The market for mobile services is one of the fastest growing in the world. A large number of established global service providers operate on it, as well as many local companies that offer postpaid and prepaid plans. Every service provider tries to attract the customers’ attention with catchy ads and attractive offers and make them their users.

The fight for each new user is fierce, and users can benefit the most from this competition. A vast offer of various mobile plans means everyone can find something for themselves. However, a large number of options also have their pitfalls because many can often rush to an irresistible offer that’s not always as good as advertised.

Not reading the fine print and researching can leave you tied to an unfavorable contract for a year or two. Why would you (over)pay for something you don’t need? Eventually, it can cost you a lot. Even if you choose a plan that fits your budget, you may not get the freebies and benefits you wanted. In any case, there’s no need to hurry with this choice, and these tips can help you find the beste deal for your needs.

Know Your Needs

A phone is not a luxury but something widely available and affordable. Today, it’s almost unimaginable to do some work or personal stuff without a smart device. Of course, everyone has distinct habits, meaning they use their phones for different purposes.

It’s essential to define your habits as a phone user. It’ll be the basis for starting your search for the right mobile plan. If you overestimate your needs, you can end up with an unnecessarily expensive subscription whose contents you won’t use. If you underestimate your needs, perhaps you’ll take a small postpaid package or top up the balance of your prepaid plan too often, which will be a significant expense in your budget at the end of the month.

Therefore, to begin with, you should define your habits in using the phone. You should determine whether you make more calls, send messages, or use your phone mostly for surfing on the go. Do you use more calls in domestic networks or regularly contact people abroad? In any case, take some time to scan your mobile phone habits.

Prepaid or Postpaid

The first decision you should make when choosing a suitable mobile plan is related to the dilemma – postpaid or prepaid. Each of these has its pros and cons. And which one will suit you the most depends on your user habits, but also your budget.

Prepaid plans might be a better choice for people who use phones only for calls and messages, usually for personal purposes and leisure. But keep in mind that, for instance, recharging the phone balance to use it for the Internet is not very profitable because prepaid mobile data is costly, regardless of which mobile provider you choose.

Another advantage of prepaid plans is better cost control because you spend only what you have without any obligation to pay monthly bills. That comes in handy when you want to limit consumption, or you just use your phone on a budget. What can be problematic is that you don’t always have insight into how much data you’ve spent and on what.

Postpaid plans are a better solution if you use your phone intensively, so you need the benefit of calling, texting, and using mobile Internet at any time without worrying about a low balance. That’s very important if you need the phone for work. An additional convenience most providers offer is connecting several phone lines within one contract and thus using mobile services at very affordable prices.

Another good thing about postpaid plans is that you always have insight into how you spend mobile data. Most providers offer excellent offers with many perks, such as freebies. Plus, postpaid calls, messages, and megabytes are generally cheaper than prepaid plans. However, for people who don’t use their phones too much, these subscriptions can be costly and unnecessary.

For more on prepaid vs. postpaid comparison see below:

https://www.reviews.org/mobile/prepaid-vs-postpaid-phone-plans/

Check Network Quality

After determining your habits, check which mobile providers operate in your area. Technology and communication channels are very advanced today, so network coverage is no longer the problem it once was. However, it doesn’t hurt to check the details, especially if you live out of town.

Information about network coverage is generally available on providers’ websites. However, take this information with a grain of salt because the quality of the network depends on numerous factors, such as transmission power, distance from the provider’s antenna, weather conditions, etc. Thus, situations can occur where you have completely different signal quality at two locations only half a mile apart.

If you opt for global providers, you should generally have no signal problems. Smaller companies may have less network coverage, but that’s not always the case. Still, before choosing some of their plans, make sure to check their network test rates. Also, you can read user reviews and even ask friends and relatives about the quality of the network of mobile providers they use.

Compare Providers’ Offers and Prices

After you s selecting providers with excellent network coverage in your area, it’s time to consider their offers. With so many providers “fighting” to acquire as many users as possible, you can expect competitive and affordable mobile plans.

Price is one of the main factors in choosing a suitable mobile plan, but it definitely shouldn’t be the only one. You can see that’s true since the cheapest packages aren’t always the most profitable, and the most expensive ones certainly don’t benefit everyone. Here we return to your user habits, based on which you’ll determine what matters most when choosing a mobile plan.

If you need a phone for calls, you’ll focus on postpaid plans with lots of freebies. If you want fast and affordable Internet access, you’ll look for mobile packages with a lot of data. More expensive plans usually include a significant amount of high-speed Internet. 10 to 20 Mbps is quite sufficient for an average Internet user.

Other things to look for in mobile plans are mobile hotspot data (if you use your phone as a Wi-Fi router), roaming services, free app usage, etc. Most mobile providers offer you the installment purchase of smart devices, which is quite a good option for those who don’t have enough cash to buy a new phone.

Consider Your Budget

When looking for the best mobile plan, it should fit into your budget. So make sure to do your math and calculate your income and expenses well, to know how much money you have at your disposal.

With prepaid plans, you can be relaxed, because if you don’t have money for a recharge, you won’t have consequences. However, that’s not the case with postpaid plans – irregular payment can leave some serious marks on your credit history. Find more details about that on this source.

Think of a mobile plan as any large purchase you make. You want the best bang for your buck, which requires exploring all your options. To begin with, determine your phone usage habits, and then look for a mobile plan to suit your needs and budget.