PLANS
When purchasing a mobile phone you need to think how you'd like to pay for the time you use your phone. There are two options - prepaid (otherwise known as 'pay as you go') and postpaid (otherwise known as a contract plan).
With prepaid plans, you have no line of credit. You pay upfront for your call time by purchasing call credit, in the form of coupons, cards or vouchers. Some prepaid plans only charge you for the calls you make out but some also charge you for calls in. Make sure if you opt for a prepaid plan that you select a network provider that charges for outgoing calls only.
As mentioned prepaid plans offer no line of credit, so are great for those whose financial histories are blemished in any way or have been turned down in the past for a postpaid mobile contract plan.
If you are a parent and would like to purchase a mobile phone for your child then getting one on a prepaid plan might be your best bet. This way you can budget how much you child spends both in terms of money on calls but also the amount of time they spend on their mobile phone.
If you are a heavy mobile phone user, or a business user, then you might want to look at a postpaid mobile plan. Mobile phone contract plans offer inclusive talk time minutes, texts and other services, for a fee on a monthly basis. To be eligible for a mobile phone on a post-paid basis it is likely that you will have undergo and pass a credit check.