What does an “Unlocked cellphone” mean?
Most of the cellphones may come with an internal lock that limits its compatibility with certain carriers. This needs to be considered at the time of purchase to avoid expenses on features that may not be used or be usable. Although the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) was passed in 1998 to control piracy of CDs, somehow unlocking of cellphones also has come under this law.

An unlocked phone or a “no contract” phone means that the device is not restricted to any particular carrier and the consumer can use the services by any wireless carrier of his choice just by inserting a SIM card. Unlocking the phones without proper permissions is considered illegal and consumers trying to do so may have to pay fine and be sentenced to prison. However, range of pre-unlocked cellphones are available in the market today giving greater flexibility to consumers in terms of switching between cellphones based on newer launches, latest features, resale value, for using devices received as gifts, and the ability to jump to a carrier that meets his/her choice.

How to use cellphones without contract with a prepaid plan?
Prepaid plan means paying a defined amount in advance to the services offered by the carrier. The services cease to work either after the set data/service is consumed or after the time period for service expiry is crossed, whichever is earlier. The services have to be paid for once again to resume the usage which is commonly called as a top-up.

A top-up can be done through various modes. There are walk-in vendors from where a suitable service plan can be activated or bought online through the carrier’s website using the PayPal, net banking, or debit or credit card options. Some carriers also offer the “Auto Pay” option in which the prefixed cost will automatically get deducted from the linked account to avoid undisturbed services if one forgets to get the top-up done on time.

Factors to consider while choosing a carrier:
If you are comfortable with any of the big carriers (T-mobile, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon), then you can check on the MVNOs that run using their networks which can provide similar service at a cheaper price. Although dying, CDMA is a commonly used network in the US but the GSM (offered by T-Mobile and AT&T in the US) standard is the most preferred internationally.
If you are a frequent traveler, a GSM phone gives you flexibility in choosing the locally available network and thus help you to cut on your roaming fees. The LTE and HSPA platforms provide better speed if your usage is high on the browsing features.
The compatibility between the phone and the carrier should be confirmed before buying as some features in the phone may not be supported. For example, voice and texts may work but with the internet running at reduced speeds.

Prepaid cellphone plans, even known as pay-as-you-go plans, which are found to be among the popular choice are preferred by those who look to prevent a 2-year old contract or who require a phone only for urgent purposes. Pricing in prepaid plans is too competitive as well as much better than contract plans. You should be very choosy while buying prepaid cellphones which prove to be too costly if wrong choices are made. The tools will help you quickly find out the best option for your specific requirements from across the carrier offers.

Why to choose a prepaid wireless phone plan?
Several people might feel that a prepaid wireless plan forces them to have more control on the entire fees which they pay for the wireless service. Through a no contract cellphone, it can become easy for you to change your plan at the end of each month till you search for a service which is suitable for you. You can even adjust the minutes as well as the features which must be included in your plan at the month end.

Usually, these prepaid wireless phone plans offer you the standard service which you can expect from your wireless phone with no binding contract. Also, you can simply get a prepaid wireless phone plan with a giant phone service provider such as AT&T or Verizon. Apart from these, there are several wireless service providers who sell prepaid wireless plans such as T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, as well as Virgin Mobile.

Smart wireless prepaid plans
Prepaid plans seem to be a better choice for anyone who doesn’t want to commit to a wireless plan on an annual basis. A prepaid plan allows you the freedom to change your plan or your service providers more quickly, in case you are unsatisfied with the service. It is even too easy to cancel a prepaid phone service even after only a month if you are not satisfied. It seems to be a great way to try out various service providers because only a prepaid wireless plan allows you to try service providers without having to commit to a one year contract.

Just think that you have got a service provider which simply looks great while you will like the features as well as rates too; moreover, you can even avail the smartphone which you wish. Prepaid wireless phones plans are the best for both communication and data plans.

Assurance wireless program is governed by Virgin Mobile and supported by the Federal Universal Fund.

Rules
To avail the assurance wireless benefits, one should qualify for their rules. One of their prime rules is that the applicant who applies should be part of public assistance programs or individually managing the household income. Also, one family can avail only one account in the wireless program.

Application form
The assurance wireless application form can be accessed online from their website. One can download the form after choosing the applicant location. The form will have general questions to get to know more about the applicant. These include, but are not limited to:
– First, middle, and last names.
– Date and place of birth.
– The last four digits of the applicant’s Social Security number
– Home and office phone number.
– E-mail address.
– Permanent and present address.
– Proof of income and proof of program participation.
– A list of government programs is listed, out of that, all the programs that the applicant is involved in need to be mentioned and noted.

