Prepaid cell phones also called pay-as-you-go phones are one of the recent additions to the wireless service industry. With prepaid wireless, there are no contracts to sign, no monthly bills, no long-term commitments, no credit checks, no age limit, no activation fee and no hidden fees; these features are what make prepaid cellular plans so attractive. You control your own cell phone expenses and manage your money when you use prepaid cell phones. You purchase minutes in advance or when you need them so you can monitor how much you spend.

There are countless cell phone service carriers who offer a variety of prepaid cell phone plans depending on your supposed usage and budget constraints. Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon, Virgin Mobile, 7-Eleven, Tracfone, Net10 and Boost Mobile are the main service providers of pre paid cell phone.

After Cingular’s acquisition of AT&T Wireless in 2004, the company not only became the largest wireless carrier in the United States but it also jumped into the prepaid market with AT&T’s GoPhone plan that offers cheap per minute rates. T-Mobile may be the smallest of the major US wireless carriers but it made an early and aggressive push into the prepaid playing field with its To Go plans. They’ve got the flashy, headline-grabbing Sidekick II to its handset lineup; the sexy Motorola Razr V3 is a more recent addition, as is well as the updated Sidekick 3.

Verizon Wireless enters the prepaid cellphone market by offering their Inpulse and EasyPay plans. This pre paid cell phone service provider also has a large selection of phones and great plans that give you the same quality and customer service of their traditional cellular service without contracts or credit checks.

Virgin Mobile, the first MVNO carrier in the United States that operates over Sprint’s network has led the way in aggressively marketing its prepaid service to the youth market. If you’ve been to a Virgin Megastore lately, you’ve doubtless seen flashy and trendy Virgin Mobile phones hanging from display racks. Boost Mobile is a “lifestyle based” MVNO carrier that’s aiming squarely for the youth market just like Virgin Mobile. This prepaid cell phone provider is armed with snazzy versions of Motorola’s sensible handsets and push-to-talk (PTT) walkie-talkie functionality on Nextel’s iDEN network.

The 7-Eleven’s Speak Out charges a flat 20 cents a minute (except for roaming charges of 39 cents a minute) and offers a choice of six handsets from Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson priced from $60 to $150. However, unlike services that require activation online or by phone, 7-Eleven’s phones come right out of the box. Net10 is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that is operating on TracFone Wireless’ network. They offer the best per minute rate for prepaid voice service and the prepaid service requires no yearly commitment. Net10 phones start at $20 and include 300 minutes/60 days of service.

Tracfone prepaid has the distinction of being the only prepaid cell phone company to offer a phone in every zip Code in the United States. While tracFone Wireless’s prepaid cellular service may hardly be the envy of most teenagers, it has proved popular among older consumers as an emergency phone. Tracfone is the leader in the prepaid cellular industry in the US and is sold at over 60,000 retailers nationwide, as well as in the Internet. Tracfone wireless prepaid emphasizes affordability and service quality over flashy features. It has established agreements with more than 30 carriers that provide service even in traditionally underserved rural areas and they are using a mix of TDMA, CDMA and GSM technology.

The key in deciding on the best deal for a prepaid wireless cell phone depends a lot on your own personal preferences and lifestyle. So there is a need for you to consider carefully all of the benefits and disadvantages of each prepaid cell phone offered by the various prepaid wireless providers to make sure you select the best one for you.