Cell Phone Tips



When shopping for a cellular plan, follow these tips to avoid financial pitfalls and shortcomings. Also, these pointers will also help you pass a cellular providers credit check and help you get the deal you want without extra deposits or fees.

Know what type of contract you are entering into and understand it. Make sure when you purchase a phone, that you can make the commitment. Every cellular provider that you choose will have a type of contract. Usually for a high cancellation fee of $200-$400 depending on the plan these contracts can be broken.

Do you need free roaming?- Know your calling area near your home. Cellular phone plans have a "home calling area" where all calls you make are free. Also, calls are free as long as you can access your cellular providers network at anytime, no matter where you travel. Be aware, depending on their network, that each carrier has different calling areas. If you travel a lot, you may want to choose a cellular plan that has a high coverage area. The cellular network and coverage can be very large and most likely will cover a large part of the United States. Make sure you have free roaming to shield yourself against areas that may not be covered.

When you make calls and receive them, remember that you pay for both. Cellular users pay for BOTH calls he/she makes AND calls he/she receives. To be sure you are receiving the most out of your minutes; be aware to whom you give your cellular number out to, reserve it for those you can trust. By doing this, it will prevent prank cellular calls, unwanted solicitors and leave your minutes unused for those important calls.

Know what types of cellular accessories are available and what you might need. Mostly all cellular phone plans come with a few free accessories so it's important to plan ahead. Keep in mind that some states have restrictions on cell phone usage while driving, so a hands free kit is a definite must have. In this case find a provider that is willing to give a free kit with service instead of paying for that could cost up to $120 for certain models. Take advantage of these free accessories that may come with a plan such as a belt clip and/or car charger.

Estimate what time during the day you plan to make most of your calls. The first thing that should be looked at carefully when purchasing a phone, is the major price differences between plans for 'anytime' minutes. Anytime minutes are cellular phone talk time minutes that can be used during the day or night. A plan with 1000 anytime minutes will be more expensive then a plan with 500 anytime minutes. Right now, mostly all cell phone plans comes with unlimited nights after 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. and/or unlimited weekend minutes. Choose a plan with low anytime minutes if you do not need to use your cell phone during the day. This way would be the cheapest.

Crucial note: do not underestimate you're anytime minutes. Make sure you pick a range of anytime minutes in a plan that you know for sure you will not surpass or you will pay an extreme rate per minute charge. Plans can be changed at anytime for any cellular carrier, so you can always choose to lower your anytime minutes if you do not need them.

Pay off unsettled credit card balances or debt. Before applying for a cellular phone, pay off as much debt as possible. The lower debt amount you have when applying, the better your chance of success. Mostly all cellular phone providers do a light credit check on customers prior to acceptance into a contract. By paying off your debt consistently, you will establish a solid credit history that will also help you when applying.

Too many credit cards is a bad thing and will hurt your credit. If you own several credit cards, it can hurt you instead of help you when applying for cellular phone. When a provider sees you have several open lines of credit, they may be hesitant to enter into a contract with you. A straightforward answer is to close and cancel most of most of your credit cards that are not being used.