Compare Cell Phone Plans Before You Buy

Compare Cell Phone Plans Before You Buy

Buying a cell phone plan, at first, never seems to be all that large a decision. Your plan runs out, you go out and buy the flashiest new phone and get what you think is the best deal with all the minutes and messages and the mail in rebate. But then

3 days later, you hear about the deal your friend Bob got on his new cell phone plan, and you feel cheated.

The fact is you weren?t cheated. You just made the best decision possible with the information you had. But without all the information, you can?t really make an informed decision.

There are quite a few things to consider when choosing the right cell phone plan. And you ultimately need to choose one that fits you best. After all, you may be stuck with it for years (more on that later). So your first step should be to decide which factors are most important to you, and go from there.

-Are you going to use the phone for work or mostly just to keep in touch with friends and family?

-Are you going to be sending a lot of text messages or using your phone to browse the internet?

-Will you be traveling with the phone in places where you are going to need good reception?

-Is the cell phone plan just for you,

or will you need a family plan?

-Is your biggest issue cost?

-Are you going to need a lot of air time? Unlimited maybe?

-Finally, is there a specific phone you want that is only offered by one carrier?
(If so your choice will be much easier.)

Once you decide what you are going to need from your cell phone plan, you can start analyzing what the different carriers offer.

AT&T/Cingular, and Verizon as well as T-Mobile are all going to provide excellent network coverage. ?Good for anyone who may not live in major cities, or who travels frequently.
They also offer low cost/contract free versions of their services for users who may not need as much air time and are looking to save some money.

MVNO?s (Mobile Voice Network Operators) are companies that license network airtime wholesale from other networks and repackage it to sell to consumers. Amp?d and Virgin Mobile are both very successful at this. As such, they are able to offer cell phone plans that use the same networks as Verizon or AT&T/Cingular with different amounts of airtime and services for different prices.

Generally a lower cost alternative to these plans are regional phone carriers like the former BellSouth (now AT&T/Cingular) and the new CricKet mobile. CricKet is currently available in many major cities around the United States, often at a fraction of the cost of the major cell phone plans, usually offering unlimited airtime.
These plans seem to be the perfect solution for someone who prefers using a lot of airtime and sending lots of text messages on a limited budget, and doesn?t plan to travel outside of the coverage area.

So to sum it up-

You should identify what you will need from your cell phone plan and decide which features are most important to you.

Generally the major carriers, starting with AT&T/Cingular, and then Verizon and T-mobile are going to have the network coverage you are looking for. So a choice between those three will likely come down to price and your phone choice.

You might want to consider using a carrier like Amp?d if you need the network capabilities of the major network (if you travel a lot or live outside major cities) and maybe require large amounts of airtime. As these will often be slightly cheaper alternatives for those who need more time.

If you need a lot of airtime on a tight budget, then you may want to look into CricKet mobile, as they offer the lowest cost unlimited airtime cell phone plan in the US. However their service is currently limited to select cities.

To help make the choice easier I will be posting a weekly chart showing what kind of cell phone plan the major carriers are offering to new customers at my blog Cell Phone Plan.
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Brian Warner is the main editor of the popular internet Blog Cell Phone Plan where users can learn about the features and benefits of several service cariers in order to make an informed decision.

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