How to buy a solidly built, stylish prepaid cell phone with crystal clear reception that will keep you connected through Voice and Text for less than $15 a month

Five years ago, just the thought of paying $50 a month for my cell phone was painful. I was deeply in debt. Looking at my monthly expenses, the $50 for cell phone service stuck out like a sore thumb. Literally, my back was hurting when I thought about the cell phone charges - $600 a year. Still, I felt it was an important device to have, especially in case of emergencies.

In desperation, I made a last ditch effort to check out other options before giving up on owning a cell phone. That was when I found out about prepaid cell phones and TracFone. My cost dropped 76% from paying $50 a month to $12 a month which included the cost of the phone! Plus, that $12 included all taxes/surcharges and there were no cancellation penalties at all. A great value!

Are you are looking to buy the best value prepaid cell phone? If so, the Motorola W376g for $19.99 (reconditioned) is hard to beat. It is a stylish and solidly built basic cell phone loaded up with some higher level features like a digital camera and bluetooth connectivity for your headset.

Motorola Camera Cell Phone (Reconditioned) + 120 Minutes Talk Time + 90 Days Service with No Contracts = $19.99 Limited Time Offer, Check Availability

This phone comes in a package that is offered by TracFone's prepaid service. You get the phone and unlimited Double Minute privileges that will immediately slice your monthly cost down by half. Once you buy the phone, it belongs to you and there are no contracts or obligations associated. You will also receive 90 days of service time with 120 min (60 min X 2) of talk time.

It is perfect for people who are light to moderate users for whom 20 to 200 minutes of talk time per month is comfortable ($7 - $20 a month). If you use your phone for more than that, check out Straight Talk - 1,000 min for $30/mo or Unlimited for $45/mo.

This is great as a first prepaid phone or to replace your current phone. Take a look:

Excellent value "I've had this Motorola TracFone for about 6 months and have been very pleased. It has excellent reception and sound quality. The built in speaker phone is also very good. ... I'm very pleased with the phone and service. I dropped my other service and have been happy not to be billed every month for minutes I didn't use. I'm not a strong user of cell phones so it fits my life style. I have service wherever I travel, including remote areas. Your carrier will depend on your part of the country. We have AT&T here.* " Richw, Lexington, KY

*We have AT&T here - What this means is that TracFone uses the networks of AT&T and Verizon and other major carriers. Due to that, TracFone users have access to reliable and extensive nationwide coverage.

Motorola Camera Cell Phone (Reconditioned) + 120 Minutes Talk Time + 90 Days Service with No Contracts = $19.99 Limited Time Offer, Check Availability

• > Features text messaging, voicemail, free caller ID, free call waiting
• > Free to transfer your current cell phone number to this new phone - tip: keep your current service active until transfer completes
• > Includes Bluetooth Wireless Technology for connection to a blue-tooth headset
• > Includes Motorola's CrystalTalk technology for clear voice conversations
• > VGA Camera
• > Picture Messaging
• > Hands-free speaker
• > Slim, Flip phone design - comfortably fits into your pants pockets and purses. I find this design more convenient than the open keypad design where calls are accidentally made when keys are pressed if you are not careful.
• > Vibration alert
• > Downloadable ringtones, graphics, news, weather, sports and more with Airtime Minutes
• > Battery life: Up to 7.5 hours of talk time, up to 10 days of standby time.
• > Single Rate for every call: Call nationally, internationally or roam at local call rates
• > Low cost airtime: Free Double minutes for life card ($25 value!)
• > Free activation & up to 20 minutes starter time to test phone out
• > Free 90 service days card with 60 min that doubles to 120 min on this phone ($20 value) - bonus for reconditioned phone package only
• > Free Shipping

Price: $19.99 (Reconditioned*) Buy Now or $29.99 (New) Buy Now Availability limited by time and area. Click here to check availability of Prepaid Cell Phone deals

Reconditioned means that the phone has been returned by someone else. There may or may not have been quality issues with it but it will be inspected, worked on if need be, and then re-tested before it is packaged for sale again. Personally, I have owned 2 reconditioned Motorola cell phones with TracFone and they have both exceeded my expectations. If you feel uncomfortable about purchasing a reconditioned phone, you have the freedom to pay an extra $10 more for a new one, not a bad choice either.

