HELLO!!...HELLO!! I'm in the LIBRARY!Aug 21 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Cellular Phones
The Bottom Line DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Decide how much and HOW you are going to use the phone and how much you want to pay. Everything else is secondary.
Disclaimer I know nothing about American mobile/cell phone service plans. I DO know something about English mobile providers and rates. Therefore, all service and payment plans referred to here are English. I hope some of this will also be useful to Americans and other folks. (As an aside, a lot of my reviews contain disclaimers. What does that say about me I wonder - answers on an e-mail!) First, How do I pay? I understand that here in the US (I'm here on holiday at the moment), you have to pay to make AND receive calls. That is not true in the UK. The caller pays a premium to call a mobile. In the UK you always know if you're phoning a mobile, since all mobile numbers start 07XXX. You have a few choices with most providers as to how you wish to pay - either up front or monthly. Which you choose will depend on how you use your phone. This is not comprehensive, but it covers the two most common payment plans. Pay As You Go Summary With a Pay As You Go plan, you buy a pre-paid card (usually the minimum is 10 pounds [There's no pound sign on this keyboard]). My provider also lets me register a credit or debit card, in which case I would just phone the provider's recorded line and top up the phone that way. You pay no monthly fee or line rental, so you are ONLY paying for calls. However, you do have to make the initial purchase of the phone. There are usually no free minutes (although this too can vary). You can often buy these in unexpected outlets. I got mine in a supermarket. Who should use this plan This type of plan is best for very occasional users - emergency users. This is the plan I have. I use it to call my husband to tell him I am going to be late, or to meet me in the pub or whatever. It's no good if you chat at length on the bus to your mates (and to those of you who do that, a pox on you!), or if you use it extensively for business. The call charges are generally considerably higher than those of monthly calling plans. However, there is (usually)no monthly bill or line rental, so you only pay for what you use. The call charges will vary with the provider. As an aside, parents often get pay-as-you go phones for their teenage (or sometimes younger - my daughter wants one, but can dream on) children, the theory being that the parent will buy the phone, but the child has to buy the top-up cards. Isn't theory wonderful?! What to watch out for Read the fine print. The advertised call charges don't usually apply to mobiles on networks other than your own, or premium services (including Freefone - you have to pay for that). Some plans for heavier users have a daily charge, but give you cheaper calls and/or a few free minutes in return. I don't find those plans worth the daily charge, personally. Pay Monthly Summary On a normal, pay monthly plan, you pay for line rental and get a monthly bill for your calls. There are tons of variations on the pay monthly theme - all of which will have different call charges, monthly fees and so forth. The phone itself is often cheap or free, therefore allowing you to get a 'cooler' phone for less, if that sort of thing appeals to you. You don't have to pay up front, and you usually get a load of free minutes, depending on the specific plan (the more you pay per month, the more 'free' minutes you get - remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch). Mobile phone stores are much keener for you to get a pay monthly plan than a pay-as-you-go. Also, if you want to buy your phone and plan by mail order or over the internet, it's usually a pay monthly plan. Who should use this plan If you are a medium to heavy user of your phone, choose an appropriate pay monthly plan (but you'll need to do your homework - the choice is mind-boggling). If you spend a lot of time chatting and especially if you use your phone for business, definitely go with a pay-monthly. What to watch out for Just choose your plan carefully - often the cheapest on paper may not be the best for you. If you're going with a pay-monthly, unless you really know your phones and networks, you may be better off going to a specialist, unbiased (that is, not tied to any particular network) mobile phone shop. Also, the caveats listed with the pay-as-you-go phones above also hold true here - read the fine print. Second - Which network should I use? I am not going to recommend any particular network. What you choose will depend on what is important to you. Price The different networks have different price plans (this holds true for both the payment methods described above). Check to see which network has the pricing plan that best suits you and how you use your phone. Coverage Some networks have better national and roaming (international) coverage and options than others. Does the network cover the areas in which you travel (i.e. the Scottish Highlands, if that's where you go?)) Do you need to use your phone in Europe or the US? If so, does the provider have phones that are either Dual (Europe) or Tri (US) band? How much do they charge while you are abroad? Generally, if you're abroad, you also pay to receive calls. How much? Phone Choice Some networks have a larger choice of the actual phone than others. How important is an all-singing, all-dancing phone to you? Or will a basic phone that lets you send and receive calls do? Do you send text messages (SMS) - if so, you'll want a phone that will give you that. Do you want a WAP (web) enabled phone so that you can serf while riding the tube? You need to make sure your phone will do that. Also check how much the provider charges for that service. Mobile networks you're likely to call Most providers charge less to phone the same network as your phone is on than they do to phone competing networks. Often, the difference will be significant. On my pay-as-you-go plan, the price to phone the same network is the same as to phone a land-line, but the price to call other networks is much higher. I therefore chose a phone on the same network as my husband's phone. In Conclusion As with any electronics purchase, you must do your homework. Don't choose a network just because they have neat phones or because some slimy salesman tries to convince you that HIS plan is the best for you. Decide (realistically) how you're going to use your phone, and how much you're willing to pay. Make your choice sensibly! As always, thanks for your patience. Now go feed your cat/dog/goldfish/child whatever. Cheers, Kate  |
| Read all comments (5)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
