Cost Basic service plans are comparable to average landline phone bill. However, major billing sore points for cell phone customers are roaming charges and over minutes charges. The average customer has really gotten used to 5 cents, 7 cents and 10 cents per minutes charges on their landline long distance bills. Cell phone carriers can charge 35 cents or 45 cents each minute over your anytime allowance. It's always better to have too many cell phone minutes rather than too few. The extra $10 or $20 for a plan with more anytime minutes is a much better option than a $180 cell phone bill at end of month.

Also, see if there is a plan available that minimizes roaming charges. Roaming charges in some areas can be as high as 65 cents per minute. You can minimize your roaming charges in one of two ways:

Get a plan with no roaming charges. Another option is to get plan that alerts you when you are roaming and gives you option to not send or receive calls. If you are Sprint PCS customer, you will receive an alert on your cell phone when you receive a call and you are roaming. Change your plan if needed, but get one that maximizes your usage time and minimizes your extra costs.

If you get a great service, minimize your extra charges and avoid roaming fees, making switch from a landline to a cellular phone is a great option

Minutes are expensive Since prepaid plans are still primarily use by people with poor credit, cost per minute for a call is outrageous. Prepaid users can end up paying same costs for all of their minutes that other consumers pay for over limit minutes and roaming costs. If you are an occasional cell phone user and don’t mind paying more, this might be a good option for you.

Standard features are nonexistent Standard cell phone features such as free roaming, unlimited nights and weekends and text messaging might not be available on your prepaid plan. You can get most incredible cell phone on market, but costs to use these types of services will greatly outweigh benefits.

Renegotiate, if possible If you find that none of cell phone carriers nationwide (I’m assuming that you contacted everyone that provides service in your area) will give you an unlimited plan, your best bet is to sign up for a prepaid plan and try to negotiate a new deal every six months. Call companies and ask if you can move to an unlimited plan even on a trial basis, or with a security deposit. You will have much more features and a lower bill in end.

If would like to get started with a prepaid plan visit any major online cell phone retailer and sign up.