Sprint axing prepaid carrier Common Cents
updated 04:45 pm EDT, Fri April 8, 2011
Sprint to absorb Common Cents brand into payLo
Sprint on Friday said it would put an end to its Common Cents Mobile prepaid service and merge it into the Virgin Mobile payLo sevice instead beginning this May. Common Cents was launched less than a year ago, and current users are being informed that service will be unaffected as long as their accounts remain active and they stick to their existing plans. Additional minutes can be purchased from Virgin Mobile.
The Common Cents brand was offered exclusively at Walmart and wasn't national. Users will get more options under the new payLo plan. The move-out from Walmart will begin in mid-May, and their spots taken over by Virgin's Beyond Talk plans. The move will not result in any job cuts at Sprint, the company's representatives say.
Common Cents Mobile was meant for users who want to pay for voice or text only, with a minute of talk and a text message priced at seven cents each. Users could buy a $20, 30-day card or pay $30 for 60 days. Any unused minutes were rounded down rather than up, but any money left over on the card at the end of the 30 or 60 days was forfeited. [via FierceWireless]
