subject: How to evaluate cell phone call plans and choose the option that's right for you [print this page] How to evaluate cell phone call plans and choose the option that's right for you
There are so many things to consider when you're in the market for a new cell phone, not least the particular type of call plan you wish to leverage and the carrier you wish to go for. Choosing a call plan can be a bit of a task mainly because it involves you accurately predicting just how much you're going to use your phone every month what's more, if you choose to go for a monthly call plan over a prepaid plan then you will also be bound to a contract for upwards of two years and charges for going over your specified number of minutes can be prohibitively expensive so it's important to choose right when spending your hard earned cash. Thus, the first thing you need to consider is just how often you are going to need to use your phone and what you plan to do with it do you want to use a wireless internet connection? Or will you use it mostly to call and for little else? Both of these considerations will inform your choice of call plan.
The first thing you need to consider is how often you will be using your phone during the day (anytime minutes) and how often you will be using you phone at night and over the weekend (off peak minutes). The majority of cell phone plans in the USA allow unlimited usage of your phone during off-peak times while anytime calling is typically charged you will obviously need to negotiate the amount of anytime minutes you are permitted when signing up for a cell phone call plan. Irrespective, all of the major carriers including AT&T and Verizon Wireless allow you to track phone usage over the internet and some will even let you track it through your phone, so you will always know how much time you're using.
Ideally, before signing up to any call plan, you should first evaluate all of the available options and get a full understanding of how long the grace period is for your new call plan should you need to cancel the contract then you can do so during this period. You may also be able to get additional discounts by grabbing joint or family call plans i.e. if you sign up members of your family or your friends.
