Best Reviewed
Prepaid Cell Phone Plans
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- Prepaid phone plan with international calling TracFone *Est. $10
- Best as an emergency phone T-Mobile Prepaid (annual plan) *Est. $100
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Pros
- Minutes good for 120 days
- Simple, straightforward plans
- National coverage with the Verizon network
Cons
- Limited phone choices
- Roaming fees
Page Plus Cellular is a smaller prepaid cell phone provider that is not included in major user surveys conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, ConsumerReports.org and PCMag.com. It is included in a review at TopTenReviews.com, coming in at the bottom half of the pack, and receiving below average marks in all categories. The editors of PrepaidReviews.com, however, rate this carrier 4 out of 5 stars, praising its simple plans and low-cost minutes that are good for 120 days. The Page Plus Standard Voice Plan costs 4 cents to 10 cents per minute, but the more minutes you buy, the cheaper they become. For instance, with a $10 card, minutes cost 10 cents, but with a $50 card, the cost drops to 4 cents per minute. The Unlimited Talk n Text plan includes 20 MB of data and costs $40 per month.
Page Plus also offers a Talk n Text 1200 plan with 1,200 minutes, 2,000 texts and 100 MB of data for $30 a month, as well as add-on text plans (2,000 for $11 per month, or unlimited for $20 per month). Page Plus uses the Verizon network, which blankets most of the United States. If you do roam into uncovered areas, Page Plus charges 29 cents per minute roaming fees. Page Plus also has very limited phone choices, although subscribers say you can use any Verizon-compatible phone. A more comprehensive unlimited plan, Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk (*Est. $35 per month and up), offers advanced phones, no roaming fees and no data caps. If you're looking for basic prepaid service, TracFone (*Est. $10 for 30 min. and up) is the one reviewers recommend most.
Large user surveys are the most effective way to assess prepaid cell phone service plans, but Page Plus Cellular is not included in those conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, PCMag.com and ConsumerReports.org. PrepaidReviews.com rates prepaid wireless plans and posts feedback from cell phone subscribers.
Our Sources
Page Plus Cellular finishes in 11th place in this 2012 review of prepaid phone services. It receives below average marks for everything, including features, fees and phone selection, consisting of refurbished phones. The editors find its vast selection of service plans to be confusing, but say that the "Talk n Text" plan is close enough to being unlimited, at a reasonable cost. Note that TopTenReviews.com's evaluation of prepaid cell phone providers is based only on features and doesn't look at how each phone service performs.
Review: 2012 Prepaid Cell Phones Comparison, Editors of TopTenReviews.com
Editors at PrepaidReviews.com give Page Plus Cellular 4 out of 5 stars for the simplicity of its plans and low per-minute rates. (Editors also say Page Plus has no activation fee, but the Page Plus website lists a $10 activation fee.) However, Page Plus gets mixed reviews from users, who award it an average of 3 stars, with many 1-star ratings given because of the reviewers' poor experiences with the company's customer service.
Review: Page Plus Prepaid Wireless Service, Editors of PrepaidReviews.com
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