Prepaid Wireless Questions - Ask One or Answer One!

Do you have prepaid wireless questions for which you're seeking thorough, accurate, and trustworthy answers?  Or perhaps you're a prepaid wireless guru, and would like to share your knowledge and help others by answering their questions?  Either way, you've come to the right place!
Prepaid Wireless & Prepaid Broadband Questions
As you can expect, I get a lot of emails from visitors to this site with questions about prepaid wireless, including prepaid broadband (ex. mobile hotspots).  I do my best to keep up with them and to provide prompt responses.  What often comes to mind while I'm reading and responding to questions is how great the questions are!  And even more importantly, I think about how many other people probably have the exact same question, or who would find reading the answers to be extremely interesting and helpful.

So, please use the form below to submit your question.  It will be posted as its own Web page.  Both myself and visitors to the site will be happy to answer them for you by using the comments feature below your question.  After submitting your question, you'll have the opportunity to enter your email address to be notified when people respond, so you'll know when to come back to read the answers to your question.  And don't worry, your email address is kept private and will never be used for any other purpose.


Please note that if you have reviews of specific plans or providers (ex. TracFone, Virgin, Cricket, MetroPCS, etc.), or if you have a question about how a particular company's plan works (ex. When do my TracFone minutes expire?), please visit Prepaid Wireless Reviews and submit under the appropriate section.  This particular page will be reserved for general questions about prepaid wireless and prepaid broadband.  You can ask anything you want.  No prepaid wireless question is a bad one, so please don't hesitate to ask whatever is on your mind.  If you're not sure whether your question belongs here or in the Prepaid Wireless Reviews section, don't worry, just post it here; no problem!  If for whatever reason you're not comfortable having your question posted online, please never hesitate to Contact me directly.

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Questions From Other Visitors

Click below to see questions from other visitors to this site...

T-Mobile Acquires Mint Mobile 
Will Mint Mobile increase their prices now that they've been purchased by T-Mobile? Mint's whole campaigns is about beating big wireless, then they sell …

Prepaid Wireless Today vs. 10 Years Ago 
What do you think has changed the most with prepaid wireless now vs. 10 years ago? The lines between prepaid and postpaid seem to have been blurred so …

FCC ACP Free Internet 
I've added this page so people looking for more information on the FCC Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) can ask questions and discuss! Please share …

Affordable Connectivity Program 
I'm trying to understand the Affordable Connectivity Program. Is it the same as the old Emergency Broadband Benefit program or something different? Thank …

Limited Smartphone Selection On No Contract Plans 
Why do vendors have a limited selection of smartphones phones to go with their no contract prepaid plans? Why won't any unlocked smartphone work with these …

Is Karma MiFi Sharing Safe? 
I live in SF, and I am intrigued by the Karma MiFi sharing idea. I became aware of Karma just moments ago when looking over your list of MiFi providers …

Will 3G MiFi Be Fast Enough? 
I mostly we check email, go on facebook, check other people's status, and my husband watches some shows and YouTube videos, and we watch Netflix. I also …

What's The Best MiFi Option For Me? 
Thanks SO MUCH for your in depth information! I'm completely lost as to what MiFi option would work best for me. If I only need access perhaps 5 …

Prepaid Wireless Phone To Replace Landline? 
Hi, I have an 11-year-old son who frequently is home alone for brief periods of time. We dropped our landline and so he has no way to reach Mom or Dad …

How To Use A Smartphone On Assurance Wireless 
A number of people want to use a smartphone they already own on a prepaid wireless service such as Assurance. While Assurance refuses to allow smartphones …

Prepaid MiFi Plan To Turn iPad Into Cell Phone 
I rarely use a cell phone, so long term contracts are not for me, but I would like to have a cell phone just in case I might need it. I had an at&t pay …

Prepaid Data Allowance Clarification 
I received the following questions from a visitor to the site via a direct email. I feel that the nature of the questions is so important, that rather …

Minutes Are Not Supposed To Expire 
I find it unheard of that minutes expire. If I buy something, then I paid for something and what I bought should be mine. I find it unlawful that a …

USB modem + Wireless Router vs. MiFi Hotspot? 
My Cradlepoint router works fine to distribute mobile broadband from a USB modem around my house to various computers. Now I'm going to switch carriers, …

Prepaid Wireless Pal In Canada 
I live in the US but have occasion to travel to Canada frequently. Is there a plan that works in the US and also in Canada without excessive roaming charges? …

