why are they asking me what rate plan I want for a prepaid phone?

Question

I apologize in advance for my lack of technical knowledge, This is my first time trying to activate a prepaid phone. I'm not stupid, but please be simple :)

I was given an Optus prepaid Motorola v3 phone bundle as a gift recently. What I don't understand is why they are asking which rate plan I want when I try to activate my sim card, I got a prepaid phone. first of all, what is a rate plan and how do they work?
I was given several rate plan options to choose from such as; turbo max, bigger & better free calls, optus data blaster, every now & then, turbo text, turbocharge cap, talk & text for less and international calls for less. but these are all on a monthly billing plan aren't they?

I thought when I got a prepaid phone I activated my sim card, They gave me my number and all I had to do was buy the credit when I wanted it. is this not the case? even though I got a prepaid, will I still have to pay monthly charges?

sorry one question turned into a million, thank you in advance :)

Answer 1

Hey QQQQQQQQ,



When you're with Optus Pre-Paid we have different rate plans to suit how you use your phone and service. As an example, if you're a high user and make lots of calls and SMS per month then the Turbo Cap might be for you. If you don't make many calls and want your credit to last longer you can go onto the Every Now & Then rate plan, which has a credit validity of 186 days!



The credit validity is how long your credit lasts before it expires, so long as you recharge before the credit expiry date you won't lost any credit remaining, and it will roll over to your next recharge!



To check out the different plans and more info you can have a look here → http://bit.ly/c2f7SH



Each plan has different options and credit expiry timeframes, so there'll be a plan that suits how you use your phone!



If you got more questions or would like a hand with this you can send me your details here → http://bit.ly/OPTUS and I'll be in touch!



Hope this helps :)



Cheers



Andy Radoslav

Optus Social Media Response Team

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

I use a pay as you go phone also. Mined is from VirginMobile. I have also used Cingular (b4 ATT bought them out and doubled the prices. And I also had once the ATT Go-phone. All three of these also offer simple monthly plans, that are paid in advance. Such as you get a plan on the 3rd of the month. Prior to the third you must have the next month paid for or they will revert you back top a pay per minute. The other items you mentioned are items that you must have money in your account to use. They do not go along with any minutes you bought.

Answer 4

Look into Virgin Mobil, I hear that they have good Prepaid plans with no contracts. I personally think that prepaid plans by major carriers (Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, AT&T) are not worth money and you'll probably be better off getting a plan.....However I would not suggest a Verizon Wireless Prepaid phone, and probably their service all together. They're good but they suck at the same time

Answer 5

Go through those plans online and find the one that is the pay-by-the-minute option.