Prepaid Wireless Cell Phone Comparison Prepaid Wireless and MVNO Comparison


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TracFone Trumpet Tuyo Verizon Virgin Voce XE

Quick Plan Comparison

Our best picks in quality, value, and customer support are highlighted.
Provider Backbone Unit Cost Avg. Cost Days Quality Support
NET 10 GSM/Cingular .10 $20 60 Excellent Average
Prexar Mobile CDMA/Verizon .10 $20 Excellent Average
Trumpet Mobile CDMA/Sprint .10 $20 60 Excellent
Tuyo Mobile GSM/T-Mobile .10 $24 90 Average
Virgin Mobile CDMA/Sprint .10/.18 $27* 90 Excellent Excellent
Kajeet CDMA/Sprint .10 $27 Excellent
Qwest Wireless CDMA/Sprint .15 $30 30 Excellent
Boost Mobile iDEN/Sprint .10/.20 $30 90 Average Average
Liberty Wireless CDMA/Sprint .10 $30 30 Excellent
MetroPCS CDMA/Metro $30 30 Poor Poor
T-Mobile To Go GSM/T-Mobile .10-.13 $33 365 Excellent Excellent
7-11 SpeakOut GSM/Cingular .20 $40 365 Excellent
Jitterbug Wireless CDMA/Sprint .25/.35 $40 Excellent
Helio CDMA/Sprint .08 $40 30 Excellent Excellent
Cingular GoPhone GSM/Cingular .10 $40** 90 Excellent Average
XE Mobile GSM/Cingular .10/.15/.20 $40 75 Defunct Defunct
Cricket CDMA/Leap $45 30 Poor Poor
Verizon InPulse CDMA/Verizon .10 $50 90 Excellent Average
TracFone Various .25 $50 90 Average Average
Disney Mobile CDMA/Sprint .13 $60 Defunct Defunct
Voce Wireless GSM/Cingular $200 Defunct Defunct

How We Rate

Unit cost reflects cost per minute, average cost is based on usage of 200 minutes per month, 20 calls during peak hours, and 20 calls off peak hours. Days indicates the number of days service is active for before expiring after purchasing enough minutes to cover average usage. Quality is an assessment of signal strength and availability, support is an assessment of customer service. Calculated costs do not include taxes or equipment fees.

* includes $6.99 access charge
** includes $1 day access charge based on average usage of 20 days.


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Editor's Choice

___________________________________________________ Overall Best Prepaid Plan: T-Mobile To Go

T-Mobile To Go offers the best value since the service includes unlimited t-zones (Internet) access at no extra charge. T-mobile to go also offers the largest amount of days per refill (365) days once you top $100 in refills (Gold plan). T-mobile also has the best customer service.

Best Value in Prepaid Wireless: Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile is a good value since it has cheap equipment costs and good rates as low as .10 per minute with a $6 per month plan. You can also win free minutes by participating in the "Sugar Mama" program.

The runner up is NET 10. Net 10 offers service at a flat .10 per minute rate. However the base refill $20 will only get you 60 days of service.

Best Features: Helio

Helio is the top pick for technophiles and media junkies. Runner ups offering some bling with your ring, try Boost Mobile or Amp'd Mobile who have "cool phones" with loads of features. Just expect to be called "Dude" by customer service agents.

Best for Calling International: Tuyo Mobile

Tuyo Mobile is a favorite for international callers. Tuyo has low international rates and allows you to use your plan to make cheap international calls from your home phone.

About Prepaid Compare

Prepaid compare is an independent source of information about prepaid wireless and MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) products and services in the United States.

We offer honest advice and opinions that are not influenced by advertising revenue or sales commissions.

We know that choosing a wireless plan can be confusing, and that it is difficult to find the best plan for your situation. Our goal is to make that process easier.

We also regularly update this website with the latest facts and figures in order to help you make an informed decision.