Postpaid versus Prepaid Plans
One person asked me today why the prepaid phones have a ‘plan’. I know there is a lot of confusion about prepaid versus postpaid (also known as regular wireless service). Basically speaking, prepaid (as the name implies) is a plan you pay for your minutes ahead of time. Regular wireless service bills you once a month based on your usage in the prior billing period. That’s the basic difference, but there are a few other fundamental differences between the two as it applies to Lightyear Wireless.
Sprint Versus Verizon – Lightyear Prepaid Wireless runs on the Sprint network and Lightyear regular wireless runs on the Verizon network. The Sprint network is very comprehensive in that it covers most populated areas in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. However there are holes in the coverage in rural areas. The Verizon network has some holes too, but it tends to be more comprehensive than Sprint’s.
Rollover Minutes – The Lightyear Prepaid Wireless plans allow you to roll over unused minutes into the next month. This is a typical feature of prepaid plans and regular wireless plans typical don’t offer this.
Choice and Cost of Phones – In general the phones are cheaper if you go with a regular plan. This is because the supplier can roll some of the cost into the overall contract. In fact there are some phones with Lightyear Wireless that are free. No free phones with the Lightyear Prepaid Wireless plans. Furthermore, there is a better selection of phones with the regular Lightyear Wireless plans. (Lightyear will be adding more phones to the prepaid plans but for now there are just a handful).
Overall Value – On the surface, the Lightyear Prepaid Wireless plans are usually a better value if you consider the fact that the unlimited plan is $59.99. The Lightyear Wireless regular unlimited plan is $99.99. However, it would depend a lot on the cost of the phone you choose. As I mentioned, the phones are priced lower and in some cases free with the Lightyear Wireless regular plans.
Hope this helps!