Do I need a cell phone w/ contract to get online with my laptop? 
I have read a lot of how-to articles online and have asked a lot of people in person and so far I get either various answers from the people or incomplete/vague …

Do companies like BlackBerry, Apple, HTC provide deferred payment terms? 
Want to know if you are a master agent and/or authorized reseller for carrier and a standalone reseller of phones, do you have to buy outright phones or …

Virgin Mobile Defrauding Customers - Do other companies do this? 
I recently found out that Virgin Mobile Top-Up cards have an expiration date (they won't clarify it for me but it appears to be 60 days from purchase date). …

WiFi Hot Spot 3 or 4 Times Per Year 
I do football statistics at the high school level. I work in the home press box (with a high speed internet connection) for five or six games, then are …

Porting Home Phone Number to Assurance Wireless 
I was led to believe I could retain my home phone number as my cell number with Assurance, but when I activated the cell on June 11th, it gave me a number …

Coverage in out of network areas PlatinumTel 
After ~ 6 or 7 years I lost my phone. I'm interested in Pay as you Go from Platinum Tel. But they don't list service in an area I transit frequently, …

Keeping Virgin Mobile Broadband router plugged in 24/7 
Is it alright to keep my router to my virgin mobile broadband plugged in all of the time?

Transferring money from one prepaid wireless provider to another 
My friend has a verizon prepaid phone and i am selling her my i-wireless (sprint) prepaid cell phone. Can she transfer her money from her verizon prepaid …

Motorola Barrage No Contract Cell Phone And Casio GZ One Boulder No Contract Phone 
I am getting very frustrated please help. This is the 2nd phone I have bought that is no contract verizon phones and it will not let me activate it on …

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Internet and controlling who they call/text 
If I want the internet off the phone can I do that, and can I control who they call or text?

Virgin Mobile Modem Always Downloading 
Can anyone tell me why my modem is downloading and uploading even when I do not have a browser open, or when just viewing a document? When I first started …

USB Internet use whilst travelling 
I need some advice. A friend is looking to take a laptop to North America for 2 months and then a on an extended tour of Europe, maybe around 9 months. …

Usage Amount For Prepaid Wireless Internet Access 
How do you know how many MB's you are likely to use in a day, week, or month?

Alternative ways to boost sales for the prepaid dealer 
Hi. Apart from hanging prepaid cards at shops for people to call in to buy, or selling vouchers online, are there other very efficient ways to boost sales? …

How do they decide eligibility for free cell phone service? 
My husband took early retirement due to multiple health problems. Would he be eligible for a Safelink free phone? He is not on medicaid, but does get all …

Why won't virgin prepaid Internet work off a verizon (CDMA) tower? 
Why won't the prepaid Virgin internet work off a Verizon tower. I understand both are CDMA compatible, but when I checked the Virgin website there was …

Virgin Mobile MiFi Unlimited Plan is Limited 
I signed up for the $40.00 unlimited mifi plan and I noticed at peak times or during a sporting event my mifi speed crawls.... I still have good signal …

Virgin thinks my Broadband2Go MiFi is a phone 
My Broadband2Go MiFi 2200 worked fine for a couple of months. Five days ago I returned from a trip and it would not work. After several calls to the 877 …

CDMA Prepaid Plans with Sprint Phone 
I'd like to activate a Sprint CDMA phone I own with a prepaid plan. Who offers that type of plan. I'd prefer not to buy another phone.

Volume Issues on Free SafeLink Cell Phone 
I have no vocal chords, and speak with a device. Many people do not understand me on the phone. Especially when I try to call safelink. My voice has very …

Any Updates for Boost Mobile 
I have used Boost Mobile for two years and have been very satisfied. Good coverage in my area, sturdy phone, quality sound and service. I have been considering …

Will my Cricket USB Modem work with a Virgin plan? 
I have a Cricket Modem but have come to believe that Virgin offers a better wireless plan. Will my Cricket USB modem work with a Virgin plan?

