| The reason why your cell phone plan occupies | | | | month. If you only used 400 minutes, the carrier |
| such a lofty status is because of what it does for | | | | would allow you to carry over the 100 minutes |
| you and what it cost. | | | | you did not use. This program is usually only good |
| I have included a check list with brief explanations | | | | until the end of the year. At that time you start |
| of what I consider the more important | | | | over again. |
| components that you should check when setting | | | | Family Plan: With a most family plans you can set |
| up your cell phone plan. | | | | up the plan where you can purchase X number of |
| You must take into consideration several Items: | | | | minutes per month. This will usually give you one |
| - Monthly Cost | | | | or two phones. However, for an additional |
| - Calling Area | | | | monthly charge you can have more phones and |
| - Nation Wide | | | | more people on the system. The system |
| - Regional | | | | generally works like this. Your plan has say 1000 |
| - Local | | | | minutes, these minutes would be shared by all of |
| - Free Long Distance | | | | the people in the plan. Each person would have a |
| - Night and Weekend Minutes | | | | separate number, but the minutes would be |
| - Mobile to Mobile Minutes | | | | shared. |
| - Free Incoming Minutes | | | | Early Termination Fee: This is a fee that your |
| - Customer Service | | | | carrier is going to charge if you termination your |
| - Directory Assistance | | | | contact before it expires. Many times the carrier |
| - Roaming Charges | | | | service will not charge you a termination fee if |
| - Rollover Minutes | | | | you are moving out of the area, (being |
| - Family Plan | | | | transferred, or moving to another state.) |
| - Early Termination Fee | | | | However, if you are just dropping the service |
| - Features | | | | because you want to use a different carrier they |
| - Caller ID | | | | will probably charge you the termination fee. They |
| - Call Waiting | | | | really do not charge if you are just changing your |
| - Voice Mail | | | | plan and staying with that carrier. This fee usually |
| - Call Forwarding | | | | applies even if you are dropping the service |
| - Text Messaging | | | | because you lost your phone, they will be most |
| - Internet Connection | | | | happy to sell you another phone. Another side of |
| - Email | | | | this in the phone you got with your service. If |
| Here is a brief explanation of the items discussed. | | | | you bought an upgrade service plan that include a |
| Monthly cost should include the basic service plus | | | | very high priced phone and you drop the service |
| the extra features, such as: | | | | because you are being transferred they may |
| - Caller ID | | | | charge you the difference between the cost of |
| - Call Waiting | | | | the basic phone and the one you got as the |
| - Voice Mail | | | | upgrade. |
| - Call Forwarding | | | | Features: |
| - Plus the other items you will have included in | | | | Caller ID: This feature allows you to see who is |
| your plan. | | | | calling before you answer the call. There is also a |
| Calling area | | | | feature called Caller ID - Call Waiting. This feature |
| Nation Wide: This usually be coverage for the | | | | allows you to see who is trying to reach you |
| lower forty-eight states. | | | | while you are talking on another call. |
| Regional: In most cases this will be an area that | | | | Call Waiting: With call waiting someone can call |
| will cover all or part of one or more surrounding | | | | your number while you are already talking to |
| states. | | | | another party. Instead of the caller getting a busy |
| Local: This area will be a city or county, usually | | | | signal, his call will go ahead and ring just as it |
| measured in a circular area involving your | | | | normally would. You would receive a beep or a |
| particular area. | | | | tone indicating that someone else was trying to |
| Free Long Distance: This determines if there will | | | | call. You could then press the flash button, or click |
| be a charge when you make a call outside of | | | | the on - off button. This would put your first |
| your call area. | | | | caller on hold while you answered the second call. |
| Night and Weekend Minutes: This will be the | | | | When you finished with the second call you could |
| number of free minutes you are allowed on the | | | | again press the flash button and return to the |
| weekends and evenings. This can vary widely | | | | first caller. |
| depending on the carrier. Some will offer unlimited | | | | Voice Mail: Voice mail allows a caller to leave a |
| minutes, while others will have limits on the | | | | message if you are unable to answer the phone. |
| number of minutes. Also, the timing as to when | | | | This could be because you are out of range of a |
| the time will start and end will vary according to | | | | transmitting station, or just have the phone |
| the carrier. In some cases competition will dictate | | | | turned off. The system will usually send a caller to |
| local standards. | | | | the voice mail if you are talking with another |
| Mobile to Mobile: This is minutes when one person | | | | person and do not answer the call when the |
| in group is talking to another in the same group. | | | | second person beeps in. You can set the phone |
| The group may be as small as just your family, | | | | to the number of rings it will ring before going to |
| between a certain number of persons whom you | | | | the voice mail. |
| elect to be in a group, or as large as anyone that | | | | Call Forwarding: This feature will allow you to |
| is in a customer with a specific carrier. | | | | program the phone so that any calls that come in |
| Directory Service: When you dial 411, or contact | | | | will automatically be sent or forwarded to another |
| the operator to obtain a phone number. The | | | | phone number. For instance you may be going to |
| charge for this service can range anywhere from | | | | be out of town for a few days. You can program |
| 50 cents, to three or four dollars. This service will | | | | the phone to have all of your phone calls go to |
| vary widely with your carrier service. | | | | your office, or to a friend. |
| Roaming Charges: When you are outside of your | | | | Text Messaging: A short, (usually less than a few |
| home, or designated area and need to make a call | | | | hundred characters in length), text message sent |
| you will be billed for an additional service. This may | | | | between to cell phones. However, there is an |
| be in addition to a long distance charge. Do not | | | | increasing use of text messages sent from the |
| confuse Roaming Charges with Long Distance | | | | office to a cell phone or pager. |
| charges. You make a long distance call from your | | | | Internet Connection: The ability to connect to the |
| home area. Say you wished to call someone two | | | | internet has open vast new territory. With |
| or three states away, for this you would be | | | | internet connection you can not only get your |
| charged only for long distance charges. However, | | | | email, but also stock quotes and you can even |
| if you are outside of your home area and make a | | | | connect with the office. |
| call you will be charged a roaming charge and | | | | This is by no means all of the complete list of |
| possibly a long distance charge too. | | | | everything that is available, but I think this covers |
| Rollover Minutes: When you buy your calling plan | | | | the most common. There is also a wide variety |
| you may be given the option to go with a | | | | of choices available with the cell phones |
| contract that has a rollover program. What this | | | | themselves. I will try to cover that in another |
| amounts to is, the minutes you do not use can | | | | article. |
| be carried over into the next billing period. For | | | | In closing I again wish to stress that your cell |
| instance, if your plan was for 500 minutes per | | | | phone plan should be your greatest concern. |