Those of us that are very attached to our cell phones can't really imagine people that only buy them for emergency purposes. But users who will only use their phones to call AAA or let their spouse know will be late coming home will find the most cost effective solution in a Pay as You Go prepaid plan that costs a fixed amount, like $.25, per minute.

Another user group that benefits from prepaid are parents who are trying to keep their kids on a budget. Don't want to risk overage fees? Get an unlimited plan or set a fixed amount per month with a Pay as You Go plan and provide them with a prepaid dollar amount. Once those are gone, they'll have to buy more. This can be a great way to teach responsibility and restraint.

Check out our side by side comparison of various prepaid & traditional contract plans below to determine the best solution for you.

There are some no contract options offered that behave more like traditional plans in that you pay a monthly fee for some number of minutes (these minutes will cost more per minute than those that come with a contract). Once you use up your allotted monthly minutes you will need to contact the carrier to add more, but you are insured that you will not unknowingly incur overage charges.

Finally there are regional offerings, like Cricket or Metro PCS, that offer unlimited minutes for a monthly price. This is a great option in that for a flat monthly fee you may make all the calls you like nationwide. But these carriers are offered in limited markets and additionally if you venture outside of the areas covered you will likely not have any service at all.