Cell phone providers & plans

[TNWNGR]

I'm thinking this topic's come up before but can't recall when so please bear with me. I'm currently with A.T.& T and have been with Verizon in the past. Both are needlessly expensive so I want to go with something long term less expensive but with reliable coverage. I'll be doing the Google-Fu but want to hear what others in the Mid-State area use/recommend.

[BigK]

I wish you better luck than I've had finding a new carrier. Apparently my house is a geographical anomaly. AT&T is the only carrier that has a signal in my area. They don't know it, but I couldn't leave them, if I wanted to.

[TNWNGR]

I wish you better luck than I've had finding a new carrier. Apparently my house is a geographical anomaly. AT&T is the only carrier that has a signal in my area. They don't know it, but I couldn't leave them, if I wanted to.

Yeah, that was the problem at my last house, couldn't receive Verizon so went back to A.T.& T. The house I'm in now is in Verizon coverage. From what I've read that means it'll work with Sprint or T-Mobile...just not 100% sure.

[BigK]

Yeah, that was the problem at my last house, couldn't receive Verizon so went back to A.T.& T. The house I'm in now is in Verizon coverage. From what I've read that means it'll work with Sprint or T-Mobile...just not 100% sure.

 

Oh yeah, that reminds me. My next door neighbor had T-Mobile and he got a decent signal too. Makes sense since AT&T and T-Mobile use the same kind of radios (GSM) and Verizon and Sprint both use the same (CDMA).

[Murgatroy]

I have been using Virgin Mobile for fifteen years or more.

 

It runs on Sprint's network.

 

I paid $50? for my smartphone and I pay $25 and tax a month for 300 minutes and unlimited data and text.

 

You can buy fancier phones, all the way up to iPhones and Galaxies. You will pay for them upfront. But you will pay much less a month than any other provider.

 

The plan I use is grandfathered, I think it is $35 now.

[10-Ring]

Ting mobile, uses Sprints network and charges you in tiers so you don' pay for a bunch of minutes/texts/data that you don't use.

[bersaguy]

I have been with Cricket for 18 years and have never had any major issues and they got bought a while back and my coverage went everywhere A.T&T covers.They just sent me a notice that they want me to come in and get a new totally free updated phone to replace the one I am using know. I have been paying $25.00 a month. It maybe be an option to look at if you live in middle Tennessee. You can look up their coverage area on their site. I am also using Cricket Broad Band right now while i am on line right now..........just an idea to look at.

[Jonnin]

I'm thinking this topic's come up before but can't recall when so please bear with me. I'm currently with A.T.& T and have been with Verizon in the past. Both are needlessly expensive so I want to go with something long term less expensive but with reliable coverage. I'll be doing the Google-Fu but want to hear what others in the Mid-State area use/recommend.

 

I get reliable coverage on a pre-paid wal-mart phone that costs me around $10 per month.  No frills, I can get "texts" and make phone calls and play blackjack.  And not much else.   It may not work if you go some places... Ive traveled a bit with it (up to DC and to the other side of Alabama and points between, all the way to the east coast too) and had no issues but it loses coverage out in the boonies, always works in a town of any size / population hubs / interstate / etc.   I wouldn't trust it on a 2 week hiking trip thru nowhere.

Edited June 11, 2015 by Jonnin

[NextExit]

Net10. 3 years & no issues. You can choose between AT&T or T-Mobile. $45/month unlimited talk, text, data. They say they'll throttle you back after 2GB but I haven't noticed. You could try a "go phone" from AT&T. Think its $60/month.

[Mike A]

In my opinion the virtual carriers are the way to go, same coverage but typically better pricing and customer service.  

 

If you don't use a lot of data but talk and text a lot, Puretalk is a good choice (AT&T network).  Unlimted talk and text with 500MB data for $28.95 out-the-door. 1GB of data for $34.95.

 

As mentioned Ting (Sprint network) is a good option if you're low usage.  IMHO the real savings with Ting is if you have multiple low usage lines.  They charge in tiers for voice, text and data and $6 per device.  If you can stack multiple lines without bumping up in tiers it works out pretty well.  (e.g., my dad and I are on Ting...one of their text tiers is 101-1000...my dad doesn't text so having him on the same plan doesn't bump that tier for me).

