How much is your cell phone bill? Do you do mo. pay for each phone?

[kellia]

Cricket- 5 smart phones for $100/mo. We all have unlimited talk/text and 2.5g data/mo, after 2.5g it gets slow for that phone.

We all have Samsung Galaxy S5. We don't need the latest ones, we usually buy refurbished when the next model comes out!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We are with t-mobile. We have 4 voice lines, unlimited talk/text/internet, unlimited data on a iPad, and DH is on the jump plan so he can get a new phone several times per year and we pay about 175.

 

[Rovim]

We had Verizon and switched to T-Mobile. We pay about 160 which includes the insurance and taxes. I get a discount through work. We switched because Verizon was getting expensive and we opted for theunlimited data plan.

I am hoping to get an idea of what people are currently paying. We are about $220/mo, includes the taxes,fees...I am told this is an old grandfathered in plan? It is self DH and 2DS(18,20).

We have Sprint-4 phones-unlimited data. 3 of our 4 phones have finished the 24 mo contract-got them for free 2 yrs ago with the black friday deals. (free with 24 mo renew of contract) 1- my DH traded his in last yr plus about $150 for the 6Sedge and 24 mo renew.

I have been scanning the ads that have come out and it looks like no more free-only do the payments and get a GC rom the store. Since our contract is up on the 3 and DH's is in a couple months, we could look to switch carriers. I just can't see adding $30/phone/month on top of $220! To buy outright we are looking at about $550 for the galaxy S7, or similar phone. I am OK with keeping mine for another yr or so but my 2 ds would like the next new one but will be fine for now if we keep them. The problem is at some point we will need new ones, they always start having issues with pics, speakers, cracks...something. This way we kept the plan on the same schedule.

What do all of you do? What are you paying? We really use the data up, and it needs to be at the HD faster streaming, not low def.

Thanks for ANY suggestions ans information. I told DH I would ck with all of you-I think I always get the best info here over random google searches!

 

[sweetpeama]

We were paying between $180-210 a month for 2 lines 1 dump phone 1 smart phone with AT&T when we switched to Straight Talk in May 2013. We currently pay $100 a month for our phone line, dh has the $30 limited plan for talk and data, text is unlimited but he never uses any data and if he uses 300 minutes of talk time in a month he talked a lot. Normal for him is 150-200 minutes. Mine is the $45 a month plan though I use wifi where I can on my data so I rarely have it go to the slower speeds. We pay $25 a month for almost 12 year old dd's phone through total wireless. The rule is if she wants data she has to choose to pay for it. She competes in fair shows as well as her martial arts classes and it is easier on me to know where she is or how times are running especially if I have her sister at another activity. My youngest has multiple special needs so some days navigating parking lots with her is dangerous it is easier for my older one to call when done and I can just drive up to the door and get her if I can't park right in front. At the shows it is also easier for me to call her instead of having to go find her all the time ( check pen no, check movie spot ( lots of older Disney VHS are watched here) no, check chess table area, no, check any of 2-3 different make a simple project table, no, is she is one of 3 different bathrooms or at the food court or did she go to the first aid and water station just outside the door) I just call and tell her go check your animals sweep around the pens and spend some time answering questions and letting visitors pet them.

 

[MomToOne]

2 phones (DD16, myself) on $30 T-mobile prepaid plan that has 100 minutes (we aren't big cell phone talkers - long conversations with family we just use the home phone line for), unlimited data throttled at 5gb, unlimited texts.

I buy unlocked Android phones that are good values for the money, not the flashiest "in" phones. I bought the Moto X Pure when it came about a year ago for around $400 if I remember right (prior to that I had a Google Nexus); I bought DD the same Moto X Pure for Christmas this year for $250.

 

[johnnymo99]

Cricket- 5 smart phones for $100/mo. We all have unlimited talk/text and 2.5g data/mo, after 2.5g it gets slow for that phone.

We all have Samsung Galaxy S5. We don't need the latest ones, we usually buy refurbished when the next model comes out!

We also have the Cricket 5 phone plan. Best deal out there.

 

[moopdog]

Straight talk. I paid $440 last December for 12 months of service (unlimited text and talk, 5 gb/month of data). I bought a used iPhone 6 on eBay.

Will Straight Talk do that again this year? When & how did you learn about it?

 

[moopdog]

We pay $295 through AT&T with 4 smart phones. We share 20G of data. Dh, Ds and I all have new phones, where we are paying for them through the monthly payment. DD got one of our old iphone5's.

This is similar to our plan with ATT, but we have 30g (and somehow go over every few months thanks to my teenager's youtube habits).

 

[havaneselover]

Will Straight Talk do that again this year? When & how did you learn about it?

I'm not sure. I got something in the mail at the end of December last year.

Also I just bought 90 days of service on eBay for $108 plus am getting $8 eBay bucks. So if they don't, hopefully I can keep buying from eBay.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

This is similar to our plan with ATT, but we have 30g (and somehow go over every few months thanks to my teenager's youtube habits).

We share 30 GB of data. I use 2-3 a month (I use work wifi), SO uses about 8-10 (no wifi at work) and my son would sometimes go over 20 GB mostly due to youtube (slow wifi at school so he uses LTE). Each additional GB was $15! The first time I let him slide. After that I made him pay me for the GB, especially since Verizon sends you 100 texts telling you that you are going over and he would STILL use his phone without data. Then I capped him. On Verizon there is a feature where I can cap his data. He gets 15 GB a month. After that he can only get on the internet with wifi and no iMessages. He went over twice and that was last year. He hasn't gone over since.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

Just under $200 a month for 3 phones, 20 gb shared data on Verizon. No phone payments We get an 18% employee discount. We traded in paid for 6's from t-mobile for new 7's. We paid a little less with t-mobile but the coverage was terrible. Dropped calls and no data service pretty much constantly.

