Looking for a dollar amount? Shopping for a low price in
cell phone service, or any service for that matter is human
nature. The problem with this ideology is dismissing the
dynamics of what's included in a cellular plan. Stop
thinking about price alone for a minute, and consider your
habits instead.
Before you take price into consideration you need to think
about how you'll use your cell phone plan. Just because one
company offers the cheapest cell phone providers, doesn't
mean they'll provide the cheapest cell phone plan for you as
an individual. So what about you? What is the cheapest cell
phone service for you?
VERIZON
Ask yourself this. How much will I use my cell phone? If the
answer is rarely, you'll want a pay as you go plan. A pay as
you go cell phone plan is very much like a calling card. You
add money to it only when you need it. Pay as you go cell
phone plans are perfect to keep around for emergency type
situations.
Pre paid cell phone plans are not the same as pay as you go
plans. The difference is you get billed monthly for pre
paid. With a pre paid cell phone plan you cannot go over
your paid monthly minutes, so pre paid is best if you plan
to use your cell phone on a regular basis but need to be on
a budget, or if you have bad credit.
Monthly cell phone plans are reserved for those with good
credit, or people who can pay a large deposit. If you
travel, need a way for people to contact you any time, or
have disabled your landline phone, a monthly cell phone plan
is going to be your cheapest cell phone service plan.
Now ask yourself this. What cell phone providers are
available in my area? If company A has the cheapest cell
phone rates anywhere, but it isn't available in your area,
it's not going to do you much good is it? You'll want to
find out which cellular providers are available where you
live, then you can start to put together a plan.
Here is a tip that can save you, your family, and even your
friends allot of money. Before selecting a plan, think about
who your friends and family are using for cell phone
service. Many monthly, and pre paid cell phone providers
offer free mobile to mobile calling, also known as in
network calling.
Mobile to mobile calling allows you to call other people
with the same cell phone service provider for free. Now
here's the kicker! Take a look at Cingular and Verizon
Wireless. Both companies offer monthly and pre paid cell
phone plans with free mobile to mobile on both plan types.
See where I'm going with this?
For example, you could get Cingular for "Mom and Dad", and
GoPhone by Cingular for the kids. This way your kids are on
a budgeted pre paid plan and you all can call each other for
free any time. You can also call friends and family members
in your network who have Cingular, or GoPhone without using
your anytime minutes and without having to wait until night
or the weekend to make free calls. Great tip huh? The same
works with Verizon.
OK, so there you have it. If you follow these guidelines
you'll get your cheapest cell phone service. There's no way
you can't. There are many places online where you can get
free rate quotes for cell phone providers, and they'll show
you who is available in your area. One more tip. Don't waste
time searching. All carries have the same offer at any given
time, even if from different websites.