How to pick a cell phone and plan for the first time

1. How much can you afford per month and then add 10%. This should cover any extra charges if you run over on your minutes. If you think this might be a problem that will happen off and on go with a Cingular wireless plan that has carry over minutes.

The carrier should be chosen first, this has a lot to do with the coverage area and whether you travel.

Not all service providers offer the same models with every plan, so if you are set on a certain style you may have to choose that particular wireless carrier even if it costs a little more.

Nextel, Sprint, T Mobile and Verizon all are good with only subtle differences. Alltel is the top pick for customer satisfaction.

2. Decide what "features you need" and then "what you would like". If you just text message your friends then you don't need an email capable phone. Call display which is a very nice feature and web capable phones all cost a little more. Camera and video phones are getting cheaper and you may want to look at these and pick one with your first cell phone plan.

3. How much talk time and what hours of the day you will probably be using your phone. The important one to look at here is when your free evenings and weekends start.

You may find that most of your calls are made an hour before the free time starts so it would be cheaper to go with an upgraded plan. Long distance and the specified day time calling minutes all have to form part of this decision.

4. Your choice of a digital or an analog device will play a major role in the coverage area. Digital works best in or near a city, where digital works better in rural areas.

5. The style and look of the phone will be a big factor. Tmobile, Motorola, Nokia and Samsung have their own styles and colors of free cell phones for you to choose from. Let's face it you want a phone that looks and feels good in your hand and against your ear.

6. 2 cell phone deals or family cell phone plans are the most economical. These are also the best cellular phone deals for students and teenagers. Text messaging is the most important feature and one that you have to make sure that you are getting enough free text messages, otherwise it will drive your costs up.

7. Don't worry about accessories too much, they are fairly cheap and you can add them later. The only real important one is the charger.

8. If you have friends or relatives out of state and you talk to them a lot then to save money use one of these alternatives:

Sign up with Google or Yahoo talk on you computer or switch your home phone over to a voice over ip provider like Vonage.
Google Talk a free alternative for everyone

9. Remember the next cheap cell phone deal is just around the corner so don't sign on for too long a time period. A one or two year contract may cost a little more but if you are into the latest wireless technologies then it is worth it.