Getting a prepaid mobile phone is an effective way to keep your phone bill under control. When you pay for data/minutes up front, you not only pay a lower rate for that data, but you also manage your costs more efficiently, since you’re likely to use your phone less. That is, just knowing you have a limited amount of data/minutes can prevent you from reaching for your phone when you’re bored and playing games with it, ultimately leading to additional fees. But what do you need to know about prepaid phones before you sign any dotted lines?
First of all, keep in mind that a small downside to the prepaid solution is that you probably won’t get a free mobile phone when you sign up, whereas phone contracts often include the coveted free phones. However, despite this upfront cost, you’re still likely to save significantly by going the prepaid route. Another advantage of prepaid is that you can choose the mobile phone that most appeals to you, along with the operator that most appeals to you. On the contrary, if you were to opt for a postpaid plan, it is likely that your carrier of choice will decide which mobile phone you would choose. Another benefit of prepayment is that you are not required to stay with one provider for a year or two. So if you’re not happy with your provider for any reason, you can switch to another as soon as your prepaid minutes run out; you won’t face a hefty fee for doing so.
With mobile phones, connections are of course crucial. So before you decide on a prepaid plan, do some research. Visit consumer websites that compare phones and services, and read carefully to discover where the connections are strongest and weakest for each of the carriers you’re considering. Also check out the customer testimonials. A high-quality carrier will offer reliable service almost anywhere he plans to go.
Before signing up, world travelers and those with international networks of loved ones should check out what types of global roaming charges they’ll have to pay. You can also ask your carrier if they offer global roaming packages. These packages provide a certain amount of data, perhaps 15 or 20 MB, that are specifically designed for use in foreign countries. Such a package can be quite expensive and probably won’t give you all the data you’d like to use. However, it’s a good bet that an international package will still save you money in the final analysis.
Finally, if your bill comes through and your charges are much higher than you expected, call your provider and ask why they charged you so much. You don’t want to pay if a mistake was made and for some reason you were overcharged.