It's no longer a secret that prepaid cell phones are a good way for some cell phone users to save money on their bills.  Prepaid has really gained some ground over the past year as more people are looking for creative ways to save on their bills and cut costs in any way possible.

The thing that has happened is that people now realize they have options.  They don't have to sign a two-year contract with Verizon to get a free phone and be stuck with the same wireless provider if they don't want to.  There simply are a lot of options out there, even though most of the advertising is done by the companies looking for subscribers to bound by contract, which makes a lot of sense from the perspective of the big four wireless companies.  They want you to be a customer for a long period of time.  It makes sense.  For them!  But not always for you.

The stigma of prepaid phones has also died down quite a bit.  Prepaid is no longer seen as only an option for people with bad credit who can't qualify for a contract plan, it is now seen as a viable option for certain kinds of cell phone users who are looking to save money.

Read more about the Tracfone $45 unlimited prepaid wireless plan.

TracFone wireless has shaken the prepaid wireless marketplace by unleashing a new brand, Straight Talk, which provides a $45 unlimited prepaid plan.  

Unlimited means what you think it means: unlimited minutes, unlimited text messages, etc.  This is a bold move by Tracfone, which with 12 million subscribers is already the number one prepaid cell phone provider in the United States.  It has the potential to shake up the business, especially when you see that the Tracfone Straight Talk unlimited plan is $5 less than somewhat similar plans offered by Boost Mobile, Metro PCS, and Virgin Mobile.  

This is a very aggressive move by Tracfone and shows the confidence the company has that it can support a large user base at that pricepoint.

Unlimited prepaid plans are very new to the wireless industry.  The big news at the beginning of the year was the Boost Mobile Unlimited prepaid plan, which was quite aggressive, and while aimed at a younger demographic, still gained some new users for Boost.  When the news of this plan broke, people were saying that a price war might ensue.  Analysts and wireless industry insiders are saying this very same thing upon the news of the Straight Talk plans.  

If you look at it that way, Tracfone may be responding to Boost Mobile and the other wireless carriers who kept their prepaid plans at the $50 threshold.  

Visit the official site: www.straighttalk.com

Tracfone's Straight Talk plan costs $45 for 30 days of unlimited nationwide anytime minutes and text messages.  

The second option is a $30 plan which includes 1,000 minutes and 1,000 text messages.  

As you can see, Tracfone means business with this new foray into the "unlimited plans."  Tracfone is known for offering very cheap prepaid cell phone plans and frequently having very Tracfone promotional codes (click the link to see a list of some of the best places to find active promo codes that work) for free minutes--which is always a good thing.  

Read more details about Straight Talk.

Have a Tracfone handset already, but looking for a new ringtone?  Read my hub on how to find Tracfone Ringtones.