Prepaid vs. Contract Wireless Quality & Coverage  
I've had T-Mobile for 5 yrs & when inquiring to customer service I was told that there is a definite difference in the coverage & quality & service of …

Prospective Seller of Prepaid Wireless Cards/Minutes 
I am an entrepreneur that started a home based business almost a year ago. I am now looking to expand my business by offering my customers airtime chit …

Illegal Immigrants and Prepaid Cellphones  
Being a legal resident of Southern California, we are surrounded by a large population of illegal immigrants. I've noticed that many of them own prepaid …

Prepaid Wireless Number Portability 
How reliable is porting a number to prepaid? I suppose it depends on the carrier, but should it be just as "easy" as with postpaid carriers? I want to …

Postpaid vs. Prepaid Fees 
I'm thinking of switching to prepaid from postpaid, but I'm unclear on taxes and fees. My family plan right now nominally costs $70 per month, but taxes …

How to Add Money Anonymously to a Friend's Account 
My friend has a prepaid wireless phone and I would like to add some money to her account. I have her number but I don't know which company she uses. …

Prepaid Smartphones Options 
I hear that several companies will be offering smartphones, I know Boost is right now but what others will be offering them and what equipment. I want …

Prepaid AT&T on an Old T-Mobile Phone 
I just switched from T-Mobile to AT&T but was not happy with the phone so I sent it back today, only to find it may be up to 2 weeks before I will be sent …

Smartphone vs. Dumb Phone 
I would like to have a phone which is a "hot spot" to itself. I'd like to be able to use it for Internet access on my other computers. If the phone isn't …

Broadband2Go and Linux 
I purchased a Broadband2Go and installed it on my husband's Apple iBook with no problem at all. Now I would like to install it on my Acer Aspire One with …

Cell Phone Tracking  
Can anyone track my phone with or without my ID code?

Looking for Prepaid Broadband Compatible With Mini Netbook 
I just purchased a NEW 7" Mini Netbook Notebook / Laptop with WiFi, 2GB HD. The operating system is Windows CE 5.0. Are there any prepaid wireless cards …

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Prepaid Broadband Coverage 
Whose prepaid wireless internet network do you use? Can I get broadband high speed internet coverage in area code 55047 in the USA?

Are there common prepaid providers in USA and Canada? 
As a visitor, can a buy a pre-paid SIM card which can be used in both countries, USA and Canada?

3G When Travelling Internationally 
I have a 3G enabled LGX110 netbook bought in Asia. Would I just buy a regular phone SIM chip and put it in my netbook to enable me to use it in all Asia. …

Unwanted Incoming Calls 
Yes, I need to know how to block some unwanted , rude , and threatning calls from my Safelink phone. I called the Sherrif the other day and he said to …

Pre-paid Phones and Privacy 
I don't have any experience using pre-paid phones. I would like to find out if the number assigned to a pre-paid phone has to be registered somewhere? …

No Wireless Capacity - Can I Use Prepaid Internet? 
I have an old computer without wireless capacity. Can i use prepaid Internet? Is there an adapter I could buy? I want to give the computer to a friend …

MVNO Pricing 
Does anyone have any knowledge on how carriers are pricing their service to the current MVNOs, such as Simple Mobile, Tracfone, or any other existing MVNOs …

What Prepaid Broadband is Best for Limited Use? 
Would the Virgin Broadband2Go plan be a good investment for us? We spend 3-4 months in Florida and need Internet. If we buy the modeum, would it be good …

Transferring Minutes from SafeLink to LG TracFone 
Can you transfer the minutes of a SafeLink phone to an LG TracFone?

Prepay Without Losing Minutes? 
I am a senior citizen with one Verizon low-cost plan and a Verizon prepay on another, older phone. The prepay is kept only for emergencies and I have …

Telstra Pre-Paid Wireless Broadband 
I am visiting Australia later this year. Can you buy the prepaid broadband and USB card before you leave the USA, or do you have to get it down there? …

Roaming With Prepaid Phones 
How does roaming work with prepaid phones?

AT&T USBConnect Quicksilver  
I already have a 3G AT&T USBConnect Quicksilver device. I want to buy prepaid Internet service for it now. The old number I used to have for it is disconnected. …

PAYG Broadband 
Is there a plan available that will let me buy some quantity of MB that will not expire? As the pre-paid cell phones that allow you to buy minutes and …

Already own a Huawei HSDPA E220 USB modem 
I am traveling to the US in Sept for 6 weeks & would like to buy say 1 gig of data for that period, but without having to buy another modem. Can you just …

Wireless Prepaid Broadband USB Reloading 
I have a wireless broadband USB. I use it occasionally when I take my computer inter-state. I have searched all the websites and phone messages to find …

Changing Assurance Wireless Phone 
Can you change your phone that you're offered for another Assurance Wireless phone?

