Four Questions To Ask Before Choosing The Cheapest Unlimited Cellphone Plan
Four questions to ask before choosing the cheapest unlimited cell phone plan
The telecommunication market is witnessing a never-before-seen boom in the technology. As a result, mobile carriers across the country are attracting customers by offering them the cheapest unlimited cell phone plans. This makes the selection process more tedious for the customers. Listed below are answers to some most commonly asked questions before choosing an unlimited cell phone plan.
What factors should be considered before choosing the cheapest unlimited cell phone plans?
If you are planning on switching to a new carrier that offers unlimited “everything”, here are a couple of factors you need to examine:
- Consider the coverage area- You might not face coverage difficulties with large carriers as they have mobile network towers installed across the country. But, small carriers tied-up with other carriers might give you coverage issues in rural places. Thus, make sure to visit their official website and look for information on their basic coverage before choosing the cheapest unlimited cell phone plan.
- Look out for the grace period- Look for carriers offering a considerable amount of grace period . Some carriers offer a grace period under which you have to inform them about switching to a new carrier. The average briefing time is 14 days and an approximately $40 of restocking fees.
- Compare big and small carriers- This will help you differentiate and pick the best carriers based on factors like features, prices, and coverage.
- No contract plans are always cheaper- This is because no-contract or prepaid cell phone plans do not levy operational charges, which are minimum charges even if the user is not using the services.
Which are the top carriers offering the finest unlimited cell phone plans?
Following are the top carriers based on customer reviews and factors such as performance, cheapest unlimited cell phone plans, customer service, and phone selection-
- Verizon – This mobile carrier is known for its network coverage and customer support. Verizon offers unlimited cell phone plans with rollover data and tiered plans that help in avoiding overage fees.
- T – Mobile- T-Mobile is known for offering the cheapest cell phone plans especially for international travelers.
- AT&T – One of the major and highly trusted mobile carriers across the country, AT&T is known for its wide coverage and a large number of subscribers. They offer affordable plans for data, talk, and text.
- MetroPCS – Being a subsidiary of T-mobile, MetroPCS is one of the top four major carriers. They offer a mix of no-contract cell phone plans that let their subscribers save money through rollover data.
What are the advantages of enrolling for an unlimited cell phone plan?
Cheap unlimited cell phone plans are usually offered as prepaid cell phone plans. Let us have a look at some of the advantages of these plans.
- Plan variations- There are numerous types of prepaid cell phone plans offering unlimited services. These include “pay-as-you-go” or “pay-by-the-day” unlimited plans, letting you customize your plans so that you pay only on the basis of your usage.
- Cell phone providers- Major mobile carriers like Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T offer the cheapest unlimited cell phone plans. Some of these carriers also offer the bring your own device (BYOD) option, helping the subscribers to buy plans at a cheaper rate.
- Features- Carriers offering cell phones with their unlimited cell phone plans offer phones with a plethora of features. This includes a camera, WiFi and Bluetooth capability, and 4G LTE Internet service. Other features might include a QWERTY keyboard and a touchscreen.
- Pricing- Contract cell phone plans offering mobile handsets can be expensive. Unlimited plans that require users to opt for BYOD are priced between $20 and $80. This gives subscribers more independence of choosing for only those services they wish to pay for.
What is the difference between GSM and CDMA phones?
While looking for the cheapest unlimited cell phone plans, you might have come across the terms “GSM” and “CDMA”. These are nothing but two main technologies used by mobile carriers to offer telecommunication services. Here are a couple of differences between the technologies:
- Technology- GSM stands for Global System for Mobile communication technology, and it operates on a wedge spectrum that divides the carrier signals into a number of time slots. On the other hand, CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access and makes use of the frequency spectrum to maintain connectivity.
- Type of usage- The CDMA technology does not usually require SIM cards, as they require specially designed cellphones, containing a serial number for communication. The ones that do use SIM cards are to incorporate 4G LTE network. One of the downsides of using CDMA phones is that it requires the subscriber to surrender the phone to the mobile carrier, making switching phones a tedious process. The GSM technology, on the other hand, requires SIM cards for calling, texting, and surfing the Internet. However, the interchangeability of GSM phones is easier when compared with the CDMA networks.