Compare Wireless Plans - How To Choose?!

When you start to compare wireless plans, the real question then becomes - How to choose?!  There are just so many options!  So now that you're confident that you're sick of signing wireless contracts, and understand that  prepaid wireless can actually be a better value, you're ready for the next step.  That is, figuring out what type of plan will best meet your needs, and what wireless providers offer what plan types.

There are numerous aspects that are important to different people, so the good news is that there's no one right answer.  However, the bad news is that it's going to take some work to figure it out!  The spirit of this site is to provide a free resource to help you through your research and selection process.  Everything you need to discover, digest, and  understand to ultimately make the best decision for you can be found on this site.  Below you will find some key selection criteria to consider as you think through and evaluate the available options.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, carriers have been phasing out certain plan types, leaving less options from which to choose.

1.    How much do you use your phone & how much payment flexibility do you want?

• Depending on your average voice call usage, and how much money you want to spend, and when you want to spend it, you'll be bound for one of the following plan categories.  Before you compare wireless plans, you'll want to see where your usage needs fit.  You can click on the link for each type to explore more details.

• Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG)

• This is for people with only occasional usage, or frequent, but short calls.  This category typically provides the maximum payment flexibility in terms of allowing you to add as much or as little money to your prepaid account balance as you either need, or have available at a particular point in time.  This is the classic original prepaid wireless plan type.  It has a much less prominent presence in the prepaid space now, as it typically represents the lowest value customer for a prepaid wireless carrier.  However, there is still a place for it in terms of meeting certain people's needs.  Sadly, many providers have completely eliminated this plan type!

• Daily

• This plan type is for people with more frequent usage than pay as you go customers.  For that more frequent usage you'll get better value than paying per minute, but less value than a Monthly plan.  You'll also have decent payment flexibility that compares more to the PAYG plan type as you can add as much money as you need or have available at a given point in time.  Be careful here, though, as some providers charge you only on the days you use your phone (ideal!), while others charge you every day, regardless of whether you actually use your phone (NOT ideal).  Most carriers have eliminated these plans, as they can be confusing, and expensive for carriers to maintain.

• Monthly

• This plan type is for people with more frequent usage.  This plan requires you to make a payment once per month on a particular date in order to maintain continuous service.  If you're late for a payment, some carriers require that you pay for any missed days, while others simply allow you to restart a new month on the day you are able to make your next payment.  This prepaid wireless plan type is quite popular, but certainly affords for much lower payment flexibility.  Of course, if you're using your phone regularly, while you won't have to sign a contract, you will have to mentally commit to making regular on-time payments to ensure that your phone is always active.

• Unlimited

• Obviously this plan type is for people who have very high usage.  But be careful!  Unless you truly have a lot of usage, the Monthly plan type can actually offer the best value, so don't automatically conclude that an unlimited prepaid wireless plan will be the best option for you.  Especially since prepaid carriers have to be careful with people using too many minutes, which can actually cause them to lose a lot of money, the Monthly plan type is becoming even more popular because it limits the company's exposure.  That said, an Unlimited no contract plan can be an amazing option for people with high usage.  It really all comes down to truly understanding how much you use your phone on a monthly basis.  

• Note that most prepaid plans these days include unlimited voice.  This is largely due to the fact that people simply tend to text more than they talk, and are now more concerned about data allowances than voice minutes.  You can learn more about what unlimited data really means by visiting Broadband Throttling.

2.    What kind of phone do you want?

• Phone Preference is a very personal choice that can drive wireless provider in addition to the plan selection.  Thankfully, prepaid has evolved to the point where most prepaid carriers have  most of the hottest and high end Samsung and Apple phones.  However, there are always going to be differences in the handset lineups of each carrier, so you'll want to consider what's available. 

3.    How's the network quality & coverage?

• Network Qualitycan severely impact the number of dropped calls and voice quality that you experience.  It can really make or break your opinion about the wireless service you're using, and affect your selection as you compare wireless plans.  Also, data speeds are arguably even more important these days.  Network quality and coverage will impact data speeds, so knowing the coverage in your area is critical.

If you're not yet convinced that prepaid wireless is the right choice for you, check out the Why Prepaid Wireless section, or learn more about different the different prepaid plan types at the Prepaid Wireless Plans page.

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