Reasons to Use Prepaid

The phone choices available today can seem overwhelming and confusing when struggling to decide which mobile is the best choice for you. One of your first choices being between prepaid or mobile phone plans.

This choice between using a prepaid phone and selecting a mobile phone plan is obviously a matter of preference for the user, but there are a number of things to consider before you decide either way.

Prepaid mobiles are a PAYG - pay as you go that are shown as ideal for those who either are on a strict fiscal budget or for people that are tied to a certain spending level such as with mobiles that are used for work purposes or teenagers which use mobile phones. In a normal prepaid mobile kit you receive your phone number, network access and a specific amount of credit for the phone. This credit is the basis for the prepaid phone industry as when you run out of credit, you simply buy more credit and recharge to start again.

This pay as you go system is very different to the 12 to 24 months contracts that are offered with mobile phone plans which are based on a fixed monthly spending limit that has to be paid which entitles the user to a certain amount of mobile phone usage. The cost of the handset may also be included in the monthly fee and there are exit fees attached when wanting to leave your mobile plan early.

One main benefit of prepaid is that you can control your expenditure on your bill without any additional charges such as late bill payments or high unexpected fees. Understanding definitively how much you will spend each month makes this a popular choice.

Prepaid mobiles come with high value costs for both texts and calls with some offering free calls and other bonuses. This can be an easy choice for those who don't make a lot of phones calls or simply have a "in case of emergency" phone. Even if your credit has run out, you can still receive calls and texts and dial emergency services.

It is important to note that credit does have an expiry date , sometimes a month, sometimes six months depending the carrier you are with. For example, most prepaid mobiles have a basic credit pack of around the $30 level, that entitles the user to around $200 worth of calls, text, etc., which would expire within a month of the purchase date.

One disadvantage of prepaid mobile phones is that most of the time international roaming may not be available. This means that overseas use is not an available option. One way to get around this is to buy an overseas SIM card that will allow you to make calls whilst overseas.

The decision between a prepaid phone and a mobile plan should ultimately come down to what your personal calling habits are like. If you make a high number of calls and use your phone a great deal while also enjoying extra features, then there are a number of options to cater for each preference.