What Is A Family Cell Phone Plan?

Cell phone plans are confusing to first-time buyers, who are not sure what plan or services they need. Several plans are usually available to choose from, but for a family it is more cost effective to go with a family plan that has shared minutes. Family plans enable members to stay in contact during times when the family is not together. Here is some information on what a family cell phone plan is and how it works.

Family cell phone plans are contracts for a set number of minutes shared amongst two or more phones. Extra lines are available for roughly an extra $10 per month plus phone charges. If you have teenagers in the house, you may opt to allot them minutes as a budget limit. The minutes do not have to be shared equally; they can be distributed according to the contract holder’s preferences. Many parents choose this option to teach children about using minutes wisely and how to budget their money.

Family plans are great because they are very cost effective and ensure that all members of the family can be contacted in the event of an emergency. Family members do not use any minutes when calling each other or other members on the same network.

Mobile-to-mobile minutes allow users on the same network to talk to one another free. You can call relatives out-of-state as long as they are also customers of your network provider and it does not use any minutes.

For people who use their phone a lot it is best to choose a plan with enough minutes that you do not go over. Additional airtime charges are usually at a separate and higher rate, and those minutes add up quickly. For a family of four it is a good idea to choose a shared cell phone service plan with unlimited minutes so you never have to pay for those additional minutes. Many network providers offer free nights and weekends after a certain time Friday night through Sunday at midnight. Unlimited minutes allow teenagers to talk as long as they want and never run out of minutes or incur overages.

Standard features included with most cell phone plans are:

• Caller ID
• Nationwide Long Distance
• Voicemail
• Text and Picture Messaging
• Call Waiting
• 411 Directory Assistance

Any cell phone can call 911 emergency services even if it is off (no service). Not all service providers offer the same benefits; be sure to compare plans from different carriers before buying service.

Cell phone plans differ between carriers and some charge a connection fee and often charge an early termination fee. The costs involved in setting up a cell phone plan include the costs of the phone, the number of extra phones bought, the amount of the monthly service fee, any needed deposits and applied taxes. You may need to approve a credit check to qualify for service if credit is an issue.