Sign up with Net10 and purchase a phone
The first step is to go to Net10's website and go to the 'pay as you go" cell phone plan page where you will have a choice of cell phones to use with the plan. You can also purchase a Net10 prepaid cell phone at many retail stores, but you can get a much better deal and more choices on the website. I myself ordered the cheapest flip phone they had (a Motorola flip phone with some nice features, including a camera, an MP3 player, and FM radio, for only $20) which I have been very happy with. Personally, I don't need an expensive smart phone as I am content to do my web surfing on my desktop computer and use my cell phone for making phone calls, sending text messages, and listening to my jams with my headphones on.

Once you've received your cell phone you simply activate it and you're good to go. The next step is to purchase a prepaid refill card for more minutes.

Purchasing a Net10 prepaid refill card
Net10 offers several choices for refill cards for the Pay as You Go plan. The choices are $20 (good for 200 minutes of time for 30 days), $30 (300 minutes for 60 days), $45 (600 minutes for 60 days), $60 (900 minutes for 90 days), and $100 (good for 1500 minutes for 180 days). The minutes you don't use up roll over if you purchase and activate a new refill card before you service time expires. You can purchase these Net10 refill cards at most retail stores, except for the $100 refill card which can only be purchased online on the Net10 website, or by calling customer service from you cell phone. With each of these pay as you go cards, you will be charged 1/2 of a minute for text messages sent or received, or 2.5 minutes for SMS messages containing photos. Phone calls are charged one minute for each minute you talk on the phone.

How to maximize savings with Net10's pay as you go cell plan
The best way to maximize your savings with Net10's prepaid plan is to purchase a $100 refill card right off the bat, as this card gives you the best value and service duration (1500 minutes good for six months of service.) If you are like me and do not use your constantly with phone calls or texting or web surfing, the card should last the entire six months. I personally always have unused minutes at the end of the six month term, which roll over to the next refill. At the rate of two $100 refill cards per year, you will be paying an average of only $16.67 a month for your Net10 cell phone service.

The Net10 Wireless Monthly Plans
If you use your cell phone more often and need more minutes per month your better option may be with one of Net10's monthly plans. There are three Net10 monthly plans to choose from: $40 a month will get you unlimited text and talk and 1 gig of data; $50 will get you unlimited text and talk plus 2.5 gigs of data; $60 a month will get you unlimited text and talk plus up to 3.5 gigs of data..

Net10 Pay as You Go vs. T-Mobile
I was a loyal T-mobile prepaid card user for many years before switching over to Net10. T-mobile's best prepaid plan is with a $100 refill card which gives you 1000 minutes good for a full year. Net10's best refill card option is the $100 card which gives you 1500 minutes good for six months. T-mobile charges ten cents per text message sent or received, while Net10 charges five cents per text message. The service you get from both T-mobile and Net10 is very good, no difference as far as I can tell. The reason I switched to Net10 was for the cheaper text messaging rates, which were eating up my T-mobile minutes. Overall, with each plan I average spending $200 a year for the refill cards. I do wish Net10 would change their $100 refill cards length of service to a full year to match T-mobiles $100 card, but at this point I am sticking with Net10 mainly because my Net10 phone has a nice MP3 player (and a headphone jack) which I use everyday to listen to my jams while walking or taking the bus.

Overall, the Net10 prepaid "pay as you go" cell phone plan is an excellent deal for people who don't use their cell excessively or who still make most of their calls on a land line phone but want a cell phone to carry with them in case of emergencies. Cell phones are pretty much a necessity these days what with the lack of pay phones, and the Net10 pay as you go plan can save a user a lot of money over the typical cell phone plan.