Though standard plans differ, most involve a mandatory long-term contract of 1-2 years, a credit card, and a minimum monthly fee of about $20 - $35 U.S. dollars. For this price approximately 200 - 300 minutes are purchased. You can buy more minutes for a higher monthly fee. If you go over your allotment you will likely be charged a premium rate for each additional minute. If you don't use all your minutes they normally do not roll over. That is, you lose them and start over the following month.
Standard cell phone plans have their perks, however, over 'pay as you go' plans. They often include free weekends and evening calling; meaning calls made during this time do not count towards your allotted minutes. For a small fee you can add options too, like free calling to any other cell phone that uses the same service; or free calling to certain cell numbers on other services -- friends or family members. Carriers have their own combination of features to choose from. In fact these plans can present so many options and contingencies that some people can find it confusing.
