Want unlimited data? Maybe you should get a prepaid phone

It might be time to switch to a prepaid cell phone.

As cell phone carriers such as Verizon and AT&T are getting rid of their unlimited plans, experts say wireless providers with month-to-month plans might be the beneficiaries, according to SmartMoney. Many prepaid phones offer unlimited plans, taking away the fear of going over an allotted amount of data, not to mention the fact that Cricket Wireless and Sprint's Virgin Mobile are planning to offer the iPhone starting on June 22 and June 29.

The average non-contract subscriber pays $61 a month, according to the article. The average for contract subscribers is double that, at $122 a month, Ross Gagnon, an analyst with J.D. Power and Associates, told SmartMoney. Approximately 30 percent of prepaid phones purchased in 2011 were smartphones, a 25 percent increase from 2009, according to the market research firm The Stevenson Company.

Overall, prepaid plans account for 17 percent of handsets sold, up from 16 percent in 2009, according to SmartMoney.

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