Cell Phone Plans: Reviews, Best Cell Phone Plan

Best cell-phone plans

T-Mobile

*Est. $30 per month and up Compare Prices

In large owner surveys, T-Mobile typically finishes at or near the top. Verizon Wireless has better connectivity (especially in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and West) and customer service, but T-Mobile offers more plans… that are typically less expensive, particularly for Web access, text and multimedia messaging services. The "MyFaves" plan provides unlimited calls to your five favorite numbers. T-Mobile's least expensive plan costs $30 per month, which gets you 300 anytime minutes and unlimited weekend and evening minutes. The $60 plan gets you 1,500 unlimited minutes -- a better value if you make lots of calls.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

J.D. Power & Associates: J.D. Power and Associates measures customer satisfaction by region in their large survey. T-Mobile receives high scores in most ...

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports polls nearly 52,000 of its subscribers, asking them to rate their cell service for call quality, handling of ...

PCMag.com: PC Magazine polled about 20,000 readers to find out how happy they are with their cell phone service. The Readers' Choice award ...

TopTenReviews.com: The editors of this site compare cell phone services according to features and costs, but not call quality. T-Mobile rates third, ...

Phonedog.com: The frustrating thing about user-review sites like PhoneDog.com is that most of the ratings are at the extreme: either four or ...

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Best call quality

Verizon Wireless

*Est. $40 per month and up Compare Prices

Customers and experts say that Verizon Wireless has the best connectivity and call quality. Verizon customers experience fewer dropped calls and circuit overloads than with other carriers. On the downside, plan prices are… higher than others, and since Verizon works on the CDMA network, most of its phones can't be used in Europe. The lowest-priced Verizon monthly cell phone plan costs $40, which includes 450 anytime minutes, plus free nights, weekends and mobile-to-mobile.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

J.D. Power & Associates: J.D. Power and Associates, which polls about 21,000 users, measures customer satisfaction based on service-related measures, ...

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports polls nearly 52,000 magazine subscribers in 23 metro areas, asking them to rate their cell service for call ...

PCMag.com: Based on responses from more than 20,000 readers, PC Magazine gives its Readers' Choice awards to Verizon Wireless and U.S. ...

TopTenReviews.com: This site rates Verizon as highest for features, plans and support, but call quality is not rated. A detailed comparison chart ...

Phonedog.com: More than 200 users posting at this site rate Verizon Wireless, giving it solid (but not spectacular) ratings for customer ...

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Top regional cell-phone carrier

U.S. Cellular

*Est. $40 per month and up Compare Prices

If you live in one of the 26 states (mainly in the Midwest) serviced by U.S. Cellular, this carrier scores as well as T-Mobile and Verizon in those areas. Customer service is a high point. U.S. Cellular cell phone plans… aren't cheaper than others, but there are some extras, including free incoming calls with many plans. Free incoming calls means you only spend your minutes on outgoing calls. Free roaming is included in a few of the wide area (regional) and national plans.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

J.D. Power & Associates: In this survey of more than 21,000 people nationwide, J.D. Power and Associates poll cellular subscribers about service, support ...

PCMag.com: PC Magazine editors summarize the results of more than 20,000 responses to their reader survey, in which respondents are asked to ...

CNet.com: CNet.com doesn't actually review U.S. Cellular, but the site provides a good overview of this little-known cell-plan provider. ...

TopTenReviews.com: This site's best feature is its detailed comparison chart, examining the features of 10 cellular service providers, including ...

Phonedog.com: Fewer than 70 users register their opinions of U.S. Cellular at PhoneDog.com, far fewer than for national services like Verizon ...

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