Sprint often uses term PCS in their promotional materials. PCS stands for Personal Communications Service and is a wireless communications service very similar to cellular phone services. Many people use term PCS as a synonym for a digital cellular phone, but a true PCS phone offers additional services such as caller ID, paging, and e-mail as part of its regular phone service.

Newer cellular phone models may offer a dual mode feature. This option allows you to automatically switch between analog and digital modes depending upon what antennae are in your range. Dual mode phones combine advantages of both analog and digital cellular phones.

Like a prepaid calling card, all calls made on a block minute plan are rounded up to nearest minute. If you call a friend and listen to a 30-second answering machine message, you’ll be billed for one full minute. You’ll also be charged for one full minute if there’s a busy signal or no answer, although some block minute plans will only bill you if you let phone ring more than three times.

With a block minute plan, going over your allotted minutes can quickly get expensive. You’ll be charge a penalty rate for every additional minute you use. If you’re not careful, this can quickly add up to hundreds of dollars a month in unnecessary charges. The best defense is to buy more minutes than you think you’ll actually need and reduce your plan at a later date if necessary.