As far as I know, all of the cell phone companies i.e., Sprint, Alltel, Verizon, etc, offer prepaid programs. If you already own a cell phone, then they will set it up for you. No contract, no muss no fuss. Usually there is a small monthly surcharge of 2 to 3 dollars if you dont use any airtime. So in that case, most people make a 1 minute call to their home and hang up right away. That way, they only get charged the 25 cents for the 1 minute call. For those that just need it for security or special situations its perfect. If you are going to actuall use it often, then 25 cents is way too much per minute.