Purchasing a cell phone today can be a complicated process. It is made even harder by all the smart phones and options that are available in today’s market place.

The best advice is to purchase what you need. If you only need an occasional use phone then look at a prepaid phone such as a phone from Virgin Mobile. With Virgin Mobile and other prepaid options, you will purchase the phone upfront and only pay in advance for the minutes in advance that you need.

If you are in need of regular cell phone use and no data use(email and applications) look to the carriers such as Rogers, Wind, Bell, Telus and Fido to see which standard phone plan will best meet your needs.

If you need data, then look to Rogers, Bell, Telus, Wind to look and what the best phone and data options are for your needs. For seniors the best smart phone which I recommended is the Apple Iphone.

Remember purchase what you need not what a salesperson tells you what you need.

Editors note – Rob Cairns is one of the two Vice Chairs at Scarborough CARP and runs his own Web Design, Social Media Consulting and Technology business. He can be contact via his web site at www.robertbcairns.com