What You Should Ask Before Signing A Cell Phone Service Contract

Cell phone service plans change every few months. Here are some tips on how to read the plans and all the fine print. A bottom line to all the service plans out there in the market place.

When deciding on a plan remember to factor in all additional costs. Ask all these questions when deciding on a plan:

• What is the activation fee?
• Does the plan include free nights? If so, what time does the night begin. (Typically around 8-9pm)
• Does the plan include free weekends? (Most do)
• Does the plan include voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting?
• Can I upgrade or downgrade my contract? Is there a penalty?

(You might find out that you need more minutes after you initially sign your contract, or maybe less minutes.)

Tips on choosing a contract:

When you decide on how many minutes you use, remember that it costs a lot more to go over the minutes of your plan than to actually pay the $10 or $20 more a month to get the extra minutes. Remember to factor in checking your voicemail as airtime. It’s better to get too many minutes than not enough. You are getting a phone for convenience reasons, so why would you want to worry about going over your minutes in the middle of the month when you get just start with more.

The plans now are very competitive and service is getting better and cheaper every few months. You can change plans during your contract within the same service provider by extending your contract another full year. For example, the plan that you have had for the last four months only includes 200 anytime minutes for $29.99, but now the current plan being offered by your service provider now gives you 300 anytime minutes, you can change to this plan by extending another year on your contract, some companies have even allowed you to change without extending your contract. Make sure to ask these kinds of questions.

Phone prices are usually negotiable at private dealers, the plans are not. Shop around, you might be able to get a free phone that’s much better than what is being offered by the service provider.