Tracfone recently released a new line of unlimited prepaid phone plans under the name Straight Talk. This was a very aggressive move by the prepaid wireless provider and one that has garnered quite a bit of media attention. The first plan costs $45 and includes unlimited talk time and unlimited text messages. It’s a very competitive deal and one that undercuts a similar deal from Boost Mobile by five dollars.

Earlier in the year, industry people were saying that the $50 threshold was as far as any wireless company could go and still make a profit, but then Tracfone came along with its new unlimited plans that have many people very excited and ready to make the switch to prepaid plans.

Tracfone is a very large pay as you go service provider with 12 million subscribers in the United States. The release of these very affordable plans will only gain a larger market share for the company. This new Tracfone service may make the company even more popular with people looking for cheap prepaid phones.

For the $45 price point, customers receive unlimited talk time and unlimited text messaging, along with 30 MB of data usage. Heavy cell phone talkers and text messagers would do well to look into this plan.

For the $30 price, subscribers receive 1,000 minutes and 1,000 text messages. This is a very attractive plan. 1,000 minutes of talk time is quite a bit. I don’t remember ever going over this amount of talk time in a month.

For either of these Straight Talk prepaid plans, you need to purchase a phone that works with the plan. This most likely will add to your overall payment to the company, as there are only select handsets that work with the unlimited plans.

Two things you should know about Straight Talk is that both plans also include free information calling and, in one of the strongest selling points, they run on the strong Verizon network, which provides very good nationwide coverage.

The competitors with Tracfone are Boost Mobile and MetroPCS, which both have plans attractive to new subscribers. Tracfone may have an advantage because it has a reputation as a very affordable, value company and often offers discounts on phone handsets, free minutes, and Tracfone promo codes. If you are a subscriber to Tracfone, you should be taking advantage of the Traconfe promotional codes that will provide you with free minutes in addition to the ones you purchase.

Tracfone also is known for the Double Minutes for Life program, which is very popular. If you subscribe to the Tracfone service, you are going to want to purchase this add-on. At the time of this writing, it double minutes for life costs around thirty bucks, which is a steal considering how much money you will probably be able to save with it over the life of your phone. If you’re looking for a new phone, there is also a current offer from the company that may be what you’re looking for.

For about twenty dollars, you can buy a refurbished Motorola w370 cell phone handset. With the purchase price, you also receive as a bonus, a 60 minute talk time card. You also get free Double Minutes for Life. This is a pretty good deal.

It is very possible for you to find an amazing deal for your mobile communication needs. If you are not looking for a highly functional smartphone, you will also be able to find very good phone options from several prepaid wireless providers. There is a lot of competition out there--exploit it and start saving on your phone bills

Straight Talk easily beats out a lot of the competition that's out there in the prepaid market in several key ways. Here's how it beats each and every other prepaid wireless provider, by brand.

T-Mobile. This company recently released a $79.99 unlimited plan that includes voice calling. This is expensive, especially compared to $45 per month.

MetroPCS. Straight Talk defeats any unlimited plan from this carrier because, although pricing is very close, you get more from the offerings from Straight Talk, and you have access to a much stronger, nationwide network.

Verizon. Verizon's prepaid unlimited talk plan requires a daily fee of $3.99--only on days the phone is used to accept or dial a call. If you use your phone once a day, you will be paying a very high cost.

Boost Mobile.  While the Boost Mobile monthly unlimited plan allows user to talk all they want, text all they want, and surf the web as much as they want, the plan costs a few more dollars and may not have as strong a network in many parts of the country.  

If you're looking for very affordable Tracfone service, definitely look into the Straight Talk unlimited plan.

Learn more about Straight Talk in another review of the plans.