What Are Prepaid Cell Phones?

By Author: Emman Sioco
Total Articles: 352
Comment this article

Using a cell phone means using the service of a phone company. They will either ask you to sign a contract to use their services, or you can use a prepaid cell phone. Pre pay is, as the name suggest, where you pay up front for the calls you make. You buy credit from the phone company, which is then logged on your phone, or against your phone number. The phones are the exact same models and brands, all that differs is the payment method.

Getting credit can be done in a number of very simple ways. First up you can top up your account online. This made very simple and straightforward by the phone companies themselves. You can use your credit card and have your account credited within seconds, or you can use a debit card. In most instances you won't even have to register with the company, just enter your cell phone number, pay and that's it! With regard to registering, the advantage is that you will get freebies from the company, these can be vouchers from other companies or popular stores, or you can build up points and claim prizes with them. By registering you'll also have an account, so topping up will be quicker next ...
... time.

There are tens of thousands of top up machines across the land, in petrol stations, bars, and shops. Most bank machines will now offer a top up service. You won't need to have registered for this either. Simply insert your bank card and follow what are usually very straightforward instructions.

Vouchers are one of the most popular ways of topping up. This looks just like a store receipt, with a code that you enter into your phone after you have called an automated service. These have the added advantage of being a nice present for someone as well.

As you can see, prepay is an extremely easy system to use, with a wide variety of payment methods. They avoid the need for a contract, which are cheaper, but lock you in for a year at least. Pre pay is favoured by businessmen who may be in the country infrequently, but want a phone, as well as long stay tourists.

Many people simply throw away or put in the bottom drawer, their old prepay phones. Why not recycle them? Your phone contains precious and semi-precious metals that need to be mined so it's an easy way to do a little for the environment.

Learn more tips on how to sell your mobile and Envirofone models.