Prepaid Cellular for Laptop 
Hi. Thanks for your help. I currently pay Verizon $60 on a month to month for wireless USB internet connection. (You know, those thingies that plug …

Motorola Clutch 
How can I unlock a Motorola Clutch i465 to use with Sprint Nextel??????

Net10 Unlimited Plan 
I have heard about a promotion from Target for Net10 Unlimited for $50.00 per month. There is even a website called net10unlimited.com and it looks like …

Cost of Prepaid Broadband 
How much is the cost of the prepaid wireless card and the cost of plan?

Broadband Internet for Laptops 
I'm trying to see if the broadband service that you have listed starting at $14.95 is for service for home computers or can you use it for Internet service …

SafeLink Wireless Email Address 
Does my SafeLink Wireless cell phone have an email address?

USB Prepaid WiFi Cards for MAC 
Do you know of any prepaid WiFi USB cards that work on a Mac?

Verizon Phone on MVNO network 
Can I use my current Verizon phone on another service? My 2 yr. contract is fulfilled.

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Prepaid Wireless in USA for Australian 
We are Australians traveling in the USA for 5 weeks; do they have reasonable prepaid wireless, or how do we access Internet traveling around without going …

Prepaid Broadband Coverage in Mexico 
I am trying to find out if any of the U.S. plans get coverage in Yucatan Mexico?

Can I use Verizon USB Prepaid Broadband in a PC? 
I would like to use prepaid broadband with my PC, since I can only get dial up where I live. Will Verizon's or any other provider's USB device work with …

Problems With Prepaid Wireless Voicemail 
I don't remember setting a voicemail password, but when I call the voicemail from another number it asks me for 1. Can or how do I retrieve it?

Wireless Prepaid Internet 
Is wireless prepaid internet faster than dial-up? Can I get this service in my area Tennessee?

Canadian Travelling in the USA Looking for Prepaid iPhone SIM 
I have an iPhone with Rogers Wireless and visiting Los Angeles area. Roaming in the USA is expensive with Rogers. Around $1.50 per minute for calls and …

Sell Old Cell Phones 
Should I sell old cell phones? I have a lot of old cell phones just sitting around, and know a lot of people in the same situation. I've heard of different …

Unemployed, Homeless Needs a Prepaid Phone 
I'm unemployed, living on someone's couch and NEVER had/used a cell phone before. I need a cell phone for job interviews. I need the cheapest phone …

Best Prepaid Wireless Plan 
What's the best prepaid wireless plan? There are just so many options out there now that it's so hard to figure out what the best plan is. Don't get …

wireless USB modem for laptop in China 
I am going to China in September and I need a prepaid wireless USB modem that will work there. Please let me know if you have it.

Free Prepaid Cellular Phones 
I want to get prepaid wireless service, and I'm wondering if there's somewhere where I can get free prepaid cellular phones?

VPN for Virgin's Broadband2Go 
Has anyone successfully set up VPN on Virgin's Broadband2Go modem? Tech support is horrendous and the latest (after escalating the calls) is that Virgin …

Nextel Prepaid Wireless 
I've heard, and seen people with Nextel phones that are on a prepaid wireless plan. But when I go into the Sprint Nextel store asking for Nextel prepaid …

Cellular Phone Plan Prepaid Shopping 
I'm in the market for prepaid but there's so many options and details that I'm afraid to make a bad decision. There's so much information on this site, …

Prepaid Plans for Europe? 
I wanted to know what kind of plans are available for Europe?

Prepaid Netbook 
I see the topic of netbooks a lot these days. Some carriers are now starting to offer them as well at really good prices. I read your page about phone …

What are your preferred ways to pay? 
Hi- I'm researching how folks pay for their Monthly and Unlimited plans. Specifically, do you find it more convenient to set up auto-payment or do you …

Providers - i wireless 
I don't see any information on Kroger's i-wireless, but I see them in Kroger stores. Can you tell me about them?

5GB Limit for Unlimited Prepaid Plan 
I am planning to get a prepaid wireless access card to use for video conferencing (Messenger or Skype). How do I know how much data is being used?

Is prepaid only for the credit challenged? 
Your site talks about how great prepaid is, and that it's not just for people who can't get postpaid plans. Then why is it that so many people believe …

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