Best Cell Phone Service in Stockton, IL

How To Choose The Best Cell Provider in Stockton, IL

When they look for cell phone service, people in Stockton, IL have a number of plans and providers to consider. It's not difficult to find a company that delivers all of the desired cellular services. Nevertheless, people need to consider what features they truly need and determine realistic spending limits. Although many plans seem desirable at first glance, cell phone users who perform research often find more affordable alternatives that provide similar services. It's wise to compare an appealing plan with alternatives from a variety of reputable providers. Be sure to carefully examine the features, limits and prices of each service. Many people find that this becomes a time-consuming research project. The good news is that MyRatePlan can simplify and expedite the comparison process. Users can view numerous carriers' prices on a single website.

Types of Cell Phone Plans in Stockton, IL

If your cell phone plan needs are like most people's needs in Stockton, IL, then you're likely searching for a plan with more than enough minutes and text messages, along with a sufficient data limit.

Having a cell phone plan that meets all your needs is crucial, even more so if you're one of the many people relying on your cell phone for the majority of your communications. Our service allows you to check out the different carriers and their plans, so you can either see what's out there or find out how much you can save over your current wireless plan. Wireless plans can be divided into three categories: individual, family, and no contract plans.

If you're just looking for your own plan, then you'll be looking at individual plans. You get one phone line with a set amount of minutes, texts, and data for your device.

If you need at least two phone lines, then you should look at family plans. You can have a phone line for every family member when you're on a family plan. The cost of a family plan is higher than that of an individual plan because you have more phone lines, but on a per-line basis, it's cheaper than multiple individual plans would be. Depending on the family plan, each line could have its own minute, text, and data limits, or everyone on the plan could share those.

No contract plans go by many names, including prepaid, pay-as-you-go, and month-to-month plans, but they all work the same way. You pay for what you want up-front, including your minutes, text messages, and data, with carriers offering packages for each. There are usually extra fees, and the prices are a bit higher than you would pay with a contract-plan. For your phone, you can buy an inexpensive phone with basic features or a new smartphone, just remember that most phones cost far more when they're not tied to a contract. Prepaid phones are available at most department stores in Stockton, IL, along with almost every cell phone retailer. You can also order a prepaid SIM from a carrier on MyRatePlan.

Not being bound to a contract is nice, because most cell phone contracts require a two-year commitment. One-year contracts are sometimes available through certain carriers. You have to pay your phone bill every month for the entire contract, and canceling early results in an early termination fee. These fees are expensive, as the carrier uses the amount left on your contract as part of its fee calculation, and also tacks on a penalty.

What's The Best Cell Phone Plan in Stockton, IL

To figure out which plan is right for you, you have to decide which features you want (talk, text, data), how much of each feature you need, the number of people you want on your plan, and whether or not you want a contract.

Looking for a cheaper plan? You can save money if you get a contract plan with a very limited amount of minutes and text messages, usually about 400 or less of each. You're always able to increase the minutes and texts later if necessary. Keep in mind that you pay much less per minute and per text when you go with an unlimited plan, plus you don't have to worry about overages. If you want to avoid a contract, you can get a wireless card for a prepaid plan. You put money onto that card and then use it to buy more texts, minutes, and data.

One of the most expensive parts of the plan is often the data. You'll find that Stockton, IL phone carriers usually charge quite a bit of money when you use high amounts of data, and that unlimited data plans are few and far between. Data plans limit you to a certain number of megabytes or gigabytes. Once you go past your data limit, your carrier either charges you more, or throttles your data.

Compare Cell Phone Plans in Stockton, IL

The major national carriers, which are AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and Sprint, all cover Stockton, IL. In addition, there are also smaller carriers, which are called MVNOs, that operate on the networks of those larger carriers.

AT&T has long been among the largest wireless providers. Its plan lineup includes all the standard options: individual, family, and no contract plans.

Verizon Wireless has the same lineup of plans, but with this carrier, you start by selecting either a prepaid plan or a shared data plan for a specific amount of data. An individual or a family can use any of this carrier's shared data plans, which all include unlimited talk and text.

Sprint has the standard plans available, but it also has a new family plan option known as the Better Choice Plan, which is unique in that it's available for friends and family. Another way Sprint stands out is its unlimited 4G LTE data plan, which is truly unlimited and doesn't have any throttling or overages.

T-Mobile refers to itself as the 'uncarrier' because it only offers no-contract plans for individuals and families. Its plans are called T-Mobile ONE and Simple Choice. They all have unlimited talk and text, and you choose the amount of data you want (if you exceed your plan's data limit, T-Mobile may throttle your data).

The major carriers have a strong lineup of plans, but there are plenty of other great cell carriers that have service and coverage in Stockton, IL. We include cell phone plans from the MVNOs alongside plans from the largest carriers on our cell phone plan comparison tool that you can find above.