A look at the Big Four…Where Can You Get the Cheapest Cell Phone Plan?

The four major cell phone providers in the U.S. offer vastly different performance and pricing, depending on where you live and the type of phone you choose. Getting the most from your cell phone is an important money-saving strategy, so it’s good to take a look back every now and then to see how plans have changed. For this comparison, we’ll look at basic calling plans, unlimited calling, data only and unlimited phone plus unlimited data. These four pricing points should help you in your decision. We've also thrown in pricing on smaller carriers for good measure.

Verizon

Verizon offers Nationwide Basic to start, with 450 minutes. At $59.99 per month, there are additional charges for texting and overages. If you want unlimited talk, it’s just another $10.00, but if you want unlimited text as well, you’ll pay $89.99 per month. On top of that, your unlimited data plan will cost $29.99 a month.

AT&T

Once known as Cingular, AT & T is keeping the signature orange color and advertising campaign that Cingular made famous. The company offers a Nation Plan with 450 minutes for $39.99, which includes 5,000 night and weekend minutes. Unlimited calling is $69.99 a month. There is no “unlimited” data plan with AT & T anymore. What they have done is split service into personal and professional use categories. A 200 MG plan (which will fit the needs of most users) is $35.00 per month. A 5 GB data plan is $60.00 per month. Remember, if you go with the iPhone, you can’t split these up. It’s $74.99 at the least and could go as high as $129.99 for the ultimate service package.

Sprint

Push to Talk killed the Nextel store. When Verizon began offering push to talk phones, Nextel’s famous Direct Connect had a hard time competing. Sprint snatched the company up, so Nextel phones now run on Sprint networks. Sprint is known for its 4G network that is said to be faster than any other. 

Sprint offers a super-basic plan with 200 minutes for $29.99 per month, which includes unlimited Direct Connect. You can get unlimited mobile calling with unlimited data and 450 minutes for other calls for $69.99. Unlimited everything is $99.99 per month. Do yourself a favor and check coverage in your area before you get too excited about the low cost of these plans.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile complicates things a little. The prices here assume you pay for the phone up front. If you go for a phone discount with two-year contract, you’ll pay $10 more a month. What’s great about the upfront plan is that there is no contract requirement. You can come and go as you please. 

At T-Mobile, 500 minutes is $29.99 per month. Add unlimited text for $10 and unlimited Web for plus unlimited talk for $30 more. The cream of the crop unlimited everything plan is $79.99 per month. Again, check the map before you get too excited. My map looked good with very few holes. Since I just did a jail break on my iPhone 3G, I might be signing up!

Everybody Else

There are several carriers that don’t have coverage nationwide but may offer a good plan in your area. These include US Cellular, metroPCS, cricKet, kajeet, jitterbug, boostmobile and Virgin mobile. You can also prepay for service on a Tracfone if you choose. 

See the chart below for a summary of the carriers and their plans discussed here. Remember that pricing plans can change and this is just a snapshot in time. You should check cell phone plans periodically if you want to be sure you are getting the best deal.