Here are a few simple rules to you get started with looking for a mobile phone or smart phones; and companies to make them work:
Set a budget. If you find the perfect phone with the perfect plan and it is twice the amount you can afford, you will have wasted your time and only disappoint yourself. Set a budget that is reasonable, but something that you can sustain, even if you lose your job. That part is important: if you lose your job and you can’t afford your cell phone service, it will make it much, much harder to find work.
Think about what you really need a phone to do for you. For some people, a phone that just makes phone calls is all they need. In that case, you can probably save a great deal of money. If you want a smart phone that will give you texting, phone, videos and the internet, you will need to plan accordingly. If you want to watch BlackBerry videos, you need to make sure to get a plan that allows you the amount of data to do the job. Most plans restrict the amount of data you can download in a month, so read the fine print and ask questions.
Shop around and look for specials, but beware. You can find great deals on the same phone (usually just renamed for each cell phone provider) by traveling to different retailers. Be careful, however, because some of the phones that you buy will come with a two or three year contract that will be very expensive to get out of.
There are a few different ways to pay for mobile phone services. The first and most common is by contract. You sign a contract which lasts for a specific length of time and you are not be able to get out of it easily. The advantage is that you know exactly what you’re getting when you sign on and the phones are usually cheap or free. The disadvantage is that if the service is not adequate or you relocate, you might be stuck paying for something you can’t use.
Another way to pay is a “pay-as-you-go” plan. You buy the number of minutes that you think you will need and, when they run out, you buy some more, usually on a card or over the internet. The advantage here is that you only pay for what you use. The disadvantage is that it is usually more expensive and rarely includes advanced services.
The last way to pay is a hybrid: monthly, no contract plans. Here you pick the plan that suits your needs and you pay for it as long as you want it. The advantage is no contract to be stuck to. The disadvantage is that the phones can be very expensive for advanced services.
So it’s simple, but you need to take the time to really look around. As every place has different companies offering different deals, you need to really do your own shopping.
