cheap phone providers/plans

[Briansol]

I'm in the market for a new mobile phone/contract.

My verizon contract is up next week.

I'm sick of paying $106 a month for it.
I used 8 min of my plan last month. It's a complete waste of money to even have it at this point.

As much as i'd like to get a droid/etc, i don't want the contract or high service fee that goes along with it.

So, i'm looking into some cheap stuff. pocket, boost, tracphone, etc. Stuff without contracts. plans under $40 a month and hopefully include a free or <$50 phone.

Anyone have any experience with service coverage? my understanding is that these places lease towers from the big3, etc.

I really don't want to get into something sold by the minuet.

 

[E_SolSi]

I really don't want to get into something sold by the minuet.

yeah those minuets can get pricey

YouTube - Bach- minuet in A major

 

[George777]

Boost has the unlimited everything plan for $50. You can use any Nextel phone for it, so if you know someone that has one laying around, you can probably get a better one that most of the places offer.

The problem that I have noticed with most of the smaller companies is the lack of service in a lot of areas. Where you end up saving money on the plan, you usually have to pay full price for the phone, and it only works in a limited area.

Cricket Wireless doesn't offer service in CT, otherwise I would recommend them.

Edit: I know you said you wanted to pay <$40 a month, but Verizon now has the unlimited plan for $69.99 a month. You could have your Droid and pay a lot less than you do now for decent coverage, but you would still be in another 2 year contract.

 

[Briansol]

I don't mind being in a contract so much.... i'm just tired of paying $106 a month (incl taxes) for something i use < 10 min of a month. thats like $10 a min. lol it's absurd and i need to cut this huge, and basically useless, expense.
even at $69 a month, thats like $75 with taxes..... it's still too much money IMO.

I'm also considering tossing Vonage at my house. $24 a month. Cell service at my house is medicore at best (i'm in a small valley), which is why i got it in the first place. Considering replacing the landline with magic jack too.

hrm...

 

[ripperbone]

tmobile has some good prices and they also now offer a no contract plan (not prepaid)
for $80 u can get unlimited talk, text and web, where as the new verizon plan is only unlimited talk

or tmobile has 500 mins, unlimited text, unlimited web for $60

and you can get the nexus 1on tmobile

tmobile also has some good prepaid plans also

look at the even more plus plans for the no contract

 

[George777]

Sprint now offers Everything Unlimited Plan for $69 a month, and that is unlimited web, text, and talk...

I can't remember the name of the provider, but there is a place in Meriden that opened a few locations that offers unlimited cell service for something like $30 a month. I can't remember the name of the place, but I will see if I can find it and send you a link...

 

[TurboMirage]

my iphone costs ATCA 90 bucks a month. unlimited internet and texting, tether, and i have a ton of rollover minutes.... in another 2-3months im going to go to a plan that has less minutes also.

 

[jeffie7]

B, what the hell? did you not buy coverage based on what you use? before linh came along (we have 3 phones on 1 plan) I NEVER had a cellphone bill over $45.00 with Verizon thats total with txt and added fees

right now we have 3 cell phones

Storm unlimited data, umlimited V2V txt 500 outside of network txt
LG something or other, unlimited v2b txt/500 outside
random phone with just talk

our bill is in the $130s

I believe we have 700 minutes between them all. clearly you dont use your minutes so you could do a single plan at 400 minutes I believe that's $39.99 or 34.99

I dont get why it would be over $100. It's like someone bitching about their cable bill being so high when they watch nothing more then family guy. Yet they have howard tv, hbo, showtime, stars, skinamax...

look at your bill my guess is you have everything on your plan and use none of it, you're the best customer any phone company can have.

 

[reckedracing]

my droid is running me about 90 ish a month i believe with a discount
so you'd be looking at about the same phone bill (106) a month for the droid

you can get the 450 minute plan but then you have the data plan which tacks on another 30 a month
does your verizon bill for 106 include your house phone or something?

magic jack is an interesting concept
i'd love to hear how it works out for anyone who uses it

 

[TurboMirage]

magic jack works great for those who i know that have it.

 

[George777]

Another option is to get rid of the phone altogether--or mostly, anyway.

Get the cheapest, smallest plan you can. Get the wireless broadband from one of the Big 3 as you call it, and then just use Google Voice to make all your calls. By having the wireless card, you can get internet at the house, or take it with you and get it from your laptop. With Google Voice, you can just make any calls you need to and pay for the minutes you use that way. Rates are ridiculously cheap and will shave a bunch of money from a few bill--internet and phone, anyway.

 

[DarkHand]

I'm also considering tossing Vonage at my house. $24 a month. Cell service at my house is medicore at best (i'm in a small valley), which is why i got it in the first place. Considering replacing the landline with magic jack too.

hrm...

So wait, you've got cell, vonage, and a land line? Vonage replaced my land line years and years ago, no real point in running both at the same time except for the reliability factor, and I've got my Vonage router, main router, cable modem, and phone powered through a UPS (which is hooked up to a car battery!). Same thing really.

magic jack works great for those who i know that have it.

And isn't Magicjack just another VOIP provider like Vonage? That's more redundancy.

 

[neonmike]

my iphone costs ATCA 90 bucks a month. unlimited internet and texting, tether, and i have a ton of rollover minutes.... in another 2-3months im going to go to a plan that has less minutes also.

not to jacks b's thread but how the hell do you tether with your iphone, is it jailbroken cause its not available on mine.

 

[TurboMirage]

not to jacks b's thread but how the hell do you tether with your iphone, is it jailbroken cause its not available on mine.

iPhone 3G S: Enable Tethering

 

[neonmike]

i think that will only work if i have a mac not pc

 

[TurboMirage]

i have a bunch of them at the office it was easy...

 

[klyph]

B switching to a prepaid? What's next, trading in the genesis for an 86 cutlass on 32's? Fubu shirt and a huge fake gold chain? Where's that flagday pic? I haz photoshops to do...

 

[VTEC_CBR]

tmobile has some good prices and they also now offer a no contract plan (not prepaid)
for $80 u can get unlimited talk, text and web, where as the new verizon plan is only unlimited talk

or tmobile has 500 mins, unlimited text, unlimited web for $60

and you can get the nexus 1on tmobile

tmobile also has some good prepaid plans also

look at the even more plus plans for the no contract

I love my Nexus One, but they have a plan especially for it that runs $79. It's unlimited data, sms/mms and I think 500 minutes. I guess you could get a cheaper plan if you buy the phone unlocked, but I doubt that he wants to throw $530 down for the phone alone.

 

[Briansol]

yeah, its the data plan that kills it

79 is still too much IMO. i'd like to be under 50, or even less if possible.

 

[97hatch]

i would research magic jack i looked in to it as i dont have a home phone and decided aginst it in like 10min