When comparing plans, I took into consideration several factors. The major ones were price, access coverage, best access to free calling based on my calling habits, and other features. Plan cost was easy. Most companies gave similar amounts of plan minutes for the same price. The difference was within a couple hundred minutes either way, with Alltel right in the middle.

Access to the system of cell towers was one topic I heard a lot about when I talked to others. US Cellular users complained constantly about having no access, or having to walk outside their house to make a phone call. My best friend, on Sprint, lost signal while on the phone with me more than once. Alltel users, on the other hand, reported coverage almost everywhere they go.

Free minutes turned out to be the kicker. Alltel's Off Peak minutes run from 9pm to 6am. Two of the three long distance people I would call live two time zones away, meaning I would want to call after 9pm anyway to reach them. Mobile to Mobile minutes gives me, around here, better use among Alltel customers. There are just more of them. In addition, Alltel offers a free calls to home option. This means my wife and I can talk for unlimited minutes each month between the home phone and cellphone for free. That's cool. Alltel wins.

Saturday, my first bill arrived. I had, for the first few days, 100 minutes of use. The bill said I used 140, and charged me an extra $16. This will not do. I knew I hadn't used the phone for 140 minutes that cost me money. Careful analysis showed that the calls to home hadn't gone into effect until the beginning of the second day. I was charged for all calls home for all of the first day I had the phone, and there was a considerable amount of that going on that day. This morning, before the rush of calls began, I called Alltel about the problem. I explained it, and the lady on the phone fixed it, and all is well.

So, if you're looking for a cellphone, study well first. Find the plan that works best for you. Try to figure out the plan that makes more of your calls fall into the free minutes offerred. Ask around. From my own experience so far, I say choose Alltel.