Did you know that you are using your minutes every time you use your cell phone -- even if you are just receiving a phone call or checking your voicemail? Avoid overage costs or unused minutes by finding the plan that best fits your mobile phone needs.
U.S. only. AOL Mobile services may require a wireless data plan and charges from your wireless carrier may apply. Not all AOL Mobile services are available on all wireless carriers or on all wireless devices. Check with your wireless carrier to confirm that product use is consistent with your carrier's Terms of Service.
Emergencies/Occasional User:
Do you use your phone for emergencies only? If so, you may want to consider a "pay-as-you go" plan. These are pre-paid phones and plans that don't require a monthly fee or contract. Instead, you buy a phone and pre-pay for voice minutes, text messaging, data usage, etc. You can purchase more minutes on the phone as you need to.Basic Use:
If you're using your cell phone in conjunction with a land-line, then you will probably be making most of your calls at night and on the weekends. You could consider a plan with limited anytime minutes, but with lots of free night and weekend minutes. Depending on your text-messaging or data (e-mail, Internet) usage, you could buy a package or get pay-as-you-go services on your phone.Primary/Business Phone:
If your cell phone is your main phone or if you use your cell phone for business, your weekday daytime minutes may be high. You should probably consider a plan that comes with a lot of anytime minutes. If you are a business phone user, your text messaging and/or data usage is likely high. In that case, you should consider buying a package that fits your needs rather than a pay-as-you-use service.Time of Day:
Because making calls at different hours of the day may vary in price with your plan, the time of day you use your phone is just as important as the amount of time you talk. For every minute that you are using your phone, one minute is deducted from your plan (most plans round up to the nearest minute). Once you finish your minutes for the month, additional calls are usually charged at a higher rate and can add up quickly. If you get mobile-to-mobile minutes included in your plans, depending on your recipient's carrier (whether they are with the same carrier or not), the time of day may not matter. For text messaging and data the time of day does not matter. Check the carrier plans carefully.Anytime Minutes:
For most carriers, these are the minutes used between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, but you should verify this with your carrier. Some plans start their night-time minutes as early as 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.Nights and Weekends:
For most plans, nights are from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., Monday through Friday, and weekends are from Friday 9 p.m. to Monday 7 a.m. Some plans start at 7 p.m. with longer contracts. Many carriers offer free nights and weekends on some of their plans.Rollover Minutes:
Some carriers allow you to keep unused minutes and store them up over the year. However, they usually expire so you must be conscious of when you have them and when you don't.Next Page: International Calling >>
U.S. only. AOL Mobile services may require a wireless data plan and charges from your wireless carrier may apply. Not all AOL Mobile services are available on all wireless carriers or on all wireless devices. Check with your wireless carrier to confirm that product use is consistent with your carrier's Terms of Service.
