Prepaid

With Sprint Nextel aggressively pushing into the prepaid business, it's no surprise that the iPhone would eventually end up on one of its no-contract units.

At the end of June, Virgin Mobile, which is owned by Sprint, began selling the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, representing a new avenue of distribution for Apple. Virgin's no-contract plans meant customers would have to foot the entire bill for the iPhone, with the 16GB iPhone 4S selling for $649.99.

The iPhone 4S is selling at Virgin, Chief Sales Officer Paget Alves said, though he declined to say how well it … Read more

Looking to slash your smartphone bill? Prepaid services that resell service from the nationwide carriers at big discounts may be your answer.

There are now several prepaid services available that resell nationwide carriers' 3G wireless services. The benefits to these plans are huge. Customers can still get access to hot new smartphones and reliable networks with nationwide coverage at a fraction of the price that they'd pay subscribing to a service from AT&T or Verizon Wireless. Of course, there are a few downsides to these prepaid services. Still, as I explain in this edition of Ask Maggie, … Read more

Prepaid may be the way to go for savvy smartphone consumers, as more and more wireless operators are offering cool devices with their cheap prepaid plans.

It used to be that prepaid cell phone users had to sacrifice the ability to get cool devices for cheap service. But that's not true anymore as carriers like Virgin Mobile get top of the line Google Android handsets and even offer the popular Apple iPhone. Consumers can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on prepaid services compared to so-called post-paid services, which require a contract. In this edition of Ask Maggie, … Read more

Cricket said there was a bit of buzz around its start of iPhone 4S sales today, with some customers lining up to buy before stores opened.

The wireless service is the first to offer a prepaid, no-contract iPhone, an expensive and unique device for the prepaid market.

The 16GB iPhone 4S costs $499.99, while the 8GB iPhone 4 costs $399.99. The phone comes with a $55 no-contract plan that includes unlimited calling and text messages. The plan also includes 2.3GB of data, after which the carrier will slow the connection down.

A Cricket representative said the phone … Read more

Spotify may be all the rage with the hipster set but many postpaid customers on Cricket already enjoy the carrier's Muve music service. Now retailer Kmart plans to offer Muve along with other Cricket products and handsets in its stores. … Read more

The Apple iPhone has finally come to the prepaid market in the U.S., but is it really worth paying full price for the device when you can get it cheaper from a carrier that is subsidizing the cost?

The short answer is "yes." In this edition of Ask Maggie I explain why even with a higher upfront cost, a prepaid iPhone is a better deal than buying a subsidized version of the same phone from AT&T or Verizon Wireless. And I lay out why prepaid is still cheaper even for people with discounted family plans.… Read more

Virgin Mobile will be the next prepaid service to get the iPhone, Sprint Nextel confirmed today.

Virgin Mobile follows Leap Wireless, which last week said it was getting the iPhone for its Cricket prepaid service. Like Cricket, the Virgin Mobile version of the iPhone won't be cheap; the 16-gigabyte iPhone 4S will cost $649, while the 8GB iPhone 4 will cost $549.

The appeal of a prepaid iPhone is the lack of a contract and lower monthly plan. Virgin Mobile will offer a $30 plan with 300 voice minutes, a $40 plan with 1,200 minutes, and a $50 … Read more

Cricket will soon have some competition in the prepaid iPhone market .

Sprint's Virgin Mobile plans to sell Apple's smartphone for use on a pay-as-you-go basis, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Sprint is expected to announce later this week that the prepaid carrier will offer the iPhone as early as July 1, sources tell the Journal.

Leap Wireless' Cricket announced last week that it would begin selling the iPhone on June 22 for use on its prepaid wireless service. No pricing details were discussed for Sprint's offering, but Cricket plans to sell the 16GB iPhone 4S … Read more

In today's show, we're stretching our thumbs, looking to Venus and pondering iPhone popularity:

It's time to gear up for the year's big video game conference, E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The coverage begins around 9 a.m. Pacific, noon Eastern when Microsoft holds its press event. Expect talk of Halo 4 and new entertainment features tied to Xbox Live.

Sony will be holding a press event late Monday evening, and Nintendo will be having one Tuesday to reveal more on the Wii U, right as the show floor opens.

Google will be holding an event … Read more