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READ THE TOP CELL PHONE
GUIDE
FIND
WHAT
YOU'RE
LOOKING FOR!
THE TOP CELL PHONE
GUIDE
RATED 5 STARS !!!!
GUIDE
FIND
WHAT
YOU'RE
LOOKING FOR!
THE TOP CELL PHONE
GUIDE
RATED 5 STARS !!!!
THE TOP CELL PHONE GUIDE
RATED 5 STARS !!!!
LEARN:
Which cell phone you should
choose?
What cell phone plan is the
best?
What cell phone carrier
provides the best coverage?
How many minutes will you
need each month?
The pros and cons of each
cell phone plan.
Read the top 5 STAR guide on
CELL PHONES and find what
you're looking for!
Getting the newest “it” phone
Phones have gone well
beyond basic calling
functionality to become an
extension of the individual
and their unique needs. You
can break today's phones
down into three basic types:
Standard, Advanced, and
Smart Phones. It is not
uncommon for a users to
switch carriers solely because
he or she wants particular
model of phone only available
through a different carrier.
The large nationwide carriers
typically work with the phone
manufactures to offer phones
exclusive only to a particular
carrier or technology;
similarly, carriers will work
with manufacturers retrofit
phones with their own
software and branding before
offering them to customers.
For instance, the same phone
may be offered in slightly
different versions with
different model numbers
through different carriers. If
you’re set on a particular
phone, then your rate plan and
carrier options will be more
limited. Use our “Phone
Finder Tool” to find a phone
that fits your needs.
Signal Quality
This is becoming less of a
priority for most people, as
most areas offer several
carriers who offer more than
adequate signal quality. You’ll
hear users claim their service
is "the best" for certain areas,
and while this may be true,
they are also likely to
encounter other areas where
another carrier provides
better coverage. A
generalization such as,
“Cingular offers better service
than Verizon”, or vice-versa
really can't be made beyond
referring to a specific
geographic locale.
We recommend asking family
and friends in your area to
help you determine which
service works best in the area
(s) you’ll being using your
phone. You also might want
to try different carriers in
phones in places you know
you'll be using your phone
frequently; factors such as the
physical construction of your
home or place of work
(coupled with proximity to the
nearest cell tower) can make a
difference when it comes to
cellular signal quality.
Choosing a Plan
The rate plan chosen is the
most important decision for
most people signing a service
contract. Your rate plan will
dictate how many minutes
you’ll receive for your basic
monthly charge, as well
additional charges for extra
minutes ("overage" charges)
and messaging/data usage,
service features, and more.
Each carrier offers several
rate plan packages to attract
customers and while the
terminology may seem
confusing at first, after a little
research you’ll be able to
compare rate plans between
each carrier fairly easily.
Coverage Types
National Calling Plans
These plans generally allow
you to travel anywhere in the
United States while utilizing
your Peak minutes without
having to worry about
Roaming Charges as long as
you stay on the carrier's
network or partner networks.
Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon,
Nextel, and Sprint are the
dominant providers offering
National Calling Plans. If you
travel often outside of your
local or regional area, we
highly recommend choosing a
National-type calling plan to
lessen the possibility of
incurring roaming or other
additional charges. See each
carrier’s specific plan details
for more information on each
plan.
Regional Calling Plans
Consumers who travel
infrequently and usually
remain in their local or
regional areas may find better
deals by looking at Regional
plans. The monthly fees for
these plans are generally less
expensive and offer more
minutes so long as you stay
within your Regional calling
area. Most areas offer one or
two Regional-type carriers
who may also offer National
plans. A consumer choosing
a Regional plan can still use
his phone elsewhere in the
country; he just needs to be
more careful to avoid
excessive roaming fees while
travelling.
Types of Plans
Individual Plans
Geared to the individual who
won’t need to add additional
phones to his/her account.
Family Plans
Family or Shared plans allow
families to add multiple llines
to one account and share the
plan minutes between all
phones. Often, users are not
charged for minutes when
calls are made between users
on the same family. Most
carriers offer significant
discounts on the purchase of
two or more phones on the
same account, and this type of
plan provides the consumer
with an effective way to
manage multiple phone s
across the entire family.
Cingular, Verizon, SunCom
and others allow additional
phones to be added to a
shared plan for as little as
$10/month.
Changing Plans during the
agreement
Most carriers allow you to
change rate plans during your
agreement. For instance, you
may sign up for an individual
plan and later decide you'd
rather have a Family or
Shared plan. Major carriers
will let you make the change,
though often you can only do
so after a certain portion of
your initial agreement as been
completed (three or four
months, on average).
Additionally, most carriers will
require you to renew the
length of your agreement
when you change plans. So a
two-year individual plan
changed to a Family Plan after
six months will likely lock you
into a new two-year plan
starting on the first day of the
"new" Family Plan
Types of Minutes
Peak Minutes
Basic minutes included in a
plan during peak-usage hours
(usually weekdays). May be
referred to as Anytime,
Whenever, or National
minutes. If the plan also
includes other types of
minutes, your Peak minutes
will not be used during certain
times or when placing certain
types of calls. For instance,
many plans offer Nighttime,
Weekend, and In-Network
calling as "Non-Peak" minutes.
Night and Weekend Minutes
Many carriers offer extra
"Nights and Weekends"
minutes as part of their plans.
Nights and weekends calls are
usually defined as those
placed/received starting
sometime between 7-9pm
Monday – Friday, and all day
Saturday and Sunday. Your
peak minutes are not used if
your call is placed during
these times. See each rate
plan for specific details; many
now offer unlimited nights and
weekends, where others offer
a certain number of nights and
weekends minutes in addition
to your allotment of peak
minutes.
