Your bill: part 1

Since a cell phone's primary purpose is to make calls, there's no doubt you'll be using that feature the most. But determining your calling charges can be a complicated process. Although you start with your basic monthly flat fee, you can rack up other charges quickly if you're not careful. Beyond how much you'll use the phone, you have to think about when you'll make calls.



Calling summary

1. Anytime minutes
Anytime minutes, or calls that can be placed during peak hours (typically, weekdays between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.), are the basis for any cell phone plan. Your basic monthly plan gives you an allotment of anytime minutes per month--the more the minutes, the more expensive the plan. Be sure to keep an eye on those anytime plan minutes. You'd be surprised how easy it is to stray over your allotted minutes, and you'll pay dearly for the oversight--anywhere from 20 to 40 cents a minute. Having a hard time cutting your conversations short? Trade in your old plan for one with more minutes. While you might have to sign a new contract to change plans, you'll save money in the long term. Also, keep in mind that your carrier counts any fraction of a minute as a whole minute--that means a 5-second check of your home voicemail counts as an entire minute off your monthly allowance.

2. Off-peak minutes
Off-peak (or nights and weekend) minutes are for calls made outside of peak hours. They can help keep your cell phone bill from going through the roof, but exercise them with caution. Make a note of when your carrier decrees when night or the weekend begins, and remember that if you place a call at, say, 8:59 p.m., you'll be using your anytime minutes for the entire call. We should also point out that night and weekend minutes start at the appointed hour in the time zone you're traveling in; for instance, if you're an East Coaster traveling in California, your night/weekend minutes would begin at 9 p.m. Pacific time, not Eastern time.

3. In-carrier minutes
Otherwise known as mobile-to-mobile calling minutes, in-carrier can also help cut your monthly mobile bill, especially if your friends and family use the same carrier you do. Many carriers offer unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes.


Calling charges

4. Monthly plan fee
Recognize this figure? Back when you were a naive cell phone newbie, you might've thought this was all you'd shell out for your monthly bill. Of course, now you know better. Anyway, this number represents the static cost of your monthly plan, including anytime, off-peak, and in-carrier minutes, as well as features such as call waiting, caller ID, conference calling, and voicemail. John Doe, whose bill we're using as an example, has selected his carrier's basic Madness Plan, which gives him 300 anytime minutes a month, as well as 1,000 off-peak minutes. But as you can see below, he went a bit over his limit. On the upside, some carriers offer credits for dropped calls; be sure to check if your provider does too.

5. Minutes overage fee
Here's where they get you. Also known as a usage fee, this item typically combines the cost of any minutes you consumed above and beyond those allotted in your monthly plan. (Some carriers also include fees for downloads, data service, and text messages that aren't covered by a data plan.) If you chatted up a storm last month like John did, look for your usage fee--and your entire bill--to skyrocket. Again, the best way to avoid a usage fee is to keep track of your monthly minutes and stay below the limit; or if you're just dying to chat, you can up your allotment of minutes, although you may have to sign a new contract to do so. You can keep track of your minute balance by calling your carrier or going to its Web site. If you have teens bopping around with their own handsets, chances are they're too busy socializing to worry about whether they've used up all their monthly minutes. With prepaid cell phone plans, your kids get only so many minutes a month; after that, their handsets go dead until they're recharged with more cash.

6. Domestic roaming
Those anytime minutes that come with your cell plan aren't quite as anytime as you think. If you have a local or regional calling plan (as opposed to a nationwide plan) like John does and make a call after wandering outside your home area, you might rack up impressive roaming charges on your cell phone bill. The specific charges vary depending on the network, but you can expect to pay as much as 50 cents a minute, plus long-distance fees if you're calling someone outside your home area. If you plan on speed dialing while you're traveling stateside, do yourself a favor and sign up for a nationwide plan with free roaming. At the least, keep track of your calling-area boundaries (many handsets have indicators that warn you when you're roaming) and ease off the phone when you've crossed into a roaming zone. But even with a nationwide plan, you can be charged for analog calls or for calls made out of your carrier's service area while using another provider's network.

7. Domestic long distance
Heads up, local calling-plan subscribers: Roaming isn't the only charge you'll need to track. Long-distance fees apply when you're calling someone outside your home area but still in the domestic United States. While long-distance charges aren't as deadly as roaming charges, at 10 cents a minute and more (plus the anytime minutes you're burning), they can take a big bite out of your wallet. Again, we recommend dumping your local or regional calling plan for a nationwide plan, which won't charge you extra for domestic long-distance calling.

8. International roaming
Have you been traveling abroad and taking advantage of your GSM handset? Good for you--just prepare to pay up like John is doing. While your jet-setting world phone may let you hop on to foreign networks with the greatest of ease, you'll pay dearly for the privilege. Depending on the carrier and the country you're traveling from, expect to pay anywhere from 69 cents to a whopping $5 a minute, as well as 10 to 50 cents per outgoing text message. If you're looking to save money while chatting abroad, check out CNET's quick guide to world phones for a detailed list of costs by carrier. Also, check your operator's Web site, as it'll have a chart detailing the roaming charges you'll pay in dozens of countries. Some carriers, such as Cingular, also offer international calling plans for a small monthly fee (about $4 to $6 per month) that lower--but don't eliminate--your per-minute roaming fees.

9. 411 service
Dialing 411 to look up an address or a phone number might be tempting when you're on the go, but it isn't cheap. Most carriers charge about $1.50 per 411 call, plus airtime. If you're averaging a 411 call every day or so, that can add up to about $45 a month--ouch. Instead of dialing your operator, try using the Web browser on your phone to look up phone numbers and addresses; if you do, that $6-a-month data plan will quickly pay for itself.

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