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How to Switch to Prepaid, Step by Step: |
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1. |
Check your options:
-Can you use your old phone?
-Which carrier has your most important features?
-Read the Reviews and narrow your choices.
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2. |
Deal with your old carrier:
-Will you be charged an Early Termination
Fee? (Can you avoid it?)
-If you're
keeping your
old number, contact your new carrier to initiate the change, not the
old carrier. Often this can be done online.
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3. |
Sign up with the new Prepaid service.
-Do you understand all of their charges,
terms and conditions?
-Start saving
money! |
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START HERE: Choose Your Current Cellular
Service:
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If You Have:
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Alltel Option 1 - Stay with the ALLTEL network and Your
Current Phone:
Alltel's own Prepaid, Alltel U, is a very good deal and includes more coverage
than most other Prepaid plans. Alltel customers
that have been acquired by Verizon Wireless may need to switch to Verizon Prepaid plans. Others who end up with a different company
won't need to switch for at least next year,
and some in divested areas may be able to keep their Alltel U plans
much longer.
Alltel Option 2 - Use Your Current Phone:
Some Alltel phones can be used on Verizon Wireless which would qualify you for a Verizon Prepaid plan or potentially one of their re-sellers. You can also take your Alltel phone to MetroPCS who can re-program your current phone to
use the Metro PCS network. Metro PCS is a good Prepaid choice, but not all phones
can be converted, they have very little coverage
in common with Alltel, and don't really offer
Pay As You Go plans.
Alltel Option 3 - A New Prepaid Phone
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If You Have:
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AT&T Option 1 - Stay with the AT&T network and Your
Current Phone:
You can switch to AT&T GoPhone. You'll need to choose either "Pay
as You Go" or "Pick Your Plan".
With Pick Your Plan you can set up your account
to automatically deduct your payment from
a credit card or checking account. You can
add Text and Data features and roam outside
the US.
AT&T Option 2 - Use Your Current Phone:
You can take
your AT&T phone to almost any GSM Prepaid re-seller
as long as your phone is "Unlocked".
AT&T will give you the Unlock code if you have
fulfilled your 2-year contract, or if you
convince them you need to unlock the phone
to travel internationally. They will not
give the Unlock code for a Blackberry or
iPhone. Without the code your only choice
is GoPhone which offers several levels of Prepaid options.
If you can Unlock your AT&T phone, our favorite is to go with T-Mobile Prepaid which actually allows more US Roaming than
AT&T's GoPhone.
AT&T Option 3 - A New Prepaid Phone
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If You Have:
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Cricket Option 1 - Stay with the Cricket network and Your
Current Phone:
Cricket is already a great value-priced service,
but you can switch from their monthly pay-in-advance
plans to PayGo. You get a choice of 3 levels of Unlimited
service, and only pay for the days you use.
You can also change which type of Unlimited
you use on different days. Their Top-Up refills
expire within a short period, but if you
don't use your phone every day, you might
save a little from Cricket's already low
prices.
Cricket Option 2 - If you use your phone a lot less, you
might save with a New Prepaid Phone.
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If You Have:
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Nextel Option 1 - Stay with the NEXTEL network and Your
Current Phone:
Nextel does not offer a Prepaid option, but after
cancelling your Nextel account, you can activate the same phone
with Boost Mobile, operated by Sprint on the Nextel network. Boost offers different
levels of prepaid including Unlimited Voice
and Text.
Nextel Option 2 - A New Prepaid Phone
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If You Have:
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Sprint Option 1 - Use Your Current Phone:
Sprint does not offer a Prepaid option so the only
opportunity to use your current phone is
to get it converted to another network. Metro PCS claims they can "flash" most CDMA
phones to use their network. Metro PCS is a good choice in Prepaid and they offer
different levels of unlimited service. Metro PCS offers service almost everywhere where Sprint
is available.
Sprint Option 2 - Stay on the SPRINT network:
Even though
Sprint does not offer Prepaid plans and, in most
cases, you can't use your Sprint phone with most other cellular providers,
you can still use the Sprint network. You can switch to a wireless company
that uses the same network. The largest Prepaid
service using the Sprint PCS network is Virgin Mobile which owned by Sprint. You must buy their phone and you cannot
roam off of the Sprint network. Virgin offers an Unlimited plan.
Sprint Option 3 - A New Prepaid Phone
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If You Have:
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T-Mobile Option 1 - Stay with the T-MOBILE network and Your
Current Phone:
With T-Mobile Prepaid, you can switch to "Pay As You Go"
or "Pay by the Day". Once you pass
the $100 amount in your Pay As You Go account
you are eligible for T-Mobile's "Gold Rewards." You begin with
an initial rate of .10 per call and a 1-year
expiration date. Subsequent yearly renewals
can be less than $100 a year, but at the
$100 amount, you keep the .10 a minute rate.
You also get free access to a limited selection
of web sites. There are no extra charges
for roaming off T-Mobile's network, and roaming is available in almost
all the same areas as postpaid accounts.
T-Mobile Option 2 - Use Your Current Phone:
We strongly
recommend that
you choose T-Mobile's own excellent prepaid options. If you just
don't want to deal with T-Mobile, the best alternative is to switch to AT&T GoPhone. As with most GSM phones, you will need
to "Unlock" your GSM phone and
T-Mobile will provide that unlock code after you
have been a paying subscriber for at least
6 months. You will need to purchase an AT&T
GoPhone Activation kit. Before you make the
switch, make sure GoPhone has coverage where
you need it. Their coverage is not as extensive
as T-mobile Prepaid, especially in the west.
T-Mobile Option 3 - A New Prepaid Phone
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If You Have:
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Verizon Option 1 - Stay with the VERIZON network and Use
Your Current Phone:
Verizon Wireless lets you switch to their own Prepaid plans with 4 different levels of payment.
On days you don't use your phone, you don't
pay. Your number of features determines the
rate you pay on those days you do use the
phone, including different types of Unlimited minutes. You also get access to most of
Verizon's unique features. Roaming off the Verizon network gets you roaming charges. Fortunately,
Verizon's network is extensive enough to
make off-network roaming rare.
Verizon Option 2 - Use Your Current Phone:
You can take
your VERIZON WIRELESS phone to one of several cellular re-sellers,
the best of which is Page Plus Cellular. Page Plus offers most of the same features as Verizon, but on a pay as you go basis. Their refills
expire after 120 days (about 4 months). Like
Verizon's Prepaid plans, Page Plus users are limited to the Verizon network,
which is extensive, but off-network roaming
is possible at a higher rate.
Verizon Option 3 - A New Prepaid Phone
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