Want to save money on your cellular phone? While they don't much advertise it, all major carriers offer prepaid phone plans.

You pay up-front for what you use, and that's it.

Finding a prepaid cellular phone is easy. You can buy one online or at electronics stores. You'll even find them at drugstores and gas stations. Prices range from $10 to $200.

Finding a prepaid phone you like is more difficult because the selection is limited. You certainly won't find any of the hottest phones, nor will you find any smart phones.

But many prepaid phones take pictures and record videos. Phones that play music and provide e-mail and Web access are also available. You may be able to use your current phone, though. Check with your provider for details.

HOW PREPAID WORKS

Unlike traditional cellular plans, you always pay in advance. But there are many options when selecting a plan.

With pay-as-you-go plans, you are charged by the minute. You can add more money to your account at any time. When the minutes are gone, your phone goes dead — until you add more minutes.

Some prepaid plans are like traditional plans. You pay a monthly fee for your usage. Minutes may roll over, provided your account is active.

There are also plans that charge a fee for the days you use the phone. You pay for minutes in addition to the daily fee.

Make sure you understand what you're getting. For example, you may pay extra for roaming and long-distance. You may not get night and weekend minutes. And text messaging and Web access may be deducted from your minutes.

COMPARING PLANS

Comparing cellular plans is always tricky. I won't bore you with an exhaustive list of prices. Rather, I'll cover some of your options. Note that not all providers operate in all areas.

Sprint's prepaid plans are sold by Boost, a subsidiary. Boost's unlimited plan recently made news by offering unlimited talk, text and Web access for $50 monthly. Roaming, long-distance and walkie-talkie service is included.

MetroPCS offers a similar unlimited plan for $50. You pay $5 extra per month for walkie-talkie service.

AT&T's GoPhone offers Unlimited Talk for $70 monthly. "Unlimited Talk" is a misnomer. You get 650 anytime minutes. Additional minutes are 11 cents each. Night and weekend and mobile-to-mobile minutes are unlimited.

You'll also get nationwide long-distance. Unused minutes roll over. Text and data usage are deducted from your anytime minutes.

Verizon's INpulse Plus plan charges a $2 daily access fee. This only applies to days on which you use the phone. Text messages and daytime and weekend minutes cost 5 cents. You get unlimited mobile-to-mobile and night minutes. Web access is $1 for 24 hours. Minutes begin to expire within 30 days.

T-Mobile gives you 1,000 minutes for $100. (You can also buy packages of fewer minutes, as low as $10 for 30 minutes.) You don't pay roaming or long-distance charges. Text messages cost 10 cents to send, 5 cents to receive. Minutes begin expiring in 90 days.

TracFone offers 450 minutes for $80. Minutes expire after 90 days. For $140, you get 800 minutes that last a year. Additionally, minutes are doubled on all airtime purchases for the life of the phone. Long-distance and roaming are free.

On Cricket, $40 monthly buys unlimited minutes with long-distance. Text messaging is also unlimited. Roaming is 39 cents per minute. Web access is not included.

For $30, you can buy 400 minutes from Virgin Mobile. The minutes expire in 30 days unless you buy more. Text messaging and Web access are not included.

Is prepaid for you? Factor in any contract termination charges and the cost of a new phone.