I've never heard of PagePlus either but there are a bunch of regional and national companies that basically resell time on the big networks. The national carriers (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile) all offer some type of prepaid service option directly. With a smartphone most plans offer unlimited talk and text with some amount of data. The more data, the more the plan costs.

As for used phone, it's like buying anything else used. Caveat emptor. Because batteries are usually the first thing to go, try to buy a phone where the battery is user replaceable. Otherwise you'll end up paying to have it replaced.

As for phones themselves, you pretty much get what you pay for. Just like with computers, the cheaper phones are going to have less powerful processors, poorer quality screens, and less memory. I might suggest looking at the Samsung Galaxy 3 or 4, LG G2, Google Nexus 5, or Moto X or Moto G.

thank you sincerely for this forum. I have learned so much here and the members are great - the forum is what members make it: fantastic.

Mike, succinct and perfect advice, bless you!

When I was in the market for my smartphone, I bought it on Swappa. I felt more comfortable going that route rather than craigslist or ebay.

Having a few minutes I looked at PagePlus' site and the phones they offer are definitely on the low end of the smartphone scale. That's pretty typical for the "pay as you go" market.

If you're going to go with PagePlus (which is a "virtual" carrier that uses Verizon's network) you're going to need a phone that works with Verizon. Both Verizon and Sprint (of the national carriers) use a technology called CDMA while AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM. The two standards are not interchangeable. Unlike GSM phones there are no "unlocked" CDMA phones.

Some of the high end phones have radios that will work with every carrier but in any case if you buy something used, make darned sure it works with Verizon's network (assuming you go with PagePlus). I have a Google Nexus 5 that I like very much and use AT&T. The phone will also work with T-Mobile and Sprint but not Verizon.

thanks again, Mike Kaiser - bless you! I actually spoke with the PagePlus guy and he explained that (but not as well you) so now I'm looking for the cheapest place to buy it. I never heard of swappa, but I'll check it out, definitely! I finally went to try one in my hand and realize I have to have a small phone, the Droid Mini fit well, as does the iphone, but can't go iphone route, too price for my budget! The Droid Razr fit as well.

Thank you all, such wonderful people here,

Bless you!

Glad to be of help. Navigating the prepaid market isn't easy nor is getting a good deal on cell service. There's a lot of choices and they can be very confusing. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I wanted to do.

As it turns out, Verizon doesn't seem to have much interest in offering the prepaid market LTE (or 4G) phones. Frankly there's a big difference in connection speeds between LTE and 3G but that only matters for things like web browsing or apps that use the Internet like Facebook. Connection speed has absolutely no impact on voice calls or text messages.

It's certainly important to hold the phone in your hand and "play" with it. It's equally important to decide what you want the phone for. Is it just making calls, texting, or using it as a mini-computer? If the later, I might suggest that screen size becomes very important. Scrolling around a little screen, at least for me, is at best annoying and significantly reduces productivity and enjoyment.

I don't know what your budget looks like but if you're committed to Verizon, I would stick with phones from Samsung, LG, and Motorola. The LG G2, for example, is a great phone, great screen size and very comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S line but because it was less popular, usually available for a few dollars less.

If you want to venture into a Windows Mobile phone, again popularity has a big impact on price in the used market. Nokia makes some great phones but you have to be willing to accept the limitations of a Windows phone (which is the lack of apps). I could have been talked into the Lumia 1520, which is their phablet and has a stunning screen but I also use my phone for work and my company doesn't offer a Windows app.

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have...

Mike, your advice about holding a phone in your hand is perfect, thank you, I need the size of the Droid Mini or else I'll drop it!

Swappa is great - I made a bid on a mini - we shall see! I also found one from a young girl in the next state - we shall see what happens with my bid.

Thank you all for great suggestions and help!

Well, thanks again, Mike for all your help! I ended up with a Droid Mini which fits my smaller hand. It is a verizon compatible, has a hotspot, 4g and perfect for me! Answering the phone itself has been a bit difficult to learn, but its super fast and fun!

Thanks again!