Prepaid Wireless Reviews

Prepaid wireless is an alternative to a traditional monthly cell-phone plan (covered in our report on cell-phone plans ). Prepaid cell phones (also called pay-as-you-go) are a good option for people who don't use cell phones that often or those who need a cell phone only for emergency situations. Regular cell-phone service almost always involves a long-term contract (usually one or two years), but prepaid wireless plans require no commitment. Pay-as-you-go cell phones are a good way to control cellular costs for teenagers, those on a fixed income or people new to cell phones. Finally, a prepaid cell phone might be the only option for those with damaged credit ratings who might not otherwise qualify for a monthly cell-phone plan.

When choosing a prepaid cell-phone plan, reviews say the network is the most important factor, followed by pricing and flexibility. Large surveys conducted by J.D. Power and Associates and PC Magazine form the backbone of our report. Both reviews poll thousands of households on overall satisfaction with their wireless carriers and are the best way to gauge overall network coverage, call quality and customer service. J.D. Power surveyed nearly 3,000 prepaid wireless users. PC Magazine polled over 16,000 subscribers on both regular and prepaid wireless service. Consumer Reports also conducts a large survey, polling 47,000 subscribers, but their research isn't specifically geared to prepaid cellular, making it somewhat less useful.

In addition to these large surveys, we found some other helpful articles on choosing prepaid wireless. CNet.com and ConsumerAffairs.com have thorough buyer's guides, plus some reviews of the phones themselves. The website, PrepaidReviews.com, has lots of detailed information on costs and features, as well as user reviews. About.com has a prepaid plan finder geared to identifying the cheapest plan based on expected usage. (Note that ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com.)

Call quality could be an issue, however. Virgin Mobile leases network access from Sprint. Since Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint PCS network, some of the comments we found for Sprint in reviews for its cell-phone service also apply here. In owner surveys, Sprint's call quality falls behind T-Mobile and Verizon in every part of the country. In general, recent surveys note that call quality and pricing among all carriers have improved considerably since 2006.

That said, we found excellent reviews for Virgin Mobile prepaid wireless. Reports say that it offers a good selection of inexpensive phones, a wide range of low-cost calling plans, and no roaming charges. Virgin Mobile generally has less expensive phones than T-Mobile, and its calling plans are less expensive than Verizon Wireless or T-Mobile for people who make lots of calls. Those factors may ultimately make Virgin Mobile a better choice for those more interested in low costs than call quality. In the latest survey at J.D. Power, Virgin Mobile is the highest rated prepaid wireless carrier.

If you are trying to decide between a regular monthly cell-phone service and a pay-as-you-go plan, you need to do some careful math, and reviews say prepaid wireless may end up costing more than a monthly plan if you don't watch your usage. Experts say that choosing the most cost-effective pay-as-you-go plan means estimating your minute usage, analyzing the degree to which you will travel out of the coverage area (since roaming may cost extra), estimating the amount of text messaging and other extras you will use, and understanding how the plan charges for its various features. Finally, phones with prepaid plans sometimes cost more, since companies tend to subsidize phones for monthly service but not for prepaid cell-phone plans.

But for a lot of people, the benefits of prepaid wireless can outweigh the downsides. There's no monthly bill, so it's easier to control costs. Any taxes and fees are included in the price of prepaid wireless plans, so there are no surprises. No one will check your credit, and if you don't want to continue with your prepaid wireless plan, you just stop buying minutes.  ... Continued

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of picks	Model (with retailer links)	Price
5	Verizon Wireless	Plans start at 10¢ per minute plus 99¢ daily access fee on days you make calls
5	Virgin Mobile	Plans start at $25 per month or 18¢ per minute
4	T-Mobile To Go	Plans start at $10 per month for 30 minutes
2	TracFone	Plans start at $20 for 60 minutes
2	AT&T	Plans start at 10¢ per minute plus $1 per day access fee on days you make calls
1 each	Alltel, Net10, Boost Mobile, U.S. Cellular

In large owner surveys, Virgin Mobile gets the best overall reviews. Verizon Wireless nearly beats Virgin Mobile with its high scores for call quality, but its prepaid wireless plans are pricey. T-Mobile also gets good reviews from owners. It is generally more expensive than Virgin Mobile, but minutes usually expire in 90 days rather than 30 days, and T-Mobile has a good annual prepaid plan.