Thinking of heading down to a Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&t or Verizon store for a deal on a cell phone?

Think again. There are much better cell and smartphone deals online than you can find in a carrier’s store.

Here’s the low down on cell phone pricing – buying from the carrier’s store is the most expensive way to get a cell phone. The main reason for that is with rent, maintenance and staffing – a brick and mortar store is the most expensive way for a carrier to offer cell phones.

In fact, you can often find a better deal at the carrier’s own website than at their store. Quite a few of their best deals are offered as “online only” deals. Be sure to check their sites before buying a cell/smartphone directly from a physical store. Here are their sites: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

But don’t stop there.

What comes as a surprise to many is that the prices carrier’s offer online are often undercut even more by carrier authorized discounters. The discounters sell the same phones, same service, through the same carriers, for less.

There are two main online discounters. WireFly and LetsTalk. Both carry cell phones and plans from Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and a few other smaller carriers.

It’s not unusual for consumers to be able to save over $100 per phone – and both WireFly and LetsTalk often have specials in which the activation fee is waived. With the discounts and specials, shoppers can sometimes save hundreds of dollars, especially on family plans.

So when shopping for a cell phone or a smart phone, be sure to comparison shop. It’s worth taking the time to visit both the carrier’s sites and Wirefly and LetsTalk to see where you can find your best cell phone deal. There’s certainly no reason to spend more than you have to.