Cell phones: Net 10 prepay cell phone

Depends on how often

you use it. If you use it every day, then net10 maybe is your cheapest alternative. If you don't, Cingular will actually end up cheaper in the long run. With net10, $30 card will only last you 60 days. Cingular, however with just $25 top up, will keep your number active for 3 months.

We have many back up prepaid phone in our office to provide international clients during their stay here. At first, we use Verizon but they charge 99c/day whether or not you use the phone. Cingular only charge $1/day only if you use it. Since most of the time, those back up phones only sit in the drawer, Cingular is definitely a cheaper option for us. With net10, we need to top up very often and will cost much more.

Net10 maybe cheap if you calculate the minute charges. But if you don't use those minutes, it's really a waste. With $30 or $60 top up every 2 or 3 months, you'll end up paying more for minutes you don't need.