the Cost of Individual Cell Phone Plans

200 Anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, one year contract

I have a one year contract on my cell phone which gives me 200 anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, and some (but not all) holidays free. I have to pay for incoming as well as outgoing calls. My January invoice was for 47.77. This breaks down as $29.99 per month for my regular charges, a $10 penalty for going 51 minutes over my limit (thinking New Year's Day was a holiday), $1 for voicemail, $1 for caller ID, and 30 cents for incoming text messages. I do not subscribe to or even know how to use text messaging but the company sends text ads and charges me for them. There was also $1.90 in company surcharges. The rest of the bill was tax.

As my life gets busier, 200 minutes just doesn't seem to be enough. When I checked with my cell service provider, though, about changing my plan, they said I would have to sign a completely new contract and commit to at least another year of service with them. Then, I was offered a plan by another provider that included 500 anytime minutes, as well as free nights and weekends, for the same price. When I tried to get out of my contract with my current company, I was informed that the only way to get out of the contract would be to buy it out, meaning they wanted me to pay for the next several months of service but have the service shut off anyway. I'm not willing to pay for two cell plans and only get service for one, so I kept the old plan. We'll be cancelling that service as soon as the contract is up.

When considering a cell phone plan, think about what you will be using your phone for. If it will be a primary phone, make sure you get a plan with enough minutes. Also, check the contract for an "out" just in case you need to drop the service. Also, our cell numbers are being released to telemarketers now, so if you have to pay for incoming calls, be sure to get on the national do not call registry.