No Credit Check Phone
No credit check phone services are popping up all over the place. The success of low cost, no credit check carrier Cricket has led even traditional big name wireless carriers to offer some kind of service available without a credit check. If you're looking for a service that provides no credit check telephones, you're in luck. There are many options to choose from, and each service has its advantages and disadvantages.
First, let's take a look at why phone services tend to run credit checks on their customers. If you want a no credit check phone, it would help to understand why you would nornally have to undergo a credit check before getting phone service. The main reason for a credit check before establishing phone service is because you have to sign contracts with most major phone carriers. Many phone services offer incredibly low rates on the phones themselves (and sometimes even the phone plans) because you have to "lock in" to a few years of service -- and these contracts are generally impossible to break once signed. Phone companies don't want to make contracts with people with poor credit history, for obvious reasons. If you've defaulted on loans or passed a lot of bad checks, you are very likely not going to keep your end of the bargain, costing the phone company a ton of money in lost revenue. If you look at it from the phone company's perspective, it makes a ton of sense -- would you want to set up a contract with someone over a two or three year period if that person is known for not paying their bills? Obviously, you would be hesitant to loan a friend money if they never pay back their debts. Just like you, the phone company is looking out for number one -- when they make a contract with a customer, they want to ensure that the customer is going to hold up their end of the bargain.
No Credit Check Cell Phone
The best way around this issue is to avoid signing a contract altogether with popular wireless carriers such as:
Cricket Wireless
That's what popular wireless carrier Cricket is built on -- the notion that their customers never have to sign a contract, and can cancel their service at any time. Similarly, if you neglect to pay your bill, Cricket can cancel your service at any time. Its a double win situation for carriers that don't set up contracts. They don't lose any money if you fail to pay your bill, and can sell your number to someone else, providing a new revenue stream if and when you decide to stop paying your bill.
Cricket
Cricket Wireless is probably the most widely recognized provider of no credit check telephones in America. Their service has become so popular that Cricket payment centers and sales floors are popping up faster than Starbucks in most areas of the country. Cricket Wireless prides themselves on their wide variety of no credit check phones and phone plans, and were one of the first companies I personally heard of to offer phone service without a contract. How can Cricket afford to offer service without contracts? The prices on their phones are not as cheap as their contract based competition. Its true -- you may find a cheaper phone at a major wireless carrier, but you'll have to lock into a twenty four or thirty six month contract in order to get that cheap phone. Besides, Cricket is not truly "contract free" -- you simply renew your "contract" on a month to month basis, ensuring that you are fiscally responsible for phone service in any given month. In layman's terms -- you can't simply not pay Cricket. They will hold you responsible for your bill, even when you cancel service, up to the end of the month in which you cancel.
Cricket plans start as low as $30 per month, plus applicable taxes. This incredibly affordable plan offers customers the bare minimum of wireless services -- unlimited talking minutes and free caller ID. This plan does not allow you to use text messaging, pix messaging, internet access, or any of the other high end options offered by major cellphone carriers. However, Cricket famously provides the first month of service for free -- once you pay for the phone and the "activation fee" -- typically around $30. Plans move up in increments of $5, from $30 up to $60 per month. At the $60 per month level, customers enjoy unlimited text, phone calls, pix, internet access, plus an additional free 200 roaming minutes, as well as free 411 assistance, call waiting, call forwarding, 3-way calling, and voicemail. Cricket set the standard for no credit check telephones, and all other companies are scrambling to match their offers.
AT&T GoPhone
The only real competition for Cricket is AT&T's new "GoPhone" service. Ranging in price from $30 - $70, GoPhone service is basically "prepaid wireless" with a slight difference. AT&T offers their customers the ability to have their "bill" drafted automatically from a credit card or bank account. AT&T brags that they have the "largest digital voice and data network in America", and taking a look at their coverage map, they may just be right. However, their plans simply don't compare to Cricket. For instance, at the $30 level, customers only get 200 minutes of use -- perfect as an emergency or backup cellphone, but not convenient for people who want to use their cellphone as their main means of communication. Even at the highest level, $70 (ten bucks more than Cricket's total unlimited package), you may be surprised to find that you get much less than you pay for. Yes, night and weekend minutes are unlimited, but you only get 650 "anytime" minutes, whereas with Cricket, you can get complete unlimited calling for just $30. It would seem that AT&T is banking on customers who see Cricket Wireless as a 'discount' service, or who don't like Cricket's somewhat limited coverage area. Hopefuly, GoPhone rates will get better over time, as competition becomes more fierce.
These no credit check telephone services are the wave of the future in terms of phone service. More and more companies are turning to a "contract free" system. It allows both the company and the customer a certain amount of financial freedom if the service doesn't work out, for whatever reason. Don't like your phone company's customer service or wireless coverage? Simply cancel your service, pay out your bill for that final month, and you can wash your hands of their service. That phone company can do the same with you -- they are rid of a customer that would otherwise default on a contract, and they can continue to make money on the phone number you've been using, instead of having that number exist in a kind of "phone limbo". A no credit check phone may be the best option for both the customer and the phone company -- do some research, find a service that offers the best rate and options for you, and enter the world of no contract phone service.