Traditional Method

• 1). Determine the type of phone services needed, or wanted, and list the providers that will be compared. Cell phone service providers such as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Boost Mobile are among the bigger sites, while others offer prepaid cell phone services, for example. Next, determine the desired services, such as cell phone coverage, unlimited calling, text messages and data plans.
  
  
• 2). Decide if a particular phone is the reason that one service provider is favored over others. For example, if looking for an iPhone, AT&T is the only site and service provider available. If the type of phone does not matter, then visiting the online stores of each phone site will give a fair representation of the types of phones each has available.
  
  
• 3). Visit each phone site on the list and write down things that stand out. Perhaps one seems more user friendly but another offers more online services. Use this list to compare to the list of your desired services. Many cell phone sites offer maps representing their coverage areas, which allows visitors to the site to see whether there is consistent coverage in the areas around them. Another possible item to check are the types of phones available and write down the phones that are most desirable.
  
  
• 4). Set the lists of each cell phone site side-by-side and eliminate the services that are available at all the sites. Those services would not weigh into the comparison because they all offer the same service. Also compare the types of phones available from each site. If the same phones are offered at two different sites but not at a third site, that could play into the comparison and possible decision-making.
  
  

Website Method

• 1). Visit a phone service provider comparison website such as Let's Talk, Mobile Checker, or Bill Shrink (See Resources). These sites are designed to compare prices for similar services provided by various companies. Some also provide comparisons of the phones available from different providers.
  
  
• 2). Select phone sites to compare. On Bill Shrink the site form allows the user to select their current cell phone service provider and the average monthly bill cost, as well as other cell phone usage information. The site provides a comparison of rates and services for phone providers in your area. The other websites allow the user to select the type of phone or service desired and offers comparisons based on that criteria.
  
  
• 3). Write down the benefits of choosing one phone site over another for each of the top sites compared. This will help narrow the decision making to one or two phone sites.