The applicant has to mandatorily provide the proof of yearly income by the government.
Note: The lifetime assistance program can be owned per household only. The form will, however, be in the name of the individual. The form should be submitted by the signature of the applicant by accepting and committing to the information along with an ID card.

Qualification for the Assurance Wireless Lifeline service
There are slight changes of requirement in the verification info which differs from state to state but generally, the qualification for Assurance Wireless Lifeline service happens through the variations which happens based on the public assistance programs or household income. This list comprises the qualification of public assistance records but are not limited to:
– SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
– Medicaid (Medicare is not acceptable)
– SSI Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
– Few more listings which are shown on their website.

Other details
The Assurance Wireless program usually requires family details or they identify the applicant’s family members’ income by how you answer the questions (by checking the box). They would need three months statement from:
– Social security benefits
– Veterans benefit statements
– Pay roll from the company where the household members have been working in
– Retirement statement if any same with pension statement.
– Unemployment benefit statement
The applicant is also supposed to provide a copy of State Federal Income Returns Pay roll of the enduring job. Also, general assistance of the eligibility or child support documentation includes of Divorce and Custody.

When most popular cellular carriers offer cellphone and expensive calling plans, AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) is an absolute hit in the market because of its unique plans and offers such as no long or short-term contracts, with cell phone charges and costs starting from around $10, and camera phones being available from around $20. Calling starts for prepaid users starting from $10.

AARP cell phones for seniors is mainly focused for senior citizens because it has no frills and is very handy and comfortable. One can use it for staying in touch with the younger members of the family, friends, and for the occasional and emergency calls.

At this challenging technology period, AARP makes it convenient for senior citizens to handle the cell phone hassle free and also enjoy occasional phone calls within the budget.

AARP members can easily get associated with other Consumer Cellular plans if the user is not interested in using the handset at some point. The user can relay with other popular cellular carrier and avail discounts too, through AARP membership.

The Doro cell phone by Consumer Cellular starts at $25. This cell phone is quite a user-friendly one for seniors because of its large buttons and bright displays with clear sound quality. They can get calling plans that start at $9.50 per month (just to hold the connection) and call charges at 24 cents per minute. There are almost six different plans by Consumer Cellular that can be adopted according to the use.

For the first-time connection with Consumer Cellular for AARP members, they can obtain a monthly discount of 5%, and up to 30% off for cell phone accessories, under some other terms and conditions, of course.

Even when it comes to text messages and data usage, Consumer Cellular has almost six combination plans. It starts with 300 texts plus for 30 MB of data per month $2.5 and the unlimited text plus plan of 4 GB data for $40 per month. Once the 4 GB data exceeds, it will automatically upgrade to the next level plan, where the user bound to pay $10 for 1 GB. According to the rules of Consumer Cellular and AT&T customers, a single connection is allowed up to 10 GB only for a month. However, slight rate changes would be applicable according to the economical market.

AARP cell phone and plans are also associated with GreatCall. GreatCall has AARP cell phone offered as Jitterbug Plus. It is one of the most user-friendly mobile phones for seniors. AARP cell phone is available with the “pay as you go plan.” The plan starts from $15 with GreatCall to GreatCall free calling 24/7 facility. Like any other service, GreatCall also has different plans which can be adopted according to the user’s purpose.

If you are out on a hunt for the best prepaid cell phones, then simultaneously you should check out great prepaid cell phone plans as well. This is because you’ll only be able to enjoy your prepaid phone to the fullest when it is coupled with a sensible no-contract plan. Here are some of the popular carriers that offer some outstanding prepaid plans that you can consider for your prepaid cell phone.

T-Mobile T-Mobile has some brilliant prepaid plans that can range from $3 to $50 dollars per month. These costs are basically decided on the basis of the kind of service you are seeking. For example, the Tourist Plan costs around $30 which offers 2 GB Internet data with great speeds and a 1000 minutes of talk time. Similarly, the $3/month plan comprises of service for texting (30 text messages) and calling (30 minutes). You can also add on $5/day for unlimited calls, unlimited texts with 500 MB of data for one day.

MetroPCS MetroPCS is an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator), which functions under T-Mobile (major carrier). Its prepaid monthly plans range from $30 to $60, which are inclusive of unlimited talk time and text messages with varying data plans.

Cricket Wireless An MVNO like MetroPCS, Cricket Wireless is associated with the major carrier AT&T. The prepaid plans start from $30/month. The plans have features like unrestricted calling and texting services with different Internet data. For plans that start from $50/month, there is an additional service like international texting and free data roaming for a few select countries.

