Alien Blackout

Archive for March, 2009

You are in the market for a cheap cell phone plan and you start the research process, browsing the internet and even the sale ads in your local newspaper. The problem is deciphering the difference between plans that offer free phones if you sign a contract, which companies offer the lowest call rate pricing and factoring all the other bells and whistles that are available for cell packages these days.

Wading through the Mess

With all the hype these days over cheap cell phone plan options, it can be hard to truly understand what the best deal may be. Do you go for the ones that offer free cells phones with your service plan or do you pay for your phone and choose a service plan that has the lowest rate per call? The consensus is you want to choose a cheap cell phone plan that presents you with the lowest bill at the end of the month to pay – it makes sense right?

First of all, you will want to factor in the retail cost of the cell phone and how much it would be per month if you signed a service contract and then add that total to your monthly service rate. Do those offers of free cells phones with a signed service contract beat the service contract where you buy your own phone?

Understanding your Needs

To narrow down your options for a cheap cell phone plan, you have to understand your basic calling needs. If the phone will only be used in emergencies, perhaps a prepaid plan is the right choice for you where you pay as you go for service. Using the phone as a lifeline to keep in touch with extended family members and friends means you may want an unlimited cell phone plan which has a lot of anytime minutes in addition to long distance.

The bells and whistles such as camera phones, text messaging, three-way calling, email and internet options will boost the price of service but you could still find a cheap cell phone plan with a few extras thrown in. It may mean that you sign a service contract for one or two years in exchange for these extras but that is the price you pay, as long as you are comfortable with it.

The term “cheap” is relative, meaning it holds different meanings for different people so what may be affordable to one person may be an outrageous expense to another. Therefore, a cheap cell phone plan is what you feel comfortable paying for each month for the predetermined options you sign up for in the plan.

Cell phone companies change as often as the weather it seems so it is no wonder that when you search for a new wireless cell phone plan, there is some confusion. Whatever brings you to searching for a new plan, whether it is the bad service you currently or venturing into the wireless world for the first time, choosing the best wireless cell phone plan for your needs can be a bit overwhelming.

Helpful Hints to Make your Decision

There are a few things that stay the same when it comes to your wireless cell phone plan, no matter what carrier you choose. For instance, to stretch your budget further, don’t go to an actual name brand cell phone company store but instead find an authorized agent for the cell phone provider. These authorized sellers are paid commissions by the brand name service providers and don’t pay all that overhead that larger stores do so you realize bigger savings and can snag a good cheap cell phone plan in the process.

Don’t ever pay the retail price for a phone because there are always special deals such as reduced prices or “free” phones by signing a contract for your wireless cell phone plan. Don’t hesitate to sign a contract as long as you fully understand the options and the fact they are usually one or two years long. Breaking a contract can be expensive, so be satisfied with the service and options, although you can always add to your existing plan. Ask about extra fees in the wireless cell phone plan as you may not be aware that your voice mail, caller id or call waiting may not be part of the package. Some new plans will offer introductory deals like free text messaging or voice message retrieval for several months but if you really don’t use them, you have to remember to cancel them on your own or you will find extra charges on your bill.

Sometimes, you get a better rate for your wireless cell phone plan if you switch companies but you may have to buy out the remaining time in an existing service contract if you have one. Also, you will want to check to see if your cell phone number is portable if you decide to move to another service provider.

Other details to consider in your search for a wireless cell phone plan are coverage areas, billing by the second and the option for prepaid cell phone services. Each company will have slightly different coverage areas because of the location of their cell towers so one might have no cell reception in an area where another company may have coverage.

By the second billing in a wireless cell phone plan will charge you for only your call usage rather than rounding up seconds to the next minute. Prepaid plans allow you the luxury of no credit checks or contracts but you are charged per each call that is likely rounded up to the nearest minute which can be pricier than contracted plans. You can guess there is more than meets the eye when it comes to your wireless cell phone plan so just decide what is important to you that fits your financial situation.

Purchasing an individual cell plan for each member of your family could be a bit expensive and why would you want to bother with several different billing statements? With a cell phone family plan, you can make things easier by having all phones on one billing statement and still have some cash in your budget for a few extras. Whether it is for just your spouse and kids or extended family such as grandma and grandpa, a cell phone family plan makes sense.

If you have an existing service plan, ask your service carrier what deals they are currently offering for a cell phone family plan. They likely will offer you a fair deal to keep you as a customer of their company but if this is not the case, there are plenty of other cell phone service carriers that will work within your budget.

Defining Cell Plans for Families

A cell phone family plan basically means you have one account with a particular number of anytime call minutes in which you can add several phone lines of service. For instance, if you have four people in your family that need cell phones and you want them all within one billing statement on your wireless cell phone plan, you could have four separate phone numbers but still share the pool of call minutes.

What is cool about the cell phone family plan is the users under one plan do not even have to live in the same household. Grandpa who lives alone a few hours away could be on your plan along with your family but just remember that the users on your cell phone family plan are sharing the same pool of anytime minutes. At some point in time you might want to revisit the number of anytime minutes the family shares, particularly if you consistently go over what the plan states.

With a cell phone family plan, each individual would get their own phone number and all of these numbers would be listed on one billing statement. Many plans include caller ID, voice mail, call waiting and a kid’s favorite – three-way calling but there are also additional features like internet, email and text messaging options that typically cost extra. This cell phone family plan usually encompasses a predetermined amount of anytime minutes that are counted towards most weekday times but you can expect late night calling and weekend minutes to count toward unlimited minutes in the plan.

Mobile-to-mobile minutes are gaining popularity with cell phone family plan options and can be a great thing to have as it could save quite a few minutes in your plan, especially if you call each other. A cell phone family plan can go wrong if you have kids, especially teenagers who enjoy talking a lot and texting too. You would either have to boost your service plan to cover the additional minutes or impose limits on their talk and texting time. Overall, a cell phone family plan can pay off in a big way if you have several family members you want to stay in touch with.