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How to Find the Best Phone Plan for You and Your Family

Guide to evaluating phone plans.

When looking at all the Local and Long Distance Phone Services offered through WhiteFence.com, one of the first things you will notice are the huge amount of options you are provided with for your phone service. You can get Voice Mail, Call Waiting, Caller ID, etc. — and those are just your options with your local phone service. When you include long distance options, it can get overwhelming. It's easy to end up getting more services than you need. The best way to avoid charges for needless services is to examine exactly how you and your family use the phone. Some questions to think about when choosing options for your local phone service include:

Q: When do you use the phone?

Answer: This is important because some phone companies offer different prices for the time of day your phone calls are made. You should look for a company that offers low prices during your most frequent call times.

Q: How often do you use the phone?

Answer: If you find that you make few or infrequent calls, it may be cheaper for you to look into a wireless plan rather than a landline.

Q: Whom do you call most often?

Answer: You need to figure out who you call most often to find a plan that allows you to call that area the cheapest. Some phone companies have regional plans that allow you to call certain areas for cheaper price.

Q: Do you want people to be able to leave you messages? If yes, do you have an answering machine that can perform that service?

Answer: Many phone companies offer voice mail for free or for a nominal charge, which is great if you need Voice Mail; however, if you don't check your messages often, it can be a needless service. Also, if you have an answering machine, you probably don't need this service.

Q: Do you want/need to be able to see who is calling you before you pick up the phone?

Answer: Many people enjoy or feel more secure knowing who is calling before they answer the phone, but this is not necessary for everyone. If you don't feel you need to see who is calling, you may want to opt out on Caller ID.

Q: Do you often have people complaining that they hear a busy signal when they try to call you? Do you make long phone calls during which if someone needed to get in touch with you, they couldn’t?

Answer: If you don’t have a problem with people often calling you at the same time, you may not need Call Waiting. Call Waiting may benefit you in times of emergency, but if you don’t make long phone calls, people should be able to get through to you relatively quickly without the need for Call Waiting.

Once you answer all these questions, you will find it much easier to wade through all the options offered by the phone companies – making sure you get exactly what you need for an affordable price.