Thoughts on T-Mobile vs. Verizon??

[cheerful chickadee]

We have been with Verizon for a few years now but since our 2 year contract is almost up we were looking into changing cell carriers.

We currently have 3 lines, 2 basic phones for DH and I (no data, antique flip out keyboard lol) and an iphone for our DS, he gets 2gb of data per month. We get unlimited texts and I believe 700 talk minutes to share each month.

DH and I are getting tired of the terrible quality of our old basic phones, we barely "Talk" on the phone but when we do....all calls are dropped. Literally all of them. My phone does this thing where it won't send or receive texts unless I restart the whole phone and it takes a good 3 minutes for it to restart.

We don't need a ton of data, everywhere we go have wifi, 2-3GB per line per month is plenty. We text most of all. I like that with t-mobile you pay for the phone monthly rather than having to come up with $600+ out of pocket right now for 3 phones.


Opinions of T-Mobile vs. Verizon? Other suggestions?

 

[tvguy]

Look at the coverage map for both before you decide. Look at the regions you normally use your phones.

THEN compare prices.

Verizon make no excuses for their higher rates, their coverage is better than every other carrier. But if another carrier's coverage is good where you use your phones, that wouldn't be a factor.

 

[Happy Snowman]

You can pay monthly for your phone with Verizon. I agree, look at the maps and coverage area. If you travel a lot, T-Mobile has a pretty limited network. With a new contract you can get some pretty good discounts on new phones, including Smartphones. With the new Iphone coming out, you can probably get a good deal on the 5 if that is what you want. You can look online and see what the deals are.

 

[mguilford1]

I have been a TMobile customer in Maine for over 10 years and we love our plan. We use to have issues with spotty coverage but it has been fine the last 3 years. We chose what phones we want and buy them or pay monthly for them really expensive phones are $24 per month for 24 months, you can get some for $50 total depends on what you want. I love the new plans I am not locked in to anything incase our situation changes. We have 5 phones unlimited calls, text and data. Slow speeds on data if we use over a certain amount in the month but we dont ever go over. My husband gets the truly unlimited on his phone for $10 extra per month and it comes with free music service. We pay no more than $120 per month for all 5 phones! Good customer service too!! That is the most important!

 

[tasha99]

I switched to T-mobile yesterday after having Verizon for nearly a decade.
What I've seen so far:

Verizon: Need help at the store? Get put on a list and wait a half hour before being helped.
T-Mobile: They were able to help me immediately.

Verizon: Cost of new phones are hidden in contract.
T-Mobile: Transparency on what the phones cost. We got 2 Samsung Galaxy S5 phones that add $25/month each for the first 2 years. No contract either. We also bought a cheap smart phone and a dumb phone as well.

Verizon: Wifi for data
T-Mobile: Wifi calling as well as wifi data. This matters because there is very little reception at our house. I can call, though, over the internet.

Verizon: Cost of a signal extender is $250
T-Mobile: I was told (have to verify) that I can call in and get one for free though I'll have to return it someday. This is better for me. I do want one so Im not dependent on our internet connection for calls.

Verizon: Cost for 2 smart phones and one dumb phone, 1400 shared minutes, unlimited text, and 2 Gigs data each was $200/month
T-Mobile: 4 phones is $100 for unlimited text, calling, and 10 GB of shared data. Then add our phone payments, and it's $150 for 4 lines total.

One nice thing about T-mobile's wifi calling is you won't get charged for international calls made over wifi--kind of a great deal if you travel and want to use your phones.

So far I'm sold. Verizon is very overrated and they've rested on their laurels. Their customer service STINKS, as well. I'm pretty thrilled with our move to T-mobile so far.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

It depends on your location, check coverage maps. Chances are Verizon is going to be have better coverage.

You can also find decent priced NEW Verizon phone for their prepaid network. The less expensive phones seem to be 3G but if you don't use a lot of data, you probably will not be bothered by that. They seem to have quite a few available for well under $100.

You might also consider PagePlus, they use the Verizon prepaid network, they also use Verizon phones. They sell phones themselves, but you can use pretty much any NON-4GLTE phone on their network. On the cheap you can buy an used Verizon phone on eBay then activate it Page Plus...or just do an eBay search for Page Plus phones.

AT&T GoPhone is a possibility. I tried out a little $50 Nokia smart phone this summer just for the heck of it and really liked it. Yes I was actually carrying around 2 phones over the summer, I am crazy like that. No it isn't an iPhone, but when you compare $50 to $500, it's an amazing deal.

A lot of people are doing well with Straight Talk as well, they have a variety of phones that use networks such as Verizon and AT&T. I think some of their stuff uses Sprint, probably should avoid those particular phones. I a sure an associate in the store will know these things and steer you the right direction.

It seems as if the there are many options in the world of phones today and there is no longer any need get locked into a 2 year contract.

Check coverage maps... service is the most important factor.

 

[sam_gordon]

Ignore the coverage maps. There is nothing to say how accurate they are. Talk to friends & coworkers. They will tell you if T-Mobile has coverage where you need it. IMO, it doesn't matter how cheap the coverage is if you can't use the phone where you need to.

