Prepaid Comparison Chart 


Last Update: 07/10/2008 09:54 PM

Prepaid is becoming more mainstream.  Many carriers are raising rates and adding fees.  If you use less than 150 minutes a month, pre-paid can be very attractive.  All prepaid plans include voicemail and domestic long distance.

This chart contains what I consider the best deals in prepaid. You'll also find some of the "big guys" so that you can compare them, such as AT&T and Virgin Mobile.

You will probably notice that some prepays are not in the chart. They can't all be the best deal!  Follow this link to scroll to the bottom to see some of the prepaids that did not make the chart, and why they did not make it. Links are included so you can check them out for yourself.

Hybrid prepaid plans have become popular with the cell providers lately, since they bring in the same revenue (or more) as regular plans. Because these plans cater to a different audience, I have created a separate chart for that type of plan.

There are tons of new prepay plans on the market all the time. I am not going to list them unless there is something significantly better than what is already here  If you know of a plan that is better than these then please let me know. Also, contact me with corrections to the chart! 

Check out any special offers on my special offers page.

^AA The recharge period is the number of days that the airtime is good for. If you recharge your account within this period your current account balance will carry over to the new period. Some plans include a grace period before losing minutes and phone number, but the phone will not work during that period.  For example, the grace period for Virgin Mobile is 60 days.
^BB This indicates whether you will be charged airtime when someone calls your cellphone and leaves a message on voicemail, This also includes retrieving voice mail deposits from a landline.
^CC SMS = Short Message Service (sending & receiving text messages)
^DD WAP = Wireless Application Protocol (surfing the web on the cell phone)


^AV1 There is not a activation fee, but if you start service with a dealer, they can charge you whatever they want to start service
^AV2 [deleted]
^AV3 Service must be started with a dealer. If you e-mail them nicely AirVoice will set you up with new service (for GSM - will send you a SIM)
^AV4 A $1 monthly service fee is charged on the 8th of each month.
^AV5 For GSM there is a 20c/day usage fee for any day where the phone is used (voice or text)
^AV6 Voicemail is not active by default, you have to call to have it enabled.
^AV7 SMS is not active by default, you have to call to have it enabled.

^AL1 Alltel U is only available for sale in native ALLTEL coverage areas (in the northeast that means only Litchfield County, CT). Some people have said they could order by calling Alltel U Customer Service, 1-800-255-8351, and have the package delivered to a non-Alltel coverage area (however you would not get a local phone number).
^AL2 The $4/mo fee will be waived if you make at least one billable call every 30 days. This fee may go away with the implementation of airtime expiration dates. Alltel has been giving different stories about this whole thing [upd 7/14/2007].

^BW1 To get the low monthly rate you need to use the $50 one-year refill (102 minutes @ 50c/minute)
^BW2 Some users report being charged for voice mail deposits. If so, you need to call and get it corrected.

^BO1 You need to re-boost from the website using a credit/debit card in order to re-boost for $10 ($3.33/month minimum).
^B02 Boost Mobile airtime costs 20c/min peak, 10c/min off-peak (Mon-Fri 9PM-7AM, & Fri 9PM-Mon 7AM) and 10c/min M2M to other Bost, Sprint PCS and some Nextel customers. Direct connect costs $1/day for any day that you alert someone or DC someone, or someone alerts or DCs you. You are charged the $1 if someone alerts you even if your phone is turned off (effective 9/2006).
^BO3 Boost Mobile can be used in Baja Mexico for a surcharge of 10c/minute (same surcharge for DC). Boost DC will also work on Telus in Canada for a surcharge of 20c/minute (web works too), but voice does not work.

^CG1 AT&T is charging a monthly e911 fee in many states - see here for details
^CG2 There are two plans: (1) 25c plan is 25c/min for all calls and (2) $1/day plan is $1 on days you make or receive a voice call, M2M calls are free, all other calls are 10c/min.
^CG3 $15 card expires in 30 days, $100 card expires in 365 days, all other cards expire in 90 days.
^CG4 AT&T does not charge for voice mail deposits or checking from a landline on the 25c plan. However AT&T was charging on the $1/M2M 10c plan (VM is rated as M2M). This could have changed but I have no confirmation.
^CG5 Packages available:
    Messaging Packs: $4.99/200; $9.99/1000; $19.99/unlimited text
    Media Net Packs: $4.99/1MB; $9.99/5MB; $14.99/10MB; $19.99/unlimited data (overages 1c/KB)

^NT1 Although Net10 says they will port your number, many people have had problems doing so. Beware.
^NT2 You get an initial 300 minutes or airtime good for 60 days included with the phone..
^NT3 Sometimes you are charged for busy/no answers, sometimes you are not. It may be market dependant.

