Is Unlimited No Contract Wireless For You?!

Is an Unlimited wireless plan the right prepaid plan for you?  So you've reviewed all of the other plan types on the Prepaid Wireless Plans page, and you're still not quite sure what plan type best fits your particular needs.  Don't be concerned; this is no easy task!  The options are plentiful, are continually growing, and prepaid wireless providers don't always make things clear.  In fact, what's included and not included in various plans can be down right confusing.  As you explore this plan option, here are some tips and questions to consider that identify you as a good candidate for this plan type:

• You use your phone a LOT and don't want to worry about how many minutes or texts you have remaining in your bucket, or what the price per minute is if you go over your plan allocation.

• You have long conversations, or numerous shorter conversations virtually everyday.

• You want the best value for your money, and are prepared to commit to paying a specific amount on the same day each month.  Even though you don't have a contract, if you don't want to have interrupted service, you'll need to pay on time each month.

• You're committed to the plan from the beginning and don't expect to want to change plans at a moment's notice.  While most prepaid wireless carriers now offer different plan types, changing plans in the middle of the month usually means that you would lose some number of days or weeks of the plan you just paid for.  In other words, you would want to wait until the currently paid month is up before changing plans.  This may or may not feel restrictive to you depending on your preferences and lifestyle. 

Look for these aspects when comparing costs of Unlimited providers

• What's the monthly cost of the plan?

• Are there convenience/service fees when making your monthly payment?  Because of the value of these plans, some wireless providers still charge a replenishment fee as a way to cover costs, or they use it to pay their distributors and retailers.  This definitely affects the true monthly cost to you for these plans, so don't forget to take this into consideration when looking at your total cost.

• What's included in the plan and what's extra?  (ex. Is text messaging included?  What about wireless Web/data?  Most plans no longer offer unlimited high speed data.)

• Does the plan include nationwide coverage, or is it regional requiring that you stay within your home calling area to avoid either not being able to make calls at all, or paying extra per minute fees?  Regional players are starting to get eliminated from the market, however, they do still exist.

• If you don't like the plan, does the carrier have another plan type that you can easily switch to?  Do they charge fees to switch or require that you purchase a different phone?

• How much data do you think you'll use on a monthly basis?  Remember that even searching the Android Market (Google Play) and downloading apps takes data, so don't underestimate your data needs if you won't be using WiFi on a daily basis.

Overall, no contract unlimited plans are extremely popular and can offer amazing value for heavy users.  One word of caution though.  Believe it or not most people don't use all of the allocations and features in their plan, and those with unlimited minutes tend to highly UNDER use minutes.  So while this plan type is great for having some peace of mind that you'll never be caught off-guard with major overage charges required to continue service for the remainder of the month, you don't want to pay a lot more when other Monthly Plans would more than suit your needs!

Be Heard!  Let prepaid wireless providers know what you want; fill out the survey now.