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Choosing the right phone plan is an important decision - so it’s important to choose wisely. If you’re looking for a cellular company that you’ll be able to stick with for the long run, pay attention to the below factors to make sure that you end up with a provider that’s going to be a great fit — whether for you or your family.
Some of the factors that you may want to bear in mind when weighing up your options include:
Some providers charge for their services via a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model. Under this model, users pay for their service by prepaying for connection vouchers that enable them to remain on the network. The opposite of this is bill pay. Under the bill pay model, subscribers receive a bill at the end of each month with an invoice to pay. Typically this is a fixed monthly fee. But sometimes users may accrue additional charges by using services not included in their package such as: Phone calls that were not included in the package. For instance, those placing international calls may find that they incur extra charges Using more data than was included in the package If you’re shopping for your business then you may prefer to go with a bill pay model so that you can buy bulk subscriptions for all your subscribers. Bill pay is also more convenient for consumers because you don’t have to top up periodically to avoid losing connectivity.
When it comes to the type of cellular data that cell phone providers offer, everything is not created equally. While 4G (LTE) is now the standard for reasonably fast connectivity — and can typically support download speeds of up to 100 Mbps — its successor, 5G, is now rolling out around the world. Besides the type of network that providers offer, they also differ in terms of:
Broadly speaking there are two types of providers that offer cellphone connectivity services: Mobile network operators (MNOs) own and maintain their own infrastructure. That means the base stations and other components that make the network “run”. Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). Unlike MNOs these don’t actually own the infrastructure they use to provide the network. Rather they lease it from them. What difference does this make to consumers? MVNOs can be cheaper because they don’t need to pass on the costs of maintaining the network. But MNOs can offer better service and customer support because, after all, they own the network that provides connectivity.
Prices between providers vary upon the packages offered. Some factors that will commonly affect these include:
From some of the plans we have reviewed:
In order to find the very best phone plan for you and your family pay attention to your usage patterns and make a list of the features that are important to you (international calling minutes? A high monthly data plan?). Then sign up for a provider that best fits your needs. If you’re really confident in your choice you can likely lock in discounts by signing up for long-term contracts.
Bark offers a modern child-friendly mobile device through its Bark Phone. This is a specially programmed version of Samsung’s Galaxy A13 smartphone, and you can set up the parental controls exactly as you want.
It’s on the pricier side, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you can get your phone for free if you commit to a two-year subscription. Plus, Bark boasts many useful online resources, including a comprehensive support center.
Overall, I’d highly recommend Bark to anyone looking for a powerful phone that’s safe for kids.
Why we chose Bark: We chose Bark because of its highly customizable parental controls, which enable you to control what your children can see and access on their phones.
Our experience: We enjoyed using Bark and appreciated the friendly support team and informational website.
Mini-review
Gabb offers child-friendly mobile devices with unlimited minutes and texts. There’s no mobile data, so your children can’t access the internet, social media, or app stores using their devices. The devices are ideal for parents who are concerned about the impact that constant access to technology has on their children.
Some parents might consider the phone options a little too restrictive, especially for older teenagers. However, I think the smartwatch is worth considering as a good option for younger children who aren’t ready for their first phone.
Why we chose Gabb: For its child-friendly mobile devices and easy-to-use parental controls
Mint Mobile gives you access to 5G, cutting-edge technology with high network speed and reliability. Plans also come with unlimited talking and texting, so you never need to worry about topping up or checking if you’re near the limit. And by connecting to your network's servers through the internet, their WiFi messaging and calling feature can also be useful when overseas.
"With Mint Mobile, you will get reliable service and fast download speeds. They have the fastest download speeds of any mobile network operator I’ve tried,” says Joe Troyer, CEO of tech company Digital Triggers.
After a few months of using the plan, the customer support team will reach out to help you select one that better suits your usage needs. You can keep your 4G LTE device if you decide on Mint’s “Bring Your Own Phone” program. Although the connection will slow down if you reach the monthly data limit, your service will remain active.
Why we chose Mint Mobile: Mint Mobile offers robust coverage and cost-effective and customizable plans to match your specific data usage patterns. They’re also committed to providing personalized recommendations based on your usage, improving your experience.
Our experience: We found Mint Mobile's service highly reliable in urban areas, with a strong signal on their 5G and 4G LTE networks. While several new phones maintained consistent and dependable connections, a few older cell phones weren’t updated and required additional support during the setup process.
visited a mobile plan provider this month
