Best prepaid service with unlocked phone?

Whats the best prepaid service to use with a unlocked cell phone?

First of all you will need a GSM prepaid service(T-Mobile, Cingular, etc.). What kind of usage will you mainly use it for(Voice, text, mms, etc.)? How many minutes do you think you will be using a month?

Oh ok..so all I have to do is go and buy a t-mobile prepaid phone and just switch the simcard into my unlocked phone? I'll probably be using around 150 mins a month just for text messaging mainly but for emergency calls also.

You can buy a new cell phone if you want, and put it into your unlocked phone. Or you can just buy the SIM seperately and not waste your money on a phone you wont use. You can use any GSM carrier in your phone. Best if your phone uses both GSM 850 and 1900. What kind of phone, and where will you use it? Zip?

If you want tmobile check there online coverage tool to make sure it will work for where you need it. You said this will be for an emergency phone. Tmobile prepaid may not give you coverage in the boonies. But if the coverage will work they are one of the best deals going in prepaid. If you wand to buy a phone for the SIM, Target and walmart sell a tmobile nokia 6010 for $40. If you wanted you could buy the phone, use the SIM and sell just the phone on ebay to recoop some of the money. Or you can go to a tmobile store and pay way too much ($40 plus) just for the SIM. Or you can buy the same exact SIM on ebay for $6-11 shipped and comes with 60-150 starting minutes. If buying off ebay buy from someone with lots of positive feedback. I have done this for a prepaid tmobile SIM and have been very happy.

You can also buy other SIM's from other companies in the same way. Avoid Cingular Gophone at all cost. They are way too expensive unless you need lots of in-network calling or want to pay for really expensive prepaid data.

If you want cingular's network use a cingular MVNO such as Oxygen GSM or Beyond Wireless GSM. Same network with much better plans, rates, and expirations.

Although NOT compatable with your phone, Net10 uses many different networks (Cingular, Tmobile, and others combined). 150 min/month=$15/month, always 10cpm, no roaming charges. The largest prepaid GSM network available, since this will be an emergency phone too. Phones start at $40 and come with $30 of airtime. No activation fee. Text=$0.05 in and out.

As a complete newbie, I have a similar question - my daughter just gave me her old cell phone. How can I determine if the above advice will work with this phone? Thanks.

If it's a T-Mobile phone it will work with a T-Mobile prepaid sim card, if it's a Cingular phone it will work with a Cingular sim card. If the phone is unlocked and supports both 850 mhz and 1900 mhz bands, it should work with both.

is tmoblie good with prepaid

tmobile prepaid is probably the best, IMO. they have good rates and good reception

I like a T mobile

You beat me to it. I was about to say Net10. They have the best prices for prepaid phones.

tuyo aint bad .20 per min text .05\.02