And you can do more than just talk-modern phones let you send and receive e-mail and text messages, and even surf the Web. Find out exactly what you'll need to do-and how much you'll need to pay-in order to fix your phone.įew tools of modern technology have become as prevalent as the cell phone, which allows you to be in touch (almost) all the time, (almost) anywhere. You should also find out who you can call if something goes wrong with your phone. Look into phone replacement plans or extended warranties, both of which typically entitle you to a new phone if yours is lost, stolen, or goes kaput. Other services: There's almost always a fee for activating service to your phone or switching the service from your old phone to a new one. If you break the agreement, you'll incur hefty fees. The longer the contract period, the lower the rate. Other service charges include a data plan, three-way calling, and downloads.Ĭontract: Virtually all carriers offer discounted service fees if you commit to a specified period of time, usually two years, though one year is sometimes available. Because one carrier's definition of off-peak may be different from another's, ask the carrier to specify the times for its peak, off-peak, and weekend hours.
Minutes: When choosing a plan, it's best to overestimate the number of minutes you'll be using for every sent and received call. So if you think you'll be sending and receiving data with your phone, you'll want to select some sort of data plan. You can always pay for messaging and data use a la carte, but you'll likely be charged a higher rate. Some carriers bundle voice and data plans together, while others let you select a voice and data plan separately. If you have a world phone and plan to use it in other countries, choose service with international roaming.ĭata plan: You should also take into account your data usage (e-mail, photos, IM, and Web access) when selecting your cell phone plan. A local or regional plan limits the areas where you can originate a call and still pull from your monthly pool of minutes. Plan type: If you do a lot of cross-country traveling, signing up for a national phone plan is best because it will let you send and receive calls anywhere in the United States (and even in parts of Canada) at no extra charge. Find out how good the phone signal is at your home, office, or anywhere else you'll need to use it. You should also poll friends and colleagues about their experiences.
Nearly all nationwide carriers offer a trial period of up to 30 days where you pay for only the minutes you use. One way to find out about a carrier's network reliability is to try out the service and one of its phones. Service can be erratic even if a carrier claims to have coverage in an area the quality of the reception varies, too.
Not all networks are created equal, however. Coverage: The biggest nationwide carriers are Cingular, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless.