Boost

Reports first cropped up last summer that pre-paid iPhones were coming to several carriers in the US, starting with Cricket and Boost Mobile. Boost was expected to start sales of the iPhone 4 and 4S models starting in September 2012, however the rumor never came true. Now instead of being the second carrier to offer a pre-paid iPhone, a new report from AppleInsider says Boost may be the fourth in line with sales starting during the third quarter of this year.

One reason why iPhone fans are watching Boost closely is the carrier currently offers an unlimited talk, text and data plan for only $50 per month. If Boost, which utilizes the Sprint network, offers this plan for iPhone owners it would be highly competitive and could save subscribers significant amounts of money over the life of their iPhone.

Sprint is looking to sell as many iPhones as possible thanks to its deal with Apple. Now the company is moving to offer a pre-paid iPhone to customers through its Virgin Mobile brand in the US. The iPhone will be available on the carrier starting on July 1.

The announcement comes hot on the heels of news that carriers Boost Mobile and Cricket Wireless will offer pre-paid iPhones starting this summer. Cricket will be the first carrier to sell a pre-paid iPhone with no contract in the US. The company plans to begin offering the device along with a $150 subsidy on June 22.

Wireless carrier Cricket has announced it will be offering two iPhone models pre-paid with no contract starting on June 22. The iPhone 4 or the iPhone 4S will be available subsidized for $400 and $500 respectively. This pricing is $150 cheaper than buying a no-commitment iPhone 4S from Apple.

Besides no contract, Cricket offers the advantage of an unlimited talk, text and data plan for only $55 per month. This undercuts all of the major carriers, although Cricket will throttle data speeds when customers exceed 2.3 GB during the billing period.