More wireless customers are saying "yes" to no-contract phones
Hold the phone: Times are changing again in the world of smartphones.
Yesterday's prepaid go-phone is today's no-contract smartphone.
The no-contract service advertised in many circulars offers unlimited data, unlimited text messaging and unlimited talk for as low as $50 per month.
No contract; no worries.
Nicole Ward, a former Verizon Wireless customer, switched to Sprint Nextel's Boost Mobile six months ago because she was dissatisfied with Verizon's recurring user fees, poor customer service and contract plans.
Ward, a grant coordinator for Radford University, then switched again to Sprint's Virgin Mobile because she preferred the smartphone selection. Now, Ward, her husband and two sons all have no-contract phones.
According to Ward, her family pays $185 per month for three prepaid smartphones and one standard cellphone. The monthly cost is only $15 less than Ward's original plan at Verizon, but her family has unlimited text messaging, unlimited data and more minutes -- features that she said Verizon didn't offer at an affordable price.
"I was very frustrated with Verizon. They do offer good coverage, but the customer service is terrible," Ward said. "They kept adding little fees here and there, and I decided it wasn't worth it."
Ward is joining a trend: An increasing number of wireless customers are opting for no-contract services instead of two-year contracts. Ward is also not the stereotypical "pay-as-you-go" customer, who may be denied a cellphone contract for lack of good credit. She, instead, chose to go no-contract because she gets more bang for her buck.
In 2010, more than 21 percent of cellphone users in the United States had a no-contract cellphone, said Amy Storey, a spokeswoman at CTIA The Wireless Association, a nonprofit membership organization that represents the wireless communications industry. That percentage jumped from 2009, when 18.2 percent of cellphone users had a no-contract phone. Storey predicts that the percentage will keep increasing.
Storey described the ideal no-contract user as someone who wants a flexible monthly cellphone plan and is an active data user.
Many wireless providers now offer more no-contract options and a larger cellphone selection. For example, AT&T embraced no-contract smartphones about three months ago with the release of Android smartphones, said Tom Ricotta, an area retail sales manager.
In just three months, AT&T reported a net increase of 137,000 no-contract subscribers, according to the company's 2011 second-quarter report released July 21. Moreover, since June 2010, AT&T's no-contract revenues have increased by 14.8 percent, even though AT&T has offered a prepaid (no-contract) product since its service began in Virginia in 2003.
Cell Phone Plans Without Contract - News
That percentage jumped from 2009, when 18.2 percent of cellphone users had a no-contract phone. Storey predicts that the percentage will keep increasing. Storey described the ideal no-contract user as someone who wants a flexible monthly cellphone plan
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T-Mobile No Contract Plans Overview | TMobile Prepaid Plans
T-Mobile USA offers one of the most competitive prepaid phone plans (no contract plans) for those planning on switching to hassle-free prepaid plans with the cheapest plan starting at $10 per month. You can start by purchasing TMobile prepaid cards, buying minutes and starting talking and sending text messages straight away . If you run out of balance you can simply come back and buy more minutes. It is a convenient way to stay connected with no monthly payments and no additional fees. With T-Mobile no contract plans you simply pay for prepaid credits online or alternatively you can purchase a minute card at T-Mobile retail stores.
When signing up with for T-Mobile prepaid plans you will get a starter kit which includes a phone, basic accessories and starter minutes and the phones. T-Mobile prepaid plans also offers the so-called Gold Bonus , bonus minutes that you can get if you buy minutes in bulk. You will get an 15% extra minutes on the rest of your purchase if you purchase the $100 card for 1000 minutes that can be used over a period of one year.
T-Mobile No Contract Plans: Two Options To Choose From
Currently there are two T-mobile prepaid phone plans you can choose from. The first option is the Pay as You Go plan and the second one is monthly4G plan . The Pay as You Go plan is aimed at heavy voice ant text users and infrequent web surfers while the second T-Mobile no contract plan, monthly 4G plan, as the name suggests, is for smartphone and heavy web users,
T-Mobile Pay as You Go Plan Prepaid PlanThe Pay as You Go plan has four-tier pricing with cheapest plan costing $10. The 30 dollar card has 160 minutes, the 50 dollar card has 400 minutes, and the 100 dollar card, which is the most expensive plan, includes 1,000 minutes. If you purchase a 100-dollar refills you will get 15 percent more minutes on the refill cards. See the bellow table for details:
T-Mobile Montly4G Plan
The plan is suitable for casual to heavy internet users who want to save them from the hassle of a contract plan. The second T-Mobile no contract plan is perfect for surfing the internet, checking email, and staying connected to your social network. Like the Pay as You Go Plan, T-Mobile offers a four-tier pricing with the cheapest option costing $15. The 15-dollar plan consists of unlimited text and minutes for 10 cents each. The 30 dollar plan includes 1,500 minutes or text messages and 30MB of web access. The 50 dollar plan also has unlimited talk and text, plus 100MB of data. The most expensive one, the 70 dollar plan has unlimited minutes, text messages, and 2GB of data.
Cell Phone Plans Without Contract - Bookshelf
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