Calling Together - The Family Cell Phone Plan

If you have several children or a close extendedminutes" -- meaning that unused minutes at the
family and want an easy way to stay in touch, aend of every month can be credited to the next
family cell phone plan might be the smart choicemonth -- potentially a huge bonus if you happen
for you. Family plans can greatly simplify theto come in under-budget on minutes every
potentially daunting task of equipping your entiremonth.
family with phones. Here are a few pointers onIf you are strictly looking for cheap minutes,
the advantages of the family cell phone plan, andT-Mobile's family plan currently offers 700 minutes
what potential drawbacks to watch for.at $59.99 a month, which is definitely the
Advantagescheapest per-minute rate going. Raw minutes, of
The biggest advantage to the family cell phonecourse, are meaningless without proper coverage
plan is obvious: most family plans allow everyoneand dependability, so you will definitely want to
in the family to call each other without using upshop around and compare cell phone plans before
any minutes. This can be a powerful advantage,picking one.
especially if the family's cell phones are mostlyDisadvantages
used to keep in touch with other family members.More than likely, you've seen the commercials
Calls made outside the shared network must stillfrom various cell phone carriers, depicting the
be paid for, of course, but most family plansharsh and brutal world of a family plan under one
deliver a single bill, making bookkeeping a bitof their competitors. A loving father sits, suffused
easier.with terror-sweat, looking on in pure existential
In addition, many cell phone carriers also offerhorror as his chatty teenagers run up a
affordable deals on multiple phones when signingmonstrous bill. No matter how economical the
up for a new family plan, potentially saving aplan, massive cell phone overages are a
great deal of money. (Of course, if your familyphenomenon better left to the imagination.
includes several young siblings, you may want toBeyond the base economics of how much you'll
purchase identical cell phone models, to avoidbe paying per month for your lines, overages and
potentially disastrous domestic squabbles.)text messaging are your most likely sources of
Potential Perksunexpected fees. When picking a family cell phone
Many of the advantages available to you willplan, look at the fine print and think carefully
depend largely on what carrier you decide on. Forabout how many minutes and text messages
example, the family plan from Verizon Wirelessyour family will need, and how they should be
offers 700 minutes per month at about $70 perallotted.
month, with two lines included. More lines can beFamily plans (like families themselves) are not
purchased for $9.99 a month. As an added bonus,without complications and concerns, but a unified
Verizon Wireless also offers free phone upgradescell phone plan can offer significant advantages
to its customers every two years. Cingular'sover a panoply of individual plans. Do your
wireless plan is quite similar, with 550 minutes forhomework, carefully weigh the pros and cons, and
around $60 a month, but features "rolloverpick a plan that works for you.