Cellular plans and phones for family of 5

[Hopscotch]

We are a family of 5 with 3 teens and currently have AT & T. Our bill is over $280 a month with unlimited data. We all have iPhones and all are paid off. However, 4 are currently broken and need to be replaced. Thinking this would be a good time to look at other carriers. We don't want to outright buy 4 iPhones so need to incorporate those into our monthly bills as well. Does anyone have any suggestions of carriers or any websites that will help you compare plans? It seems like when I go on most sites, they max out options at 4 family members and otherwise, you need to call them. I don't really want to have an hour conversation with 10 different companies trying to sell me something. Thanks for any help as I am totally overwhelmed at this point.

 

[_19disnA]

One option might be to go to your local phone store and talk to a real person about your options/prices. If you live in a larger city there are usually a few of them around and makes comparison shopping easier. I agree that talking on the phone to compare is annoying and you mostly get a sales pitch that may/may not be correct when you actually go to the store to sign the contract.

 

[kdonnel]

I have been happy with T-Mobile for many years now.

My bill is $140 a month for 4 lines and includes Netflix. The plan I am on no longer exists and it would be more expensive now.

I think under current promotions, T-Mobile will give you an iPhone 14, with trade in, for every line you add. If your current phones do not qualify for the trade in, it might be worthwhile to buy the cheapest used eligible phones.

 

[sam_gordon]

First, ask friends and coworkers who their carriers are and what kind of service do they get. It doesn't matter if a company will give you free phones and service if it won't work in your area.

Once you figure out the service options, then look online at the deals. ATT will probably even deal with you. Let them know you're looking for new service and need new phones.

We swapped from Verizon to ATT at the beginning of the year. We got three (out of four) new phones (one android, two iPhone), four lines of unlimited data, insurance, and our bill dropped by $50/month.

 

[Minnesota!]

We have 5 lines on Verizon (2 are iphones), with unlimited everything, and 3 newish phones we are paying on and it is 240/month.

 

[mjkacmom]

I pay over $300 for 7 unlimited on Verizon, but there are 2 iPhones on the payment plan (should’ve just bought them so I wouldn’t have to see this bill each month).

 

[MillauFr]

Isn't it usually cheaper to just buy the phones outright rather than pay some inflated charge per month?

 

[sam_gordon]

Isn't it usually cheaper to just buy the phones outright rather than pay some inflated charge per month?

Not necessarily. We got DS & DD iPhone 14 Plus when we switched to ATT. Retail is $900/phone. We get billed $25/month for each phone w/36 installments. That's $900. So basically 0% interest.

BUT

We also get a $20/month credit on the bill for each phone, so it's costing us $5/month/phone. Over 36 months, that's $180 for a $900 phone.

 

[nw6675]

We have 3 unlimited data phone lines plus an unlimited data iPad plan through Verizon for $180. We have great service and customer service. DH and I both have current offers for free Samsung or iPhones since our phones are 3 years old. I know they offer good opportunities for carrier switches.

I know my situation is not the 5 you asked about, but wanted to share that Verizon is worth talking to - agree about going into a store assuming you can catch a good rep who knows what the heck they are talking about!

And at least for existing customers, you can compare the different plans online

 

[sam_gordon]

We have 3 unlimited data phone lines plus an unlimited data iPad plan through Verizon for $180.

That's a heck of a deal. We had four phones (all paid off) w/unlimited data through Verizon and we were paying $280. That's the only reason we moved to ATT (even w/four brand new phones, the ATT bill is $250).

We really liked Verizon, but hard to turn down new phones and save $30+/month.

 

[mamamary]

I would talk to AT&T. I even did it thru the chat feature. I was unhappy about something and they brought our price down. They are even taking $10 off per line every month to go paperless. There are 4 of us so not your situation but they definitely worked with us to lower our plan pricing.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you belong to any warehouse clubs, such as Sam's, BJ's or Costco, don't overlook their phone service offers. Sometimes they are better that what is offered via the service provider alone.

FWIW, we don't buy new phones. Every phone we buy is a display or old-model warehouse stock, and we never pay more than half what the retail price is. No one has ever offered me a cash-back or bill credit program that beats buying a so-called obsolete model. (We don't buy so old that they are unsupported; usually 2 models behind the newest.) Phones, like cars, depreciate the moment you open the box, even if that's all you do.

