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Choosing a Cell Phone Plan Tips
Cell Phone Plan Reviews
There are so many cell phone calling plans on the market that some people aren't sure where to start. Internet sites offering cell phone plan reviews are a major source of help, but lately there are nearly as many review sites as there are cell phone wireless plans!
ConsumerResearch.com displays a list of these cell phone plan comparisons, rating the comparisons according to credibility in testing and evaluating. At the top of the list? The cell phone comparison study conducted by JP Power & Associates, which "measures customer satisfaction based on 42 specific service-related measures" according to the ConsumerResearch.com website.
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Verizon Wireless Tip: Choosing the Size of Your Cell Phone Voice Plan
If you are not sure how many minutes you will need in your cell phone voice plan, there are a few tips to keep in mind to help you get the most out of your new contract. If you have never had a cell phone before, take a look at you home phone bill. How many minutes of long distance do you use? This is an excellent way to judge how many minutes you need. Always err on the side of caution; it is better to have some extra minutes at the end of each month than to be billed for exceeding cell phone voice plans.
If you have a family cell phone voice plan, remember that a 700-minute plan does not mean 700 minutes per person, it means there are 700 minutes total. It takes commitment and team work to make a shared plan work without unexpected overages. If you expect problems with staying within the allotted minutes, consider getting everyone in the family their own prepaid plans instead. You may be able to learn about special bargains by asking the cell phone rep about any current cell phone promotions you might have missed.
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Prepaid Cell Phone Plans
Prepaid wireless plans are excellent "starter" cell phone calling plans for teenagers and younger family members. If your younger family members are saving for prepaid cell phone voice plans, don't forget to include the activation fee and the price of the new cell phone into the budget.
Many cheap cell phone plans offered by major wireless service providers offer daytime fees (10 cents per minute, for example) with free night time calling. The best "pay as you go" cell phone voice plans also include free calls to other subscribers on the network, but regardless, be sure to read the fine print about roaming charges. Most major networks specify rates and calling costs based on the company's coverage area and the geographic limits of the prepaid cell phone voice plan.
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Verizon Wireless Tip: Changing Your Cell Phone Calling Plan
Although your cell phone calling plan is connected to your contract, you can still adjust your cell phone calling plan if your needs change before the contract is up. Do you find yourself going over your monthly minutes? Consider moving to a voice plan with the cell phone minutes you think you need. Wait to make the change until the first day of your billing cycle, if possible. If you need to make a change in the middle of a billing cycle, remember both calling plans will be prorated for that month. Ask your customer service representative to give you a breakdown of how many prorated minutes you will have before making the switch and be sure to ask how the payment will be expected to work for the month of the changeover. You can also look for cell phone offers that will make changing your plan easier and more economical. Keep an eye out for advertisements of cell phone offers that have more or less minutes (depending on what you need). Then, simply ask your cell phone provider about deals that might make the switch better for you!
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Can I Get A Combined, Unlimited Cell Phone Voice And Data Plan?
There are plenty of variations on the current cell phone promotions offered by major carriers, but for those on the go, the most hassle-free combination plan is an unlimited voice and data cell phone offer.
Unlimited plans keep you from having to worry about paying overage fees for voice or data transmissions; having a data plan means you can download attachments as well as email. That feature is perfect for business documents, sending vacation cell phone pics, or video messaging. Before signing up for an unlimited voice and data plan, be sure to check the company's coverage map. Make sure both voice and data services are available in your calling area, and in the areas you may travel to regularly for business.
It wouldn't do to sign up for the current cell phone promotion that doesn't work in the places you're required to travel to often on the job! The make and model of your cell phone can also determine your access to certain data or voice features. Let your customer service rep know what kind of phone you have, as well as what features you need from your cell phone calling plan.
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Verizon Wireless Tip: Cell Phone Perks and Incentives
Some people wonder why they are required to sign a contract when choosing a cell phone voice plan. The cell phone company will tell you the contract insures a lower rate on your cell phone, but the real benefit to the customer is the perks included in current cell phone promotions. Anytime you are about to sign a new contract, be sure to ask the sales rep what the current cell phone promotions may be so you can take full advantage of any discounts or freebies. There may be free phones offered, free minutes, special discounted rates or other perks. Here's a secret: many cell phone companies save their best deals for online customers. Check your cell phone company's Internet promotions first before going into a store.
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My Cell Phone Calling Plan Has Been Deactivated. Help!
If your cell phone calling plan has been deactivated, contact the cell phone provider right away to settle the account and have your service reinstated. Cell phone billing policies for many major companies allows full reinstatement of a cell phone calling plan if you pay the overdue amount of your bill plus a small reactivation fee.
Those who wait too long will have the account terminated which includes any fees for early termination. You may be required to open a new account based on current cell phone deals, rather than the ones you started off with if the account has been fully terminated rather than simply deactivated. The fees for early termination of an account are much higher than the fees for account reactivation. Save money by contacting your cell phone provider as soon as possible.
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Verizon Wireless Tip: Should I Add My Friends To My Cell Phone Plan?
If you have friends who want you to sign them up on your family plan to take advantage of cell phone deals, here are a few warnings. Going into a cell phone contract with a friend has serious implications for you, the person signing the contract.
1. You are signing the contract in your name, so you will have to pay the early termination fees if the contract is broken.
2. If your friends does not pay their portion of the cell phone calling plan bill, service to your phone and the friend's phone could be terminated, leaving you without cell phone access.
3. Any negative credit consequences are reflected on your credit, not the friend's credit rating.
Many people are better off searching for cell phone deals on their own rather than relying on the help of a friend. The family cell phone deal works best when it's literally kept "in the family."
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Family Cell Phone Calling Plans
If you have multiple relatives wanting to get in on a family cell phone deal, make sure the whole family understands the fine print when it comes to the terms the cell phone offers. Your family may understand that text messages are free, but do they realize that some companies charge airtime for those texts? If you go over your daytime minutes you could be charged airtime "per minute" charges as per your cell phone voice plan agreement.
If you are signing up a student heading off to college, some major cell phone companies require you to sign those students for your family cell phone deal in your calling area, not the calling area the student lives in while at school. If that student goes abroad, international roaming rates may apply for text and picture messaging, not just cell phone voice plan minutes. International roaming rates vary, but some cell phone services charge around 70 cents per minute. Make sure everyone on your cell phone calling plan understands all the charges and how they can add up.
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Verizon Wireless Tip: Cell Phone Calling Plan Comparisons
There is more to comparing cell phones than looking at price and the number of minutes offered. If one cell phone calling plan offers 1,000 minutes for $20 less than a plan that has only 700 minutes, it may seem like the 700-minute plan is a bad deal, but it's important to see what other features are offered in the plan. If 700-minute cell phone calling plans don't charge for roaming or family calling minutes are free, the "smaller" package has a lot more value. No-roaming-charge plans are quite valuable to frequent travelers and free minutes for specified calls have equal value. Don't dismiss cell phone calling plans because of low minutes until you've learned what perks may be attached. Know before you sign up.