Ongoing Usage Cost - $7 - $20/month (20 - 200 min a month)
What is your usage level? Here are the approximate monthly spend with the Double Minutes benefit - all taxes and fees included:
40 minutes a month - $7 (17 cents per min)
100 minutes a month - $12 (12 cents per min)
200 minutes a month - $20 (10 cents per min)
300 minutes a month - $27 (9 cents per min)
Need more than 300 minutes a month? - Check out Straight Talk - 1,000 min for $30/mo or Unlimited for $45/mo

Texting cost is equivalent to 1/3 (one-third) of a minute. The credit for 1 minute of talking will allow you to send/receive 3 text messages.
No Roaming Charges, No Overage Charges
International calls at the same rate as a local call. Call to Mexico, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Australia and more.

Rollover - All minutes and service time purchased will rollover.

Bonus codes for free additional minutes: When you purchase refill cards from the TracFone website, or if you subscribe to their newsletter, TracFone gives out Bonus codes that will give you even more minutes, beyond your Double Minutes benefit! Here are some recent examples from October 2009:
Bonus code 25440 - Adds extra 250 minutes to 400 minutes card that doubles to 800 minutes, TOTAL 1,050 minutes for $99.99 (9.6 cents per minute)
Bonus code 53861 - Adds extra 50 minutes to 200 minutes card that doubles to 400 minutes, TOTAL 450 minutes for $39.99 (8.9 cents per minute)

Great Basic Phone "I have this phone and cannot say enough nice things about its audio and graphics - SHARP! The wife has another name brand phone which was more expensive - no contest! I rated this phone 4 stars instead of 5 for one reason only - its keyboard is kinda' funky. It's one of those one piece plastic deals with the numbers separated by dividers rather than a physical space. For normal everyday phoning you'd have to work to beat this one. TracPhone is the way to go, folks! I was with Verizon ($70/mo) and I now spend less than $20/mo and have more features and matching coverage." JGA, Boiling Springs, SC

If you do the math for the $20 deal:
Cost of Motorola w376G phone package = $20
Cost of bundled 60 min/ 90 day usage card = $20
Cost of phone itself = $20 - $20 = $0!

PLUS Bonus Double Minutes for Life card = $25 and free to you.

Pick your package:

$19.99 29.99

Prepaid Cell Phone service from TracFone - Is it Reliable?

Ok, Prepaid service is a great deal, but is the service reliable? Let's look at the top market leader in prepaid cell phones, TracFone:

A Trusted Name. TracFone #1 market leader in Prepaid Cell Phone services industry today - TracFone. This company has over 12 years of service experience and 12 million customers.

Proven Network Reliability. TracFone has the largest digital coverage area in the US. It covers 99% of populated US areas. They use the networks of multiple major regional and national wireless carriers like AT&T and Verizon, so their customers can make calls from almost anywhere in the US. While TracFone's coverage is as reliable as you will get with any regular and more expensive major cell phone company, they are focused on serving the needs of the prepaid cell phone customer who prefers more freedom, flexibility and less expenses.

So far, based on researching reviews from people in different parts of the country from the West Coast, Mid-West, Southern, and East Coast regions, the coverage with TracFone is working well.

To see the full TracFone coverage map, click on the logo link below. On the new page that opens up, scroll down to the footer area at the bottom. Click on the Site Map link. On the Site Map page that opens up, you will see an information section on the left. Click on Coverage Maps.

No. 1 Question to Ask Before You Buy a Prepaid Cell Phone

The first question to ask yourself is: Why do I need a cell phone?

Are you buying a prepaid cell phone for the convenience of making and receiving a few phone calls while you are out and about? Do you expect to use it all the time? Would you do text messaging? Or do you see your phone a useful portable device that will monitor your emails, take pictures, listen to music on and have cool ring-tones?

Nowadays, lots of companies have entered the prepaid cell phone services market and there are plenty of choices available. From a basic cell phone that works to one that lets you browse the web, send/receive email, play music, do instant messaging on a Qwerty keypad and more.

Obviously, the more sophisticated the phone, the more the phone costs, and the more you may have to spend on the usage of it.

So before you get carried away looking at all the different phone models, take a minute to reflect on what the must have features are and what the nice to have features are. Then ask yourself if it is worth spending that extra $XX on all these other nice to have features. Also, factor in the cost of usage, not just the cost of the phone. For example, the additional cost for web surfing.

Remember, this is what you are exchanging your money for. You work hard for your money, wouldn't you want to spend it meaningfully?