 

[Dan Murphy]

We are a family of 5 with 3 teens and currently have AT & T. Our bill is over $280 a month with unlimited data. We all have iPhones and all are paid off. However, 4 are currently broken and need to be replaced. Thinking this would be a good time to look at other carriers. We don't want to outright buy 4 iPhones so need to incorporate those into our monthly bills as well. Does anyone have any suggestions of carriers or any websites that will help you compare plans? It seems like when I go on most sites, they max out options at 4 family members and otherwise, you need to call them. I don't really want to have an hour conversation with 10 different companies trying to sell me something. Thanks for any help as I am totally overwhelmed at this point.

Do keep in mind that phone service and pricing can be quite regional in scope. What one person has here on the board may, or may not be available in your locale. Just a thought.

 

[dizneegirl]

We have 5 phones with Verizon, unlimited text/talk/data, and pay under $185/month, including taxes. All of our phones are paid for.

 

[MillauFr]

Not necessarily. We got DS & DD iPhone 14 Plus when we switched to ATT. Retail is $900/phone. We get billed $25/month for each phone w/36 installments. That's $900. So basically 0% interest.

BUT

We also get a $20/month credit on the bill for each phone, so it's costing us $5/month/phone. Over 36 months, that's $180 for a $900 phone.

How much better is the $900 IPhone than the IPhone 12 that Boost Mobile is selling for $200? Plus they are offering unlimited data for $25 a month

 

[sam_gordon]

How much better is the $900 IPhone than the IPhone 12 that Boost Mobile is selling for $200? Plus they are offering unlimited data for $25 a month

Larger screen, better battery, better/faster processor, more storage. AND it's cheaper.

I'm personally not comfortable with Boost (or with Cricket, etc), I'd rather be on one of the "Big 2", MAYBE T-mobile.

But of course, you're moving the goal posts. I was responding to your comment about "inflated charge per month", which is not true (for us at least).

 

[Skippy918]

If you belong to any warehouse clubs, such as Sam's, BJ's or Costco, don't overlook their phone service offers. Sometimes they are better that what is offered via the service provider alone.

FWIW, we don't buy new phones. Every phone we buy is a display or old-model warehouse stock, and we never pay more than half what the retail price is. No one has ever offered me a cash-back or bill credit program that beats buying a so-called obsolete model. (We don't buy so old that they are unsupported; usually 2 models behind the newest.) Phones, like cars, depreciate the moment you open the box, even if that's all you do.

we buy used older models as well. I have an iPhone 8+, kids have a 7 and 8 which used to be our old phones. They are on limited Tello plans. Their plans are $6 per month. Dh and I have mint.

 

[kdonnel]

I'm personally not comfortable with Boost (or with Cricket, etc), I'd rather be on one of the "Big 2", MAYBE T-mobile.

Network parity between T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T has been around for many years. There will be areas where one works better than another but for the most part it does not matter.

Edited to add:
As for size, I believe it is Verizon, T-Mobile, and then AT&T.

As for MVNO...they are almost always one of the 3.

MVNOs by network​

Carrier	Network
Boost Mobile	T-Mobile
Consumer Cellular	AT&T, T-Mobile
CREDO Mobile	Verizon
Cricket	AT&T
FreeUP	AT&T
Gen Mobile	T-Mobile
Good2Go Mobile	AT&T
Google Fi	T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular
Lively (formerly GreatCall)	Verizon
H2O Wireless	AT&T
Metro by T-Mobile	T-Mobile
Mint Mobile	T-Mobile
Net10	T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon
Page Plus	Verizon
Pure TalkUSA	AT&T
Reach Mobile	AT&T, Verizon
Red Pocket	T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T
Republic Wireless	T-Mobile
Simple Mobile	T-Mobile
Spectrum Mobile	Verizon
Straight Talk	T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T
Tello	T-Mobile
Text Now	T-Mobile
Ting	T-Mobile
Total Wireless	Verizon
TracFone	T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T
Twigby	Verizon
U.S. Cellular	U.S. Cellular
Ultra Mobile	T-Mobile
US Mobile	T-Mobile, Verizon
Visible	Verizon
Wing	AT&T, T-Mobile
Xfinity Mobile	Verizon

 

[starry_solo]

So, we are a Verizon family (primarily) but also use Tracfone.
I had Visible (on the Verizon network) for a charity that I work with (didn't want calls on my personal phone).... data ("unlimited") was horrible.
AT&T doesn't have reception in my house so whenever I use my work phone (AT&T), I (or the other caller) keep getting cut off...so much so that I resort to using my personal phone if I need to finish the call.

 

[cvjw]

Can you get a different plan with AT&T? We have 4 iPhones on their highest unlimited plan plus payments for 3 iPhones for $235 a month. If we added a 5th phone, it would save us money - our monthly fee per phone would go from $20 each to $15 each.