Most people ignore the finer details of a mobile phone plan and buy a plan only by looking at the superficial features indicated in bold as a part of the advertising strategy of the companies. However, there are certain steps that one can follow to avoid getting into a trap and choose a plan that is best as per your needs.
Look at your old bills carefully. This will tell you how do you use your phone and how much do you use it. Try to find out the call rates you are being charged by the company. It may not be directly mentioned in your bill, and you may have to call your carrier to find the call rates. It is necessary that while comparing plans, you compare on the basis of per minute tariff by different plans. Most plans are intentionally offered in complex designs and bundles so that it is not easy to make easy comparison.
Find out the extra charges for added services, such as paper bill, voice mail, directory assistance, etc. Those who use their phone for browsing the web must also look at the data allowance that the plan has. Find out what are the charges for extra usage, because some carriers charge heavily if you exceed the data allowance limit. Some plans have international calls included in the package, while others do not, and you may have to pay extra for those calls, Look carefully at international call charges as they vary quite significantly from one carrier to another. Some carriers also charge for each call a connection fee, or flagfalls.
You should be careful about choosing the length of plan. Are you satisfied enough with the plan details as to go for a 36 month contract or would you like to go for a short duration contract – this is a question you have to ask yourself and accordingly choose a contract length. Do not rush getting into a contract if you are happy with your current phone – you should rather go for a post-paid plan without a contract.
Even after taking all precautions, if you get into a bad plan, it may be worthwhile terminating the contract and getting out of it by paying the contract break fee rather than waiting till your contract period gets over. It may prove to be an overall cheaper option than just continuing with a lousy plan till the contract’s expiry.