Lifestyle   Money
By Consumer Team | 01 June 2023

How to Get an Affordable, Unlimited Cell Phone Plan: Deals, Credit Checks & More

Need an affordable, unlimited phone plan? Trying to get the latest smartphone without breaking the bank? You’re not alone. Check out offers for flexible cell phone plans with monthly or prepaid options, including plans that don’t require a credit check.

When it comes to no contract cell phone plans, there are a vast amount of options to compare. It used to be consumers that were in a low-income bracket, credit challenged or didn’t want to be tied up in a contract, were simply out of luck when it came to obtaining a cell phone plan.

Mobile service providers took the half measure of bringing burner phones and pre-fill cards to the more impoverished consumer, providing a temporary fix. However, the phones were technologically deficient, inferior quality, and filling those phones was expensive. Fast forward to 2020, just about everyone has the ability to get unlimited data and a great phone with no credit check, signing a contract or putting down a lot of money.

What to Look for When Choosing a No-Contract Wireless Service

When looking for the best cell phone plans with no credit check, there are a few points to consider. Depending on how tech-savvy the consumer is, the first area to research might be which provider has the biggest selection of the newest phones.

If a person isn’t concerned with advanced technology but uses their phone a good deal to talk, text, and cruise the internet, one should look for the wireless company with the best array of data plans. Along with researching the best phones and plans, a carrier’s wireless performance is worth checking out. How well does the signal transmit while at home or work?

Afinal point a consumer should be concerned with is customer service. A wireless company could have the strongest signal, best plans, and the most extensive selection of phones but have a sub-par customer service set-up.

Important Attributes to Consider in a Smartphone

For as many prepaid phone plans available, there are equally impressive phones to buy and often touted by cellular providers as free. Providers either give new phones away or use instant rebates to bring the price down considerably. If a consumer is tech-smart and craves the latest gadgetry, then the search for a phone should come first.

Even though a contract isn’t required, the consumer will use the phone they choose for a couple of years, so it’s good to get the one that best suits their needs. Battery life should be longlasting for heavy users who stream a lot or run multiple apps at one time.

Memory comes in two categories, which are RAM (random access memory), which helps determine ease of use and ROM (read-only memory), which refers to storage. Camera functions to consider are ISO levels, speed of autofocus, and aperture. Processors expressed in terms of gigahertz, the higher this number, the faster the processing speed.

The display is measured diagonally in inches, with the ideal option falling between 5.5” to 6.0”. Operating Systems come in two variants, Android and iPhone. The needs of the user easily determine most of these choices.

Is an Unlimited Wireless Plan Truly Unlimited?

A note of consideration that while practically the same phones accompany most prepaid phone plans, the providers differ in what they consider “unlimited data.” When a mobile plan description says it’s unlimited, the data is infinite, but the speed of delivery varies greatly.

The difference between no contract cell phone plans is at what point in the plan’s usage do they decide to slow down internet service, which is commonly known as throttling. The definition of throttling is a reactive measure employed in communication networks to regulate network traffic and minimize bandwidth congestion at times rendering some options on the customer’s phone inoperative.

Although throttling is in legal limbo, it is actively alive and well within the wireless provider community. Throttling even happens with the best cell phone plans and contracted wireless services. Even though there isn’t a contract to sign, we suggest that a consumer read their policy carefully to avoid issues in the future.