Posted on 10/16/2013 6:24:05 AM PDT by kyperman
Interesting. I just checked the data used app on my trac phone and for a one week period it’s 56 MB, so I’ll never approach the level of usage mentioned in that article. I’m happy with the plan so far.
When the iphone 3GS came out I wanted it but had the choice of paying in full or getting it for much less but then locked into a plan. I calculated out the total costs and found the pay up front and use pay as you go at about $1000 cheaper. Now I was happy to forego the internet connection because I felt I had enough internet in my life and if I ever needed it on the go it was also available for daily or weekly plans. I also was not a heavy user of the cellphone so it fit me fine. Still have the iphone and still going strong. This works if you are a low level user. If on the other hand you use the phone and internet a lot it would not work as well. You really need to figure out how much you use or need the various services.
I kind of doubt it costs the phoneco anywhere close to as much as the full retail to get the phone they sell. An $80 phone might be $15 to manufacture. The high prices are just so they can say yes they offered the phone. And it might even be a refurbished phone, costing even less.
Surely somewhere somebody already sells used, cleaned phones?
The people that are unhappy are streaming music, videos. 1.5 GB before being capped would be a lot of data for me.
The only reason I’d like to have web access on my phone would be to have access to real rime radar. I’ve lived without it my whole life, but it would be cool to have.
A lot depends on your phone needs and usage. Also, if your home and usual places to visit offer wi-fi.
I am not a big talker by phone but I need it at times. I also found myself wishing for all these neat apps found on smartphones, particularly traffic and weather now that I have to drive across town on the interstate to reach my new job.
The answer I chose was Consumer Cellular which re-sells AT&T but there are other companies with similar plans. I bought a smartphone for $250 from them which they break down to $100 now and $25/mo until paid. You can craft your plan based on how much phone and data you need.
I did use a flip phone and Pay as you go which was costing me around $30/mo and with this new plan on Consumer Cellular, I am spending $35-40/mo but now can use all sorts of bells and whistles on my smartphone that are very handy.
But there is a catch to this. The data you use over Wi-Fi does not count on your total so I got my internet router set up at home and all my home data usage is free. My favorite hang-outs also have Wi-Fi so I can use their networks when I am out.
The phone is equipped with 4G for everywhere else but that data counts against your total so use it sparingly. I’ve also discovered that 4G constantly on is a big drain on your phone’s battery so I have an app that turns it off when I am not using it. It still works for phone calls with 4G off, just not data unless I can access Wi-Fi.
I would never set up a contract because I don’t use the phone like some teenaged girl. I almost never text and I really don’t make many calls. But now I have a phone that gives me data access almost anywhere so it is like having a mini-laptop that doubles as a phone with picture quality good enough to watch a sporting event or a tv show on it (as long as Wi-Fi is present).
One other nice thing about Consumer Cellular. They almost by accident found themselves popular with senior citizens so their customer service and website are very good with tailored videos on how to use your new phone if you bought it from them. Plus you can increase or decrease your usage plans as you go along so you aren’t locked into a certain plan that no longer fits.
I tried to set up with two other companies before making this move. Republic Wireless offers $19.95/mo unlimited everything but they insist you get your phone from them at a high cost. Ting has a scaled plan like Consumer Cellular and is more flexible on what phone you use with them (they are a reseller of Sprint) but they refer you to a company called Glyde for your phone and they are selling you other people’s used phones that are often in less-than-pristine condition. Consumer Cellular sends you a new phone they have customized for their network but, really, any phone set up to work on AT&T can be used with them.
When I was a kid (70's) we used AM radio on the farm for "real time radar." Always get the cracking and popping on the radio when lightening was around. You could also watch the cows and get an idea when storms were coming.
Sure, you can buy used phones.
My point was that if you want the newest iphone or top-tier Android phone, there is a cost for that phone.
The question is then whether you pay upfront or in installments.
If you don’t want a new, modern phone, then my point is moot.
I have to turn my Virgin Mobile off at night - they call me at 4 AM to tell me to top up.
Didn't Obama and Hagel turn off the GPS System as part of the shutdown? Just kiddin, but I bet they considered it.
Check out Republic Wireless. We have it for my son and it works well. We pay $19.95 a month for unlimited everything (with no contract). The phone is specially programmed by Republic to use Wifi whenever it can and to use Sprint when Wifi isn’t available.
I have been using Tracfone pay-as-you-go for about 6 years. It has good nationwide service.
I don’t make many local or long distance calls, so a monthly plan is just too costly. My old landline was costing $300 a year plus a minimum of $5 for each long distance call after the phone company added on various extra LD charges.
