Clark Howard's Tips

June 24, 2008

The cost of operating a cell phone keeps going down, down, down. Right now, Clark has a deal to share that goes into effect July 1.

Virgin Mobile has been losing customers like mad since the Big 4 carriers started offering unlimited calling plans at $99/month. So they're going to introduce a $79/month unlimited calling plan -- with no roaming charges, no long distance charges and NO CONTRACT! If you want unlimited texting and all the frills, you'll pay an extra $10 monthly. (Editor's note: Pricing accurate as of 06/24/08.)

Virgin has actually never done the contracts that the other Big 4 cram down your throat. In fact, the FCC may restrict how contracts work in the future. They won't be able to "trick" you into entering a new contract when you call them to ask a question. Meanwhile, Verizon has been putting its toe in the water by pro-rating contracts on a monthly basis.

Next year, the offers on unlimited calling could be much cheaper than they are right now because of Google's Android. Your mobile device's capabilities will leapfrog what we have now and the pricing will drop. That's why the Big 4 always want to lock you into a contract.

Consumer advice courtesy of