The cell phone and the 250 minutes are free, compliments of the government. If you need an upgraded phone or extra services, you may be charged a small monthly fee. For example, texting, 411 service, international calling, mobile web, ring tones, games, graphics and other services normally cost slightly more.
Those additional fees generally run from $5 to $20 per month, but may vary from company to company.
But be careful. The companies want to make more money from you in extra services. Listen carefully to the what the charges will be and if you can cancel later.