Time Usage (Frequency of use)

Most carriers offer packages that allow for different rates based on usage. If you plan to use the phone only occasionally, select and economy plan. If you make frequent calls, it may be more economical to sign up for a plan that provides a certain amount of free minutes of usage. Heavy users should sign up for a service plan which provides a higher monthly fee, several free hours and the lowest rate of air time

Minimal Usage : For safety and emergency

Minimal usage really means under 20 minutes or so a month. If you want to have a phone nearby in case of emergencies or want to give your child a phone in case they are late, then you fit into this category. Most companies offer plans such as "security plan" which normally keep your phone active without any included minutes. Per minute costs can be anywhere from 25-40 cents so you can see that these plans are intended for those who won't use the phone too often. These plans normally cost fewer than 20 dollars a month. Alternatively, you can seriously consider a prepaid plan.medium usage : To keep in touch with the people close to you

Medium Usage

Medium usage would constitute anywhere from 100-500 minutes a month. Although this seems a lot, you would be surprised how quickly minutes go by. Those people who start off with the security plan and start using an average of 50 or so minutes a day are much better off choosing a plan with at least 100 minutes as you can see the difference. 100 minute plans normally cost 20-25 dollars a month. Most plans in the 100-500 minute range cost anywhere from 20-30 dollars, on average. They are intended for those people who want to use their phone at least a little bit per month but not extensively.

High Usage

Normally, one can consider high usage to be over 500 minutes. Most people requiring these types of minutes are either using them for business or really have to stay in touch with all of their friends at all times of day. Some people actually cancel home phone service and use their cell phones instead. This normally happens with the higher packages such as 2000 minutes or so. Prices for these plans can range from 35-70 dollars a month.

If you want to know more about how many minutes to buy, click here.