Cellular shopping

[Perd Hapley]

I'm trying to see if there's a better option for cell phone service, and I wanted to see if anyone knows of a good comparison site for cell plans.

Also, has anyone tried Patriot Mobile?

I'm using Verizon now.

[K Frame]

I did this a couple of months ago, and found a lot of different sites claiming to offer comprehensive reviews of different plans. How true it was, I don't know, but I ended up sticking with Verizon.

I picked a new plan, with unlimited text and unlimited phone and 5 gig of data with data carry over, and it decreased my bill by almost half.

Still a little more expensive than some of the other plans I was finding like Metro PCS, but I've had excellent service from Verizon over the years.

[RevDisk]

Verizon. I went with prepaid and pay $45 per month.

[Ben]

I went through the same thing Mike did and also ended up staying with Verizon at a reduced rate. Sometimes it's not about cheapest, but about best value.

Doesn't mean I'll always stick with Verizon, but currently, taking coverage into account for places I go, they keep coming out on top. If coverage was equal across the board, I probably would have switched to one of the less known carriers.

[Perd Hapley]

Verizon. I went with prepaid and pay $45 per month.

So how is that? You pay a set amount, and then they charge you extra if you go over?

[Chester32141]

I changed to Cricket and have been very satisfied ... price w/ auto pay is good and they use AT&T towers ... I can use a lower priced plan and bump it up for a month or more for times when it would be good to have unlimited ...

 

eta ... For $45 autopay (total inc taxes and fees) I get unlimited talk and text plus 8 gig ... after 8 gig the data still flows, only slower ...  no contract.

[Perd Hapley]

For prepaid Verizon, or Cricket auto-pay; you guys buy the phones up front, or is that part of the monthly?

[Marnoot]

We've been happy with Ting: https://ting.com/rates. You can choose between using the Sprint CDMA network, or the T-Mobile GSM network. Pay for what you actually use, in tiers. We average ~$40/month for two smartphones. You either buy the phones up front or bring your own compatible device.

[RevDisk]

So how is that? You pay a set amount, and then they charge you extra if you go over?

$45 and $4.35 in taxes. That's 2 gigs of data with unlimited talk/text. Yes, they charge per gig of data.

But apparently it's now $40 with 3 gigs and unlimited talk/text, and it switches to low speed data unless you buy more high speed data usage. I'll have to swing by the store and get my plan updated, unless there is some hook I'm missing. Which I suspect might be bandwidth steering.

I buy my own phone. Off Craigslist or Swappa. Generally speaking, I go with the last generation flagship phone. LG G3, now an LG V10. Which is now $150, so not exactly a ton of up front cash. Prepaid thing has financing where you pay off your smartphone on a monthly plan.

[zahc]

I have a T-Mobile smartphone I bought as a burner. Can it work on ATT/Cricket?

Are there any prepaid plans where I can buy some small amount of minutes, but it will last a year or something, so I could keep another phone around activated and never use it but have it for a spare or for sending with the kids or whatnot?

[MillCreek]

I bought an unlocked ZTE Axon 7 off Amazon, and moved my Cricket SIM from the Nexus 5 to the Axon.  I pay $ 35/month for unlimited talk and text and 2 gig data at 4G LTE speeds.  My phone is hooked up to the Net at home and work, so I never come close to using 2 gig of data in a month.

[Chester32141]

For prepaid Verizon, or Cricket auto-pay; you guys buy the phones up front, or is that part of the monthly?

I bought a Samsung Amp Prime from Cricket for $29 if you port your number ... very satisfied w/ phone, came w/ navigation etc.  I bought mine at a Cricket Store ...

mine was $29 ... https://www.cricketwireless.com/cell-phones/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-amp-prime.html

I wish there was a good way to carry a Smart phone  ... 

[K Frame]

I think with Verizon you have the option of either buying the phone outright from them, having it rolled into your plan for a monthly fee, or you can bring your own.

When I got my 4S some years ago I went for the monthly payment plan. I'm considering don the same thing when I eventually upgrade.

[Perd Hapley]

I think I may stay with Verizon, and pay whatever it takes to get more datums, plus using my phone as a hot spot. Most of the plan will go on my expense account from work. I like the idea of Patriot Mobile (right-leaning company), but there's some large areas of my state, and just over the Ill. border, that are missing from their coverage map.

And since my wife's had the same crummy phone for a couple of years, we'll upgrade that, too.

[Pb]

Verizon will lie to you, repeatedly.

[mtnbkr]

I've been with Verizon for 16 years.  While there are providers and plans that may save me a few dollars a month, none seem to have the combination of coverage and price that fits my needs.  Via work, I've also used T-Mobile and AT&T in the same areas.  T-Mobile was terrible, providing virtually no coverage outside of significant metro areas in VA and NC.  AT&T is equal to Verizon, but the price is the same, so no benefit to jumping ship with them.  I did have better AT&T coverage where VZ was weak, but VZ was strong in areas AT&T struggled with, so it was a wash.  Because my mobile phones are my only phones, service is paramount, even if I have to pay a bit more.  To that end, when I boil it down to coverage, features, and price, I end up with AT&T and Verizon, but of which are similar price-wise, so I stick with VZ.

My AO includes VA, WV, MD, DC, PA, TN, NC, and SC.  Mainly VA and NC though.

As for Verizon lying, I haven't had them lie to me directly, so I'm dubious of that claim.  In addition to cellular service, I also use them for TV and Internet.

Chris

[K Frame]

Verizon will lie to you, repeatedly.

 

[Ben]

Because my mobile phones are my only phones, service is paramount, even if I have to pay a bit more. 

Same here, which makes expense a bit less important, especially when you factor in the money saved on a landline. Verizon was starting to get out of line on cost up through last year for me, but the combination of lower price for more data on their new plans last year, and being able to go off contract made sticking with them a pretty easy choice.

[mtnbkr]

Same here, which makes expense a bit less important, especially when you factor in the money saved on a landline. Verizon was starting to get out of line on cost up through last year for me, but the combination of lower price for more data on their new plans last year, and being able to go off contract made sticking with them a pretty easy choice.

I chuckle at the Sprint ads touting being within 1% of VZ's coverage.  Yeah, that's all well and good until you're standing in the middle of that 1% gap and need to reach someone.

Chris

[Brad Johnson]

I chuckle at the Sprint ads touting being within 1% of VZ's coverage.  Yeah, that's all well and good until you're standing in the middle of that 1% gap and need to reach someone.

Chris

Apparently that 1% gap is pretty much all of Texas outside the metro areas. SWMBO and I have lots of family and friends in the small-town areas between Lubbock and Dallas. She loses coverage any time we get more than ten or fifteen miles from Lubbock. It's a crap shoot after that. When her contract expires she's switching to Verizon. I have their service and it's rare that I lose coverage anywhere in the boonies except way up in the mountains or somewhere in the heart of no-man's land.

Brad

[K Frame]

" Verizon was starting to get out of line on cost up through last year for me, but the combination of lower price for more data on their new plans last year, and being able to go off contract made sticking with them a pretty easy choice."

EXACTLY!

That is exactly why I was looking at leaving Verizon, and exactly why I decided to stay with Verizon in the end.