With the advent of cell phones,
families have found keeping in
touch with each other to be less cumbersome than ever before. Using
today’s technology, a family of any size has no problems being able to
quickly contact
one another and find out not only where they are, but what time they
will be getting back home. Even though this provides incredible
convenience, the huge
detriment to a family full of cell users is that between the number
of phones and the large amount of calling everyone will be doing to stay
in touch, a
parent can cringe at the expectation of an exorbitant monthly bill
for the
family cell phone plan. Thankfully this doesn’t have to be the case, if a savvy consumer
looks for best family cell phone plans currently are available.
Family cell phones typically are structured with service for parents
forming the base of the plan. To this foundation are added all of the
different users
at a lower cost. In addition to basic phone service, other packages
such as
texting,
Internet access, and email (also known as
data plans
) can be added for all of users on the family plan. When looking for
the best family cell phone plans, it is best to first determine what
every user’s
needs will be. If the children are in high school or younger, they
won’t necessarily need to have as many additional features as a
businessman who is
always on the go and needs to be constantly checking his email.
You will also need to consider what features will fit within your
family budget. Investigate the available features and corresponding
monthly fees. For
instance, some service providers offer free calls between phones on
the plan, so you could make calls between family members without using
up costly
airtime minutes. Some phone carriers will charge you ten cents for
each text message sent or received. Multiply this charge times 100 texts
per month for
each member of your family, and the costs quickly add up. However,
many service providers offer unlimited texting for every phone on your
package for a
small set fee per month, making features affordable even for large
families.
The best family plans are the most economical ones. By nature, a family plan is designed
to be cost effective, since it is basically a group discount. However,
not all family
plans are created equal, and since some of your activities will be
vastly different from those of another family, it is crucial that you
look for a plan
that best fits your needs. The plan that achieves this, as well as
stays within your budgetary constrains is the best family cell phone
plan for you, your
spouse, and your children.