4 Easy Steps to Choosing the Right Cell Phone Plan
by Sherice Jacob
There’s a mind-boggling
amount of cell phone
plans and services
available these days.
Cell phone ads promising
bigger, bolder and better
features blare at us
every day. The question
then becomes, “Which plan
is right for me?” In this
article, I’ll give you
tips on what to look for
in a plan, what to ask
your service provider and
how to avoid common
mistakes that new
subscribers often make!
First, ask yourself “What
do I want in a plan?”
Finding the right
cellular plan is just a
matter of deciding what,
when, where and how you
plan to use your phone:
- Will you be using it
only for emergencies, or
to chat with friends or
family often?
- Will you make most of
your calls during the
day, evening, or on
weekends?
- Will your calls be
coming from your local
area, or will you phone
while traveling?
- What is your monthly
budget for telephone
services?
Getting the Most Minutes
for your Money
Cell phone plans often
come with a pre-allotted
set of minutes per month
(which may or may not
correspond with an actual
“minute” of time
depending on factors such
as where you are when you
make the call, calling a
long distance number and
so on).
When you use up your
minutes, you may be faced
with paying an overage
fee or paying a higher
amount for the extra
minutes. With many plans,
the minutes you don’t use
do not automatically roll
over to the next month.
So if you only used 30
minutes out of your 90
minute monthly allotment,
you don’t get to keep the
60 minutes you didn’t use
that month. You simply
start over at 90 again.
Some other important
differences to note in
cell phone plans (as
versus traditional
telephone service) that
you’ll want to keep in
mind when comparison
shopping include:
- You may find that your
minutes are used up for
both incoming and
outgoing calls
- Calling a toll free
number can cost you
minutes
- The actual amount of
time you’ve spent on a
call is usually rounded
up. So if you spent 3
minutes and 5 seconds on
a call, you may find that
4 minutes have been
used.
- The clock starts
ticking on your minute
usage the minute you
press the “Call” or
“Send” button, not the
moment the other person
picks up.
Most cellular service
providers have a special
phone number or web site
address where you can
login to check the number
of minutes you have
remaining each month.
Keep in mind though,
depending on how often
the accounts or web site
is updated, the numbers
may not always be
current.
Long Distance, Dropped
Calls and Roaming – Oh
My!
When choosing a wireless
plan, keep in mind where
you’ll be using your
phone most often. Some
service providers have
nationwide coverage,
while others target a
specific “home area”. If
you make or receive a
call outside of this
area, you’re “Roaming”,
and your minutes may run
out faster or you may
face an extra charge.
Know the boundaries of
your calling area – you
could be charged for long
distance and roaming on
top of the minutes that
are spent during the
call!
If you have a set of
numbers that you dial
frequently (such as
friends, family, doctors
and so on), ask the
wireless provider if the
cell phone plan you’re
interested in will work
in those locations
without accruing long
distance or roaming
charges.
What To Ask Your Service
Provider
If you’ve got a handful
of good plans you’re
considering, these
questions may help narrow
down the field of
choices:
- Can I use my minutes
anytime? Can they be used
during “peak times” or am
I charged more during
those hours? (peak times
usually occur on
weekends). When do “peak
hours” start and end?
- How much extra am I
charged if I go over my
monthly allotment of
minutes?
- How much will I be
charged for long distance
and/or roaming? (Some
nationwide carriers do
not charge for these
services unless you call
out of the country)
- What is your
cancellation policy? What
happens if I cancel
early? Will I be charged
a cancellation fee after
my plan has been
activated?
- Can I make any changes
to my plan (such as
increasing or decreasing
the number of minutes)
after my service has been
activated?
- What other features are
included on my plan?
(such as voice mail,
caller ID) and if not
included, how much would
they cost to add to my
service?
Remember, get all of
these answers in writing.
That way, if you
suddenly find a $100
Early Cancellation charge
on your bill, and you
have a written document
that states that there is
no early cancellation
fee, you’ll have an
easier time of disputing
the charge.
If you have several plans
you’d like to try out,
ask the service provider
if there is a grace
period where you can
cancel your service
without being charged (or
being charged only a
small amount) if the
service doesn’t meet your
expectations. Chances
are, many wireless
providers will be eager
and happy to help you
compare plans. Just
remember to read the fine
print before you
sign!
We’ve come a long way
from the days when phones
were a luxury item viewed
with suspicion by the
masses and used mainly to
report bad news. Today,
cellphones are a fashion
accessory and used for
entertainment, recreation
and to impart good news -
or none at all, but
simply to say "hi".
Everything about the
phone has changed - its
size, shape and colour
too. It’s appropriate
then that the dial tone
can be changed to play
your favorite tune.
Simply log on to the
appropriate website and
click on your choice.
But more than that,
cellphones also perform a
variety of other
functions. Not only can
you take photos with
them, but the results are
visible immediately. You
can even download them to
your computer. You can
download wallpaper and
screensavers, listen to
your favorite music, find
out the date and time,
use it to make shopping
lists and reminders, and
use it as a PC... Dick
Tracey, eat your heart
out!
While the younger
generation has accepted
the invention of the
cellphone, older people
who have trouble
adjusting to new
inventions may take a
while coming to terms
with the necessity for
its use. After all,
haven’t they survived
most of their lives
without one? Perhaps, but
at what cost? What about
when dear Uncle John died
and you didn’t even know
until after you’d sent
that letter inviting him
to stay for a while? What
about the last time your
car broke down and you
had to walk several
kilometers in the heat or
rain to find a phone?
Now, you can remain in
the safety and
air-conditioned comfort
of your car and get help
– or conduct business.
And cellphones are
becoming even more
sophisticated. Some
phones are now about the
size of a credit card.
Soon they’ll be able to
perform the same
functions, no doubt.
Already the latest word
in smart cellphones,
Samsung won the GSM award
for best Mobile Handset
in 2005. Its model
SGH-D500 has video
recording with 60mg of
storage space, an MP3
player, camera with flash
as well as 64 ring tones
to mention just a few
features. And it is still
small. You want smaller?
The latest model is only
as big as an ear-piece.
But the ultimate in
women’s cellphones is the
natty little hot pink and
silver, clam-shaped
beauty that is scented,
comes with a calorie
counter, lets you know
when you are ovulating,
chooses the perfume best
suited to you and gives
you a height/weight
ratio, as well as all the
other features. Yes, with
today’s cell phone you
can conduct business,
have heaps of fun and
hold the whole world in
your hand.
