Personal Finances: What's the right cell phone for MBAs?

Why are MVNOs becoming popular?Devices are no longer subsidized: Historically consumers were tied to 2-year contracts with providers that included a subsidized phone. This made it a high barrier and fairly cumbersome to switch providers. Now devices are no longer subsidized by the providers – and you typically pay a separate monthly payment for your provider. In nearly all cases you are now better off paying for your phone upfront and choosing a provider. MVNOs now offer the latest phones and features: Historically MVNOs were restricted in the type of phone and features they could offer on their network – for instance they could not offer high speed today. Today, the scenario is quite different – MVNOs offer the latest phones and features like Long-Term Evolution (LTE), which enables high-speed wireless data transfers. Is a MVNO right for me? MVNOs are slightly less feature-rich that full service providers. For example, they typically do not have international roaming. In addition MVNO customers may receive less priority on provider networks in case of network congestion. Having said that, MVNOs offer some great cost savings and the flexibility of no long-term contracts. So if you are a no-frills customer looking for a cost effective reliable service then a MVNO could be a great fit. You also have to buy your own phone upfront. A few leading MVNO operators:ProviderParent NetworkMonthly PlansNotesCricket100% AT&T SubsidiaryTalk/text/1GB for $30Data capped at 8 MBPS $5 discount w/autopay $50 Plan has free roaming in Canada and MexicoTalk/Text/2.5GB for $40Talk/Text/8GB for $50H20 WirelessAT&TTalk/text/3GB for $30Free international calling 10% discount w/autopayTalk/text/8GB for $40Google FiSprint/T-Mobile/WiFiTalk/Text for $20. Data costs $10/ GBData roaming in 120+ countries. Works only with Nexus Phones Can I keep my existing number? Absolutely, number portability is a very simple process explained by each carrier. What do I do in case I am travelling internationally? I would recommend you buy a local sim card when you land. Often, you can order sim cards in advance online in the USA, such as through Ebay. A particularly attractive option is to a buy a sim card from 3 (‘3’ is a brand of a British operator, three.co.uk) which works in 42 countries and has free data roaming.