Cellular Deals

Think your ready for cellular, or just want to upgrade your cell phone and service? Follow these suggestions to get the best cellular deals for the price, coverage and features.

Tips on how to save on your cellular service plan

Skip the wireless Internet on your cellular plan for now. The Internet is way to slow to enjoy on your cellular handheld. Wait until the new generation of phones (Called 3G - third generation) come out for faster and easier Internet surfing. Make sure voicemail is included in your plan for no extra cost. Most carriers provide this feature, some may charge per voicemail. No good. Make sure you get unlimited voicemail options that most cellular plans should provide. If you don't travel a lot, go regional. Regional plans offer the best mix of minutes, features and cost. A typical free feature would include national long distance calling. At the very least, make sure you have enough anytime minutes. The very basic plans offer 150 anytime minutes. Beware - if you go over your anytime minutes, you will be stuck with a large 'per minute' calling charge.

Tips on choosing and saving on your cellular phone

To get the top cellular deals, make sure your cell phone battery has enough juice in it. Typically, your battery should have at least 3 hours of juice before recharging. A typical, average battery for a cell phone nowadays is around 4-5 hours of use. Battery dead, no phone use.

Dual mode phones work on both analog and digital networks. They over the best coverage; even though analog lines don't offer the best quality, at least you can still use your cell phone. Most calls should be in the carriers digital network, though.

Get a handset or earpiece with your phone. Driving laws require it, and some phones will include a free handset/earpiece in a 'hands free accessories kit'.

Keep in mind a new law E911. This new feature will be in all phones by 2006, and allows emergency services to track it. If you plan on staying with a carrier for several years, make sure this feature will get added to future phones.