X

Get a prepaid AT&T GoPhone for $9.99

Need a spare cell phone for emergencies, younger kids, or the like? The no-frills, no-contract Samsung SGH-a107 lets you pay for service as needed.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
For just $10, the AT&T Samsung SGH-a107 GoPhone gives you simple, prepaid, no-contract calling.
For just $10, the AT&T Samsung SGH-a107 GoPhone gives you simple, prepaid, no-contract calling. AT&T

Not everyone needs, wants, or can afford a super-fancy smartphone. And a two-year contract costing upwards of $100 per month? Ouch!

If you're looking for mobile communication on a shoestring, AT&T has the Samsung SGH-a107 GoPhone for $9.99 shipped. No activation fee, no contract, just 10 bucks out the door for a simple cell phone.

Simple, and prepaid. Although you can spend $60 or $70 per month for unlimited talk/data plans, AT&T also lets you pay as you go: $2 per day for unlimited talk and texting, or just 10 cents per minute for occasional calls.

An option like this might be ideal for, say, an 11-year-old who wants to let you know she's going to a friend's house after school, or needs a ride home from soccer practice.

That's assuming she can endure the stigma of carrying such a no-frills phone. The SGH-a107 has no camera, no music player, no Bluetooth, no external display. It has a keypad, and you can talk into one end and hear out the other. In other words, it's basic, reliable transportation--phone-wise.

And cheap! How can you beat $10 for a no-contract cell phone? (For what it's worth, the regular price is only $20. I'm not sure how long AT&T will be offering this discount.) If you've had any experience with this model (which, admittedly, CNET found to be merely "decent"), let me know in the comments.

Also, if you don't mind paying more up front, the Android-powered Virgin Mobile LG Optimus V is pretty sweet, and costs as little as $25/month--no contract required.

Bonus deal: While you're on the AT&T site, there's another deal worth checking out: the AT&T Mobile Hotspot MiFi 2372 for free. (Shipping is also free, though you do have sign up for a two-year contract.) Data-plan options include $35/month for 3GB or $60/month for 5GB. (The former is actually pretty good.)