In a previous post, I declared Net 10 the best cellphone bargain. That post was written almost one year ago, and I have not changed my mind on the subject. As a matter of fact, there are more phone options, and more features with the service today than there were at the time of that post.
There were basically two complaints that seemed to come up in the comments over and over. One was the apparent discontinuation of the 150 minute phone card($15), and the other was below average customer support. As I’ve addressed previously, I can’t comment on the customer support issue, as I’ve never called. My wife and I have both been using Net 10 for about 3 years now, and not once have we had to call customer support. Maybe we’ve been lucky, maybe not. But that’s how it’s worked out. So that hasn’t been an issue for me so far.
On the other issue, I can’t see any particular reason for them discontinuing the 150 minute card. Buying a card with more minutes doesn’t make the cost for operating the phone any more expensive, you just have to buy more minutes at a time. I received an email from Net 10 the other day that revealed they now have 200 minute cards available. As previously stated, I’ve always bought 300 minutes at a time. I’ve never gone over on those minutes, so I always get 2 months service for $30.
Whether you have to deal with bad customer support at some point, or buy more minutes at a time than you would like, you have to admit that my original claim still holds true. It’s simply the best bargain around for a cellphone.
Net 10 versus Other Prepaid Plans
Most mobile service plans today offer a prepaid service option. Most of them have a catch, however, that just doesn’t exist with Net 10. Most of these companies boast 10 cents per minute(like Net 10), however they all have extra fees that add to that cost. With Net 10, 10 cents per minute means just that. No other fees, no tricks, no hooks. Here is a rundown of some of the other companies and what prepaid plans they have to offer.
AT&T Go Phone
AT&T offers a 10 cent per minute prepaid plan. With their plan, calls placed are 10 cents, plus you have to pay a toll. Each day you use your phone, you pay a fee of $1 plus 10 cents for each minute you talk. So doing the math, if you use your phone everyday, that’s $30 per month plus 10 cents for every minute you talk. I can see this getting expensive pretty quick. You also have the option of not paying the $1 per day fee, but if you go this route, the cost rises to 25 cents per minute.
T-Mobile
Like AT&T, T-Mobile also has a $1 fee for each day you use the phone, then 10 cents per minute on each call. So again, you’re looking at $30 per month if you use your phone everyday, plus the 10 cents for each minute you talk. Also, if you like to send text messages, T-Mobile will charge you 10 cents to send a text, and 5 cents to receive. Net 10, one the other hand, charges 5 cents to send or receive a text message.
Verizon Pre-Paid
With Verizon, you have several options to choose from. 1)You can pay 10 cents per minute with a 99 cent daily fee. 2)You can pay 5 cents per minute with a $1.99 daily fee….or 3)You can pay only 2 cents per minute with a $2.99 daily fee. This could get really expensive if you use your phone daily.
Thanks, but I’ll Go with Net 10
This is why I’m such a fan of Net 10. Even if I have to call their customer support at some point and become completely frustrated by it, there still is no other cellphone service that I can use as cheap. So, if you’re looking for an inexpensive way to have a cell phone, probably the cheapest way to get started would be to buy a $30 dollar phone with 300 minutes free. How can you go wrong with that? There is no service contract. If you decide you don’t want it, just stop using it. It’s that simple. I hope this Net 10 Wireless comparison has been helpful, and I hope that I’ve clearly made my point with this post.
Click here to purchase Net10 airtime: always 10 cents a minute!
I still believe Net 10 to be an amazing bargain when compared to mainstream contract cellphone plans. After using Net 10 for several years, I must admit that I have moved to a contract carrier. Not because I was unhappy with the service or that it was a better bargain(it’s not), but truth is I couldn’t resist the lure of the smartphone. I gave in. – October 2011
