Low cost cellular service at a glance
I have no need for a traditional cellular phone plan. Where I work, the phone service is provided and my home telephone is a VoIP system.
So, I basically only "need" a cell phone when commuting ( which doesn't take that long ), so - as a minimal cell phone user - I am always looking for the cellular service that offers the lowest cost over time.
It is a fact that prepaid phone service is cheaper than post-paid ( or "contract" ) service, but you can still waste money if you don't choose wisely. For instance, Tracfone rquires you to "top up" every month or three. If you're a minimal user like me, you will just be stacking minutes ( wasting money ) each time you "top up".
This blog post will provide a quick overview of the various services that meet this criteria, as I review them.
This infograph is meant for a "quick & dirty" look. Please click the company name for the whole story, as many of these companies offer "extras" that won't be listed here.
| Company | Startup cost | Talk ¢pm | Text ¢pm | Data ¢pMB | Svc life | SIM / Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truphone |
$30 USD + phone |
9 ¢pm / free incoming |
9 ¢pm / free incoming |
9 ¢pMB |
Six months / rollover |
SIM only |
| Tello |
$5 + phone |
3 ¢pm |
1 ¢pm |
2 ¢pMB |
Three months / rollover |
SIM & phones |
| Freedompop |
> $15 activation only + phone |
200 minutes/mo free |
500 texts/ mo free |
500MB/mo free |
Forever w/monthly use |
SIM & phones |
Startup cost - Most of these companies offer SIM cards only. You may need to consider the cost of a compatible phone for these SIM cards to work with.
¢pm - cost in pennies per minute or megabyte
Service life - how long your service will stay valid without you using it
SIM / Phone - Does the company offer just SIM cards or both SIM cards & phones?
Tags: low-cost-cell-service
