No. The phone and the plan have to be tied together. You may luck out and have a phone which can be activated on a pre-paid plan with another carrier. But, as a Cingular customer with old phones, luck is not on your side because Cingular is updating the old AT&T network, and many old phones electronically will not work on the new network.

The key to choosing a provider is coverage. T-Mobile has probably the smallest network of the national providers. If they happen to provide good coverage in the places you are, then what they offer is a deal. But if you live in an area where T-Mobile coverage is spotty or non-existent, it doesn't really matter how good a price they give you.

I just got my mother (a very occasional cell phone user) a TracFone. Most people I've heard of have been happy with their service. The odds of her ever using the phone outside the metro area here are almost astronomical, so coverage is not an issue. The phone cost a whole $20 at Target and came with 20 minutes of service. It was the best deal I found for someone who just wants a phone for now and then. You might want to check out their coverage map. I should throw in that I have no relationship with TracFone other than being the son of a satisfied customer and that I don't benefit from anyone else signing up.

Here is a link that might be useful: TracFone coverage maps

i throw my vote in for tracfone also. i have the "single rate" phone, which has the same rate for roaming and long distance as for local calls. coverage has never been a problem. the one time i noticed that i didn't have coverage we were driving through the mountains and my husband's business cell phone through cingular didn't have coverage either. initially, i was purchasing my prepaid cards at walmart, and the minutes were running 25 cents per minute. my mother clued me in that you can purchase cards on ebay. the last card i purchased on ebay, the minutes came to approximately 15 cents per minute because of the cheap ending price of auction. i love not being locked into a contract, yet i have a lot of the same features as traditional phones, caller id, voice mail, text messaging.

good luck on your cell phone quest, it can be quite confusing!
jiggreen