Saving money is a top priority these days for many families. So when it comes to cellphone service how do you ensure that you get what you pay for?

Of course there are the major carriers like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint that all promise to provide the best prices and service. However, in reality we are not sure if that is true or not. See the major carriers offer you discounts on the major smart phone brands in return for a two year contract. In actuality by the time that you finish paying off your contract in two years, you have paid for the full price of the phone. That is why the major carriers pricing is a little bit higher than these independent cellphone service providers. Then when you are locked in the contract you receive poor customer service that you get stuck with. In order to break the contract with these carriers they charge huge cancellation fees per each phone. Most customers choose to deal with the issues (ie. poor customer service, dropped calls and overage fees) they are having with their current company rather then pay outrageous fees to break their contacts. Another issue is that most smart phones are proprietary to their service provider. So even if you decide to break your contract, that $500 dollar smart phone won't work with your new provider. In addition, if you try to keep your cell phone number when leaving your old company if you owe any of the cancellation fees, or your bill is not paid in full, you will not be able to keep your previous number. This cycle continues to occur when cell phone users must have the newest smart phone.

So how do you break this cycle? One way is to consider minor carriers or independent cellphone service providers. There are many companies like Zact, Republic Wireless, H20 and Metro PCS. The caveat is that these companies don't offer discounts on phones in return for signing lengthy contracts. You have to buy your phone outright, and they don't offer many of the best smart phones like the Samsung Galaxy and iPhone. However, on a monthly basis their service is a lot cheaper than the major carriers. The major carriers boast their data service for cellphones is much better than these independent guys, but I don't think it is that much of a difference. I know plenty of people with Metro PCS that never complain about any issue and have unlimited data, talk and text messaging for $40 a month. That includes tax, fees and everything. A similar package with a major Carrier can cost around $90, and after taxes and fees you are looking at over $100 dollars.

We suggest you roll with Metro PCS, they charge a low flat fee of $40 dollars for unlimited everything. If you end up not liking the service you can easily go to another carrier at the end of the month. However, you are going to need a new phone, so skip the $500 smart phone and get a lesser known smart phone that does everything else the newest smart phones do. You might not have the most popular cell phone, but you will have more money in your pocket and the option to leave the company at anytime. Eventually the major carriers will lose enough customers that they will have to lower pricing and offer competitive packages, then you can go back to your iPhone 15, or whatever model they are up to at the time. What do you think?

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