T-Mobile To Go

February 2009. Prepaid wireless cell-phone services like T-Mobile To Go can be judged most effectively by customer surveys in which users are polled about network coverage, circuit overloads, dropped calls and customer service. J.D. Power and Associates runs an annual poll of more than 3,000 users, asking about their prepaid wireless plans, and PC Magazine and Consumer Reports survey its readers every year about both regular and prepaid cell service. PrepaidReviews.com ranks prepaid wireless plans, including T-Mobile to Go, and includes comments from subscribers.

Reviewers say T-Mobile To Go offers an excellent combination of voice quality, phone options and flexible-rate prepaid wireless plans. The cheapest option is 30 minutes for $10. A $25 purchase buys you 130 minutes, which don't expire for 90 days -- making this a good option if you don't plan to use your phone very often. There are also packages for $50 and $100. (The $100 package gives you 1,000 minutes, good for an entire year. See our review of T-Mobile's Annual Plan.) If you replenish your account before your minutes expire, the unused minutes roll over. You can either do this online or at one of 90,000 retail locations nationwide. If you are looking for the best possible call quality, reviewers recommend Verizon Wireless INpulse (*est. 10 cents per minute, 99 cent daily usage fee).