You may be one of the last people in the country who still don't have a cell phone and you are finally starting to see the possible benefits of owning one. Or you could be somebody who couldn't bare to leave the house without your constant companion. Whether you are at either of these extremes or somewhere in between, you share the same concern. How can you find the best cell phone plan to meet your needs? It can be a daunting prospect to try to navigate through the multitude of offers that are out there. There are free phones, free call time, free texts, free internet access, but what is the real cost of these things and do you really need them? Where do you start?

The first thing to do is forget about the different plans and think about yourself. What will your cell phone be used for? You need to consider how frequently you will use it. Will you be doing a lot of texting or do you prefer to talk? Do you have friends or relatives that live far away that you would like to keep in touch with? That could mean a lot of long distance calls. Maybe you would like to have your cell phone with you just in case of emergency. Are you intending to use your cellular phone to replace your home phone? In that case, you might need a plan that includes your family and allows you to share minutes. Before you go out to look for the best cell plans, you need to have a clear idea of what features might benefit you.

Apart from the plans, you also have to consider the phones. What do you need from the phone? Do you really need a camera or an MP3 player? Would email or office applications be useful? It's tempting to go for all the bells and whistles just because they are there. And that's OK, as long as you realize that it's your choice and you are not just buying what the cell phone company is pushing. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Whatever you get, you are paying for it somehow. By now, you should be able to go and explore the market with a pretty good idea in mind of what you want and what would be of value to you.

You can now start to look at the various cell plans and home in on the ones that provide the features that you will actually use. If you are going to text a lot, who gives more free texts per month? Who offers the best value on long distance calls? If you have decided which phone you would like, you might be able to get it free with your cellular plan. One company might offer a better family plan than another. But beware. A better price may come at the cost of being tied into a longer term contract. Are you prepared for that? Also, look out for introductory offers. The may be a great rate for the first three months but what will you be paying after that? Are any features included for free at the start of the contract that you need to cancel before you start to be charged for them?

It is worth asking friends and family about their experiences with their cell plan providers. Find out if they have good coverage, responsive helpdesks and billing that is easy to understand. A friend may have a usage pattern that is similar to yours and you could get a good idea of what your actual costs might be. You could also try comparison websites that allow you to compare features side by side to make sure that you get the best cell plan for your needs.