Yikes!? Are smart phone plans REALLY this expensive?

[DawnM]

My son uses ATT GoPhone with an iphone. ($25 every 3 months, no data, so he only has data in wifi range.)

He doesn't talk much, but when he does, the voice quality is very clear. I haven't noticed any issues at all.

Dawn

That is why we have AT&T GoPhones. We don't use them to talk because a - the sound quality on any cell phone isn't close to a regular phone, b - the reception isn't anywhere close to a regular phone judging on the amount of people who I talk to while they are on a cell and breaking up, c - We simply just don't need to be gabbing on phones. My wife talks to her mother constantly, but that is when she is home. When driving, we are both driving and do not gab on the phone. When we are out we are doing what we are out for and not gabbing on the phone. When we are eating dinner, we are eating dinner and not gabbing on the phone, etc.

 

[QueenElinor]

But that is the information we NEEDED in your OP. Hard to suggest and go into detail about plans when we have no idea that you have limited options anyway.

What towers/networks WORK in your area? If we start with that info, we can help with what pay as you go providers would be a good fit for you.

Dawn

I didn't ask for advice regarding phone plan options in my OP, I asked whether smartphones were necessary given the cost.
Having said that, I'm grateful for the advice I have received, and I've learned a lot.

 

[zurgswife]

Our family is ATT - 4 iphones and 1 regular phone...price is about $232 a month. I would be seriously lost without my smart phone I use it all the time for a variety of things...

I't isn't cheap but If you use it then you are getting your money's worth.

 

[DawnM]

Oh, I misunderstood. Then forget my advice. I thought you said you were researching prepaid....I was just saying it would be helpful to know which carriers you get before we start going on and on about the one we love only to have you say you can't get that carrier.

Dawn

I didn't ask for advice regarding phone plan options in my OP, I asked whether smartphones were necessary given the cost.
Having said that, I'm grateful for the advice I have received, and I've learned a lot.

 

[Lewisc]

With Verizon can you have an iPhone with no data plan on these phones? I know someone that has a Galaxy on Verizon but has no data plan. She just uses WiFi either at home or hotspots to use the Internet. Most apps works without the phone being connected to the Internet. That could save you a considerable amount.

AFAIK VZ requires a data plan with any subsidized smartphone.

Um- not in Montana. That's part of my problem. I did check out STraight Talk and I'm really interested in that, but there are some coverage gaps that I'm concerned about. We don't have T-mobile, or Virgin, or any of a half-dozen mobile phone companies I've seen mentioned in this thread.

Straight Talk is operated by Tracfone and is sold by Walmart. Depending on where you plan on using your phone, and depending on what phone you purchase, you could be getting cell coverage from any of the carriers including Verizon. Once you purchase your phone your coverage is limited to a carrier. I understand the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim sold for use on the Straight Talk Plan is exclusive to the Verizon networks.

Smart phones are only necessary if you need/want your cell service to be more then voice and text messages. In other words they now considered "essential" for students, young adults, geeks.....

edited to add: Your thread title is: "Are smart phone plans REALLY this expensive? " The answer is yes, smartphone plans sold directly by the cell companies are $$$. Buying pre-paid service is the only way to get significant price relief.

 

[QueenElinor]

AFAIK VZ requires a data plan with any subsidized smartphone.



Straight Talk is operated by Tracfone and is sold by Walmart. Depending on where you plan on using your phone, and depending on what phone you purchase, you could be getting cell coverage from any of the carriers including Verizon. Once you purchase your phone your coverage is limited to a carrier. I understand the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim sold for use on the Straight Talk Plan is exclusive to the Verizon networks.

Smart phones are only necessary if you need/want your cell service to be more then voice and text messages. In other words they now considered "essential" for students, young adults, geeks.....

edited to add: Your thread title is: "Are smart phone plans REALLY this expensive? " The answer is yes, smartphone plans sold directly by the cell companies are $$$. Buying pre-paid service is the only way to get significant price relief.

What's funny about Straight Talk is that I checked their coverage for my area, and it looked really poor- but then I realized that coverage around here IS really poor. But I'm going to look into this more because it's true that it's my college students needing the smartphones, not us old folks. And I hate to sign my son up for two more years because if he is supposed to be employed and off of my plan in less than that- in an ideal world, anyway.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

What's funny about Straight Talk is that I checked their coverage for my area, and it looked really poor- but then I realized that coverage around here IS really poor. But I'm going to look into this more because it's true that it's my college students needing the smartphones, not us old folks. And I hate to sign my son up for two more years because if he is supposed to be employed and off of my plan in less than that- in an ideal world, anyway.

