Compare Text Message Plans

From the "If you give a mouse a cookie....he's going to ask for a glass of milk"  line of thinking, if you give a kid a cell phone, she'll eventually want to send text messages.

Kajeet learned this and responded by adding text message packages to its pay-as-you-go plans. If you're thinking of adding kids to your cell plan or trying a pay-as-you-go plan first, here's a quick look at text-messaging plans offered by some of the major carriers. The short story: If one or more person in your family is a heavy text messager, expect to add on between $20 and $30 a month for phone service. Most of the carriers have raised per-text fees this year, probably hoping it will lead more customers to sign on for monthly text package plans.

Verizon: The carrier has raised per-text-messages fees from 15 cents 20 cents, in and out. When looking over the family plans on the company web site, it's tough to decipher how much text messaging costs in those plans. But it basically breaks down to this: $5 for 250 text messages a month, $10 for 500 text and picture messages, and $20 for unlimited text, picture, and video messages, in and out of network.

AT&T: You can sign on for a $30 unlimited messaging plan to your FamlilyTalk Plan so all family members on the plan can send and received an unlimited number of text messages. For individual plans, texting packages include $5 for 200 messages, $15 for 1,500, and $20 for unlimited. No plan? Text messages are 15 cents apiece.

Alltel: Thanks to Alltel for making its texting fees easy to find. The per-text fee is 15 cents, but the carrier offers five messaging packs, starting at $6 for 300 messages, $10 for 750, $13 for 1,000, $15 for 1,500, and $20 for unlimited. That includes picture and video messages, too.

T-Mobile: This carrier has some of the best pricing—$5 for 400 messages, $10 for 1,000, and $15 for unlimited messages. Includes picture and video. Individual text messages cost 15 cents each.

Sprint/Nextel: Unlimited text messaging costs $20 added to a Power Pack Family Plan, and $10 added to a Power Pack Plan. The per-text fee is 20 cents, while other text-message packages include $5 for 300 messages, $10 for 1,000 messages, and $15 for unlimited messages.

LINK: Txtspk Rise GR8 Hope For Carriers [Investors Business Daily via Yahoo! News]