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Choosing a cell phone plan can be confusing. There are so many different options and plans out there. The only way to come up with the plan that is a good match for you is to determine how you use your phone and what you want in a plan. There is no use paying for more than you need, or short changing yourself so you have to curtail calls or pay for overages.

Most cell phone plans split their minutes between peak and off peak times. Off peak minutes are unlimited with many providers today. Many providers also offer free mobile to mobile calls which allow for free calls among members of the same cell phone provider on peak or off peak times. The peak minutes are sold in blocks of various amounts and prices; this is a point to use for comparison among providers and plans.

Realize that the start and end time for peak minutes may vary among providers. If you find your predicted usage falls between two plans, it is recommended to choose the plan with the most minutes since paying for overage can be more expensive than paying for the extra minutes.

If you plan to use your cell mostly during the evening and on weekends then you would be a good match for an off peak cell phone plan which may also be called a night and weekend plan.

Another comparison point among providers is free long distance. Most cell providers offer free long distance today. But you will need to verify this with your provider to make sure you did get hit with overages. Also compare roaming policies among providers. The ideal situation is to pay no roaming fees and more and more companies are adopting this policy.

You may wish to buy a family plan if you would like to share minutes with other family members. It can be less costly than have a separate plan for every member of your family. And finally, if you just want a cell phone for emergencies and don't plan to talk on it very much then consider a prepaid plan.