It wasn't all that long ago that cell phones were only for the wealthy
. While there once was a time that the only people who could afford a cellular phone were business moguls and celebrities that time has now passed. Many people around the world now own one of these mobile devices and for some this is their only telephone service. For them the only real question isn't whether or not to have a cell phone at all, it is what kind of plan would fit their needs best.
Types of Plans
There are two major types of cell phone plans today, there are contract plans and there are pay as you go plans, also commonly called prepaid cell phone plans. Each have their advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered when shopping around for a new cell phone plan.
While a contract plan may sound like the best option because it seems as if you will know every month exactly what you are going to pay for cell phone service, if you don't use a mobile phone very often you may be paying for a lot of features and minutes that you aren't using. Also with a contract if you go over your allowed minutes you may be paying a lot in overage fees and other fees.
Traditionally minutes on a prepaid cell phone plan were slightly more expensive but the advantage was that you only pay for the ones you use. However this is changing with some carriers and you can now find some good deals when looking at cost per minute with prepaid service. On a contract you often pay for an entire set of minutes whether you use them or not.
Consider Necessary Features
Another thing to think about would be what kind of added features you need. For someone who only uses a phone to talk occasionally or in emergencies a prepaid plan might be the best choice but if you need features like Internet you might be better off getting a contract. Although some prepaid providers are starting to include smartphones as an option, the choices of exact handset are still more limited with prepaid. Overall prepaid plans don't typically cover Internet usage on your phone and charge a higher rate in the ones that do when compared to a contract, but you can find some that do.
If you don't want to be locked into a contract and aren't that picky about the specific phone you use a prepaid cell phone plan may be for you, but if you want a specific phone, like an iPhone, and more choices when it comes to features you should consider a contract to get the best price for your usage.