Finding the Best Cell Plans For You
By Rich Russell
You may be one of the last people in the country who still don’t have a cell phone and you are finally starting to see the possible benefits of owning one. Or you could be somebody who couldn’t bare to leave the house without your constant companion. Whether you are at either of these extremes or somewhere in between, you share the same concern. How can you find the best cell phone plan to meet your needs? It can be a daunting prospect to try to navigate through the multitude of offers that are out there. There are free phones, free call time, free texts, free internet access, but what is the real cost of these things and do you really need them? Where do you start?
The first thing to do is forget about the different plans and think about yourself. What will your cell phone be used for? You need to consider how frequently you will use it. Will you be doing a lot of texting or do you prefer to talk? Do you have friends or relatives that live far away that you would like to keep in touch with? That could mean a lot of long distance calls. Maybe you would like to have your cell phone with you just in case of emergency. Are you intending to use your cellular phone to replace your home phone? In that case, you might need a plan that includes your family and allows you to share minutes. Before you go out to look for the best cell plans, you need to have a clear idea of what features might benefit you.
Apart from the plans, you also have to consider the phones. What do you need from the phone? Do you really need a camera or an MP3 player? Would email or office applications be useful? It’s tempting to go for all the bells and whistles just because they are there. And that’s OK, as long as you realize that it’s your choice and you are not just buying what the cell phone company is pushing. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Whatever you get, you are paying for it somehow. By now, you should be able to go and explore the market with a pretty good idea in mind of what you want and what would be of value to you.
You can now start to look at the various cell plans and home in on the ones that provide the features that you will actually use. If you are going to text a lot, who gives more free texts per month? Who offers the best value on long distance calls? If you have decided which phone you would like, you might be able to get it free with your cellular plan. One company might offer a better family plan than another. But beware. A better price may come at the cost of being tied into a longer term contract. Are you prepared for that? Also, look out for introductory offers. The may be a great rate for the first three months but what will you be paying after that? Are any features included for free at the start of the contract that you need to cancel before you start to be charged for them?
It is worth asking friends and family about their experiences with their cell plan providers. Find out if they have good coverage, responsive helpdesks and billing that is easy to understand. A friend may have a usage pattern that is similar to yours and you could get a good idea of what your actual costs might be. You could also try comparison websites that allow you to compare features side by side to make sure that you get the best cell plan for your needs.
What is the best cell phone plan in Canada for U.S. calling?
I am going to go to Canada for college, but my family lives in the U.S. I’ve been researching various plans and the rates for U.S. roaming range from 25 cents extra per minute all the way to $2. Is there any plan that offers cheaper rates or has a special U.S. roaming bundle?
Travelling to Europe for a year from Canada need help with cell phone plans?
In September I will be travelling abroad to Scotland, for approximately a year, but while I am in canada at the moment I am curious as to if I could get the Blackberry 8830 world phone and bring it across with me. With this phone would I be able to text back to friends and family in Canada? Specifically what mobile companies would work best for me if I did get this phone? Would this be my best option or should I buy a pay as you go phone when I get there?
I don’t think you are going to find rates you really like by dialing directly. My advice would be to get a Canada rate plan, and just use a calling card to call the U.S.
You can get awesome prices on calling cards at Cloncom.com. I have used them before and it’s so easy. They have cards that cost like pennies per minute.
You can save the calling card’s access number in your cell phone as a contact. You can even append your family’s phone number so that clicking the contact uses the calling card, enters your pin, and dials your family all with one press.
If your calling card access number was 800-555-7777
And your PIN was 8888
And your family’s phone number was 555-999-0000
Your contact you would save in your cell phone would look something like this:
8005557777P8888#P5559990000#
The P’s are short for Pause. The phone will wait a couple seconds then continue dialing whatever is after the P.
The #’s were just thrown in there in case the automated menu makes you press # after entries.
Usually if you press and hold the *, 0, or # key on your phone it will type a P in a phone number. It varies by model, so try each one and one of them should work. If pressing and holding doesn’t do the trick, try pressing * * very fast or # # very fast and see if it turns into a P.
Hope this helps! Feel free to email me with any questions.
The cheapest option is to bring the Blackberry to Scotland but buy a new SIM card for it there. For a top plan you could pay £25 per month with BT for unlimited texts, emails and calls under a one year contract. Check with your provider in Canada first, who may be able to offer you a good deal too.
HELP PLEASE! Best Cell Phone Plan In Canada?
I had a phone with Rogers last year and they really ripped me off. I only ever called people in my 5 yet I got a 5 GRAND cellphone bill. My mom had to take out a loan to pay it off because they started to give me bad credit and I’m not even 18. ( I paid her back don’t worry)
Recently I was on the Virgin 1 Year Contract with my fiance and they started over charging us to. We both could call each other for free yet we were charged 250 a month or more.
I live 3 hours away from my family and need to be able to get in contact with them and because I’m on call at work and I have to sit around the house waiting to see if there going to call me in. Please Help. Thanks So Much.
hi there okay i live in canada and i am going to give you a list of the best plans canada has to offer
TELUS
http://www.telusmobility.com/en/ON/yourchoiceplans/yourchoice50.shtml
fido i am with FIDO and there really good
http://www.fido.ca/web/page/portal/Fido/MonthlyPlans?forwardTo=monthlyPlans
BELL they have so many great plans to pick out
http://www.bell.ca/shopping/PrsShpWls_RtpDetails.page?wlcs_catalog_category_id=AllInOneRatePlans
ok so that is really all that canada has to offer hope i helped you out =)
What is the best cell phone plan in Germany for a soldier that calls North America? (Canada and US)?
My husband is about to PCS to Germany in a few weeks and we are looking into a cell phone plan, or calling card that will allow him to call home to me in Canada and his family in the US. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what options are available? Any info would be great!
What is the Best Cell Phone Company for a family plan??? (((10 Points)))?
hey pplsz
i am getting a cell phone this summer and i wanted to know what good plan there is for a 3 people. (me , my dad and mom)
plz help. and please a cellphone company that is in canada. thx
XD
in oz vodafone hav a great deals don’t know abt canada’s companies
Does he have a computer? a laptop? If so then get Skype, he can call for Free to the US computer to computer or he can pay $5.95 a month and get a US # then call Canada and US for free as much as he wants. Sometimes cell phone plans can add up and it is expensive.