What to look for in a cell phone plan
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
The perfect plan doesn’t make sense if the carrier has poor network coverage in your area. The first thing you might do is narrow down your options by figuring out which carrier has good coverage wherever you frequent and use your phone the most.
After you’ve figured out which carriers have the network coverage you need, the core plan features to look for is sufficient data for a worry-free experience when doing anything on your phone that uses data, especially when it comes to scrolling through data-heavy social media apps, video streaming, or video calling.
We like plans that offer you the most “premium data” with no data limits before a carrier slows down your speeds. We also like plans where your data isn’t affected when a carrier’s network is congested. That way, you can do whatever you want to do on your phone without thinking about the time of day, like rush hours.
After that, it’s a question of your monthly budget. Pricier plans offer unlimited premium data, but if your budget doesn’t allow it, you may have to settle for a plan with a limited amount of premium data. One way to reduce your monthly bill is to join a plan with friends and family, as the monthly cost per line gets lower as more people are on a plan.
The following plan features are more subjective.
If you’re often working on your laptop away from a familiar or secure WiFi connection, and you use your phone as a mobile hotspot, you’ll want a plan that offers as much mobile hotspot data as you need. If it’s an incredibly important feature for you, it could dictate which plan you get.
If you’re often traveling or communicating with friends and family abroad, you’ll want to consider a plan’s international features. Alternatively, carriers offer international add-on plans at an extra cost on top of your usual monthly bill. You can apply these as you need.
Perks are nice add-ons that could tip you toward a specific carrier, as long as that carrier has good coverage in your area. Things like discounts on streaming service bundles, your home internet service, or discounts on separate plans for data-connected smartwatches or tablets could make the difference.
