One of the greatest new options being offered by wireless service providers in recent years is the prepaid cell phone service. When the idea was first born it wasn’t easy to find a place to sign up but currently the prepaid cell phone option is available in most any state by nearly all mobile network providers.

The actual phones offered with these deals are typically available at a below average price. They were originally phones that were designed to include only the bare bone essentials but with the evolution of the prepaid cell phone phenomenon the available phones have grown more appealing. Furthermore, a lot of companies are now offering more expensive, “fully loaded� phones with their prepaid alternative. And because this kind of package is so appealing to those purchasing the plan as a gift, better offers are always turning up that include rebates and starter airtime.

Unlike the more conventional cell phone services that are more regularly promoted, prepaid cell phone plans do not call for a long term commitment. While monthly phone plans usually require a contract to be signed with the promise of several years of payments, the prepaid phones offer more freedom. The user of the phone only has to pay for the airtime they use and they pay pretty much while they use it. Typically the airtime is sold in the form of a phone card, much like a long distance or payphone card. Each prepaid cell phone card has an allotted amount attached to it and money is deducted from it as the phone is used. Depending on the card and the service provider each prepaid card is good for up to a couple months after purchase.

Prepaid cell phones were born out of the need to offer cellular service to consumers who wanted a phone for occasional use only. People who were worried about needing to make emergency calls or get roadside assistance would turn to cell phones but then get scared away by high monthly fees. After all, even paying for a low monthly plan of thirty dollars is expensive for someone who may only make the one call a month or just wants to leave it in their car for insurance. This marketing strategy has paid off well because these types of consumers have found the packages to be quite appealing.

What is important to understand when getting these phones, however, is that they still aren’t entirely free when left unused. As mentioned, time purchased for the phone will eventually expire if it isn’t used�often the time it takes to expire depends on the initial block of time purchased. Furthermore, there has to be an active balance on the phone account in order to keep it from being canceled. If the prepaid cell phone is really going to go unused for long periods of time, the minimum cost of having it is usually between five and ten dollars a month.

Finally, be wary that the per-minute costs of these phones are a lot higher then you may expect. So make sure you understand the terms of use before you settle on which phone to buy, just in case you do end up using it more then expected.

Christopher M. Luck has an extensive background in working exclusively with prepaid cell phones and is now offering his free professional cell phone advice to the public. If you are at all interested in Christopher's personal technology advice, tips, or secrets, you can visit his technology blog

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