I feel your pain. I've been holding off on updating my daughter's barely functioning phone to see if we should upgrade to a smartphone. We live in Bozeman, and I was going to look into StraightTalk more, but if not, it seems Verizon is the only good option around here. How I wish we could get Sprint.

 

[arihillfarm]

I do not have a smart phone and neither does DD12. I've reached the point in my life where I don't feel the need to have the latest and greatest stuff just because everyone else does. And I feel good about that. I think my parents set a good example for me growing up in that way, and I can look back now and see that life really was pretty good despite all of the things I wanted and didn't get Really, life was much simpler in a good way back then I think BECAUSE we didn't have so much "stuff", and I guess I am at a point where I am interested in having a bit of that simpler life back now. I don't want to be tied to my work email 24 hours a day, and I don't really need to spend any more time on the Internet than I do already! Now, I admit the whole "simplify life" persepective didn't really kick in until I was in my 40s, but I really enjoy having it now. And it makes me want to set the same example for my daughter so that when she's in her 40s she can have the same epiphany.

Of course, I've worked in IT for over 25 years now. I'm pretty much sick of technology by the time I go home every night. I need more technology in my life like I need a hole in the head.....

I feel the same way about living and leading a more simple life. We have basic phones (mine has smartphone features and can access the internet through WIFI and with a $10 data plan from Verizon) and I still cry over the $90 a month bill for three phones. My 11 year old daughter is salivating waiting for her first phone and I just found one of our 6-7 year old Samsung flip phones I may activate for her in a couple of years when she has a need for one. Of course, she thinks we're mean because all she has electronics-wise is an older iPod 8G that was bought used and for which she paid 1/2 herself about 3 years ago. No video game systems, no iPod touches and no cell phones for kids at our house. She's surviving just fine and her favorite thing to do in her spare time is READ, you know, a book, with pages made from trees.

-Astrid

 

[IDoDis]

OP, I have wondered how people afford these phones, myself. And I am talking about entire households with droids or iPhones. My DD 16 is the only one in the house with an iPhone, and she has to pay for her own data (unlimited for $24 per month). DS, DH, and I all have dumb phones with unlimited texting and 750 shared minutes which we never come close to. DS wants an iPhone, but now with the price increase Verizon has slapped its customers with, we all have to stay with dumb phones and DD will never be able to upgrade her iPhone 4S without losing her unlimited data, and paying a steep price increase for less data.

I see many people who make less than us yet they all have iPhones. I just can't imagine paying so much for a toy. While I'd love to have an iPhone, it really isn't necessary. I have the means to own an iPhone, but I can't justify the cost when I think about all of the other things I could use that money for.

 

[QueenElinor]

I feel your pain. I've been holding off on updating my daughter's barely functioning phone to see if we should upgrade to a smartphone. We live in Bozeman, and I was going to look into StraightTalk more, but if not, it seems Verizon is the only good option around here. How I wish we could get Sprint.

I'm thinking of making my daughter the primary line on a Sprint plan- she goes to school in CA. My son is in CO. That means that DH and I are the only "roamers" and I think we'd use it far less than they. It's just that there is nasty language in there about too much roaming data usage.... but if it were reversed and we lived in CA and they were going to school in MT, I wouldn't give it a second thought. So we might do it.

But yeah, I'm just trying to get by at least until Christmas.

 

[QueenElinor]

OP, I have wondered how people afford these phones, myself. And I am talking about entire households with droids or iPhones. My DD 16 is the only one in the house with an iPhone, and she has to pay for her own data (unlimited for $24 per month). DS, DH, and I all have dumb phones with unlimited texting and 750 shared minutes which we never come close to. DS wants an iPhone, but now with the price increase Verizon has slapped its customers with, we all have to stay with dumb phones and DD will never be able to upgrade her iPhone 4S without losing her unlimited data, and paying a steep price increase for less data.

This is exactly our situation- we will all be severely penalized just for upgrading. The problem is, DD doesn't have an iphone and really wanted one.

I see many people who make less than us yet they all have iPhones. I just can't imagine paying so much for a toy. While I'd love to have an iPhone, it really isn't necessary. I have the means to own an iPhone, but I can't justify the cost when I think about all of the other things I could use that money for.

Right. Except I won't pay it on principal, because I personally think it's information highway robbery.
Verizon can go get rich on someone else.

 

[DawnM]

With ST, you do NOT need an unlocked phone.

It just has to be ATT if you plan to use a SIM.

The only thing you need to know with ST is that the iphone needs some assistance to get picture messaging to work. You can do it with googling and youtube assistance, but it isn't as plug and go as Android phones.

You do NOT need to jailbreak or unlock your phones at all.

I have an ATT iphone 4 that i bought used and have it on ST and it is perfect for my needs.

Dawn

Did you buy an unlocked iPhone and then get the sim card from Straight Talk? If so, where did you buy your phone? And is getting the sim card (only) from ST pretty straightforward? That's what I've been thinking about doing. Thanks.

 

[Sparkly]

I got a Blackberry last year but barely use it to be honest. I use it mostly for texting, a few calls and maybe half an hour of internet surfing every so often.

 

[RitaE]

With ST, you do NOT need an unlocked phone.

It just has to be ATT if you plan to use a SIM.

The only thing you need to know with ST is that the iphone needs some assistance to get picture messaging to work. You can do it with googling and youtube assistance, but it isn't as plug and go as Android phones.

You do NOT need to jailbreak or unlock your phones at all.

I have an ATT iphone 4 that i bought used and have it on ST and it is perfect for my needs.

Dawn

Not that I've actually tried it or anything but from what I understand unlocking your iPhone gives you a choice on Straight Talk of whether you want to use the ATT or TMobile network based on which SIM card you choose. Otherwise, if you have an ATT locked iPhone then you need to buy the ATT network sim card.

As for the question of buying them - you just order one or I guess they probably sell them in WalMart

http://www.straighttalk.com/ShopSims

 

[DawnM]

This may be. I wouldn't have wanted to do that and I will explain what I have found out......Tmobile on an iphone does NOT give 3g speeds, it only gives what Tmobile calls "EDGE" speed. It is more like 2g speeds and incredibly slow.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2405580,00.asp

I don't think this is a problem with Androids, but it is with iphones.

Dawn

Not that I've actually tried it or anything but from what I understand unlocking your iPhone gives you a choice on Straight Talk of whether you want to use the ATT or TMobile network based on which SIM card you choose. Otherwise, if you have an ATT locked iPhone then you need to buy the ATT network sim card.

As for the question of buying them - you just order one or I guess they probably sell them in WalMart

http://www.straighttalk.com/ShopSims

 

[Lewisc]

What's funny about Straight Talk is that I checked their coverage for my area, and it looked really poor- but then I realized that coverage around here IS really poor. But I'm going to look into this more because it's true that it's my college students needing the smartphones, not us old folks. And I hate to sign my son up for two more years because if he is supposed to be employed and off of my plan in less than that- in an ideal world, anyway.

Go to Straight Talks website. Shop for phone. Type your zip. See if the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim is available. Look at the coverage map. Everything I've read says that phone is on the VZ network.

I feel your pain. I've been holding off on updating my daughter's barely functioning phone to see if we should upgrade to a smartphone. We live in Bozeman, and I was going to look into StraightTalk more, but if not, it seems Verizon is the only good option around here. How I wish we could get Sprint.

Read the above. You can probably get VZ through Straight Talk.

This is exactly our situation- we will all be severely penalized just for upgrading. The problem is, DD doesn't have an iphone and really wanted one.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Go to Straight Talks website. Shop for phone. Type your zip. See if the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim is available. Look at the coverage map. Everything I've read says that phone is on the VZ network.



Read the above. You can probably get VZ through Straight Talk.

Oh that would be great! Going to check out the ST site now. Thanks!

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Never knew about GSM or CDMA phones until now! This is all a lot to learn! Wish I knew a few people here in Montana who use Straight Talk. It seems like a great way to go though. Just need to figure out which phones will work. Thanks!

 

[Judique]

This is exactly our situation- we will all be severely penalized just for upgrading. The problem is, DD doesn't have an iphone and really wanted one.


Right. Except I won't pay it on principal, because I personally think it's information highway robbery.
Verizon can go get rich on someone else.

This is how I felt about the Verizon company 2 years ago when I switched to Virgin Mobile.

Between a couple of landlines and 3 mobile phones, I was paying a small fortune. We didn't even have smartphones, but wanted some.

I slowly dropped Verizon - a line at a time and now we all have smart phones and less then half the bill.

The house phones had turned into dodo birds anyway - no one called except for solicitation.

In one sense I feel we are going backwards. I liked the security of a landline.

But I love my smart phone. I use data and I text as much as I talk. It fits my lifestyle today.

 

[figaromeetsmarie]

We are a family of five (two parents, two in college, one middle-school age) and the four adults have cell phones. I casually promised my kids and DH that I'd sign us up for some iphones when our contract with Verizon came up- but was totally shocked by the cost- $230-$240 a month!

Actually, I think $240 is a good deal for 4 smart phones... We pay $200 just for two (unlimited everything).