Who Has The Best Cell Phone Plan?
Let me cut to the chase. There is no one best cell phone plan, carrier, or provider. There is no one cheapest cell phone plan. Having been a consultant for the last three years, I can tell you it all comes down to you, and how you use your cell phone. The best, or cheapest plan for you may not be the best for someone else, so these statements are far too broad. There are just too many dynamics that come into play when trying to determine a suitable plan for your personal needs.
Before setting out to find your best cell phone plans, here are a few questions you should ask yourself:
- What cell phone providers offer service in my area?
- How many lines do I need?
- Is prepaid cheaper than a monthly billed plan?
- What extra values are offered from particular a network?
- Who are my friends and family using for cell phone service
- How often will I use my cell phone?
Not all cellular providers will be available where you live. You can determine who is available in your area by using comparison sites like WireFly.com, or Let’sTalk.com and doing a simple zip code search. They will show providers in your area, and you can browse plans, and phones from there.
If you have more than one person in your home you would like to add to your plan, you may opt for a family, or shared plan. Most cellular companies have one set price for two lines, then charge an additional fee for anything over the second line. Anytime minutes are split up between all of the lines on the plan.
It’s a common misconception that prepaid is cheaper than a regular monthly plan. Prepaid is only really cheaper under certain conditions. If you rarely use your cell phone, or only need to have it for emergencies, then prepaid is much cheaper than monthly. A benefit to prepaid is not having a contract, or not being able to go over the minutes you have added to your phone, but if you’re using your cell phone regularly this can be more costly in the long run.
Check for extra value added features from cellular providers available in your area like free mobile to mobile, or free nights and weekends. With mobile to mobile you can call certain networks or numbers for free. Free nights and weekends are a big money saver, but check what time the nights start. A good example would be where Sprint starts free nights at 7:00 PM, and Verizon starts at 9:00 PM. Some companies offer only nights, or only weekends on starter plans, so pay attention to the fine print.
Check with your friends and family to see who they are using for cellular service. Not only can they tell you the pros and cons of their service, but you may be able to call some of them for free if you’re on the same network by taking advantage of a carrier that offers free mobile to mobile. This way you save your anytime minutes for more important things.
Before deciding on a plan, think of your usage before price. If you go with the cheapest plan they have, but find yourself going over every month, it does no good to stay on that plan, and you may be better off to upgrade. You might also want to check with the carrier before you purchase your plan to see if there are any charges, or contract renewals associated with upgrading a plan. Verizon Wireless allows you to upgrade, or downgrade any time with no charge, or contract extension, which allows you to start out with their cheapest plan, but upgrade if necessary.
If you search the Internet for “the best cell phone plan”, or plans, you’re not going to find anything specific enough for the way you use, or intend to use your service. You know you better than any website. By asking yourself these simple questions you really can get the best, and cheapest cell phone plan for you.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:37 am
I find not having a cell plan at all and then having a really basic landline service saves me a lot of money. With high speed internet, it is just as easy to keep track of people online.
August 27th, 2008 at 12:44 am
I have always been a fan of prepaid cell phones. With prepaid cell phones, you can buy lots of minutes, and if you work it right, you can actually have it work out quite well for you. The big advantage of prepaid is that there’s little hassle and no commitment. By contrast, if you sign up for a traditional plan with a major cellular carrier, you’ll likely sign a contract binding you for a year or more. If you break the contract, you’ll have to pay a big penalty. Another plus of prepaid plans is that you are in control of everything, your calls and text messaging, its all up to you how to budget everything.