly Unlimited | Cost of Phone (Starting at $149.99) |
$60/month Unlimited talk, text, and web. |
Yes | See Rates | Check Coverage | ||
| STi Mobile | $4.95 + Cost of Phone (starting at $36.99) NOTE: New phones come with $20 worth of airtime |
Easy 7.9 plan: $0.25 per day + 0.079 p/m Easy 8.9 plan: $0.09 per day + $0.089 p/m Minutes don't expire |
Yes | See Rates | Check Coverage | Very stripped down. | Another good option. Non-expiring minutes and low rates. Low international rates. |
| StraightTalk | Cost of Phone (includes one month of service) | $30/month – 1000 minutes, 1000 texts, 30MB data, 411
$45/month – Unlimited talk, text, web, 411 |
Yes | No | Check Coverage | Expensive and limited phones | Supposedly on Verizon's network, might have access to 3G |
Communications: Pre-Paid -
Post to Twitter
Utility Consumers' Action Network - (619) 696-6966
Terms and Conditions
UCAN.org is made available by the Utility Consumers' Action Network to assist you in becoming what you always knew you could be: a consumer ROCK STAR! We take no corporate money, and are beholden only to you, the consumer. As such, the site is here for educational, advocacy, and empowerment purposes, as well to to give you general information and a general understanding of the law. Just remember this site is NOT here to provide specific legal advice. By using this web site you of course understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Web Site publisher, UCAN. The Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.
That said, get to digging on the site, inform yourself, speak your mind, and earn Watchdog Bones! This is YOUR site, and we mean it. So comment on any of the content, discuss the latest issues in the forums, file a complaint on a company with the Fraud Squad, and generally cut loose.
See our Terms of Use, Privacy, and Copyright complaint policies as well as our Content Reuse Policy, Some Rights Reserved. Remember, if you have any questions about copyright law or need legal information regarding intellectual property, the internet, or new technologies, visit our affiliate New Media Rights at www.newmediarights.org. If you are in the San Diego region, you can also can apply to use New Media Rights' multimedia studio and equipment for free.
