[Admin]

You should definitely wait until the holiday seasons. That is when the family plans and special offers roll out.

I am not familiar with family plans but I do know that family plans share minutes with each other.

I recommend Verizon over the other cellular providers. I have used AT&T and had to disconnect the service (within the 15 days tryout) due to horrible reception.
My parents used Nextel because of the free incoming minutes and that really helped them out. However, the two phone rates for Nextel combined came up to $150 each month, including federal tax and more tax. I don't recommend Nextel for your family plan.

You probably have seen Cingular family plans and rollover minutes on TV commercials. I never had a chance to use their service but I do hear good feedback from their service now then few years ago. Cingular and Verizon has been adding several new towers around urban cities in the past years.

Recommend
1. Verizon
2. Cingular

Not Recommended
1. Nextel