Looking for a cell phone, but can't figure out what's best for you?

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     There are several different options you have regarding type of phone and service. The two ways you can pay for your cell phone usage are "prepaid" or on a "plan". You can choose the phone you want based on many different features, such as camera, internet, color, flip, bar(non-flip), music, games, service compatibility, etc.

• First we'll look at the two ways you can pay - prepaid and plan. 

     "Prepaid" involves zero contracts or monthly bills - you pay only for the minutes you need. Prepaid services available include Tracfone, T-Mobile TO-GO, Virgin Mobile, GOphone, INpulse, and Boost Mobile. With prepaid service, you just choose the cell phone you want (based on looks and features) and activate it with a compatible prepaid service. Activation can be done easily on-line often times, but you may have to visit one of their stores. These services all have different unique rates/costs for calls incoming/outgoing, text messages incoming/outgoing, and internet use. Look at these rates and decide what you think would be cheapest. You also need to check their coverage area and confirm you'll get service in the area you'll use your phone the most. You usually get around 20 or so starter minutes when you activate your phone with a service, but when you need more minutes, refill cards can be found at almost any gas station or retailer such as Target or Walmart. On these cards there are scratch-off pin numbers that you type into your phone for minutes. Usually minutes have expiration dates which you will be able to see on your phone. Just buy a few more minutes to extend the exiration date. It is usually around 3-4 months, but can be over a year.

     Paying via a "plan" involves signing up for service with a company such as Cingular, Nextel, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc. and agreeing on a monthly bill that pays for a certain amount of minutes. Contracts are involved along with the previously mentioned monthly bills. This method of paying is recommended if you plan to talk very frequently on your phone. Plans can be for example, $49.99 a month for 1000 minutes and unlimited night and weekend minutes. You can often get better deals via a plan. Different plans are available, including just individual plans and family plans. Rates depend on the service/company.

• Now lets briefly look into what cell phones are available.

     Cell phones can be flip or bar, obviously, and can have tons of different features, including a camera, internet, PDA, speakerphone, MP3, games, flashlight, bluetooth, video capture, email, texting, picture ID, wallpaper, custom ringtones, and more. Some phones now are actually like mini laptops. You can go to phonescoop.com for details and reviews on any phone. If a phone is "unlocked", then it will most likely be compatible with any service you would like, however confirm that it does work with the service you're interested in before spending a ton of money on it. This is a very beneficial feature. It allows you to take the actual phone you like the most, based on looks and features, and combine it with the service that fits you best.

Choose the situation below that is most similar to yours.

1. "I want a simple cell phone for little to average use (call-wise). I do not want any monthly bills or contracts."

2. "I want a nice cell phone for little to average use (call-wise) with features such as internet, camera, or music, etc." 

3. "I want a simple cell phone that I can use very frequently without going bankrupt."

4. "I want a nicer cell phone for very frequent use that has features such as internet, camera, or music, etc."

5. "I have no idea what I want or need."

Now find the number of your situation below (For example, if you chose situation #3 above, look below and find the section labeled "3")

1. Preaid is the route for you. An excellent simple phone that I would suggest to you is the Nokia 1100 with Tracfone. You can get this phone for under $20 and it will definitely fulfill your need for a simple emergency phone. One level of Tracfone's refill cards are $30 for 120 units. Another card is $20 for 60 units. There are many other refill options. Tracfone charges 1 unit per minute on calls, 0.3 units on text messages sent, and it is free to recieve text messages. You can also look into other services. Tracfone is just a suggestion from positive personal experience with them.

2. Prepaid is best for you. Virgin Mobile prepaid service has a few camera phones out, including the Flasher and Snapper flip phones, and all of their phones have the internet on them. You can also find this with all the other prepaid services except for Tracfone. Just research the rates on their websites and decide what service would be cheapest for you.

3.  You want to get a plan for your phone. Prepaid will end up being very expensive if you are going to talk a lot. Visit some of the services' stores and websites and see what deals you can get, and what plans fit you best. They all should have at least one phone that is inexpensive and simple.

4. Plan is best for you. First find the service with the best plan deal for you, then choose from their selection of phones the one with all the features you need.

5. If you are just starting into the cell phone world and want to keep it simple and have one for emergency calls, you definitely should use the pay-as-you-go method (prepaid). If you are pretty talkative and will be using your phone a lot, then find a plan. Do your research before buying anything or signing any contracts though.