Cell Phone Buying Guide by Phonedog.com
Our cell phone provider of choice, Phonedog.com has put together a comprehensive Cell Phone Buying Guide which can help you understand the key issues involved with buying a cell phone and plan.
The Cell Phone Buying Guide
Understanding the Basics
The cell phone industry in the United States is dominated by a number of larger national and regional cellular carriers. The major regional cellular carriers typically have a strong presence in specific geographic regions whereas the national carriers provide cellular service to most areas of the country. National cellular carriers are the obvious choice when choosing a cell phone or plan if you travel around a lot and are not restricted to a specific geographic area.
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Choosing a Phone or Rate Plan First
This chapter covers the most important aspects of starting cellular service: choosing your phone, carrier, and cell phone plan. Each person needs to base their decision on several factors including budget, calling habits, and the type of phone you need or want. Start by determining your priorities for what you’ll use your phone for and how often you expect to use it, then work from those priorities to find the best combination of phone and service for you.
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Carrier Basics - The Pros and Cons
Obtain an understanding of the carriers available to you and which ones are able to provide the service you require.
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The Best Cellular Deals - Online or at your Local Dealer?
When shopping for a deal on cellular service, the first thing to remember is that carriers set their monthly rate plan prices, and those prices don’t change from dealer to dealer. Whether shopping online or at a local dealer, you will always pay the same monthly service fee for the rate plan. However, the initial phone cost can vary significantly depending on where the purchase is made.
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Buying a Replacement Phone, without switching service
Cell Phones have become such a way of life — and even extensions of our personalities — that people are often looking to replace a broken phone, or upgrade to latest and greatest phone without switching carriers. We’ve become so used to getting our phones inexpensively or for free with new service, that it’s hard for many people to justify paying full price to upgrade to a new phone.
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Phone Insurance and Manufacturer Warranty’s
How much are we really paying for cell phone insurance? Most people don’t realize that along with the $3-$5 monthly charge they are also required to pay an additional deductible of $35-$100 when making a claim against a lost, damaged, or stolen phone! Most of the free phones given away by the carriers would cost around $75- $150 if purchased them without a plan.
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Pre-paid and No-Contract Services
Pre-paid/no-contract services are available from many independent providers and from the major carriers themselves. There are many reasons why some people will benefit from a pre-paid service - particularly if you need a temporary additional phone number, or foresee using the phone in spurts over the course of several months but not on a regular basis. Be aware, however, that you’re likely to pay a higher per-minute rate as compared to a contracted plan and you likely won’t receive a discount on the purchase of a new phone with pre-paid service.
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Using your Phone Overseas
The United States cellular market is an open market subject to little government regulation, as is the case with many industries in the U.S. This free market atmosphere provides the consumer with the benefits of lowered costs through competition while sacrificing the uniformity and standards of service that often exist in other areas of the world. Carriers in the U.S. are free to develop new, competing standards which aren’t always compatible with infrastructure in other countries.
If you plan on traveling outside of the U.S., you should sign up with a U.S. carrier utilizing GSM technology and purchase what’s known as a Quad-Band phone (commonly referred to as a “world phone”).