Many cell phone customers are now using their cell phone as their primary phone line. As the number of cell phone subscriber continues to rise, the monthly fee for basic cell phone service are falling. If you spend a lot of time away from home or constantly have business phone calls forwarded to your cell phone, you can make your cell phone your primary phone line.

As more Americans go wireless, the wireless industry has responded with more choices and lower prices for basic plans. You can send email, text messages, surf the web, listen to music and even take pictures with your cell phone. You can keep in touch and entertain yourself with your cell phone. Free nights and weekends, free long distance and of course, going from two phone bills to one, make this a very attractive option.

If you are ready to make the leap to wireless only, there are many, many opportunities in the cellular market for you. Before you make the leap, here are the three most common things that you want to consider to minimize your cell phone bill and maximize your usage and enjoyment.

Service

Spend a few more dollars per month if necessary, but get the best service that you can afford. Customers and family members will not tolerate spotty service, dropped calls and interference on a daily basis. Figure out where you spend the majority of your time, indoors, outdoors, rural areas, dense urban areas or away on business trips. Make sure that your cell phone service is compatible with your geography and lifestyle.

Cost

Basic service plans are comparable to the average landline phone bill. However, the major billing sore points for cell phone customers are roaming charges and over the minutes charges. The average customer has really gotten used to 5 cents, 7 cents and 10 cents per minutes charges on their landline long distance bills. Cell phone carriers can charge 35 cents or 45 cents each minute over your anytime allowance. It's always better to have too many cell phone minutes rather than too few. The extra $10 or $20 for a plan with more anytime minutes is a much better option than a $180 cell phone bill at the end of the month.

Also, see if there is a plan available that minimizes roaming charges. Roaming charges in some areas can be as high as 65 cents per minute. You can minimize your roaming charges in one of two ways:

Get a plan with no roaming charges. Another option is to get plan that alerts you when you are roaming and gives you the option to not send or receive calls. If you are Sprint PCS customer, you will receive an alert on your cell phone when you receive a call and you are roaming. Change your plan if needed, but get one that maximizes your usage time and minimizes your extra costs.

If you get a great service, minimize your extra charges and avoid roaming fees, making the switch from a landline to a cellular phone is a great option.