Continue to page 2
See More Products & Product
Guide Menu
RATED 5 STARS !!!!
LEARN:
Which cell phone you should
choose?
What cell phone plan is the
best?
What cell phone carrier
provides the best coverage?
How many minutes will you
need each month?
The pros and cons of each
cell phone plan.
Read the top 5 STAR guide on
CELL PHONES and find what
you're looking for!
Getting the newest “it” phone
Phones have gone well
beyond basic calling
functionality to become an
extension of the individual
and their unique needs. You
can break today's phones
down into three basic types:
Standard, Advanced, and
Smart Phones. It is not
uncommon for a users to
switch carriers solely because
he or she wants particular
model of phone only available
through a different carrier.
The large nationwide carriers
typically work with the phone
manufactures to offer phones
exclusive only to a particular
carrier or technology;
similarly, carriers will work
with manufacturers retrofit
phones with their own
software and branding before
offering them to customers.
For instance, the same phone
may be offered in slightly
different versions with
different model numbers
through different carriers. If
you’re set on a particular
phone, then your rate plan and
carrier options will be more
limited. Use our “Phone
Finder Tool” to find a phone
that fits your needs.
Signal Quality
This is becoming less of a
priority for most people, as
most areas offer several
carriers who offer more than
adequate signal quality. You’ll
hear users claim their service
is "the best" for certain areas,
and while this may be true,
they are also likely to
encounter other areas where
another carrier provides
better coverage. A
generalization such as,
“Cingular offers better service
than Verizon”, or vice-versa
really can't be made beyond
referring to a specific
geographic locale.
We recommend asking family
and friends in your area to
help you determine which
service works best in the area
(s) you’ll being using your
phone. You also might want
to try different carriers in
phones in places you know
you'll be using your phone
frequently; factors such as the
physical construction of your
home or place of work
(coupled with proximity to the
nearest cell tower) can make a
difference when it comes to
cellular signal quality.
Choosing a Plan
The rate plan chosen is the
most important decision for
most people signing a service
contract. Your rate plan will
dictate how many minutes
you’ll receive for your basic
monthly charge, as well
additional charges for extra
minutes ("overage" charges)
and messaging/data usage,
service features, and more.
Each carrier offers several
rate plan packages to attract
customers and while the
terminology may seem
confusing at first, after a little
research you’ll be able to
compare rate plans between
each carrier fairly easily.
Coverage Types
National Calling Plans
These plans generally allow
you to travel anywhere in the
United States while utilizing
your Peak minutes without
having to worry about
Roaming Charges as long as
you stay on the carrier's
network or partner networks.
Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon,
Nextel, and Sprint are the
dominant providers offering
National Calling Plans. If you
travel often outside of your
local or regional area, we
highly recommend choosing a
National-type calling plan to
lessen the possibility of
incurring roaming or other
additional charges. See each
carrier’s specific plan details
for more information on each
plan.
Regional Calling Plans
Consumers who travel
infrequently and usually
remain in their local or
regional areas may find better
deals by looking at Regional
plans. The monthly fees for
these plans are generally less
expensive and offer more
minutes so long as you stay
within your Regional calling
area. Most areas offer one or
two Regional-type carriers
who may also offer National
plans. A consumer choosing
a Regional plan can still use
his phone elsewhere in the
country; he just needs to be
more careful to avoid
excessive roaming fees while
travelling.
Types of Plans
Individual Plans
Geared to the individual who
won’t need to add additional
phones to his/her account.
Family Plans
Family or Shared plans allow
families to add multiple llines
to one account and share the
plan minutes between all
phones. Often, users are not
charged for minutes when
calls are made between users
on the same family. Most
carriers offer significant
discounts on the purchase of
two or more phones on the
same account, and this type of
plan provides the consumer
with an effective way to
manage multiple phone s
across the entire family.
Cingular, Verizon, SunCom
and others allow additional
phones to be added to a
shared plan for as little as
$10/month.
Changing Plans during the
agreement
Most carriers allow you to
change rate plans during your
agreement. For instance, you
may sign up for an individual
plan and later decide you'd
rather have a Family or
Shared plan. Major carriers
will let you make the change,
though often you can only do
so after a certain portion of
your initial agreement as been
completed (three or four
months, on average).
Additionally, most carriers will
require you to renew the
length of your agreement
when you change plans. So a
two-year individual plan
changed to a Family Plan after
six months will likely lock you
into a new two-year plan
starting on the first day of the
"new" Family Plan
Types of Minutes
Peak Minutes
Basic minutes included in a
plan during peak-usage hours
(usually weekdays). May be
referred to as Anytime,
Whenever, or National
minutes. If the plan also
includes other types of
minutes, your Peak minutes
will not be used during certain
times or when placing certain
types of calls. For instance,
many plans offer Nighttime,
Weekend, and In-Network
calling as "Non-Peak" minutes.
Night and Weekend Minutes
Many carriers offer extra
"Nights and Weekends"
minutes as part of their plans.
Nights and weekends calls are
usually defined as those
placed/received starting
sometime between 7-9pm
Monday – Friday, and all day
Saturday and Sunday. Your
peak minutes are not used if
your call is placed during
these times. See each rate
plan for specific details; many
now offer unlimited nights and
weekends, where others offer
a certain number of nights and
weekends minutes in addition
to your allotment of peak
minutes.
Continue to page 2
See More Products & Product
Guide Menu