According to the Pew Research Center, 91% of adults in the
United States own cell phones, up from only 65% in 2004. And among 12-17 year olds, 78% have their own
cell phone – and 1 out of 3 is a smart phone.
Of course we don’t just use them for calls anymore. In fact, 63% of cell phone users go online
with their phone, and between texting, web surfing, and talking, Americans
spend an average of 58 minutes every day on their phones!
Our affinity for these devices is astounding; people
actually sleep out to line up for the newest iPhone release or vehemently
debate the merits of the latest Android phone.
And it seems more than ever were defined (and restricted) by what cell
phone plan we patronize. They aren’t
cheap – the average person now spends nearly a $1,000 a year on their cell
phone plan, more than $80 a month.
That’s up from $63 a month in 2010 and only $19 a month in 2001. With these exorbitant prices, its no wonder
the cell phone providers try their hardest to lock you into a long term
contract, for a year or even two.
So which cell phone provider is the best? In a complex and ever-changing
telecommunications landscape, that’s almost an impossible question to answer –
but those are the kinds of questions we love to tackle for our readers! So we combed the web – reading dozens of
articles, price comparisons, and quality reports. We summarized the most relevant information
here, including tips how to choose the right cell phone plan, the results of comprehensive surveys in 2014, and a little-known cell phone provider
through a mega-popular store that might soon overtake them all.
The cell phone industry is usually segregated into three
types of plans: the Big Four, Discount Plans, and Innovators.
10 Tips to choosing the best cell phone plan for you.
1. Ask yourself, “What will I be using it for?” Will I be calling people a lot? During the day for business, or mostly nights
and weekends to my friends? Will I be
surfing the web outside of my home, or using it for text? Focus the cell phone plan you get on that.
2. Remember that it’s always easy to upgrade – but virtually
impossible to downgrade. So if you need
to, start with a smaller plan and go from there.
3. Unless you opt for an unlimited plan, track your
minute/text/data usage as you go through your first month, or any month. Actually schedule a few days throughout the
month to check or sign up for automatic overage alerts. The big cell phone carriers make a
significant portion of their revenue on fees and you want to avoid those
whenever you can.
4. How much data is sufficient for surfing the web? For most casual smart phone users who browse
the web and read eBooks, and send a handful of emails, 500MB to 1Gb is
enough.
If you’re occasionally streaming videos on YouTube, watching
movies on Netflix, and listening to music on web sites, then you’ll probably
want 2GB to 3GB per month.
Of course if you use those frequently – more than once a day
and outside the regular Wi-Fi spots (like if you’re a business traveler) then
an unlimited plan is right for you.
5. Don’t forget to input your Wi-Fi password at home, the
office, and at every café and restaurant you regularly frequent. By doing this the first week you have the
phone, you usually won’t have to do it again and the phone will automatically
pick up the Wi-Fi signal – saving you a ton of data usage.
6. If you have children (especially teenagers) with phones, set them up with a plan that gives an
alert and then suspends usage once they go over their calling, text, or web
usage. You’d rather have a teenager
complaining to you mid-month than a bill with $1,000 of over-limit fees!
7. Consider a family plan – there are HUGE economies of scale
when you get 2, 3, or more cell phones users on the same plan.
8. If you’re going to be calling overseas, there are some plans
that specifically offer great blocks of discounted calling minutes to certain
countries.
9. Get it in writing.
Don’t just go off what the salesperson says, but make sure you get any
details in writing so you can prove them later on.
10. Be careful with the long-term contract. Cell phone carriers hook you with a big
discount on a shiny, new smartphone so they can lock you into an expensive and
inescapable long-term contract. Instead,
consider getting the last generation of smartphone (which still works great) on
eBay or through another reputable reseller and just shop for the best cell
phone plan – with a month-to-month contract.
***
Cell phone service can now be divided into 3 types: The Big
Four, discounters, and innovators. The
Big Four include T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T.
Discounted carriers like Metro PCS and Boost Mobile compete
on price and offer great no-frills service and often use the same cell phone
towers as the Big Four, so there’s no loss of coverage.
Innovators like Cricket, Ting, and Virgin Mobile try to
carve out market share in the crowded telecommunications space by doing
something new, different, or better than the Big Four, or often serve smaller
regional markets. Another great resource to shop around for the best cell
phone plan (without driving to every store) is the site, WhistleOut.com.
Here are the cell phone plan ratings for 2014:
Plans and Pricing
T-Mobile 10.0
Sprint 9.0
Cricket Wireless 7.75
Metro PCS 7.75
AT&T 6.75
Boost Mobile 6.50
Verizon Wireless
6.25
U.S. Cellular 5.50
Virgin Mobile 4.25
Ting 4.25
Coverage and Quality
Verizon Wireless 10.0
AT&T 9.25
Cricket Wireless 9.0
T-Mobile 6.75
Metro PCS 6.75
Sprint 5.5
Boost Mobile 5.5
Virgin Mobile 5.5
Ting 5.5
U.S. Cellular 3.75
Help & Support
Verizon Wireless
10.0
U.S. Cellular 9.75
Virgin Mobile 8.75
Ting 8.25
T-Mobile 8.0
Cricket Wireless 8.0
AT&T 7.75
Sprint 7.50
Metro PCS 7.50
Boost Mobile 7.50
Devices and Features
T-Mobile 10.0
Sprint 10.0
Cricket Wireless
6.25
Verizon Wireless
9.25
AT&T 9.25
Metro PCS 6.25
Boost Mobile 6.25
U.S. Cellular 7.50
Virgin Mobile 4.75
Ting 5.0
Fees
Metro PCS 10.0
Boost Mobile 10.0
U.S. Cellular 10.0
Virgin Mobile 10.0
Cricket Wireless
9.25
T-Mobile 8.75
Ting 8.25
Verizon Wireless
5.75
AT&T 5.75
Sprint 4.75
Overall Rating
Verizon Wireless 8.68
T-Mobile 8.58
AT&T 8.03
Cricket Wireless 7.98
Sprint 7.53
Metro PCS 7.38
Boost Mobile 6.50
U.S. Cellular 6.45
Virgin Mobile 6.38
Ting 6.10
So after doing all of this research, which carrier earned my
cell phone business? For years I used AT&T, but I finally got wise to their aggressive hidden fees, constant shifty tactics, and bad customer service. So I asked around and heard about the emerging dark
horse in the telecommunications game - Wal-Mart. Not many people realize it but they now
offers cell phone plans. They’re simple
and inexpensive with two other huge advantages: you can use your existing cell phone
(as long as it’s unlocked,) and there are no long-term contracts – you just
refill your plan with one monthly payment online or at the store. 
They have easy SIM card activation kits and use T-Mobile
towers, so the coverage and service are great.
Their price structure is one of the best in the game:
$30/month unlimited nationwide talk and text.
$45/month unlimited talk, text, and web
Up to 2.5 GB of 3G speed.
$55/month unlimited talk, text, and web
Up to 2.5 GB of 4G speed.
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