This article is about some of the benefits of prepaid cell phones.

You may not be very familiar with some of the current prepaid plans available, but hopefully when you are done reading this you will understand some of the reasons people opt for prepaid or pay as you go cell phones.

Reasons Why People Choose Prepaid Cell Phones.

1) No Contract.  One of the main reasons people choose prepaid is because you do not have to sign a contract. One more time: you do not have to sign a contract with the company that provides you prepaid wireless mobile phone usage.

This is a big plus because if you want to opt out and go with a different service or plan, there is no fee to pay. The standard 2-year contract that you have to sign with companies such as Verizon is going the way of the dodo. Terminating a contract with your cell phone service provider could cost you a couple hundred bucks.

To me and many people out there, that is a ripoff. I don't want to have to pay a fee if I want to try another company. Furthermore, the big name companies like Verizon Wirelss, T-Mobile, and AT&T now offer prepaid and pay as you go plans.

2) No Credit Checks. Since there is no contract to sign when you get a prepaid cell phone plan, there is no credit check. Some people just like the privacy, but others just don't have good enough credit to qualify for a standard cell phone contract. These people can, however, use a prepaid cell phone from the same companies that would deny them a contract. Some people choose this option out of necessity.

3) You have more control over wireless costs. Going for a prepaid cell phone means you will have more control over the minuts you use. It is a lot easier to control your minute usage and to reign it in if you are using too many minutes when you know just how many minutes you can use in a month. The best plans for those looking to save money on cell usage are the ones that don't allow you to use your phone when you're out of minutes. In order to use the phone again, you will have to call and order more minutes.

Obviously, there is a down side to this because you may need your phone in an emergency and if you are out of minutes you're out of luck.

Boost Mobile provides the "walkie-talkie" service, which works well for some people. With this service, you basically use your phone as a walkie-talkie and there is a daily fee (somewhere around a dollar a day) you have to pay in order to use it--but you don't have to pay for minutes. This is typically used by close friends and family on the same plans.

4) Control your kids minutes usage. This is basically an extension of the last point, but it deserves its own section because it's a big one. It is so easy to run up cell phone minutes because people are living more and more of their lives wirelessly. This is also very true--if not more so--for kids. There is music to download, new games, ringtones, and of course there's texting. It is very easy to go way above and beyond your cell phone plan. With a prepaid wireless plan, you can more easily control your kids usage because as soon as they hit their allotted minutes, they will have none left.

There is an obvious downside to this because you want constant access to your children to keep an eye on them.

5) You only pay for the minutes you use. Many pay as you go plans operate in such a way that you only pay for the minutes you use. Say you use your cell phone for business and you have your phone on a prepaid or pay as you go type plan. Now, let's say your busy time is around the end of they year, November and December. You may use 700 minutes that month. But in summer, you may only use half that because you are not as busy taking orders or communicating with customers. So why would you want to pay for 700 minutes every month if you aren't going to use them all?

Many people are choosing to go with prepaid cell phones because they either want to save money, have more control of their minutes, or they just simply want to avoid a credit check and being stuck in a contract for several years.

Click the following link for more information and details on prepaid cell phones and the prepaid plans offerred by the main wireless companies.

Also see my hub about Jitterbug prepaid phones. and another about the newest phone from GreatCall, Jitterbug J.

These days, you can't be too careful with how you spend your money. Prepaid cell phones might be one way you can save your hard earned cash. If you haven't watched the video at the top of this page, I would recommend it. It is how one mom is making the most of her pay as you go plan to save money on her family's cell phone usage.

It is really easy to overpay your wireless provided. I wanted to add that it is not always the best option for you specifically to switch to prepaid or pay as you go. It is on a case by case basis. I know people who have what they call "grandfathered" cell phone plans that they have had for six or more years that are getting them great deals for a lot of minutes. If you have a plan like that, it is probably best to stick with it, because you may save money in the long run.

But if you are looking for a new phone and you want to be in full control of your phone minutes, definitely look into prepaid offers. Some of the more popular companies offering these kinds of plans are Virgin, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon Prepaid Cell Phones, Cricket, and Tracfone prepaid cell phones.

On another note, one thing you want to look out for in the prepaid world is the cost of the actual phone you will be using. One of the benefits to the two year contract model (in fact, one of the "incentives" wireless providers use) is a free or marked-down cell phone. Have you heard Verizon's "new every two"? Every two years if you sign your contract again, Verizon gives you a cheap or free phone.

When you get a prepaid phone you may not be able to get a very cheap phone. This is another thing you should factor into the decision making process. See the video below for a good rundown on prepaid vs contract phones.

Good luck in your search for the perfect cell phone plans.

There are a couple of very useful websites on this topic that might help you make an informed decision on your next phone purchase. It really is all about knowing just what you are looking for in a phone: how many minutes you need, what kind of phone you want, whether or not you want texting include, and maybe most importantly, how much you want to pay.

Another great resource is this article at cellphones.About.com.  Read more about the benefits of prepaid wireless plans. 

If you are looking for a prepaid phone good for the elderly, then read my hub about Jitterbug prepaid phones, the first phone made specifically with older users in mind.  

TracFone Straight Talk: Hot New Prepaid Plans

You may have heard of the Straight Talk prepaid plans from TracFone, or you may haven't. Maybe you just heard that Wal-Mart will now be carrying its own brand of prepaid phone.  This brand is actually owned by TracFone and is called Straight Talk.

The brand consists of two very attractive and affordable pay as you go plans.  One is an unlimited plan and the other is a less expensive "lighter" plan. 

Straight Talk Unlimited Plan

Straight Talk $30 Best in Business

One of the more popular prepaid wireless carriers is Tracfone. This company has very affordable handsets and plans for all types of cell phone users. If you are looking for an affordable option, then Tracfone prepaid may be a good choice for you.

To save even more money, sign up for Double Minutes for Life. Just like it sounds, with this plan you get free talk time equal to what you purchase. It works out to be a very good deal and will save you a lot of money on your cell phone bill. See a current deal from Tracfone.