prepaid

A prepaid mobile device, also known as a pay-as-you-go (PAYG), pay-as-you-talk, pay and go, go-phone, or prepay, is a mobile device such as a phone for which credit is purchased in advance of service use. The purchased credit is used to pay for telecommunications services at the point the service is accessed or consumed. If there is no credit, then access is denied by the cellular network or Intelligent Network. Users can top up their credit at any time using a variety of payment mechanisms such as the Pay-as-you-go (PAYG). In 2020, 155 countries had the mandatory SIM registration laws for the prepaid mobile SIM cards such as the mandatory Know Your Customer (KYC) or other type of legal identification verification at the point of sale to prevent the anonymous use of unregistered prepaid mobile which facilitates criminal or terrorist activities. The Burner phone is a prepaid phone number specifically purchased without the Know Your Customer (KYC) or other type of legal identification verification at the point of sale; with the purpose of using it briefly and then replacing it, thus making these phone more suitable for the criminal use.
The alternative billing method (and what is commonly referred to as a mobile contract) is the postpaid mobile phone, where a user enters into a long-term contract (lasting 12, 18, or 24 months) or short-term contract (also commonly referred to as a rolling contract or a 30-day contract) and billing arrangement with a mobile phone operator (mobile virtual network operator or mobile network operator).

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