H2O Wireless H2O Wireless is an MVNO that utilizes the network towers of AT&T. Its data plans start from $30/month to $60/month that encompasses Internet data and unlimited calling and texting services. H2O also offers the pay-as-you-go prepaid cell phone plan.

Verizon Wireless Like its numerous counterparts, Verizon Wireless has attempted to make its prepaid cell phone plans more desirable by streamlining it. It currently has 3 popular prepaid cell phone plans that include calling, messaging, and data services. There are add on plans for Internet data too. Verizon Wireless is especially great for people who call or text a lot.

Boost Mobile Boost too is an MVNO which utilizes the network towers of Sprint. It has one of the most popular plans for prepaid cell phones. Their tariff plans range from $30 to $50 which comprises of unlimited calls, texts, and diverse data plans. It also has add-on services like international calling and hot spot services.

Prepaid cell phones are also known as pay as you go mobile phones for which the users must pay the credit in advance to avail the network provider’s services. Although contract handset plans are quite prevalent in the country, prepaid cell phone plans are increasingly becoming popular mainly because of their flexibility.

If you are contemplating about switching to a prepaid cell phone, then here are some key features of a no-contract cell phone plan you should look at. These can accurately help you weigh the pros and cons of your choice.

No Agreement Most cell phones companies have usage plans that require you to sign a yearlong agreement. This can especially get inconvenient for people who might want to switch the carriers later due to bad quality of service or relocation. Also, opting out of a carrier agreement automatically means that you might have to bear the burden of termination fees and troublesome switching procedure.
With prepaid cell phones, you don’t have to worry about these unnecessary costs. You just have to incur the activation fees and charges for your monthly use. If you are dissatisfied with the service you can easily switch cell phone providers as well.

Budget friendly The costs of a cell phone plan is usually the reason behind transferring from a billing service to a prepaid one. Prepaid cell phone plans only charge you for the services that you actually use, which means that you end up saving plenty of financial resources in the long run. You can tailor your prepaid plans according to your utilization patterns.

No redundant services Many individuals dislike the hustle-bustle created by smartphones. Basically, this means that social media apps and constant data browsing is useless for them. They are just seeking simple calling and texting cellphone services. A prepaid package will allow you to use the services that are considered valuable by you.

No credit check Numerous cell phone carriers conduct a credit check before they facilitate network services to a customer. For prepaid plans, there is no such prerequisite, so you don’t have to be anxious about your application getting rejected.

Practically there are no best prepaid cell phones as every consumer circle has varying demands in terms of cost and features. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, LG K8 V, Google Pixel, ZTE Grand Max 2, Moto G Play, HTC Desire 530, LG G6, Samsung J3 Mission, Apple iPhone (5s, 6s, 6s Plus), etc. are some of the popular prepaid cellphones available in the market which can be paired with your prepaid cell phone plan.

With an abundance of options available for cellphone plans, it’s only natural to get confused. There is always this greed of getting more for less especially when it comes to cellphone plans. But don’t make a reckless decision if your side aim is to save money while getting the best plan for yourself.

Try some of these ways to minimize your cost and save more money getting the right plan for you.

Check on your bill
It will help you choose the right plan if you know how much are you spending on your mobile bill each month. Take a few months together and see the amount you are spending every month and for which service. Keep a check on the number of calls you make, messages you send, and data you use on an average. This will help you identify your cellphone services’ needs.

Seek more information from call center
Go to your carrier’s service center/office/gallery or call them and get in touch with them. Understand your current plan and cost and try and compare it with other available plans and options. Ask them if there are any new plans coming up that could be beneficial for you. There are times you tend to miss out on new and better plans, so keep yourself updated from the primary source.

Ask for discounts
There could be some student discount or senior citizen discount that you can avail. Ask the call center representative of the carrier to help you with discounts if any.

Pay for the data you are using
If you do not use more than 2“3 GB of data, then paying extra for an unlimited plan can seem like an unnecessary cost for you that can easily be avoided.

Family plan or sharing plan
Many carriers offer a family or sharing plans for the cost you are paying. You can save money every month and you can save up more than you do using a usual plan.

Monitor your internet data usage
By monitoring your internet usage every month, you will know how much of data you are using. Even with maximum internet data usage if you do not cross more than 3 GB a month, then getting yourself a 5 GB or an unlimited plan will not make much sense and will also cost you more.

Compare your current plans with other carriers
The best way to understand the cost of cellphone plans, you can compare your current carrier plan with other carriers there are by using the internet or simply calling the customer service. You can also switch if you find a better plan than your existing one.