For some reason some people still think that prepaid cell phones don’t have the same capabilities as monthly contract cell phones.
That’s not quite true. Even prepaid cell phones can receive text messages from email addresses.

How to Send a Text via Email

To send a text message to a pre paid cell phone via email is the same as sending one to a contract phone. There are two very important things that are required:

1. The 10 digit cell phone number
2. The Cell phone service provider

Each cell phone service provider has an SMS address (which usually takes on the form of @name.com) which allows computer folks to send text messages to cell phone folks. The 10 digits appearing before the @name.com is the recipient’s cell phone number, and the @name.com is the cell phone provider’s messaging address. You’re on your own when it comes to the cell phone number, but I can help you with the cell phone service provider’s SNS address.

Listed below are the @name.coms for some of the most popular cell phone providers.

Emailing the Text Message

Now that we have all of the necessary info, it’s time to send the text. So, if I were to send a text message to my friend on the Nextel network, I would open my email program, insert the 10 digit phone number followed by the SMS address in the “To” line. I would then send a short message (remember it’s SMS which stands for short message service) to my friend.

For brevity sake, I usually send the entire message in the “Subject” line, keeping in mind that it’s a text message and not a regular email. Once I start typing in the body of the email program, I know for sure that my message will be too long for the cell phone to accept. The maximum character length of a text message usually falls somewhere around 160 characters.

After I finish my “Subject” text message, I send it. Simple as pie.

If you’re undecided as to which pay as you go service to use, there is one factor that cannot be ignored when making a decision. You have to make sure that the wireless cell phone provider has service in your area.

To make it a little easier to find the coverage location of the various providers, below are links to the national coverage maps for several prepaid wireless cell phone providers. Once you have confirmed that there is coverage in your area, you can take the search to the next level.

By clicking on the national coverage map below, you’ll be taken to the wireless provider’s current coverage map. The maps as displayed below are current as of January, 2009. Be advised, however that although the maps may display as providing wireless coverage in many locations, check with each cell phone provider as the national coverage map is much different than the regionally available plans.

National coverage maps display where phone service is available and whether roaming charges apply or not. It is not an indication as to whether or not the wireless provider offers a prepaid plan in your area. For that you must contact the wireless service provider.

National Coverage Maps
AT&T GoPhone	Alltel Pay Per Day
Boostmobile PayGo Plan	Jump Mobile Prepaid Wireless
Kajeet	Net 10
TMobile	TracFone
US Cellular	Verizon INPulse Plan

Additions (and subtractions) are made to this list quarterly.