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| Typical costs: | - Text messages typically cost 10 to 15 cents each - to send or receive - when purchased individually, but can cost as little as 1 cent or less when part of a monthly calling plan.
- Sprint offers text messages a la carte for 15 cents each; plans include a $5 per month plan with 300 text messages; a $10 a month plan with 1,000 messages and a $15 a month unlimited plan.
- Cingular charges 15 cents per message and offers package deals with 200 messages for $5; or 3,000 messages for $20. Verizon charges 10 cents per message to send and receive and offers packages starting at $3 for 100 messages; $5 for 250 and up to $20 for 2,500.
- T-mobile offers text messages for 10 cents each or packages of 400 messages for $5, 1,000 messages for $10 and unlimited messages for $15.
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| What should be included: | - You can send or receive a short text message of a limited number of characters.
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| Additional costs: | - Wireless providers charge 5 to 10 cents more each for sending text messages from the United States to another country and about 20 cents extra for sending messages from outside the United States.
- Most providers charge about 25 cents each to send or receive photos or audio text messages and do not include these messages in their package deals.
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| Discounts: | - Text message package deals through your wireless service provider, as part of a calling plan, provide steep discounts over a la carte text messaging for those who send text messages regularly.
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| Shopping for text messaging: | - To get the best deal on text messaging, it is important to know your usage patterns. If you have a cell phone and use text messaging already, get out your last few cell phone bills and see how many text messages you sent and received and how much you paid. If it adds up to more than a few dollars, or if you anticipate sending more text messages in the future, it is worth looking into a package deal.
- When you sign up for a plan that includes a text messaging package deal, be sure to look carefully at the fine print before signing to make sure there are no per-message hidden charges.
- If most of the people you send text messages to use the same wireless provider as you, see whether your provider offers a package that includes unlimited text messaging within the network.
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Article updated February 2007 |
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