Reworking your cellular contract - A Must ReadJul 31 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Upgrade, Upgrade, Upgrade. Pay attention and your benefits will improve (and your costs may even decrease). Don't forget to upgrade your phone every year or so as well.
This opinion can be used in conjunction with the one written by Yusakugo. For anyone who is really serious about getting a cellular phone and wants to get the best offer for your money you MUST constantly pay attention to new offers and ads by the different cellular providers. A few things to pay special attention to are: Current Prices Current Plans (minutes, freebies, etc...) Latest Phone Technology Besides having the ability to always upgrade your plan to the latest plan and promotion...most people also do NOT know that after 1-2 years (it depends on your provider, how much your plan is, etc...) you can also get FREE (or highly discounted) upgrades to your existing phone. I used to have cellular service with Airtouch (now Verizon). I upgraded my plan with them perhaps 3-4 times over a 2-3 year period and upgraded my phone at least twice. About 1.5-2 years ago I switched to Pacbell (now Cingular) and I have changed my plan at least 3 times with them and also upgraded my phone once. There are a few things to know, and look for, when changing plans: First you should be aware of EXACTLY what your current plan offers. Things to pay attention to are: -BASE PRICE -Number of ANYTIME minutes -Number of NIGHT and WEEKEND minutes (if applicable) -Number of MOBILE to MOBILE minutes (if applicable) -PRICE for additional minutes -LONG DISTANCE (is it free?) -ROAMING (what is the local calling area?) -VOICE MAIL (do you have it, what are the options, costs, etc) -TEXT MESSAGING (if applicable) -WAP (web access using your phone - what are the costs, etc) Here is an example of what to consider (using my current Cingular wireless plan): I currently have a plan (you can't get it anymore...but it's similar to the current Home 150 plan) that offers me 150 ANYTIME minutes, UNLIMITED MOBILE to MOBILE (meaning I can use unlimited minutes calling other CINGULAR subscribers and pay NO ADDITIONAL FEE - note CINGULAR subscribers is the key here), and UNLIMITED TEXT MESSAGING(no longer available) for $29.95/mo. I also have UNLIMITED NIGHTS and WEEKENDS (starts at 8 PM for me, but current plans begin at 9 PM) for an additional $9.95/mo. In my case, I upgraded my phone from a 6190 to a 3390 for ~$50 about 6 months ago. At that time I was on a similar plan offering 120 minutes (anytime), UNLIMITED NIGHTS and WEEKENDS , UNLIMITED MOBILE to MOBILE , and FREE LONG DISTANCE (w/in the US) for the same price as above. When I changed my plan I lost the free long distance but added an extra 30 ANYTIME minutes, and the UNLIMITED TEXT MESSAGING. I actually miss having my free long distance and I could get it back if I went to the next higher plan...BUT if I switch to the next higher plan I will LOSE my UNLIMITED TEXT MESSAGING (which I like) and my nights will start another hour later. I'm actually considering the Special Olympics plan (which is a great deal!!!) as I write this. How can your provider afford to keep giving you new phones and newer/better contracts you may ask? Simple. They may NOT be able to afford it...but it's all because of competition. When your contract ends you could switch providers and get a new phone and better service from someone else. Your provider makes these offers to new customers...and in also making these offers to you...they are avoiding the possibility that you will leave them for another provider. Now how good are all of these features you might ask? My fiance is also on the same plan as me. She lives far enough away from me that calling her on a regular phone would be long distance. I have called her on average 4-500 minutes a month MOBILE to MOBILE (which was free for both of us). Additionally, many of my friends also have Cingular plans with the UNLIMITED MOBILE to MOBILE so I call them all the time too and I pay nothing extra. That alone has saved me TONS of money (considering per minute charges). Not to mention that my long distance bill would easily be $50-100 a month for all of the calls that I make to my fiance. Many people may not however know many other people also using the same provider so MOBILE to MOBILE may not be a very worthwhile feature. Perhaps some of you have friends or relatives who live out of state? For you...FREE long distance would be a more useful feature (and MONEY SAVER)...make your calls from your cell phone instead of your other phone. What many people do NOT realize is that plans are constantly improved as costs go down and competition between the providers heats up. The plan you had last year, or last month, may NOT be nearly as good as the current promotion and you might benefit a lot by changing to a new plan. Changing plans only requires re-signing a new contract (usually only 1 year). The same thing goes for upgrading a phone. It is often in your best interest to upgrade. The cellular providers will NOT go to you to ask you if you want the latest and greatest promotion however...so you need to take the initiative yourself and make yourself aware of the latest plans and offers.  |
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