Best Cell Phone Plans in Parksley, VA

Coverage is still king: a few things to keep in mind

Coverage has gotten dramatically better for all carriers in the last few years, especially for Sprint and T-Mobile. While the country's two smallest carriers often had their coverage compared to Swiss cheese in the early 2000s, their LTE networks today are fully modernized, dense, and ready to perform well even during times of peak demand. With that said, it's a good idea to take a look at independent test results that show the strengths of each network. These tests, performed by RootMetrics, will help clarify which carrier is best for clear calls, fast data, or consistent texting.

Best for Calls: For the third time in two years, RootMetrics testing found that all four major carriers are almost the same in Parksley, VA when it comes to 'call performance.' This indicates that all four carriers have crystal clear calls, and that all four carriers rarely drop a call that has been initiated. That's great news if your main area of usage each month is wireless minutes.

Best for Texting: During the second half of 2016, RootMetrics testing found that AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile were tied for first place in overall texting performance. All three carriers had a near-100-percent success rate in sending and delivering texts. Sprint's texting performance was just a bit shy of making this metric a four-way tie.

Best for Data-Heavy Usage: This category is a bit more nuanced than the others. Overall, Verizon's LTE network delivered both the fastest speeds and the most reliable connections to customers in Parksley, VA. T-Mobile's average data speed increased dramatically in 2016, however, and AT&T showed improvement in average speeds as well.

Breadth of Coverage: All four carriers have an extremely broad network in Parksley, VA, with coverage almost everywhere. Sprint, which is still expanding its LTE network, has slightly less high-speed coverage. Even so, it has the high-density city and suburban areas covered very well.

Comparing cell phone plans

When you are searching for the best cell phone plan for your needs, you'll definitely need the very basics of cell phone coverage. This includes talk, text and data, which vary according to each carrier. Different wireless services offer different plans concerning these three factors: individual, family, and no-contract.

We offer an easy way to search through different cell phone carriers and plans in Parksley, VA. You can check out who has the best deals that will help you make a smart, educated decision. You'll be looking at three different categories concerning wireless plans.

An individual plan is also called a single line plan. There will be only one phone plan to pay for, which is perfect if you don't have any children or a spouse.

Family plans are the best choice when you need to pay for multiple devices in your family. These plans typically offer two or more lines and do cost a bit more. However, the cost is comparable to having multiple single plans within one household and much easier to keep track of. Everyone in the plan with a phone will share data, minutes and texts.

Pay-as-you-go phones were once very popular and then faded away for a bit. However, these no contract, prepaid phones are making a huge comeback, especially since most national carriers now offer them. You can even purchase most newer smartphone models and simply buy a prepaid card with minutes. You add this to the phone plan and once it runs out, you simply buy another. Many plans offer huge savings for bulk minutes, such as 1000 minutes for $50. This plan is perfect if you need a phone, but don't use it often enough to need unlimited data, text or calls.

Many wireless carriers offer contract plans to new customers, meaning you will need to sign a contract for at least one year, usually two. This is a good idea when you don't have the cash to pay for the latest smartphone, as you can spread the payments out over the contract period, bundled with your actual monthly phone bill. These plans often allow you to upgrade your phone to the newest model after a year if you wish to have the latest phone. However, you cannot get out of a contract unless you pay an early termination fee, as well as pay off your existing phone model. This could mean hundreds of dollars in fees, so be sure your plan is the right one before signing any contract.

The elements of a cell phone plan

The biggest difference between cell phone plans, outside of price and coverage, is the amount of features available to you. Most plans come with some kind of talk, text and data availability, but the amount and price of those features varies.

The majority of contract plans offer unlimited talk and text, but if you don't need that many minutes or messages, you can save some money by choosing a limited plan. With no-contract plans, you can buy minutes and messages individually or in grouped packages to use as you need them.

You'll definitely want to consider the data packages available when choosing a cell phone plan in Parksley, VA. The more data you need, the bigger your price tag will be. Going over your data limits will typically cost you overage charges, so be sure to pick a plan that offers enough data for you. Most plans are priced by the megabyte of gigabyte, but a small amount of plans do offer unlimited data plans. The unlimited plans typically allow you to use a certain amount of data at high speeds and then limit you to using unlimited data at very low speeds.

Comparing carriers in Parksley, VA

There are a number of carriers found in Parksley, VA, 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 Parksley, VA:

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 Parksley, VA area to choose the one that is best for you or your family.