Cheapest Cell Phone Plans

As people look for an affordable cell phone plan, they frequently become overwhelmed with the various details and options. Will they need prepaid minutes or should they agree to a contract? And what about all those options and extras? Do offers involving cheap or free cell phones really provide the best value? And what about family plans or group discounts?

While lower rate plans and offers of free headsets may seem inviting, they don’t always represent the cheapest plans. For any single offer to claim it has the cheapest plan means that vendor also happens to know the nuances of your particular usage habits. Unlikely, isn’t it? It is important for you to realize that there is a lot more to all this than just an advertised cost per minute. Continue reading

Best Cell Phone Plans

If you’re looking for cheap cell phone plans, keep in mind a cheap plan is still a waste of money if it doesn’t perform the functions you need. You need to look at the cheapest but best cell phone plans for your needs. Before you commit to anything there are a few things you should consider.

While sifting through all of the details and fine print on various plans so you can do an informed comparison isn’t the most exciting way to spend your time, it can help save you money and provide greater satisfaction with the service you end up choosing. If it saves you money and/or time and headaches down the road it’s worth it.

Don’t rule out pay as you go or prepaid cell phone plans. There are some great options available in this category that may surprise you. Many of these carriers offer a couple of smartphones and data plan options. Continue reading

Guidelines To Reduce Cell Phone Bill Shock

If you’ve ever experienced cell phone bill shock from excessive overage fees you’ll appreciate the new guidelines aimed at helping people avoid the fear of opening their monthly bill. The government had been threatening to enact cell phone bill regulations to reduce bill shock after hearing too many stories of families paying well over $1,000 for a monthly cell phone bill, so the cell phone industry with the FCC and the Consumers Union instead worked together to adopt guidelines to reduce the likelihood of this bill shock.

The guidelines won’t eliminate overage charges, but they will provide users alerts when they are nearing and when they have exceeded plan limits for the month. While many wireless service providers have ways to track usage during the month, having kids who use their cell phone a lot or having an out of the ordinary month can leave people with a giant cell phone bill they didn’t expect. Those with cell phone family plans seem to be particularly vulnerable when it comes to bill shock because they just don’t realize how much their kids are using their phone.

The guidelines will take effect in two stages, so it won’t be instant relief for those waiting for this. Continue reading

Cell Phone Family Plans

Whether you are looking for a plan that is cheap or one that fits your family’s needs best you want to compare the options between different carriers. Different carries have slightly different options, including different advantages and disadvantages. When looking at cell phone family plans it is also important to read the fine print. Most family cell plans come with a two year contract so you want to make sure it’s a good fit.

Here are the details from some of the most common family cell phone plans, but keep in mind your geographical area can impact your satisfaction with these plans. Make sure the carrier you choose has good network coverage in the areas you’ll be using it most. Continue reading

Consumer Cellular

Even though Consumer Cellular cell phone plans have options that make them a good fit for seniors looking for easy-to-use senior cell phones and plans doesn’t mean they are limited to this age group. While this wireless service may not be the best choice for the technically savvy, heavy cell phone user, Consumer Cellular does have some plan options that make them a good fit for those who need to use their cell phone fairly regularly.

Consumer Cellular offers options that literally start at basic service with no minutes included; any calls made are charged at 25 cents per minute. They offer a lot of other choices with their most expensive plan providing 2,400 minutes per month for $60. They also have varying levels of text/data that can be added to the voice plan for not too much more per month.

Any plan can be turned into a family plan by adding another line (for $10). The minutes are then shared between all of the phones on that plan. The headset choices are somewhat limited, but unlike most other no contract cell phone providers they offer a senior cell phone that boasts larger, easy-to-read and use buttons, and an emergency call feature. They do offer a couple of smartphones with touch screens as well. Continue reading