Figuring out what the best cell phone plans available are can be even more difficult than figuring out what the best cell phone for you as an individual is. While the one time cost of purchasing a cell phone can be decreased through any number of incentives, what is just as important to consider is the long term cost of a plan and how much money running that great new smartphone will cost month to month over the lifetime of a contract. Since there are so many regional carriers with a limited reach, for the purpose of this comparison of cell phone plans there need to be some ground rules.
For starters, the comparison will be limited to the four major carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. Since the vast majority of all cell phones in the U.S. run through one of these carriers it makes the most sense for sake of brevity. Second, the comparison will be based on packages for smartphones rather than dumbphones which will include data plans and texting. To keep the playing ground level, this will also only look at unlimited talk plans. This comparison is for single lines and does not consider group or family plans. The information to create these ratings was culled from Consumer Reports, TruBill, BillShrink, Wireless Guide, and BBB complaints. Please also keep in mind that in regards to AT&T, the information used by these sources was compiled prior to the release of the iPhone 4.
The basic AT&T plan that meets the above requirements begins at $69.99 per month with the unlimited text bundle costing an additional $20. The lowest end data plan that delivers 200MB per month is $15, although it is worth noting some customers have a better data plan due to being locked into the old plan under a grandfather clause not available to new customers. The estimated monthly total before taxes is $104.99 per month, but with just an upgrade to a better data plan the cost shoots up to around $135 per month.
Sprint has an all inclusive plan in place that meets each outlined requirement that is a flat fee of $99 per month.
T-Mobile has a plan that begins at $59.99 with unlimited text messaging costing an extra $10/month, and a data plan that runs another $30/month. That brings the monthly total to $99.99.
The Verizon plan begins at $89.99 per month with a data plan costing an extra $29.99/month. Unlimited text messaging is included in the plan as well for a total monthly Bill of $119.98.
The price comparison is the easy part, and by the numbers it looks like T-Mobile and Sprint are the best options. Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless all have comparable data plans which are near or equal to the best data plan AT&T offers for the higher premium. What has to be looked at next to narrow the field is service and dependability.
Sprint was not the most consumer friendly carrier in past years, but they have slowly increased their rating in that area over the past few years according to Consumer Reports. T-Mobile has consistently earned above average grades, and Verizon Wireless narrowly sits at the top of the heap over them. AT&T is the consistent loser in this area, and that was based on ratings prior to the iPhone 4 debacle. The biggest complaint against AT&T from a customer service standpoint seems to be that they do not provide clients with an actual answer to problems on a regular basis and shuffle them through and endless maze of transfers. AT&T is not horribly rated, but they certainly are not doing them self any favors in this area.
For dependability which factors in call quality and loss of service, Sprint a and T-Mobile sit in the middle of the pack with Sprint holding a slight edge. AT&T comes in last with the highest rate of dropped calls/data transfers, and the highest rate of complaints for poor signal strength. To their credit however, AT&T began sending out MicroCells free of charge to some existing clients in areas that have had the highest incidence of dropped calls which may bump them out of the bottom of the pack next year. Verizon Wireless was once again rated ahead of everyone with the most satisfied customers and best independent lab testing results.
Unless you are locked into AT&T by virtue of being an iPhone owner, your best bet is to go with another carrier as they rate last in the battle of the big four. The combination of the highest cost and most complaints across the board is an unattractive combination. Sprint and T-Mobile are solid dependable choices and can certainly save the average user around $250 a year or more on their phone bill with their smartphone plans outlined here over Verizon or AT&T. Verizon Wireless is the king, and while you will pay more for their plan it has the best ratings which at least means you are getting a quality bang for your buck.
The only thing to consider aside from the dollars and cents is whether or not a particular carrier is offering the smartphone you want. AT&T has a death grip on the iPhone at this time, T-Mobile offers some smartphones, but has the weakest selection. Sprint has a strong selection and offers some solid incentives to make them more affordable, and Verizon once again has the best broad based selection and some purchasing incentives but not many.