 

Back when I was looking at the virtual carriers I ran across Pageplus (Verizon).  As I recall (and it's been a minute) they had some pretty good plans especially for low usage.  The rub at the time (and one of the reasons I never signed on with them) was their roaming was pretty steep if you ever needed it. Don't know if that's still the case.

 

One caveat with most if not all of the virtual carriers.  Phone selection is typically more limited than with the big four.  If you have to have the newest, sexiest phone and change phones a lot to maintain that status, a virtual carrier probably isn't for you.  

 

As always, YMMV.    

Edited June 11, 2015 by Mike A

[Ski]

Net10. 3 years & no issues. You can choose between AT&T or T-Mobile. $45/month unlimited talk, text, data. They say they'll throttle you back after 2GB but I haven't noticed. You could try a "go phone" from AT&T. Think its $60/month.

I've been on Net10 for almost eight (8) years. My old Nokia is on the AT&T network, but that was by "luck of the draw". I didn't have any choice. I haven't had any problems, and I pay about $17/month ($30+tax&fees every 60 days) for more minutes than I need. It turns out T-Mobile's prepaid plan would have been more cost-effective based on how few minutes I use per month.

[rmiddle]

Ting mobile, uses Sprints network and charges you in tiers so you don' pay for a bunch of minutes/texts/data that you don't use.

Ting is starting to offer GSM service under the TMoble network as well.

 

Thanks

Robert

[nightrunner]

Where I grew up and lived until 3 years ago (Manchester area) NOTHING works except Verizon. Either you have Verizon ( or A carrier using Verizon's network) or you have very crappy and spotty service. After I moved to Murfreesboro area, I guess everything works up here, but I stuck with Verizon. I have used the Verizon prepaid phone too and they work just as well.

[LagerHead]

I wish you better luck than I've had finding a new carrier. Apparently my house is a geographical anomaly. AT&T is the only carrier that has a signal in my area. They don't know it, but I couldn't leave them, if I wanted to.

 

We do now. :D

[bersaguy]

Your gonna love this. About 10 years ago my brother bought a house in Essex Illinois with about 35 acres of land when he retired and sold his business. After the sale had all been finalized and everything signed was when the realtor broke the news to him. He could look off his front porch at any one of his neighbors homes but if he had a land line phone it would be long distance to call any of them. It would be long distance if he called anyone. The house sat right directly in the middle of the phone company Illinois Bell's dividing lines. The house is in the country but he tried to get cell phone service and all of the cell phone companies told him that his house was not in any of their coverage area. He asked one of them which happened to be Verizon but was another name back then up there what it would take for him to get coverage and they said a tower closer to his home. He asked them what that would take and they said land and a lease and access to the land. My brother leased them 5 acres of ground for the tower, allowed them to build a single lane nice gravel road through his property to get to their tower for maintenance  The tower is on the far back section of his land hid for the most part by tree except for about upper 40 feet. He and his wife now have cell phone service for life with all the bells and whistles at N/C and they pays him $1,000.00 a month to lease the 5 acre tract the tower sits on. All his life he has been the black sheep of the family and can fall in a bucket of Crap and come out smelling like sweet perfume every time.

[BigK]

He and his wife now have cell phone service for life with all the bells and whistles at N/C and they pays him $1,000.00 a month to lease the 5 acre tract the tower sits on.

 

That's freakin sweet!!

[macville]

Switch from post paid Verizon to cricket and haven't looked back. Their network is native att, so it's as good as verizon for calls and data coverage. I am now paying a flat $100 month for 5 smartphones, each with unlimited talk text, and 2.5gb data (speeds reduced after you use that up.) It is the best deal or they right now.

[Jeb48]

My Wife and I both have iPhones we bought used off contract. We are not big users but use them when we need them including data when we are away from WiFi.

 

My wife uses Page Plus, a Verizon reseller. $100/year 10 cents/minute, 10 cents/MB. If you have money left over at the end of the year it rolls over.  You can add extra dollars when you get low.

 

I use H2O, an ATT reseller. $80/year 10 cents/minute, 10 cents/MB. If you have money left over at the end of the year it rolls over.  You can add extra dollars when you get low. I use mine so little I have a large surplus in my account so I have been using a cheaper plan, the $10 every three months, for over a year to spend down my surplus.