Best Cell Phone Plans in Westminster, CA

Westminster, CA cell phone coverage

When shopping for cell phone plans, you'll notice that there is often a trade-off between price and coverage. If you see a plan whose price is right, your next step should be to check the coverage map for Westminster, CA. The value of your plan is only as good as the coverage quality. Most major carriers have good coverage throughout the country, including Westminster, CA. Before committing to a plan, check carrier coverage maps against one another to make sure you can connect reliably.

Getting started: what types of cell phone plans are out there?

While the American wireless industry is changing rapidly and becoming exceedingly competitive, the basic structure of wireless plans remains the same. In Westminster, CA, you'll be able to choose from a multi-line family plan, a single post-paid line, or prepaid options that present no long-term contractual or device financing requirement. Here's a primer on each type of plan:

Family Plans

By far the most popular type of plan in the United States, family plans allow multiple people to 'share' a single account, splitting line and data fees across several different people in order to get a lower monthly cost of service for each person. Most carriers offer significant discounts on the price of a gigabyte of data for multi-line accounts, making it the economical way of signing up for service. Of course, multi-line accounts are also hard to move between carriers due to different device payment plans and coverage concerns.

Individual Plans

Quite the opposite of a family plan, individual plans allow a single person to pick the amount of data they need each month without splitting the bill. Though more expensive than family plans, individual accounts are easier to manage and are perfect for people who don't want to split expenses and device upgrades with friends or family members.

Prepaid Plans

Once a strong draw because they lacked contracts, today no-commitment plans are a more affordable alternative to individual plans. Most prepaid plans offer more data at a lower cost than an individual plan at a major carrier. Furthermore, prepaid family plans offer a lower cost for multi-line accounts than some traditional family plans at the 'Big 4.' These plans are ineligible for device financing, however, which means you'll have to pay full price to buy a new phone upon release.

Choosing a Suitable Plan

There are several factors to think about while comparing service providers and specific plans. You need to consider the number of individuals or separate mobile devices in your home. It's also important to look at non-voice communication features, such as data access and texting. Internet downloads are measured in gigabytes. Many cell phone providers no longer apply separate limits to texts or voice minutes, especially if users sign multi-year contracts.

Prepaid plans let users buy specific numbers of minutes. For instance, a person might pay $20 to talk for eight hours. The phone stops working after this time runs out. Inexpensive contracts may limit subscribers to less than 500 texts and/or minutes. An unlimited plan is typically more affordable for anyone who repeatedly communicates on a cellphone throughout the day.

Data bandwidth has become an important consideration for Westminster, CA smartphone users. People use it to browse the mobile Web and use online apps. Cell phone companies usually demand considerable monthly fees for plans with high data caps. Substantial extra charges may apply if a person exceeds the limit. It's wise to choose a service that provides more than enough bandwidth. Few providers allow subscribers to download unlimited amounts of data.

Comparing carriers in Westminster, CA

There are a number of carriers found in Westminster, CA, and the following all have coverage in this area. Most smaller carriers, known as MVNOs, still operate under one or more of the main carrier networks, so chances are, your particular city will be covered.

The good news is that you can focus only on the amount of data that you need on a monthly basis. Two carriers make this decision easy, while two others will require a bit of careful consideration before selecting a plan. Here's what to know when selecting a cell phone plan in Westminster, CA:

AT&T

AT&T offers a multitude of plan types and is one of the most well-known. They offer individual, contract, family, and pay-as-you-go wireless cell phone plans.

Sprint

Sprint offers different cell phone plans including a new one called the Better Choice Plan. Sprint also offers completely unlimited 4G LTE data, one of the only major cell phone companies to do so.

Verizon Wireless

Verizon offers different plans, such as individual and family sharing plans, and no contract plans. When you choose Verizon, you can purchase a prepaid or shared data plan. A shared plan can be used either by an individual or for a family and includes unlimited text and talk, as well as a pre-determined amount of data.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is known for being an “uncarrier”, because they offer plans that are all no contract. T-Mobile ONE and Simple Choice plans offer unlimited text, talk, and data for one monthly price. T-Mobile also sells individual and family plans.

MVNOs and Other Carriers

Using our cell phone plan comparison tool, you can learn more about the other quality cell phone carriers that operate in the Westminster, CA area to choose the one that is best for you or your family.