If you are a first time buyer of a cell phone and plan, you probably think the daunting task ahead of you is synonimous with 'mistakes'. You are probably right ! No matter how you slice it, you probably will change cell phone and carrier 2 or 3 times before finding a stable solution for the long run.
What makes the decision of buying a cell phone more complex than buying a house ? Well, for starters there are 2 main types of payment methods with your carrier: prepaid and postpaid. Thanks to the fact that you are willing to prepay for usage, carriers will not require a credit check. The opposite is true on post-paid though, where your SSN, driver's license info as well as address and contact info is required. While post-paid seems a bit of a painful process, it actually pays to go this route as service plans are often more favorable. Also, service providers, are willing to give you discounted equipment( (such as free cell phones) in exchange for your commitment to pay a certain monthly rate for a minimum of 12 or 24 months. In fact cash rebates (the amount mailed to you as a promotion, will likely be greater the longer the commitment period.
Assuming you go this route, you are likely to have 3-4 carriers in your neighborhood and, in my mind, the first step should check reception quality, over other factors such as prices, promos etc. In fact, what good will a cheap cell phone do if the cell phone towers are just not there for you ?! And the best way to find this out is by asking other users near you. There's generally a pretty good consensus about who's strong in reception in your area ...
Next step is to pinpoint your plan and favorite handsets. These choices are clearly a function of your budget, lifestyle, size of your family, business and personal travel etc.
What makes the decision of buying a cell phone more complex than buying a house ? Well, for starters there are 2 main types of payment methods with your carrier: prepaid and postpaid. Thanks to the fact that you are willing to prepay for usage, carriers will not require a credit check. The opposite is true on post-paid though, where your SSN, driver's license info as well as address and contact info is required. While post-paid seems a bit of a painful process, it actually pays to go this route as service plans are often more favorable. Also, service providers, are willing to give you discounted equipment( (such as free cell phones) in exchange for your commitment to pay a certain monthly rate for a minimum of 12 or 24 months. In fact cash rebates (the amount mailed to you as a promotion, will likely be greater the longer the commitment period.
Assuming you go this route, you are likely to have 3-4 carriers in your neighborhood and, in my mind, the first step should check reception quality, over other factors such as prices, promos etc. In fact, what good will a cheap cell phone do if the cell phone towers are just not there for you ?! And the best way to find this out is by asking other users near you. There's generally a pretty good consensus about who's strong in reception in your area ...
Next step is to pinpoint your plan and favorite handsets. These choices are clearly a function of your budget, lifestyle, size of your family, business and personal travel etc.
