Could it be that the rest of the world ‘gets it’ while we here in the US continue to use calling plans instead of jumping on the prepaid bandwagon?

Take out a world map.

Now color countries red where most cell phone users buy their wireless air time upfront — via prepaid rate plans. Mark countries blue where most consumers get wireless bills in the mail every month.

Surprise — red overwhelms blue. Except for the U.S., Japan, South Korea and France, most wireless phone users around the world go the prepaid route.

Europe’s wireless market is 66% prepaid, according to the research firm Yankee Group. In most of Asia, prepaid accounts for 70% or more of the market. And roughly 90% of Latin America’s wireless phone users are prepaid customers. [Read the rest]