Prepaid vs. Plan
Few of us these days would be prepared to part with our cell phones, and even from the point of view of safety and security they can certainly be a very wise investment. Choosing between a package with a particular service provider and a pay-as-you-go cell, however, can make an enormous difference in the overall cost of mobile communication.
On the plus side, a contract with a service provider will normally include a specified number of “free” minutes and texts (of course, these are not actually free, otherwise the cell phone companies wouldn’t be in business), which can be quite convenient. In reality, though, most people don’t actually need these and so the cost of the monthly plan becomes an unnecessary expense. Because users have these “free” minutes and texts, however, there is the inclination to use them and “get their money’s worth,” but sometimes what this does is to set up a dependence on mobile communication, which can become almost addictive. Long after the “freebies” have been used up, users may still be sending text messages saying “LOL!” and chatting with friends while out shopping about whether they should buy the black dress or the red one and racking up call charges as they do so.
The alternative, of course, is to buy a cheap pay-as-you-go phone and pay for your calls as and when you need to. When you are conscious of using your credit, you are more likely to think twice.
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04-26-2011, 02:50 AM
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