Clark's favorite $19 and $25 cell phone plans

By Clark Howard

MONEY SAVING MOMENT: Metro PCS has a new no-contract plan that's $25/month for unlimited calling and unlimited texting. That works out to be $300 annually -- including all taxes and regulatory fees.

There are only a handful phones you can use on the plan: the Kyocera Presto, Huawei Pinnacle, Samsung Contour, LG Select, Huawei M735 Blue, LG Beacon, or Samsung Freeform III. All phones are priced $49-$69 (plus a $10 activation fee.)

This offer is available in Metro's home markets: Atlanta, the New York metro area, Southern California, Boston, Detroit, most of Florida, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Providence, R.I., Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, and Shreveport, La.

The biggest gap in coverage is Chicago in terms of home markets.

The $25 offer is active through Aug. 31, 2012, though you can remain on the plan as long as you like if you abide by its terms.

Meanwhile, there's a more experimental deal from Republic Wireless. For $19/month, Republic Wireless customers get unlimited calling, texting, email, and web on a Motorola DEFY XT -- all with no contract, which means you pay the full retail price of $249 for the phone (plus a $29 activation fee.)

Republic Wireless is an invitation-only service, so sign up today to get your invitation as a beta tester. With junk fees, this offer works out to be about $21/month and is the absolute cheapest plan in America.