I would beware going through a 3rd party provider unless you live in a very urban area. Straight talk, cricket, ect are cheaper, but piggyback on someone else's network. The company that actually owns the network gives their customers priority so depending on where you are, service is spotty with them. We know a lot of people who have tried them here only to switch back when they find their phones are basically useless.

 

[havaneselover]

Just under $200 a month for 3 phones, 20 gb shared data on Verizon. No phone payments We get an 18% employee discount. We traded in paid for 6's from t-mobile for new 7's. We paid a little less with t-mobile but the coverage was terrible. Dropped calls and no data service pretty much constantly.

I would beware going through a 3rd party provider unless you live in a very urban area. Straight talk, cricket, ect are cheaper, but piggyback on someone else's network. The company that actually owns the network gives their customers priority so depending on where you are, service is spotty with them. We know a lot of people who have tried them here only to switch back when they find their phones are basically useless.

I don't live in an urban area and travel a fair amount and have had no issues with straight talk in the four years I've had them. Even had service in St. Thomas last summer. The only place I have minor issues is Northern Michigan because my phone uses AT&T towers and up there you really need Verizon service.

For about $35 / month it's a steal IMO and the service is very good.

 

[HappyHappy]

Just renewed ours. Finally got our adult children off our plan.
$20 a month per line, $15 a month for 2gb data, so $35 per phone with Verizon for DW and I.
Son stayed with Verizon with the same program and cost as us.
DW and I have Samsung Galaxy S4s, work perfectly so kept them
DS has a Samsung Galaxy S5, works perfectly so kept it. Well all three bought new Samsung batteries for $7 per battery.

DD bought a Google phone and went with Fi. $400 for the phone, $20 a month for the line, $15 a month for 2 Gb of data.

Our data history going back several years showed none of us ever used much more than 1GB of data per line, so 2GB is more than enough. But the 2 place we are at the most ....home and work...have WiFi, so very little.
DW and I do use GPS on the phones on trips, but last few trips were to places that still have absolutely no cell service from any provider. Thank goodness I still have the Tom Tom GPS I bought 7 years ago.

Would you share the name of this plan please? Just Hubby and me and we pay $156 month . We never go over our shared 2gb data.

 

[tvguy]

Would you share the name of this plan please? Just Hubby and me and we pay $156 month . We never go over our shared 2gb data.

There is no name. It is the basic Verizon plan. $20 per month per line, then a fixed amount of data for a fixed price, $15 a month in our case for 2GB.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Would you share the name of this plan please? Just Hubby and me and we pay $156 month . We never go over our shared 2gb data.

Call Verizon. You probably have the More Everything Plan. They have a "new" Verizon Plan.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I don't live in an urban area and travel a fair amount and have had no issues with straight talk in the four years I've had them. Even had service in St. Thomas last summer. The only place I have minor issues is Northern Michigan because my phone uses AT&T towers and up there you really need Verizon service.

For about $35 / month it's a steal IMO and the service is very good.

well, you are lucky because they don't work well in the rural south. My sister traveled all over the south for work for a while and it was terrible coverage on straight talk. She got stranded with no service one time, and that was the last straw. It doesn't work well where we live either.

 

[havaneselover]

well, you are lucky because they don't work well in the rural south. My sister traveled all over the south for work for a while and it was terrible coverage on straight talk. She got stranded with no service one time, and that was the last straw. It doesn't work well where we live either.

It runs on AT&T or Verizon is my understanding and I'm not sure I believe the lack of priority is an issue. I guess the lesson is to talk to people locally because if I read stories like this before I opted for ST I may have stayed with a more expensive carrier with no noticeable difference in service. The other thing I will point out is if it doesn't work, it's really not a huge investment since the SIM card is cheap and you can buy 30 days of service.

And I've used my phone in AL, TX, GA, and FL while traveling and never ever had a problem.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

It runs on AT&T or Verizon is my understanding and I'm not sure I believe the lack of priority is an issue. I guess the lesson is to talk to people locally because if I read stories like this before I opted for ST I may have stayed with a more expensive carrier with no noticeable difference in service. The other thing I will point out is if it doesn't work, it's really not a huge investment since the SIM card is cheap and you can buy 30 days of service.

It is either a priority issue or the way they are utilizing towers because both ATT and Verizon work where straight talk does not. Verizon is the best ,but ATT works vast majority of the time.

 

[tvguy]

Would you share the name of this plan please? Just Hubby and me and we pay $156 month . We never go over our shared 2gb data.

Here it is
https://www.verizonwireless.com/plans/verizon-plan/

$20 per line base charge.
PLUS
$15 if you want 2GB
$30 if you wnt 4 GB
etc

 

[havaneselover]

It is either a priority issue or the way they are utilizing towers because both ATT and Verizon work where straight talk does not. Verizon is the best ,but ATT works vast majority of the time.

Maybe I haven't been in an area with so few cell towers that priority is an issue. But your post I originally responded to basically said ST was a poor option unless you live in a "very urban area." That's simply untrue.