I use the Tracfone service plan for a full year of service for about $50. To get that rate, I purchase (online at the Tracfone website) a $20 3-month service plus 60-minutes time. [I have nearly 4 hours of minutes from previous purchases.] With Tracfone, minutes do not expire and roll over until used.
Bottom line, my monthly average with Tracfone is about $7 per month, rather than the $25 + long distance with the old landline.
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StraightTalk is a Walmart+Tracfone service that had web access plus unlimited calls & texting (read the fine print) for about $50/month.
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Any good deals on internet service? Am cutting all costs to the bone this month and if any savings are to be had I am in. Thanks.
There are phones that don’t require a data plan. We have the same issue in our household, with daughter wanting a fancy phone, and we not willing to pay for the dataplan. She has plenty of (new model) phones to pick from, but she isn’t keeping up with the Joneses.
I have been on Virgin Mobile’s $25 a month (grandfathered), now $35, for about three years now. It is a $119 LG 3G Android 2.3 phone with unlimited internet and texting with 300 phone minutes per month. It uses the Sprint 1900 CDMA network.
Disadvantages: insufficient memory (get one with at least 1mb) which limits the amount of apps you can install, does not roam on Verizon’s 800/850/900 network like Sprint phones do (so there are more “no service” areas).
I have been very satisfied with the product and their customer service. Not willing to upgrade and pay the additional $10 at this point in time, but even the $35 is better than most other plans out there. If you often travel to more remote areas, this phone may not be for you (or have a backup phone for flexibility). I also have a Tracfone flip phone for prepaid $0.10 a minute that uses AT&T network. That fills the bill for flexibility for me.
I have a radar app on my phone. It’s very useful and covers the entire US. It’s one of my most used apps.
With T-mobile prepaid you pay $100 upfront to get Gold Rewards status, then as low as $10 per year. Calls are 10c/minute. Data has to be purchased separately. And, unlike Virgin Mobile, the phones use sim cards so you can swap phones or providers with ease. If you keep the phone for emergencies, there is really no better option.
Several companies advertise ‘unlimited’ voice and data.
However, when one reads the fine print, the ‘unlimited’ is usually in the range of 4-5GB per month. If one exceeds that amount frequently, they may lose service or be charged extra.
I complain about my cable co, but their internet service (mid-level tier for $55/month) gives me 200 GB per month usage. I seldom use more than 60 GB, even with Netflix and other video services.
We had a landline at home and would be getting a TracFone which would cost us less per year than Verizon cost us every month. The kids all agreed that it was time to find their own plan.
Beyond the fact that Verizon Wireless was a jerk of a company and the expense, having one less bill to pay has been absolutely liberating.
Just getting the jag-offs who had your cell phone number out of your life (just one example: co-workers with penny ante complaints) was stress reducing.
We bought a Kindle Fire from the savings just one month after the contracted ended to celebrate. It does everything an I-Phone does except make phone calls including music, texting, videos, internet or anything else where wireless is available. Yeah, it is a little bigger and heavier. But on the other hand, it means you can actually work with a nice 7" screen rather than an itty bitty 2" screen.
FYI
NET10 is now a Tracfone company.
I don’t know whether an account established under one is usable by the other. Cellular are quite strict on that.
I thought about upgrading to a better camera phone with Tracfone, and I hoped I could also use my existing phone and have both use the same number, so I could leave one in the car and use the other at home. No dice. One phone, one number. I could drop service for the older and transfer it to the newer, but that would take several days.
It isn’t worth the hassle.
I live in semi-urban, middle of Louisiana. We have -a- coffee shop in a -15- mile radius. The only carrier that is any good is good ol’ reconstituting Ma Bell, or for those born after The Berlin Wall came down, ATT.
I have a smartphone. I “am up for an upgrade”. ATT is listing all the phones, not so much with the “if you sign a contract it will be less”, but flat out slapping a ‘lease payment per month’ on top of my bill, for a 20 month time period.
I pay a lot now, and they seem to think that I am going “to play puppy”?
Do I play games on my phone? No, I’m not a kid. Do I download music? NO, it has an FM radio in the circuitry, and I pay for Internet radio. Do I download videos on the phone? That’s why I have a laptop. Do I text anyone? Maybe an average of once a week.
However, for all the apps I DON”T use, and cannot get removed from the phone, even with assitance from the well-trained service staff at an ATT store, like Twitter, Facebook, etc., my phone uses battery power and datas usage to attempt to upgrade those apps, constantly.
So, I can get a new phone, with a bunch of stuff in it I don’t want and can’t delete, with a data plan that is not enough for what I actually do.
I think I will stick with this one, until ....
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