Best Cell Phone Service in Athens, AL

Choosing the Best Cell Phone Service in Athens, AL

With all the different cell phone plans on the market, it's not hard to find one that fits your budget. However, that extensive plan selection also means that it's important to do your due diligence and pick the right plan for your needs. You don't want to end up spending more than you have to if there's a cheaper plan that has all the minutes, text message, and data limits you need. After you've found a cell phone plan you like, you should see how it stacks up next to as many other plans as possible and see which one is the best for Athens, AL. Fortunately, you're able to check out a wide range of cell phones and plans, at their most competitive prices here on MyRatePlan. We show you different options to help you get the best price.

Types of Cell Phone Plans in Athens, AL

If you're like most consumers in Athens, AL, you use your cell phone for calls, text messages, and mobile data. That means that when you shop for wireless service, you have to consider the minutes, texts, and data available through each plan.

It's becoming more and more common for people to use their cell phones as their primary or even their only phone. If you've chosen to do the same, then it's even more important to find a plan that suits your needs. Even if you already have a carrier and a plan, it's possible that by looking up other plans you'll find a better deal. When shopping for a wireless plan, you can look for individual, family, or no contract plans.

Individual plans include one phone line for one device, with a set minutes, text message, and data allotment. If you are unmarried with no kids, then you'll probably be looking at an individual plan.

With family plans, you get a phone line for each family member, and each family member can get whatever phone they want. Since there are more phone lines, family plans cost more than individual plans, but they're cheaper on a per-line basis. Family plans may have separate minutes, texts, and data for each family member, or everyone could share those, so check that whatever plan you get has enough of everything.

No contract plans go by many other names, depending on the carrier, including prepaid, pay-as-you-go, and month-to-month plans. You pay for the features you want in advance, and you aren't tied to any contracts. Because of that, phone prices are significantly higher unless you choose a basic phone. You can likely get the latest smartphones on a no contract plan in Athens, AL, but expect to pay a premium, or not be able to finance the phone.

Contract plans are almost always for two years, although you can occasionally find a carrier with a one-year option. You pay your phone bill monthly, and must pay for the entire length of the contract. While you can cancel your plan early, you'll end up with an early termination fee. The carrier bases that fee on the amount left on your contract and includes a penalty along with it.

Best Wireless Plan For Your Needs in Athens, AL

To narrow down your cell phone plan options, decide whether the plan is for just you or for multiple people, and if you're willing to sign a contract. Then, you can look through each carrier's plan options, which are separated by their minutes, texts, and data.

If you're okay with limiting your minutes and texts to about 400 or possibly even less, then you can score some of the cheapest contract plans. However, if you use your phone that much for talking and texting, you should go with an unlimited plan, as that gives you the most for your money and prevents overages. Prepaid plans are different, as you have to put money on your prepaid wireless card, and then buy minutes, texts, or data with the card.

Unlimited talk and text plans were once expensive, but now those are standard features on many plans, making data limits the biggest factor in deciding between plans. There aren't very many unlimited data plans, but they do exist and can be had in Athens, AL. Data plan pricing goes by megabytes or gigabytes. If you go over your allotted data, there may be overage charges, or your carrier could just charge you for the next tier of data service.

Cell Phone Carriers in Athens, AL

AT&T is one of the largest providers out of all of them, and it has many different plans. You can potentially get contract, no contract, family, individual, and pay-as-you-go phone plans.

Verizon Wireless offers family sharing plans, individual plans, and no contract plans as well. When it comes to Verizon, you pick a shared data plan or prepaid plan to start. Shared data plans can be used by one person or as a family unit and they tend to come with unlimited text and talk as well as a pre-specified amount of data.

Sprint offers a couple of different plans including a new plan for family and friends. This plan is called the Better Choice Plan. They also offer the Sprint Unlimited Freedom plan which offers unlimited talk, text, and data.

T-Mobile goes by the title 'The Un-carrier.' They have plenty of plans that are all no contract plans in nature. With the T-Mobile ONE plans, customers will get unlimited text, talk, and data which are throttled at separate levels, all for a single price monthly. They offer both family and individual phone plans.

There are also many smaller carriers called MVNOs that run on the backs of the larger carrier networks. Since these smaller carriers run on the networks of the Big Four carriers, there's a good chance they have coverage in Athens, AL. MyRatePlan gives you all the tools you need to find the best cell phone service in your area.