Cingular Wireless L.L.C. restructured its prepaid offering with a pair of services using the GoPhone brand name it acquired when it purchased AT&T Wireless Services Inc. last year. The GoPhone plans include a traditional prepaid service, as well as a monthly recurring charge service that does not require a contract or credit check.
The traditional prepaid offering, now dubbed GoPhone Pay As You Go, is broken into two service options providing customers with either a 10-cent per-minute charge with a $1 per-day service fee, or a flat 25-cent per minute option. Cingular noted the $1 service fee for the 10-cent per minute option is only charged on days that customers use their phones, and customers selecting this option will also receive unlimited in-network calling to the carrier’s more than 50 million subscribers.
The plan is similar to Verizon Wireless’ recently launched Inpulse prepaid service that provides customers with 10-cent per-minute calling with a $1 per day service charge and unlimited in-network calling. However, Verizon Wireless charges the $1 fee regardless of phone use, but also includes unlimited calls between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Mobile virtual network operator Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. also launched a similar per-day fee option that provides for a flat 10-cent per-minute charge with a 35-cent per-day fee, which is charged regardless of phone usage.
In connection with the Pay As You Go plans, Cingular said it was also launching a new universal prepaid replenishment card that customers can refill using debit or credit cards at select ATM machines. Cards will also be available at more than 60,000 retail locations, including Cingular stores, 7-Eleven, Western Union, Target and Wal-Mart. The $15 cards will have 30-day expiration dates $25, $50 and $75 cards will have 90-day expiration dates and $100 cards will have 180-day expiration dates
Cingular’s other prepaid option, known as Pick Your Plan, is similar to AWS’ original GoPhone offering in that a customer can select from a handful of packages that includes a bucket of minutes and establishing an automatic monthly payment using a credit card, debit card or checking account. The Pick Your Plan option also includes Cingular’s Rollover feature that allows users to keep unused calling minutes.
The plans begin at $30 per month for 200 anytime calling minutes; $40 per month for 300 anytime calling minutes and 1,000 night and weekend minutes; $50 per month for 400 anytime minutes and unlimited night and weekend calling minutes; and tops out at $70 per month for 650 anytime calling minutes, unlimited night and weekend calling minutes and unlimited in-network calling.
All GoPhone plans include voicemail, international calling options, access to downloadable content and no long-distance or roaming charges. GoPhone also provides text and instant messaging service for 5 cents per message on the Pay As You Go plan or 10 cents per message for Pick Your Plan users.
Customers can use any Cingular handset for the prepaid options or select from one of three prepackaged GoPhone products featuring either the Nokia 6010 for $70, the LG C1300I for $100, or the Motorola V220 for $150.