Prepaid Wireless Service Providers:

There seems to be a growing number or prepaid wireless providers out there. Consumers for many reasons have been shying away from "contract" based services which hook you in to signing a contract for uo to 12 - 24 months. Providers always require you to sign a contract and this causes many problems for consumers with bad credit, new/no credit, which may result in a large down payment. Many consumers also dont use thier cell phones much, this is very common with the baby boomers who dont rely on technology to live thier daily lives.

The following are the most prepaid providers on the market today (Not in any particular order):

1. Tracfone - TracFone Wireless is America’s largest prepaid wireless company. Established in 1996, the company was the first to introduce a pay-as-you-go wireless service with no contracts, no hidden taxes or fees and no monthly bills. TracFone Wireless is a subsidiary of América Móvil (NYSE: AMX, Nasdaq: AMOV), Latin America's largest wireless company with 93.3 million subscribers around the world.

2. Cingular - Pay As You Go is wireless made easy. Simply pay in advance for what you need. No long-term contracts, credit checks or surprise bills - just all the benefits of wireless, with no complications.

3. Boost Mobile - Boost Mobile® is a lifestyle-based telecommunications brand focused on offering premium Pay-As-You-Go wireless phones and voice data services to the youth market. Boost Mobile is among the fastest growing wireless services in the U.S. and now has 4.3 million customers – the majority of which are under the age of 25.  According to customer surveys, the top reasons why young people choose Boost Mobile are for the "Boost Walkie-Talkie," "Company I can trust," "Treats me like a valued customer" and "Rewards me for being a loyal customer."

4. Verizon Wireless - Provides the best value with no deposit or long-term commitment. With EasyPay Plans you have total control over your spending and there are no surprise overages at the end of the month.

5. Virgin Mobile - Add airtime to your account, then talk all you want. When you run low, add some more. Just make sure to add at least $20 every 90 days to keep your service working... even if you have money in your balance.

6. Kajeet Wireless - You're a parent looking to maintain connection and communication with your kids in an ever-busier world. You want to give your kid a phone that he or she will really enjoy, but in which you have confidence and trust. In doing so, you don't want to bust your budget. That's why we created kajeet for you.

7. TMobile Prepaid - Stay close with less commitment. Prepaid plans feature outstanding rates, no annual contract, no credit check, and no monthly bill. Plus, it’s easy to add more time so you can truly pay—and talk—as you go.

8. IWireless - wireless is prepaid wireless with more options to pay-as-you-go. There are daily or monthly options to choose from, so its easy to select a plan that fits your budget and lifestyle. i-wireless lets you control how much you spend and how you spend it. Pick a plan based on how you'll use your phone. You can choose ONE of the following Daily Plans: Pay Per Minute, Nights & Weekends, Mobile-To-Mobile or unlimited daily. Or you can choose one of the following monthly plans: Dayton Zone and Unlimited Monthly.

I am sure there are other providers. The ones listed above are the most popular from the bunch.

The Leader: Tracfone - Tracfone looks to be the leader in the prepaid wireless industry. They offer a wide variety of options and thier cards are eay to acquire around the country. There are many sellers on eBay selling cards/pins/sim cards at a steep discount which is good for consumers and creates balance in the market place.

The problems: Some of these providers are facing issues with "arbitragers". Cell phone arbitrage basically means that thier is a market imbalance with pricing, for example someone will go buy a tracfone from thier local supermarket, sell it to a wireless dealer, that wireless dealer than "unlocks" the phone and sells it to the consumer who can than use the phone on any network. This is not good for provider like tracfone because they usually sell the phone on the cheap hoping consumers will come back for the minutes. The problem for Tracfone is that unlocking cell phones is legal and is part of the digital rights act passed in 2007 which runs until 2010.

The Conclusion:

I would recommend that anyone who does not use a cell phone or does not have the option to sign a contract with a major provider to go with one of these prepaid providers. They require no contract, no hassels and make it easy for anyone to start. It is always nice to have a backup phone in your car or purse incase of an emergency. It is always nice to have the assurance that you can communicate to the real world in any circumstance.

My name is Samer Bazzi and i have been monitoring the Prepaid Wireless industry for many years now. More great tips on Bonus Codes, tricks and reviews about wireless phones, prepaid kits and much more.