Contracts unnecessarily bind many people to their cell phone providers.  You can always cancel the contract and pay a hefty cancellation fee for the termination of your service, but most people do not want that extra expense.  Most of us usually ride out the contract to avoid paying a penalty to cancel.  You can find a cheap cell phone plan without a contract.  

Jitterbug and Consumer Cellular are providers that offer nationwide services for a very low monthly rate, and do not require a contract.  These plans can offer very few minutes or may charge by the minute.  Both companies have reasonable per minute rates for pay as you use or overages of allotted monthly minutes.  Jitterbug allows you to purchase additional minutes or have minutes that carryover for 60 days as needed.  Both offer live operator support to answer your questions. 

Check with the provider to discuss any possible charges for operator assistance.  Although only Jitterbug has 24/7 customer service availability, both have website services to access and manage your account online.  Both companies offer fewer phone model choices than the large providers. 

If you are into the latest and greatest cellular gadgets, these companies may not be for you.  Make sure you test the phone and service during risk free/trial period to ensure it works in the areas where you need it.  If you are not satisfied with the service and wish to cancel, you may be required to pay for services used or return the equipment undamaged.  

If you have fulfilled the term of the original contract, the larger companies like AT&T and Verizon Wireless allow you to keep your same cell phone and pay month to month.  Since there is no contract to fulfill, you can cancel at anytime without a cancellation fee.  If you activate with your own equipment on either of these providers it is possible to avoid a contract term as well.  You may have activation fees or a credit check prior to activating service.  

Prepaid cell phone plans are available from many providers and do not require a contract.  There are also no credit checks, early cancellation penalties or commitments to a monthly bill.  You can disconnect a prepaid service at anytime and reactivate it later, but keep in mind you may not get the same phone number each time you reactivate.