Cell Phones – Finding The Right Cell Phone Minute Plan
Everyday we are bombarded with cell phone plans and their offers. You see it on television, hear it on the radio, and see it online. Calling plans are everywhere you look these days.
Of the most popular plans, the 1,000 minute plan is the most consumed by Americans today. It may seem like a lot of minutes however the reality is these minutes can easily be drained and cost you more in the long run.
Who and how many people on your plan are important to your decision on buying a plan. Do you have teenagers that will be using your minutes? Do you have a spouse who like to talk a lot? How often do you make calls?
To help you better understand what your usage will be in a realistic manner, using hours instead of minutes is vital. Converting your minutes to hours will help you better see exactly how much time each month you will need. We plan our days by the hour, why not our cell phone minutes?
A Prime Example:
Bob (Husband) 4 Hours
Debra (Wife) 3 Hours
Chelsea (17 Years Old) 5 Hours
Joe (15 years old) 4 Hours
TOTAL FAMILY USAGE: 16 Hours
With your combined monthly usage somewhat figured out you then only need to convert those hours back into minutes to compare against current minute plans. To do this you simply only need to multiply your hours total by 60:
16 x 60 = 960 Minutes
As you can see, we came up with a total of minutes by using the times by 60 method. The family usage for this month ended up being a total of 960 minutes.
Luckily in this family scenario, the 1,000 minutes plan actually works out. Of course, the family may not stick to this calling pattern and it can spell disaster when trying to control family finances. Some plans can expect .45 cents per minute for any additional overtime which can add up and drain a family bank account in no time. Never underestimate the usage your family will use or you may pay for it later.
In all cases, the easiest way to pick a plan, especially for a single cell phone plan is to divide any plan minutes by 60. Dividing by 60 you are dividing the minutes giving you an answer that equals in hours which gives you a more realistic look at how much you usage you will be utilizing.
If you do not want to do the math, here are some quick conversions that can help you out quickly. 3,000 Min./50 Hr. 1,500 Min./25 Hr. 1,000 Min./16.5 Hr. 600 Min./10 Hr. 300 Min./5 Hr.
Tags: Cell Phone
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