Is Prepaid Wireless or a Monthly Contract Cheaper?

Analysis compares scenarios with 200, 400, 1,000 minutes across many carriers

From Adam Fendelman, former About.com Guide

See More About:

Verizon Wireless

Image © Verizon Wireless

200 anytime minutes with AT&T:

$28 using eight $1 days at 10 cents per minute with no contract using GoPhone pay as you go
$29.99 with no contract using GoPhone pick your plan
$50 with no contract using GoPhone pay as you go with no daily access fee and 25-cent minutes
No monthly contract plan offered at this level (or $29.99 for seniors over 65)

We’ll now bump up this analysis from 200 minutes per month to 400 minutes.

400 anytime minutes per month with Virgin Mobile:

30-day minute pack with no contract: $30 or 7.5 cents per minute
By the minute with no contract: $46.99 or 10 cents per minute (including a $6.99 monthly fee)
By the minute with no contract: $80 or 20 cents per minute
Monthly plan with a contract (plus unlimited minutes on nights and weekends): $49.99

400 anytime minutes per month with Boost Mobile:

400 anytime minutes per month with Net10:

No pay-as-you-go pricing offered at this level (but $45 for 450 minutes with 90 days of service)
“Easy” minutes for $40 with no contract

400 anytime minutes per month with Verizon Wireless:

$47.92 with no contract using eight 99-cent days (“Core” plan at 10 cents per minute), $35.92 using eight $1.99 days (“Plus” at 5 cents per minute) or $31.92 using eight $2.99 days (“Power” at 2 cents per minute) with various expirations
No monthly contract plan offered at this level (but 450 minutes for $39.99)

400 anytime minutes per month with T-Mobile:

400 anytime minutes with Tracfone:

$99.99 with no contract and 365 days of service (or $79.99 for 450 minutes with 90 days of service)
No monthly contract plan offered at this level

400 anytime minutes with AT&T:

$48 using eight $1 days at 10 cents per minute with no contract using GoPhone pay as you go
$49.99 with no contract using GoPhone pick your plan
$100 with no contract using GoPhone pay as you go with no daily access fee and 25-cent minutes
No monthly contract plan offered at 200 minutes (but $39.99 for 450 minute “nation” minutes)

Finally, things get interesting as we bump the analysis up to 1,000 minutes per month.

1,000 anytime minutes per month with Virgin Mobile:

30-day minute pack with no contract: $50 or 5 cents per minute
By the minute with no contract: $106.99 or 10 cents per minute (including a $6.99 monthly fee)
By the minute with no contract: $200 or 20 cents per minute
No monthly contract plan offered at this level (but $79.99 for unlimited minutes)

1,000 anytime minutes per month with Boost Mobile:

1,000 anytime minutes per month with Net10:

1,000 anytime minutes per month with Verizon Wireless:

$107.92 with no contract using eight 99-cent days (“Core” plan at 10 cents per minute), $65.92 using eight $1.99 days (“Plus” at 5 cents per minute) or $43.92 using eight $2.99 days (“Power” at 2 cents per minute)
No monthly contract plan offered at this level (but 1,350 minutes for $79.99 or unlimited minutes for $99.99)

1,000 anytime minutes per month with T-Mobile:

$100 on pay as you go
$108 using eight $1 pay-by-the-day days at 10 cents per minute
$39.99 without myFaves or $59.99 with myFaves (call five people unlimited on any network)

1,000 anytime minutes with Tracfone:

No pay-as-you-go plan offered at this level (but 800 minutes for $139.99 for 365 days of service)
No monthly contract plan offered at this level

1,000 anytime minutes with AT&T:

$108 using eight $1 days at 10 cents per minute with no contract using GoPhone pay as you go
$250 with no contract using GoPhone pay as you go with no daily access fee and 25-cent minutes
No plan offered at this level using GoPhone pick your plan (but $69.99 for 650 minutes)
No monthly contract plan offered at this level (but $79.99 for 1,350 “nation” minutes or $99.99 for unlimited minutes)

Continue reading for the winners on page three... You can also learn about all of the prepaid wireless plans.