Best Cell Phone Carriers in Portland, OR

Cell Phone Coverage Reception in Portland, OR

No matter where you live, one of the most important factors to consider when deciding on a new cell phone service is the quality of the coverage in Portland, OR. Before deciding on any plan, it's a good idea to do some research on the carriers in your area as well as their plans. You might find an exceptionally affordable plan in your area, but if the carrier has poor coverage, the low cost isn't worth the lack of service. Most customers won't have to worry too much about this factor since most major carriers have excellent coverage in metropolitan and even many rural areas. Most carriers will offer a coverage map that shows where their strongest signals are provided.

Different Types of Cell Phone Plans in Portland, OR

Customers in Portland, OR are basically looking for the same thing in their cell phone plans. That is, a plan that will allow them the minutes that they need to talk, text messaging options that will give them the freedom to send and receive multiple texts, and to be able to use data. When you are choosing a wireless service you will be choosing how you get all three of these options.

Are you planning to use your cell phone for the majority of your communication in Portland, OR? Do you talk on the phone a lot and send a lot of emails and text messages? If so, it is vastly important to choose a wireless plan that will give you all of this and more. Check into the different carriers and their plan types by using our services here at PhoneDog to see how much you would save if you already have a wireless plan. There are three main categories for all wireless cell phone carriers, which are family plans, individual plans, and no contract plans.

A single line plan will only provide you with one line and one rate for talk, text and data usage. A single line will not cover any other phones or devices. Consumers who do not have a spouse or children may find that a single line is the best cell phone plan for them to choose.

A family plan will mix up the features among all of the devices in your family. Each member of your family will have their own device and will share talk, text, and data. The price for a family plan is higher but it is still a great deal when you need to have more than one line in your home. This fee is also smaller when compared to a single plan price. You will want to ensure that you choose a family plan that covers all of your family’s needs, as you will all be sharing minutes and data.

No contract plans are also known as pay-as-you-go, prepaid, and month-to-month plans. These plans are very flexible when it comes to pricing and payments. Pay-as-you-go plans are much better than they used to be and are a great option for when you don’t want the hassle of a contract. With the prepaid option you only have to pay for the coverage that you want, although you may be required to pay additional fees. In addition, the actual phone price may be more upfront as you are required to pay for the phone in full before it can be activated. However, many no contract plans in Portland, OR offer the latest smartphones to customers without the hassle of a contract.

Most cell phone contract plans require their customers to sign up for a minimum of two years, although some carriers do offer one-year plans. Your carrier bills you once a month and you will be required to keep paying until the contract is up. An early termination fee will apply if you cancel before the contract is over. Whatever amount you have left on your contract will be due along with the fee.

Get the Best Cell Phone Plan For Your Needs in Portland, OR

Before you buy a plan, you should ask yourself the following questions: Who will be included on this plan? What will they use it for? Will they be using text messages and data, or simply using it for calls? How much time do they spend talking on the phone? Focus on talk, text, and data, as these are the three elements that every carrier's' plan will be tailored towards.

Cheaper plans with service in Portland, OR place heavy limits on the amount of text messages you can send, the minutes you can talk, and the data you can send and receive. These often cap at around 400 for talk and text, but can even run less for a cheaper plan. Make sure that you will not go over this amount before committing to such a contract, as these plans often place heavy fines on excess data, fines that could charge you large amounts for extra data usage, making you pay more in the long run.

Compare the Best Cell Carriers in Portland, OR

The major carriers that have coverage in Portland, OR are AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Spring. There are also smaller carriers, which are called MVNOs, which operate on at least one of the major carriers’ networks.

AT&T has a variety of different wireless plan options. Through AT&T, consumers can get individual plans, family plans, contract plans and prepaid plans. One of AT&T’s plans is unlimited.

Verizon Wireless has prepaid, individual and family plans. The consumer first chooses a shared data plan, a prepaid plan or an unlimited plan. With a shared data plan, either a single individual or an entire family can use the plan, which will include a preset amount of data with unlimited minutes and text messages.

Spring has a couple different plan options available to people in Portland, OR, including an unlimited plan that is an excellent bargain. One way that Sprint stands out is that their plans are very affordable.

T-Mobile also stands out, although it does so by only offering no-contract plans. The consumer gets unlimited minutes and texts with any T-Mobile plan, and then chooses a data cap. After reaching the data cap, he’ll have throttled data for the rest of the billing period. Consumers can get individual and family plans with T-Mobile.

MVNOs offer competitive plans in Portland, OR in their own right, and consumers can compare those plans with the plans available through major carriers using the PhoneDog cell phone plan comparison tool, which is available above.