Why a 2-Year Contract Costs You More for a Cell-Phone
Why a 2-year contract costs you more for a cell-phone
One thing I hear on an almost weekly basis is, “I can’t believe my cellphone bill was x amount of dollars this month!”. Yes, the big name carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile) are what most people know of, but there are many more options in terms of price, coverage, plans, and more. And I will say this right off the bat; buying a $600 phone and joining a prepaid carrier, even the ones you see prepaid cards at the gas station, will save you more money in 2 years than getting that same phone for $100 with a 2 year contract on a major network. I want to preface this by saying that this is merely my opinion and as a consumer YOU have the final say in your decision making. This is merely informational and hopefully educational to anyone who isn't familiar with the cell phone industry. I have been head-on with it for the entire 6 months I've been up in Duluth now. Hopefully this is a good resource for you when contemplating your next wireless decision! For the sake of this write up, I'm going to do a lot of assuming that you have a smartphone (it's 2013 after all, hop on the bandwagon already!). Carriers They're going to be the companies that provide you service. There are many to choose from, hundreds in fact and they all offer their own special rates/plans/features that separate them from the next. Chances are you're already with a provider receiving service, I actually don't know anyone under the age of 40 that doesn't have cell phone service. How do you choose what's best for you? Easy question to start to answer, but to find the one that best suits you depends on your needs. Each carrier provides their services in a usually nice and easy to read table based on minutes and messaging. Most now provide unlimited minute and messaging plans but if you're someone who is a bit more anti-social and frugal there are other options available for smaller allotments. MAKE SURE YOUR CARRIER HAS
One thing I hear on an almost weekly basis is, “I can’t believe my cellphone bill was x amount of dollars this month!”. Yes, the big name carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile) are what most people know of, but there are many more options in terms of price, coverage, plans, and more. And I will say this right off the bat; buying a $600 phone and joining a prepaid carrier, even the ones you see prepaid cards at the gas station, will save you more money in 2 years than getting that same phone for $100 with a 2 year contract on a major network. I want to preface this by saying that this is merely my opinion and as a consumer YOU have the final say in your decision making. This is merely informational and hopefully educational to anyone who isn't familiar with the cell phone industry. I have been head-on with it for the entire 6 months I've been up in Duluth now. Hopefully this is a good resource for you when contemplating your next wireless decision! For the sake of this write up, I'm going to do a lot of assuming that you have a smartphone (it's 2013 after all, hop on the bandwagon already!). Carriers They're going to be the companies that provide you service. There are many to choose from, hundreds in fact and they all offer their own special rates/plans/features that separate them from the next. Chances are you're already with a provider receiving service, I actually don't know anyone under the age of 40 that doesn't have cell phone service. How do you choose what's best for you? Easy question to start to answer, but to find the one that best suits you depends on your needs. Each carrier provides their services in a usually nice and easy to read table based on minutes and messaging. Most now provide unlimited minute and messaging plans but if you're someone who is a bit more anti-social and frugal there are other options available for smaller allotments. MAKE SURE YOUR CARRIER HAS