 

[auntfrannie]

I don't believe the maps that Verizon publishes at all! According to them I should have excellent reception but I don't. If the wind blows the wrong way my calls get dropped. In order to get my texts to go through I have wave my phone around in the air. It's just ridiculous.

I've talked to their tech support and they first told me that it's the house. So I went outside and tried to send a text to them (I had them on my landline phone) and that didn't work either. They said they would look into and get back to me. That was in January!

When my plan is up in January 2015 I'll be switching to AT&T. Verizon just doesn't care about their customers. Period. AT&T might not be much better but at least I won't be giving my money to Verizon.

 

[Jennasis]

I live in the middle of nowhere in NC and LOVE myT-Mobile network phone.

 

[kimmar067]

We have been with Verizon for a few years now but since our 2 year contract is almost up we were looking into changing cell carriers.....Opinions of T-Mobile vs. Verizon? Other suggestions?

....two people in our family have Verizon and 3 have T-Mobile....does that help?

 

[laughinplace199]

I used to have T Mobile and the coverage was awful where I live. Lots of dropped calls and dead zones, but they were cheaper than anyone else in my area, so I stayed with them until my kids got to the age where they needed phones.

The whole point of my kids getting cell phones was so they could reach me if/when they needed me and also for emergencies, so we needed reliable coverage. We switched to Verizon and although it's more expensive, the coverage is much better.

 

[mom2rtk]

If it matters to you..... we have T-Mobile and their coverage is awful at WDW. It's fine in our home town, but any time we go to WDW we have trouble.

You might not have a contract, but if you add the price of phones to your bill, it sort of acts like a contract because if you leave you have to front the balance of what is due on the phones.

The last phone falls off our bill this year and then I plan to evaluate all of our options again. I'm tired of paying full cost for phones.

 

[cheerful chickadee]

Thank you all for your input!! I know verizon's map shoes the better coverage in our area -- and pretty much everywhere but our calls get dropped constantly. Which tells me it might be the "dumb" phones we're using. FWIW T-Mobile shows good/excellent in our area.

Verizon is going to charge us $30 per line to upgrade, plus the cost of the phones up front (at the 2 yr price) and then the bill will go up to $200 per month. So right now out of pocket we'd need $690 if we go for the phones we like. The edge program is ok but the monthly cost of the phones are still more than t-mobile and they will still charge us either upgrade fees or new activation fees because we're switching plan types (according to the rep I spoke to yesterday).

Lots to think about.

 

[ebradley23]

I made the switch when Verizon forced me out of my unlimited data plan. T-Mobile's coverage isn't nearly as good as Verizon, but it meets my needs. I also have wi-fi pretty much wherever I am, so the coverage isn't as big of a deal. They sent me a signal booster for my home at no charge, and I get no dropped calls there any longer. I get no service at my office, but nobody on any provider does. This building must be made out of vault material.

What sets T-Mobile apart for me is their service. It is excellent! Both on the phone and in person.

 

[Geoff_M]

Keep in mind that you don't have to buy your phone from the provider. You can get good used phones from dealers on eBay. Our son recently took his Samsung S3 phone along with him into a hot tub. "Rice trick" didn't work. Instead of buying a new phone for $500+, we got a nice used S3 on eBay in near perfect state with free shipping for $149.

 

[sam_gordon]

Keep in mind that you don't have to buy your phone from the provider. You can get good used phones from dealers on eBay. Our son recently took his Samsung S3 phone along with him into a hot tub. "Rice trick" didn't work. Instead of buying a new phone for $500+, we got a nice used S3 on eBay in near perfect state with free shipping for $149.

I got my latest phone on Amazon, AND kept my "unlimited data" which I wouldn't have been able to do if I got the phone direct from Verizon.

And OP, if you're paying $690 for the phones, I'd hate to think what the unsubsidized price is (which you'd be paying at T-Mobile, but over 2 years).

 

[FergieTCat]

Not a fan of T-Mobile; I switched to Verizon last September.

I had a problem with my phone when I first got it from T-Mobile and they gave me a run around instead of resolving the problem. The customer service rep sounded like she was reading from a script and could offer no constructive advice. It eventually dawned on me to call the maker of the phone, who resolved the problem. Maybe T-Mobile should add that to their script. I swore that the minute my contract ended (2 Years) I would dump them. Which I did. At least Verizon has real customer service.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We have Verizon. There is no real choice for us as they are the only ones that cover where I live. And even then it's pretty much a two bars out of four situation.

 

[Carl]

If you are traveling to Europe, it is a no brainer. T-Mobile now has 20 cents per minute calling back to the US. AND, get this, never heard of before - no charge for data roaming in Europe! I went to Germany last May and posted hundreds of photos to Facebook as I took them. Before T-Mobile's latest plan, that would have cost THOUSANDS of dollars.

 

[Shutterbug]

just had a coworker do this. Went from Verizon to Tmobile because of plans, data speed and price. Now if they want to make a call or send a text, they have to leave the building. I on Verizon have 3 bars. He actually noticed that many stores or buildings that he goes into he now has no service where with Verizon he did and this is in a major metropolitan area.