Virgin Mobile USA Shows Consumers 'Who Rules?' With Launch of New Plans Without Annual Contracts

WARREN, N.J., March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Virgin Mobile USA has unveiled a host of new Monthly and Pay As You Go Plans Without Annual Contracts that offer consumers even better value and more flexibility. Information about the new plans -- with clear comparisons to the competition - is online at www.virginmobileusa.com and materials are currently rolling out across Virgin Mobile's retail partners. With no annual contracts, Virgin Mobile USA allows its more than 5 million customers to change plans at any time without hassle or extra charges.

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"There is no reason for consumers to lock themselves into the restrictive terms of a postpaid contract plan to get real value," said Dan Schulman, chief executive officer, Virgin Mobile USA, "especially at a time when many people need greater control over their spending and use of credit. We're closing the gap between those features traditionally offered by postpaid carriers and the value available from our plans without annual contracts."

Monthly Plans With Even More Value vs. Competition

Virgin Mobile USA has enhanced its highly competitive monthly plans, already a smart alternative to traditional postpaid offerings, and is providing consumers with clear comparisons to its competition. For example, Virgin Mobile USA offers include 7 p.m. Nights and Weekend Minutes (500 minutes for $24.99, e.g.) and Unlimited 7 p.m. Nights and Weekends for just $49.99. "At this entry point, none of the leading national competitors with monthly recurring prepaid plans offer Unlimited Nights & Weekends beginning at 7:00 p.m., making this the smarter choice," added Schulman.

Virgin Mobile USA offers more value than many of its prepaid challengers as well. For example, its $34.99 monthly plan gives customers 300 Anytime Minutes per month as well as 1,000 Nights and Weekend Minutes that begin at 7:00 p.m. instead of the usual 9:00 p.m. for calls to anyone in the U.S.

Virgin Mobile USA's recurring monthly plans now feature discounted Messaging Packs, which cover email, IM, text and picture messaging. For just $10 per month, customers on these plans also get access to Unlimited Text & Messaging. Other wireless offers, for example, require up to twice that amount and don't include all types of messaging.

Bringing 5-Cent Minutes and Roll Forward Minutes to Pay As You Go

The new Pay As You Go Plan now has the value of Roll Forward Minutes. Up to 5,000 unused minutes on the Virgin Mobile USA Pay As You Go Plan automatically "roll forward" (or carry over) when a customer buys a new Minute Pack within 30 days of their last Minute Pack purchase.

And Virgin Mobile USA offers options with better per-minute rates than many of its competitors. This includes prices as low as 5-cents per minute when a customer on the new Pay As You Go Plan buys the $50/1,000 Minute Pack.

New Top-Up Card Denominations

Popular Virgin Mobile USA Top-Up cards are now more directly aligned to specific minute values for customers on the Pay As You Go Plan. For example, $20 equals 200 Anytime Minutes, $30 equals 400 Anytime Minutes and $50 equals 1000 Anytime Minutes, with purchase of the associated Minute Pack on the new Pay As You Go Plan.

Clear Value vs. Competition

Virgin Mobile is spelling out for smart consumers exactly how its new prepaid voice and text & messaging options give value equal to -- and in many cases, greater than -- that of other prepaid carriers. Easy chart comparisons are available online, hooking into Virgin Mobile's overall campaign of "You Rule" with the added message of "Who Rules?" -- the obvious answer being Virgin Mobile USA, thanks to these new prepaid plans that offer even more value and greater flexibility than traditional contract plans.

Detailed information on Virgin Mobile USA's new offers can be found on its Web site, www.virginmobileusa.com under the "Plans" header; comparisons to other companies' rates are at: http://web.virginmobileusa.com/about/why-choose-us.

About Virgin Mobile USA, Inc.

Virgin Mobile USA (NYSE: VM) offers more than five million customers control, flexibility and choice through monthly plans without annual contracts, with national coverage powered by the nationwide Sprint PCS network. Virgin Mobile USA's full slate of smart, stylish and affordable handsets, including the Wild Card, Super Slice and Flare, are available at top retailers in approximately 40,000 locations nationwide and online at http://www.virginmobileusa.com/, with Top-Up cards available at more than 140,000 locations. J.D. Power and Associates ranked Virgin Mobile USA highest in customer satisfaction among wireless prepaid services in both 2006 and 2007, and its customers report a 90% satisfaction rate.

Virgin Mobile USA contributes a portion of profits from downloadable content to The RE*Generation, its pro-social initiative to help homeless youth, and provides postage-paid return envelopes in every new package for customers to recycle old phones.

    Media Contacts:
    Jayne Wallace                           Alysa McKenna
    Virgin Mobile USA                       CooperKatz & CO
    908-607-4014                            917-595-3048
    jayne.wallace@virginmobileusa.com       amckenna@cooperkatz.com

    Corinne Nosal
    908-607-4235
    corinne.nosal@virginmobileusa.com

    Investor Relations:
    Erica Bolton
    908-607-4108
    Erica.bolton@virginmobileusa.com

SOURCE Virgin Mobile USA, Inc.

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