What to Look at When Buying a Service Plan - 3 StepsFeb 20 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Choosing a cellular plan can be narrowed down to where you call, how long you will call and when you will call. Do that and you will know your plan.
Choosing the plan that best fits your needs is a very difficult endeavor. Ten years ago it was very easy to choose a plan and a company because there were very few of them. Now, there are as many different service plans as there are companies and it’s hard for one to choose which one serves their purpose without costing an arm and a leg. Let’s try to go over all the different kinds of requirements one should think about before they sign up for a plan. By looking at 3 distinct things: amount of calling , calling location and time of calling, one can surf through the garbage and narrow it down to a few plans. time usage Probably the biggest factor in choosing a plan, this should be well thought about before making the service plan purchase. One should note that almost all the big companies allow you to change your plans so there’s no penalty for choosing one plan to start off then switching as your needs change. minimal usage Minimal usage really means under 20 minutes or so a month. If you want to have a phone nearby in case of emergencies or want to give your child a phone in case they are late, then you fit into this category. Most companies offer plans such as “security plans” which normally keep your phone active without any included minutes. Per minute costs can be anywhere from 25-40 cents so you can see that these plans are intended for those who won’t use the phone too often. These plans normally cost fewer than 20 dollars a month. medium usage Medium usage would constitute anywhere from 100-500 minutes a month. Although this seems a lot, you would be surprised how quickly minutes go by. Those people who start off with the security plan and start using an average of 50 or so minutes a day are much better off choosing a plan with at least 100 minutes as you can see the difference. 100 minute plans normally cost 20-25 dollars a month. Let’s compare Security plan (13.00 + .35/minute) 100 min plan (25.00/month) If you used 60 minutes on either plan, you’d end up paying 13 + 60 x .35 = 34 dollars. The 100 minute plan would still be 25 dollars a month. See the price difference? Most plans in the 100-500 minute range cost anywhere from 20-30 dollars, on average. They are intended for those people who want to use their phone at least a little bit per month but not extensively. high usage Normally, one can consider high usage to be over 500 minutes. Most people requiring these types of minutes are either using them for business or really have to stay in touch with all of their friends at all times of day. Some people actually cancel home phone service and use their cell phones instead. This normally happens with the higher packages such as 2000 minutes or so. Prices for these plans can range from 35-70 dollars a month. where will you call? Now, this is also a huge factor in deciding which COMPANY to go with because some companies offer very competitive rates for in-state calling plans whereas some offer nationwide plans. Verizon, for example, has a 2000-minute plan for roughly 30 dollars a month. This plan, however, includes all statewide calls or calls made within your calling area. SprintPCS offers almost all of their plans as nationwide so you can call anywhere in the United States from your phone and it won’t cost more than your regular minute usage. Statewide Most plans will cover at least statewide. You definitely have to check this before you commit to a plan because some companies have different coverage areas. What Primeco covers might not be the same as what Verizon covers, and that must be clarified before you agree to a plan. Nation-wide Pretty much just what it states, complete nation coverage. Calling anywhere within the United States should be part of your plan and not charge you any extra minutes. One must keep their options open. If you don’t intend on calling anyone out of state, then there is really no reason to purchase a plan that includes it. Although, if you do have relatives in other states or you do a fair amount of traveling, you might want to consider nationwide coverage. roaming Be aware of roaming. Rather, be educated about it. Roaming is just a simple way of stating that you are out of your coverage area (usually remote locations or areas between signal towers where the signal is not strong enough to deliver your call). These calls will normally cost a lot more than your average call because you are most likely going to be using shared signal towers, and that means more costs for the company, and therefore more costs for you. Roaming charges can be anywhere from 50 cents to a 1.50. They are very fluctuating and you should be educated about the various costs. It is not very often when people call in roaming areas, but at least if you do have to call, be aware of the costs. big plans have separate minutes Watch out for those plans that say 1500 minutes or 2000 minutes. Most companies divide their minutes into 2 categories: daytime and nights/weekends. Daytime: usually 7-8a.m. to 7-8p.m Nights: times other than daytime Weekends: usually starting on Friday at either 7-8p.m. or midnight and ending on Sunday at Midnight or Monday at 7-8a.m. The reason I give these ranges is because some companies, such as Primeco, consider the weekends to start Friday midnight and end on Sunday midnight. Others consider it to start on Friday at 7-8 p.m. Just make sure about these things, because if you think the minutes you are using are part of your weekends promotion but it hasn’t started yet, you will dig into your daytime minutes, which are usually small. Promotions Promotions are a great way to narrow down your plan selections. Ranging from free minutes for purchasing a phone to wireless web, you should always look at what extras a company is willing to give you in return for you signing up. Some companies are willing to give you unlimited nights and weekends when you purchase a phone with a package of X dollars or up. For example, Sprint had a deal that stated if you purchased a plan that was 29.99 or above, you would receive various amounts of night/weekend minutes for free. These are very good promotions and although you would think there’s no such thing as unlimited, they really mean it. Some companies, however, give you a set amount of nights/weekends minutes, so be aware of that and don’t go over them. Why do they offer these programs? Think about it for a minute, most cell phone users use their phones peak hours during the weekdays, or “workdays”. That is when the towers work their hardest to connect all the calls. Now, nights/weekends is not as big of a load on the companies so they are willing to give you exorbitant amounts of time during those “off-peak” times as a promotion to sign you up. They’ll offer you unlimited nights and weekends if you purchase 200-300 minutes daytime for 30+ dollars. Got it? Overall When deciding what kinds of plans you should concentrate on, you should try to run a checklist of your needs. By looking at the various factors, such as calling location, calling destination and time of calling, one can narrow down their choices between a few select plans. From there, it’s just about bells and whistles. Who will give you a free cigarette lighter charger and who will give you the best phone. Those things are the topic of another article. Perhaps I’ll write it, but I’m sure many already have.  |
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