the Cost of Individual Cell Phone Plans

I have a cell phone plan with a major service provider, so that I can get nationwide access. This is actually rather challenging in rural areas, as a lot of providers won't bother covering areas with a small population.

I have some likes and dislikes about this plan. The base price is $40/month, but I also have phone insurance and texting added on, so it works out to around $50/month for 450 minutes and unlimited night and weekend minutes. The night/weekend promotion includes nights from 9:00 PM to 5:59 AM, and weekends from 12:00 AM on Saturday until 11:59 PM on Sunday. I talk mostly at night anyway, so I rarely run over by allotted 450 daytime minutes.

One thing I don't like is that service in my area is rather spotty, although this problem is common to a lot of providers. It's especially frustrating that I get really poor service at my residence, since my cell phone is primary phone.

I do like the ability to travel around the United States with no roaming charges, and the deal for 250 text/picture messages for $5/month is really awesome. I am also a huge fan of the fact that I can call anyone else on this network for free; this is a pretty common feature on phone plans and you should take advantage of a plan which offers it.

I have also gotten generally good service from this provider; they are always very helpful on the phone, and I have never had any dispute about billing with them.

Be aware that cell phone plans often come with associated fees which pop up on the first bill, especially when you add things like texting and phone insurance. When you're signing up for a plan, ask how much your monthly bill will actually come out, regardless as to the advertised price.

It's also a good idea to sign up for online service, so that you can keep track of your minutes. Some companies charge a lot of money when you go over, and it's easy to prevent if you keep an eye on your phone usage. Some phones also have timers for the same purpose.

You can also negotiate a better deal when you sign up for a contract, and reemember that you can take advantage of Number Portability laws to retain the same phone number when you switch providers!