^PP1 The activation fee varies. There are some low cost starter kits on eBay starting around $4.00. If you port your number in then activation is free (follow the instructions on the webpage or call them directly).
^PP2 The 50c monthly fee is charged on the 25th of each month.
^PP3 PagePlus uses "funny money" which can work out to less than this rate. Check out my PagePlus page for more details.
^PP4 The $80 card is a great deal (6c airtime), but has been removed from the vendor website (again)

^SO1 Minimum refill of $5, one call every 120 days, monthly fee for the month used. Be careful you don't exceed the 120 days!
(note that the $5 refill *may* not be available, confusion on this point)
^SO2 Monthly fee charged only in months the phone is used.
^SO3 SIM-only kit not available, although you can use any recent AT&T or unlocked phone after the purchase
^SO4 Your mobile number may be terminated if there is no activity on your account for 120 days

^ST1 If you miss the 60 day call, your balance will fall to zero. After 14 days your account will be deactivated and number lost, and it will cost another $4.95 to reactivate it.  
^ST2 Beware that STI may ask for your SSN to port your number!
^ST3 This is for combined MMS and Web usage. Beware that STi uses the undocumented limit of 12 MB per week. If you exceed that limit your data will be canceled without notice. You can't get it back.
^ST4 Beware that STi uses the undocumented limit of 12 MB per week. If you exceed that limit your data will be canceled without notice. You can't get it back.


^TF1 For the $4.95/month you keep service active but get no additional airtime.
^TF2 If you buy the pricy double minute card ($50, zero minutes), future airtime cards are 10c-17c (and if you use that many minutes you are better off with Tracfone's Net10 plan).
^TF3 Every airtime card you add extends the due date that many days. There is no limit to how far out you can extend the due date!
^TF4 Sometimes you are charged for busy/no answers, sometimes you are not. It may be market dependant.
^TF5 Incoming SMS is free on the Nokia 1100, 2600, 3390, Motorola V170, C155 but costs 0.3 units on the newer GSM models.
^TF6 Some older CDMA phones have a 2x roaming rate (e.g. 2126, 2285, 5180i)
^TF7 Only selected camera phones (such as the CG225 and c261) have picture messaging (MMS)




^TM1 Gold Reward Members airtime is good for one year, making the minimum monthly cost 83c/month. [you become a gold rewards member with the refill after you hit $100 or instantly with the $100 card]
^TM2 T-Mobile uses "funny money" which can work out to less than this rate. However the calculation gets complicated, so I just use the listed rate
^TM3 T-Mobile Prepaid has roaming available in some locations around the USA at no cost. Check the T-Mobile Coverage Map Tool for details. Roaming in Canada costs 69c/minute.
^TM4 The $100 card expires in one year. All other cards expire in 90 days, except that for Gold Reward members, all denominations expire in 365 days.
^TM5 WAP is limited to the T-Mobile Prepaid WAP Deck which includes account info, downloads (extra cost), CNN, ABC, ESPN, limited games


^VM1 $15 refill only good with the Pay Less Every 90 auto-refill (which gets you to the $5/month rate)
^VM2 Two other minute plans are available, see Virgin page
^VM3 Top-up at least $90 in a three day (72 hour) period and airtime is good for a year.




Account Info Options:
^AA1 Account Management available on-line
^AA2 Call History available on-line
^AA3 Account Balance available via SMS
^AA4 Account Balance available via WAP
^AA5 Account Balance available via the phone (611, 1-800, etc), you may pay airtime if you call from the cell
^AA6 Account Balance available on handset
^AA7 A recorded message tells you how many minutes are available at the beginning of a call
^AA8 A text message tells you how many minutes are available at the completion of a call


Refill Options:
^RF1 Refill card over the phone (611, 1-800, etc), you may pay airtime if you call from the cell
^RF2 Refill card via Website
^RF3 Refill card via WAP
^RF4 Credit/Debit card over the phone (611, 1-800, etc), you may pay airtime if you call from the cell
^RF5 Credit/Debit card via Website
^RF6 Credit/Debit card via WAP
^RF7 Cash (may be limited)
^RF8 Auto-recurring billing available
^RF9 Refill only through third-party web sites
^RF10 Refill via special number via the cell (no charge)

Prepaids that did not make the chart, and why
(e-mail me if I missed the boat or if you have another provider to add to this list)

Trumpet Mobile: Uses the Sprint PCS network, no roaming allowed. Very similar to Virgin Mobile, but less options and more expensive. May be worth a look if you do not like Virgin Mobile phones.

Beyond GSM / Jolt Mobile: Decent rates but poor expiration dates. AirVoice beats them (even with the monthly and daily fees)

The plethora of Locus Communications Plans. There are SIX different plans! They all have some sort of catch, such as short expiration times, gimmick bonus minutes once you spend $250 or something with changing airtime rates. They offer CDMA (Locus Platinum, VIVA) and GSM (CallPlus, Locus, Oxygen, POP). The plans in my chart beat everyone one of the Locus plans.

Several of the previous prepaids on my list have gone out of business, hmmmm.

cool.Prepaid: Out of business as of 12/31/2007

usa1RATE: Out of business as of 2/2007

Any TDMA Plan: TDMA service is no longer offered as of 3/31/2007