Family Cell Phone Plans - Comparison Shopping To Help You Choose The Best Plan

With the myriad of cell phone plans that are available through the various carriers today, it can be a bit of a challenge to muddle through it all, trying to find the best package for your family. Each has their own special set of perks that are offered, in order to entice potential customers to purchase a contract and commit themselves to a particular amount of time with the company. Although you'd be hard-pressed to find a carrier that locks you in for more than two years ? those days are gone ? you're still committing your patronage for a designated amount of time, and ? that being the case ? will have a bit of research to do before settling on a specific package. Where do you begin?

Work the Room

One of the best ways to gather information on any product is to solicit the opinions of others who have used it at one time or another. Since cell phones are such a hot commodity today, and everyone who uses one must purchase some type of cell phone plan in order to use it, then there's a lot of information that's available to you in virtually any place where you'll be exposed to others ? in other words, everywhere.

• Extended Family ? Since family members often chat with each other at some point during the day via cell phone, check with other family members who are outside your home to see which plan they use and how well it works for them. Depending upon their circumstances, of course, the plan that they have might not be tailored to the needs of your family, but it's a good starting point.
• Friends ? Although many folks have a very limited number of extended family members in their immediate area, most have a wide variety of friends from which to gather information. It's in your best interests, therefore, to find out what works best for them. If their families' needs are similar to yours, you can get a gold mine of information that might help you to select the best family cell phone plan from among the many that are offered in your particular area.
• Neighbors ? If you're the type that doesn't barricade yourself from the neighbors with tall hedges that serve to discourage communication, then you're probably in the position to check with those who are living around you about which local carriers offer good family plans. Since most people today carry this type of device, then the chances are good that you'll come up with something worthwhile.
• Co-Workers ? One of the main reasons that adults invest in cell phones today is to keep in touch with family members during the time when they're at work or are traveling on work-related business. Therefore, finding a great family cell phone plan is a real priority for them, and you can cash in on the research that they've already done. Keep in mind that their particular carrier may not be available in your area, but chances are good that they are, since most people don't have an overly long commute to and from work each day.
• Clubs/Organizations/Extracurricular Activities ? Whether you work out at the gym twice each week, attend an art class or belong to a bridge club, you have the potential to meet a large number of people who use cellular phones and can speak to you about their options packages. Keep in mind that learning about what they use is only half of the research ? getting information about what plans didn't work for them is the other half. Sometimes, carriers make a product look great but, when put to practical use, it's found to be failing.
• Online Community ? Lots of information can be found online regarding cell phone service plans, and one of the best ways to find information about specific carriers and their plans is to search for cell phone reviews. These are easily found ? by simply typing "cell phone review" into the keyword area of your favorite search engine ? and offer the added benefit of being up-to-date and usually fairly specific regarding the assets and liabilities of the packages' particulars.

Compiling the Data

It's important to keep in mind that there are lots of different types of plans that are available, so there's a lot more research to do be done than may be immediately apparent. For instance, the term "cell phone plan" is very generic, since there are various types of service; so when it's time to compare cell phone plans, you'll have to consider each type of service that's offered through each carrier. Among the many things that you'll have to examine are prepaid cell phone plans, "no contract" cell phone plans, "pay as you go" mobile phones and internet phone service. Once you've narrowed it down to the specific type of cell phone service that you prefer, then you'll have to take the particular features into consideration. These may include long distance plans, multiple phone options, "free minutes" packages and mobile-to-mobile options, to name a few.

In order to weave your way through all of the information that you've collected, it's best to list the cellular phone carriers that you've examined, listing each option and its specifics. Once this list has been compiled, then it's time to decide what type of cell phone coverage is necessary in order to meet your particular needs. Through the good old-fashioned process of elimination, most of your work will be done before you make the attempt to contact any of the cellular phone companies. When you get to that point, you might also be surprised by a few specials that are being offered at the time, which will end up saving you even more on your monthly cell phone bill.

Taking the Shortest Route

Since finding a solid cell phone plan for your family can require a good deal of time and effort, you may wish to consider taking a bit of a shortcut when it comes to information gathering. Rather than approaching everyone on an individual basis, for instance, you might think of having a get-together ? maybe even a "cell phone party"! ? so that you can bring most of your contacts directly to you, rather than seeking each of them out at different times and places. Doing effective research is time-consuming enough, so take the shortest route to your investigative destination and get a good deal of it over with at once.

About the Author

Samantha Goode is a freelance technology writer who loves to provide tips to consumers shopping for pay as you go mobile phones, cell phone family plans and cell phone packages.

---

Recognizing Common Cellular Phone Problems

Cellular phones are in schools, banks, malls, and homes across... Read More

Prepaid Cell Phone for Teenagers

It's hard to look back and imagine what we did... Read More

Prepaid Cell Phone Plans ? Are They For You?

Most Americans have cell phone plans with contracts that call... Read More

Cell Phones Can Damage Your Eyes

A recent scientific study identified a link between microwave radiation... Read More

How Young is Too Young? Buying Cell Phones for Kids

Take a random tween, age 8-12, place them in front... Read More

Camera Cell Phone Sprint

Camera cell phone by Sprint ? offer with a service... Read More

How Successful Is 3G REALLY In The UK?

How successful is 3G REALLY in the UK? I'm getting... Read More

Satellite Phones: Essential for the Marine Industry

With more offshore fishing boats taking customers further out into... Read More

The Cell Phone Store

Effectively everybody wants the hottest and best cheap cell phones... Read More

Smartphones - Beyond Voice to Information and Entertainment

Investments in shares of wireless technology companies and wireless service... Read More

Can You Anticipate The Cell Phones Of The Future?

We have become a society that demands the most technologically... Read More

Motorola Cellular Phone

Motorola cellular phone ? description.Motorola has a great selection of... Read More

PDA Cell Phones - the New Generation of Wireless Phones

It's time you know what the latest technological gadget is.... Read More

Cordless Phone Systems

Cordless phone systems offer many features and are ideal for... Read More

Camera Cell Digital Phone

Camera cell digital phone - description.Camera cell digital phone is... Read More

UK Top 40 Singles: Should It Include Ringtones As Well?

I noticed two interesting stories today. The first one on... Read More

Samsung SGH-x427m Portable Digital Telephone

Switching cell phone providers allows consumers the opportunity to purchase... Read More

Cellular Phone Accessory

Cellular phone accessory list.There is a wide variety of products... Read More

Toll Free Virtual PBX Systems Level the Playing Field for Small Businesses

Technology, some people fear it, some resist it, and others... Read More

DECT - A Brief Explanation and How We Could Benefit From It

DECT stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications. Unlike analogue cordless... Read More

Best Cell Phone Service Plans - Choosing The Best Wireless Service Plans

Once upon a time, decisions about telephone service were easy... Read More

Lets Talk

In the eyes of a teenage girl cellular phones are... Read More

Call Russia Feeling Like a Royal Romanov

Get set to be greeted by the Russians, with a... Read More

Do Cellular Phones Pose Health Risks?

You hear it in the media on a slow news... Read More

Prepaid Cell Phones ? Are They Right For You

In today's world of communication technology, there's a lot out... Read More