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A Merry Life

Healthy Living & Budgeting Blog | Health, Wealth & Everything Else

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Saving Money With Pay As You Go Phones

July 23, 2014 by Mary

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for details.

For the last 6 months or so I’ve been using a pay as you go phone to save money.

With the system I was using I got a sim card for my smartphone and then put more money into my account to use as needed. I’m not sure what the rates per minute or anything were but I rarely used more than $20 a month. I basically put $20 on my account each month and then used it until it ran out and then just didn’t use my phone.

It’s surprisingly easy to go without a phone.That’s funny coming from someone who previously was attached to her smartphone 24/7.

I switched to a different plan today and unfortunately it’s more expensive than my last pay as you go plan. But thankfully it’s still cheaper than getting a contract with a major provider!

The Pay As You Go Phone

The plan I have now involved buy a new phone to use on that network. I chose the cheapest option available which was $30. The phone itself wasn’t bad at all. It’s definitely a downgrade from my smartphone but it still has a camera and web access. It’s a Motorola flip phone that is just like some of the phones I used to have when I was in high school. It’s basic but more than enough just to make calls and text.

I’ve also finally upgraded to a Virgin Mobile pay as you go account with an awesome iphone. Turns out, you can use pay as you go phone service with crappy flip phones or fancy smart phones! It’s a great way to save money each month either way.

The Pay As You Go No Contract Plan

The new plan is still pay as you go but instead of paying a certain amount and then using it, I pay a monthly fee of $45 for unlimited talk, text, and web.

Starting today I had to pay for the phone and the first month and with sales tax I ended up spending just $90 to get started. If I had signed a contract with AT&T (my last provider) I would be spending more than that each month to get the same thing. Plus I would be locked into a two year contract that I don’t need since I’m going to be moving around a lot this year.

Why I Love Pay As You Go Phones

I love them because they are awesome!

Less expensive, easier to customize, you can quit at any time.

I love the fact that I’m sure there might be downsides for some people but for me there literally are no downsides. I can pay and use the phone when I need it or I can stop paying and stop using it.

The biggest reason to love pay as you go phones? They save you a ton of money!

I do prefer the plan I had before where I only paid for usage instead of unlimited, but I still like having unlimited everything for just $45 a month. It’s so cheap and wonderful!

Pay As You Go Phone Options

There are numerous cheap pay as you go phone options. I’ve been using pay as you go phone services for over two years now. I currently use Virgin Mobile, but I’ve also used Tracfone and Straight Talk. Here are several options for pay as you go phone minutes.

Each “plan” has different rules and conditions so compare them before deciding on one for your situation. Personally I have used 3 and found them all about equal quality so the real determination was other factors like whether or not I already had a phone, if I was planning on traveling, etc.

Tracfone Pay As You Go Phones

Samsung Galaxy Centura Android Prepaid Phone (TracFone)

pay as you go phone - tracfone samsung centura

  • First Ever Android Phone for Tracfone Service
  • Triple Minutes for Life; Separate Balance for Minutes, Texts and Data (Example: Add 200 Minutes and Receive 600 Minutes and 600 Texts and 600 MB of Data)
  • Android 4.0
  • 3 MP Camera with Video Recorder
  • 3.5? Touchscreen

Tracfone 1 Year of Service & 400 Minutes

  • Adds 1 year to your service end date
  • Includes 400 minutes of airtime
  • No unwanted bills
  • No unexpected surprises

Virgin Mobile Pay As You Go Phones

This is currently the plan and phone I use. Yay iphones! The upfront costs are a bit higher since you aren’t getting a free phone, but you end up saving money because most contract plans cost 2-3 times as much as Virgin Mobile.

The reason why I’m currently using and loving Virgin Mobile is because you can use great smart phones like the Samsung Galaxy or Apple iPhone (which is what I use).

Plus you pay about half of what you would pay at ATT&T or similar for similar service. I pay $40 per month for unlimited everything.

More Pay As You Go Phone Options

I recommend Tracfone and Virgin Mobile because they are the pay as you go phone services that I have personally used.

You can browse more Top Rated No-Contract Cell Phones & Service on Amazon where there are more options and reviews from other consumers. It makes it easier to make a pay as you go phone selection because each one has a lot of reviews and answered questions.

Have you ever used a pay as you go phone? If you have a contract how much does it cost per month?

I know my family pays $225 a month for their phones and they have the lowest amount of minutes possible – it’s crazy!

Filed Under: Personal Finance Tagged With: phone bill, phones, saving money


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