Cheap Prepaid Android Phone for ATT GoPhone

What does a "cheap" prepaid phone mean, exactly? I guess it's all relative. A lot of people use prepaid cell phones to avoid credit checks and the hassles of a contract. But generally, you are not going to get the "free phones" like you would with a 2 year service agreement. The reason for this is simple. When you lock in to a contract, the wireless retailers will subsidize the price of your phone. The carriers like Verizon and AT&T will give away phones because they know the customer is obligated to pay them the monthly contract rate every month, typically for at least 24 months. Even at the low end of the contract plans ( typically $39 or $40 these days), the customer will likely pay the carrier around $1000 or more over the life of the contract.

Prepaid phones are not going to be discounted that heavily upfront. Most prepaid cell phones that are cheap are going to be outdated or very simple phone models. The carriers are not going to subsidize your prepaid cell phone handset by $100-200. They don't know what you are going to once you take that phone home. You might pay for a month of service ( or a 20 buck phone card depending on how the prepaid plans work), pay as you go, and then quit if you don't like the phone or can't afford to keep buying minutes.

Typically, if you are looking for a higher end phone, like a smartphone that is prepaid, you are going to pay more. Even though the prepaid smartphones cost more upfront, keep in mind that there is no contract. So you aren't going to be forced to pay a monthly calling and data plan for years to come, and you can switch your phone very easily. Expect to pay a little over 100 bucks for a prepaid smartphone like an An Android prepaid phone, at the cheap end. For example, this AT&T Avail Android GoPhone for use with the GoPhone Prepaid service from ATT comes in at a little over $100 and is a cheap prepaid android phone. If you want a much simpler phone, you can save 50-100 bucks easily: