What is best Cell phone plan.....

[KaitlinsMom]

Hello everyone....

my contract expires with Verizon in a month, and while I love the service....I just can't handle the $110/month it costs me to have unlimited talk/text/web...

I know Sprint has a $69/plan....but is that the best out there? Or is there a pay as you go plan that is better?

Or perhaps there is a web site out there that compares them all......

I know someone on the budget board has some good info on this.....


thanks!!!

Karen

 

[D L and K's Mom]

I would love to know this too. We are also Verizon and our contact is up in a month. We have 3 phones with unlimited texting. Dont use the phone minutes up but if we "down grade" then it costs more I hate that the min dont roll over like our ATT minutes used to do. Trying to comparison shop because Im not thrilled I will have to pay $10 for data packages and we dont have that kind of capability on our phones and really dont want it.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

We switched from Verizon to Straight Talk a few months ago and couldn't be happier. We only have one cell phone and get the $30/ month plan - 1000 minutes, 1000 texts and you can access the internet. There's a $45/ month plan that's unlimited that's also available.

I'm loving the savings!

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

We switched from Verizon to Straight Talk a few months ago and couldn't be happier. We only have one cell phone and get the $30/ month plan - 1000 minutes, 1000 texts and you can access the internet. There's a $45/ month plan that's unlimited that's also available.

I'm loving the savings!

Same here. In researching the various plans out there, I discovered that Tracfone uses the AT&T network, whereas Straight Talk uses the Verizon network. I had Tracfone for a while, and found a lot of dead spots in this area that the Straight Talk works fine in.

 

[starry_solo]

Same here. In researching the various plans out there, I discovered that Tracfone uses the AT&T network, whereas Straight Talk uses the Verizon network. I had Tracfone for a while, and found a lot of dead spots in this area that the Straight Talk works fine in.

Which is quite odd since Straight Talk is a registered trademark of Tracfone. You would think they would use the same carriers/networks....

 

[starry_solo]

I have heard that Straight Talk has horrible customer service but have not yet tried it. I used to have T-Mobile prepaid (1000 minutes for $100, good for one year), then went to a contract with Verizon and now have a contract with Sprint (which expires in 15 months).

In researching pre-paid plans (as I am thinking about dropping a non-contract Sprint line and also converting to the pre-paid phone again after the Sprint contract is up), I found Virgin Mobile's Beyond Talk. 300 minutes plus unlimited messaging & data (text, email, data & web) for $25/month; 1200 minutes plus unlimited messaging & data (text, email, data & web) for $40/month; or unlimited minutes plus unlimited messaging & data (text, email, data & web) for $60/month. I believe the pre-paid rates include all taxes and fees so that's all you pay (not like Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T where you pay government surcharges, etc.). $10/extra a month for Blackberry.

I know someone who had Virgin Mobile and then went to Metro PCS to get unlimited everything for $40/month and she likes it.

 

[angwill]

I have used Verizon and Sprint but just switched to Virgin Mobile non contract phone. I have $25 unlimited text and internet with 300 minutes. There are also two other plans $40 with 1200 minutes and $60 unlimited everything. They use the sprint towers. I have heard others say it is not the same and doesn't get out in the same areas but I have not found that to be true where I live. I switched from Sprint and have gotten out in the exact same areas with the same 3G connection I was getting with sprint for a fraction of the cost.

 

[mrodgers]

Same here. In researching the various plans out there, I discovered that Tracfone uses the AT&T network, whereas Straight Talk uses the Verizon network. I had Tracfone for a while, and found a lot of dead spots in this area that the Straight Talk works fine in.

Note that Tracfone uses whatever carrier it contracts with for your area and for the particular phone you end up with. Tracfone uses Verizon where I'm at with the phone I use to have (don't have it activated any more.)

 

[enchantingodin]

I have Virgin. Owned by sprint and use the same towers. I like them a lot. Currently I only pay about $7 a month. But then again I barley use my phone for talking. I have the $5 a month for 1000 texts, and .20 a minute talk time.

However I'm changing jobs and plan to upgrade my phone to the 'beyond talk' in about a month or so. They currently have 2 android phones out, as well as a crackberry. Can't beat $25 a month. I'm not a big talker so I doubt I'd ever use all 300 minutes.

I have only had to call their customer service help line once in the 3 years that I've had my phone. I kept getting an error message texted to me from Virgin itself. It took a few people and english was obviously not their first language, but they were helpful and patient. And the problem was fixed.

 

[DawnM]

Virgin Mobile has 2 plans I have been considering.

$25 for 300 minutes talk, unlimited text and unlimited data.
$40 for 1500 minutes talk, unlimited text and unlimited data.

I know there is one that includes unlimited talk but I am not sure of the price.

Dawn

 

[jen22984]

We also use Straight Talk. We have the $30 plan and never use all of the minutes, texts, or internet available. They also have a $45 plan that is unlimited talk, text, and web.

 

[Bungle]

We have virgin mobile and love it. I have the 25$ plan and my husband has the next level up at $40. I believe the unlimited talk, text, data is 60 or 70.

 

[mom2d&b]

Today we have Sprint, but over the weekend we purchased Staright Talk phones. Today DH will be calling to have our numbers ported over to the new phones. We have the $40 cards, but I like that is we think we will have a heavy use month, we can change back and forth fromk the $40 & $45 cards.

 

[ChattaAlley]

I love my Verizon. i don't plan on switching anytime soon. I would hate to give my iPhone up. All of my family and friends have Verizon so I use hardly any minutes. It only runs me $60 for unlimited data/text and 400 minutes and long distance. Pretty good in my opinion.

 

[wildeflowers]

Another vote for Virgin Mobile here.

I have the $25 300 minute unlimited text plan, and I love it. I've never gone over my minutes and I find that if I'm worried about time, I just text instead of call. It's super convenient since my husband and I travel a lot lately. I've been all over the county with that phone and I've only found one dead spot. It happens to be at my kids' school, but less than 1/4 mile away it works from there, it's great. Their school is in a little river valley with big hillsides around, so most phones don't work great there.

 

[dawson5]

There used to be a way to compare on lowermybills.com I haven't looked on there in a long time. Might be worth a shot, http://lowermybills.phonedog.com/cell-phone-research/compare-plans.aspx

Gives options to change the zip and a few different selections (individual, shared, even specific carriers).

 

[Muushka]

I have heard that Straight Talk has horrible customer service but have not yet tried it. I used to have T-Mobile prepaid (1000 minutes for $100, good for one year), then went to a contract with Verizon and now have a contract with Sprint (which expires in 15 months).

In researching pre-paid plans (as I am thinking about dropping a non-contract Sprint line and also converting to the pre-paid phone again after the Sprint contract is up), I found Virgin Mobile's Beyond Talk. 300 minutes plus unlimited messaging & data (text, email, data & web) for $25/month; 1200 minutes plus unlimited messaging & data (text, email, data & web) for $40/month; or unlimited minutes plus unlimited messaging & data (text, email, data & web) for $60/month. I believe the pre-paid rates include all taxes and fees so that's all you pay (not like Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T where you pay government surcharges, etc.). $10/extra a month for Blackberry.

I know someone who had Virgin Mobile and then went to Metro PCS to get unlimited everything for $40/month and she likes it.

They don't include tax in the price. But there are no other fees associated with the plans.

We have both Virgin ($5 a month at 18 cents a minute so 28 minutes a month or so, which we rarely use) and Straight Talk for the $30 a month. We are happy with both plans.

 

[luckofthedraw]

Do you use your phone every day? If not (ie: if you use it in spurts), consider Boost Mobile's $2/day unlimited everything. They have an unlimited everything plan for $50/month, if that works out better for you.

Personally, I use Page Plus Cellular (prepaid). I have an unlocked Android Ally phone, with a "Text+" ap on it. Since we have wifi at home, I mostly text here or other places with wifi, and Text+ makes it *free*. Usually I go through under $100/year in cell phone bills. Page Plus is only .06/minute, but obviously I'm not talking too much. You can also get a Google Voice number, and attach your cell phone to it. That makes calls free, if you use it and are in a wifi area. My only problem is that I just forget and use regular cell phone. : But hey, for less that $10/month, I can't exactly complain.

 

[brittsmum1998]

We have the Virgin Mobil plan also. 25$ for unlimited text, internet and 300 minutes. I will be going away for the month of July and I like the flexibility and how I can call the day before the new "month " goes into effect and change to a different plan temporarily for that month only if I want. I will switch to the $45 plan for 1200 minutes, unlimited everything else beginning of July.

 

[Kitikat]

We just switched today from Verizon after 15yrs with them to Straight talk....we were paying almost $100 a month for 2 phones for 500 shared minutes and no internet. Now we each have 1000 mins, text and web for $30....so far we luv it