---

---

Released: June 24, 2011

Looking for a smartphone bargain? Check out prepaid

Source: Marguerite Reardon, CNET (Free Registration)

As unlimited data plans from traditional wireless carriers go the way of the flip phone, savvy bargain hunters have another option: prepaid services that offer cool new smartphones with cheap unlimited data plans. After months of anticipation, Verizon Wireless is expected to introduce a new pricing scheme July 7, which will eliminate its unlimited data plan. AT&T did something similar a year ago. While Sprint and T-Mobile USA, the smaller of the four national carriers, still offer unlimited data, there are signs that pricing will increase. Sprint already charges customers $10 more a month for phones that can access its 4G wireless network. And T-Mobile could be out of the market entirely in a year if its $39 billion merger with AT&T is approved. What this likely means for consumers in the future are higher prices for wireless data. But as the big carriers put caps on their service plans and raise prices, there's a much overlooked alternative: prepaid wireless.

Read Full Article: Looking for a smartphone bargain? Check out prepaid