Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk

Bottom Line

Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk looks a lot like a traditional cell phone plan -- only it's cheaper, with no contract and no commitment. Reviewers say it's one prepaid carrier that goes beyond basics. Virgin Mobile has a great selection of the latest cell phones, including the iPhone, and some basic phones for those who just want to talk and text.

Breaking It Down

Plans and Flexibility

Similar features to contract cell phone plans. Reviewers enthuse about Virgin Mobile's range of prepaid cell phone plans, saying that the plans look like an expensive contract plan. After analyzing the costs of seven competitors, About.com's former cell phones guide Adam Fendelman concludes that Virgin Mobile offers the best prepaid wireless plans overall. Editors at TopTenReviews.com praise Virgin Mobile for its fees, as the company doesn't charge activation or roaming fees for its prepaid service. In addition, domestic long distance is included in its pay-as-you-go and monthly plans.

Virgin Mobile's Beyond Talk plans start at $35 per month for unlimited text, email, data and web, with 300 voice minutes; $45 raises the voice minutes to 1,200, and it's $55 for unlimited service. There is no expiration to these minutes. T-Mobile Prepaid also offers smartphones, but its monthly plans have limits on data usage (web surfing, etc.).

As an alternative to the Beyond talk plans, SavvySenior.org columnist Jim Miller says Virgin Mobile's inexpensive PayLo talk and text plan is a great choice for seniors or others who just want a cell phone for emergency or occasional calls.  The PayLo plans only come with basic flip or candy-bar phones. Prices for these plans start at $20 per month for 400 minutes of talk; text and data cost extra. The monthly $40 PayLo plan provides unlimited talk and text and 50 MB of data.

Performance

Piggybacks onto the Sprint network. Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk service uses the Sprint network, and reviewers say coverage may be an issue. Virgin Mobile's prepaid coverage map shows holes over less populated regions of the eastern United States, as well as much of the West. The carrier earns average ratings for voice quality at J.D. Power and Associates, PCMag.com and other respected customer surveys.

Customer service

Average ratings and geared toward young customers. Virgin Mobile receives average ratings for its customer service in large customer surveys at PCMag.com and J.D. Power and Associates. Traditionally geared toward young customers, Virgin Mobile's website can be "hard to navigate and understand if you're over the age of 20," PrepaidReviews.com editors say. Although the editors at PrepaidReviews.com give Virgin Mobile 4 out of 5 stars, users aren't as enthusiastic, especially about customer service. Over 1,700 user reviewers at this site award an average of 2 out of 5 stars to this carrier.

Phone Selection

Great selection of advanced phones. Virgin Mobile has an extensive selection of phones for its Beyond Talk plans, starting with a basic Venture model (*Est. $30). Virgin Mobile offers one of the most advanced prepaid phones out there: the LG Optimus Elite (*Est. $130), a touch-screen smartphone running Android 2.2. You could also choose the Samsung Intercept (*Est. $100) Android phone or the iPhone 4 or 4S. However, the selection for PayLo talk and text is limited to five Samsung and Kyocera phones.