Cost controls: how to find the right calling plan and the right phone.(Guide To Cell Phones)(part 3)(Cover Story)(Buyers Guide)

No matter how slick the phone you use, the service plan will absorb the bulk of your cellular budget. And, since the carrier you choose also determines which handsets you can use, you should always defer phone shopping until you have found the carrier and plan that best fit your calling pattern.

The sales pitches usually center on price, with carriers competing to offer the biggest "buckets" of minutes. Last fall, Verizon advertised 3,000 free night and weekend minutes for life with monthly plans of $35. AT&T offered up to 3,400 minutes for a $40 plan, while VoiceStream chimed in with a $40 plan offering as much weekend calling as you want and 500 "whenever" minutes.

Read the ads carefully and you'll find that most of those free minutes are limited to calls made outside the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.--give or take a couple of hours on either end--when airtime commands a premium. If you do a lot of calling at night or on weekends, the extra "off peak" minutes will have real value to you. Otherwise, you need to pay closer attention to the number of minutes a plan says you can use anytime.

The chart on the facing page can help you decide how important "anytime" minutes are. Developed in conjunction with TeleBright, a company specializing in phone-plan cost comparisons, it shows sample monthly plans for casual and frequent users, families, and travelers.

The steps outlined below will also help you find the best value.

PICK A TYPE OF PLAN THAT FITS

Several factors can influence how much a plan will end up costing you per month. These include its home-coverage area, calling periods, and the number of free anytime minutes, among other things.