From Eveningsnews.com
Prepaid Wireless Phones Make Hassle-free Gifts
By
Sep 18, 2005, 23:41
(NUI) - Cellphones continue to be one of the most requested gifts, according to studies by the Consumer Electronics Association.
Now with Father's Day and graduation fast approaching, many consumers are once again sorting though cellphone plans searching for the best deal.
You may have trouble deciding which plan will best fit a person's needs. You certainly want to protect the gift recipient from future headaches and unwanted surprises as much as possible.
Unfortunately, many wireless phone-calling plans can be confusing, and many people become dissatisfied with their service plan because of overcharging or hidden fees.
With so many different contract stipulations, it's easy to lose track of your night, weekend, anytime and roaming minutes. Recent industry research shows 78 percent of minutes paid for go unused, and people who commit to plans of $20 or less pay 52 percent more than their plan's base amount when they get billed.
One alternative is prepaid wireless, which allows you to pay as you go. Prepaid wireless has been around for years, but new choices in wireless are drawing more and more attention.
For instance, TracFone lets customers control their costs and has an exclusive "minute meter" that displays the number of airtime units remaining and the date when the next airtime card is due. Handsets retail for less than $50, and now, Tracfone offers you four different pay-as-you-go wireless service options. You can:
* Choose the traditional TracFone pay-as-you-go service and buy airtime cards as needed.
* Buy a one-year card that comes with 150 minutes and one year of service.
* Buy a double minute card which has one year of service, 300 minutes and double minutes on all future airtime redemptions for one year.
* Sign up for double minute autopay, which automatically bills you the same price each month to keep your service active, gives you 30 minutes each month and allows you to receive double minutes whenever you buy airtime cards at rates as low as 10 cents per minute.
Remember to be careful when choosing prepaid. Some carriers make you spend at least $75 in a month to get a rate of 10 cents per minute. With TracFone, you can get a 10 cents per minute rate immediately upon activation, with double minute autopay, without having to keep track of what you're spending.
A prepaid phone also is a gift you can build on; Additional airtime cards can be purchased for future occasions. For more information, visit www.tracfone.com.
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