While most wireless subscribers have a standard, single-line plan, family plans have been gaining in popularity over the past couple of years, and prepaid plans represent the fastest growing segment of the industry.
Overview of the Calling Plans*
| Feature |
Single Plan |
Family Plan |
Prepaid Plan |
| Number of Users |
1 |
2-5 |
1 |
| Number of Bills |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Billing |
Postpaid |
Postpaid |
Prepaid |
| Subsidized Phones |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Free Mobile-to-Mobile |
Some Plans |
Yes |
No |
| Contract |
Usually 2 Years |
Usually 2 Years |
No |
| Credit Check |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Shared Airtime |
No |
Yes |
No |
**Information in this table reflects general characteristics; there are exceptions.
Each rate plan type has its own unique quirks. To account for those, and to make it much simpler to choose among competing rate plans within each of the three categories, MyRatePlan has created a tool called CellCalcTM, that combines a rate plan filter with a sophisticated bill optimizer (called TruBillTM). There is a separate version of CellCalc for each type of plan — single, family, and prepaid.
