If so, you'll lose them if you don't use them by then.

Here are some other disadvantages with prepaid cell phones:Įxpiring minutes and service - The minutes you buy for your prepaid cell phone may come with an expiration date of 30 or 90 days. Next, let's look at some of the problems with using prepaid cell phones. They also are available at many locations, ready to use immediately and even disposable. Buying a prepaid cell phone doesn't require a long-term contract and credit check, so students with part-time jobs or older adults with no use of credit or a less-than-perfect credit record can get a phone easily.īecause they don't require a contract, prepaid phones are fast and easy to buy.

Young adults and others with no credit history or credit card debt.

Then you can find a plan with the minutes and calling times to match.

Before committing to a long-term cell phone plan, use a prepaid phone for a month or two to gauge what your (or your teenager's) actual usage will be. Buy it, use it on vacation or while your regular cell phone is missing or broken - and then throw it away. A prepaid phone may work well, but make sure you know about any time limit on unused minutes. If you only use a cell phone for emergencies and perhaps a few calls a week, you don't need a fancy phone or a complicated billing plan. Parents can buy a cheap cell phone for a teen and a card per month for a set number of minutes, leaving the teen to budget use and pay for additional minutes. If you don't have any minutes left, you can't make calls or send text messages, although you can still call #999 for emergencies and, with some phones, receive messages stored until you have the minutes to view them.

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