nesser1981
Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
Like explain the data stuff to me. Right now my FIL pays for our phones & we just have talk & text. Sean really wants a smart phone. I don't know how much data we'd use, not sure we could afford unlimited.
Tell me about your phone plans?
- Thread starter nesser1981
- Start date
We are grandfathered in to a Verizon unlimited plan that will likely disappear when we add or upgrade.
I just want to point out that most if not all smartphones also will use wifi. So when you are home make sure your phone switches over to wifi so that you aren't using your phone's data plan unnecessarily.
I just want to point out that most if not all smartphones also will use wifi. So when you are home make sure your phone switches over to wifi so that you aren't using your phone's data plan unnecessarily.
clearskies
New member
DH has 200MB of data. I have 2GB. I've never come close to using all mine, but I use more than 200MB...and that's the next level. We do run them off wifi at home...
Also, we can check our data usage during the month, so if DH were to go over I could put him on the higher plan for that month to avoid the overage charge and then drop him back down the following month....
Also, we can check our data usage during the month, so if DH were to go over I could put him on the higher plan for that month to avoid the overage charge and then drop him back down the following month....
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Verizon has a military discount. Great advice!
SeattleSheri
Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
With Verizon we pay $40 per smart phone, plus another $60 flat fee for shared 2GB and unlimited everything else ... less a 20% discount through my employer.
julifish
New member
My husband works for DoD contractor and we get a great discount with Sprint. So we have Unlimited data, and free nights and weekends. We must have a lot of talk time to because I never go over and I use my phone a lot for work. With a teenager the unlimited data and texting was a requirement.
jessica31876
New member
I had prepaid Straight Talk through Walmart. 45 dollars a month for unlimited everything but you pay a lot more for the phones IMO. I did not use it enough to justify the cost so after six months I just never renewed it and my husband has a prepaid phone which we recharge like every two-three months with 20 dollars which gives us like 120 minutes. I much prefer prepaid services because if we do not have the money to pay or the service is crappy then we dont lose a whole lot and are not on the hook for a year or more for a contract service. Id either go to one of the big stores like Best Buy which offer all the phone services or visit the one store you think youd get the best service from and see what they can do for you. For me when I bought my cell the best pre-paid plan I could find which I thought would work well in my area was Straight Talk. My only complaint was the unlimited internet worked crappy so I did not really use my internet often on my phone.
rach3975
New member
Work provides DH with his phone, so there are no discounts or family plans that I can take advantage of. When I switched to a smartphone a year and a half ago I went with Cricket (about $55/mo) because the companies like Sprint and Verizon charged $90+ for an equivalent plan. I had no idea how much data I'd use and didn't want to fuss with a small monthly limit; I'd forget to check and end up paying penalties or DH would complain if I had to bump up to the next level too often. So my $55 includes unlimited talk, text, and data with no contract to tie me to it.
All in all I'm satisfied. I use the phone much more over wifi than over 3G, but the service has been decent and the price is good. (DH has Verizon; his signal is definitely stronger and there are some places he has service and I don't. But we're talking about me not having service in small areas like a specific park, not large parts of town.) My only regret is the phone itself; I wish I'd spent more for a phone with more memory and a better camera. When I go back to work I'll get a better phone and probably a contract with one of the more expensive service providers (since I think they're the only ones with iPhones), but for now I'd much rather have my budget smartphone than no smartphone.
All in all I'm satisfied. I use the phone much more over wifi than over 3G, but the service has been decent and the price is good. (DH has Verizon; his signal is definitely stronger and there are some places he has service and I don't. But we're talking about me not having service in small areas like a specific park, not large parts of town.) My only regret is the phone itself; I wish I'd spent more for a phone with more memory and a better camera. When I go back to work I'll get a better phone and probably a contract with one of the more expensive service providers (since I think they're the only ones with iPhones), but for now I'd much rather have my budget smartphone than no smartphone.
farrijc
Active member
I'm with AT&T. I have an iphone, and the cheapest data is $15/month for 200 mb. I've gone over that enough in the past year that I just bumped it up to the next level, which is $20/month for 300 mb. While I do use my phone mostly over wifi, I've been surprised how quickly data adds up. When I first got it, I tried to monitor my usage, but the bill is so vague that's nearly impossible... There will be things on there that are less than 100 kb, then something big like 1000 kb, and I have no idea what I did that used so much data. I don't watch youtube, stream music, or anything that eats up a lot of data unless I'm on wifi so I just try to be more careful and turn cellular data off at times to limit how much I go on 3G.
SeattleSheri
Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
A company phone would not necessarily preclude your from getting a discount for your personal lines. I have a company issued Blackberry, but still reap the benefit of a discount on the personal phones for my husband and I. Most carriers will check to see if your employer has a qualifying plan.
rach3975
New member
Thanks for the suggestion, but DH is happy with just the work phone. (I wouldn't be since he's not allowed to add any apps and the camera is disabled for work security reasons, but to each his own I guess.) As for my phone, DH works for the federal government. Between their strict ethics rules and some of the clearance specifics of his job, it isn't worth putting his name on a phone that isn't really his just to save a few dollars. It would probably never matter, but we're not big risk takers, LOL.
mariewilcox
New member
I'm on AT&T also and have the 300 MB for $20, as does my daughter. Neither of us comes close to using that much data in a month but we don't stream movies or do downloads from our phones either, we wait until we're home and on the wifi to do that type of thing. I was worried at first that we would be going over but not even close.
My phone is part of DH's work phone plan. It's an old grandfathered account with verizon currently so our data is unlimited & it's like $110 a month for both phones with unlimited talk/text & data. But they are adding a couple phone lines to the plan & switching us to one with 4GB shared data for 4 phones. We use about 1.5gb a month just between us so that is reasonable.
We have our phones set up to do most stuff over wifi. I might have one or two apps that will only update over data but mostly places offer free wifi so I can do just about anything without having to use the data. Pretty much it only gets used for google maps directions when I am driving someplace new
We have our phones set up to do most stuff over wifi. I might have one or two apps that will only update over data but mostly places offer free wifi so I can do just about anything without having to use the data. Pretty much it only gets used for google maps directions when I am driving someplace new
nesser1981
Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
The wifi thing is good to know. Ee still have a few months until our current plan is up. Thanks for all the info.
SeattleSheri
Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
We don't actually have personal phones through my employer ... however, our carrier offers us a discount if we show proof of employment with them. The employer isn't in anyway involved with the transaction. It's just the application of a discount to the plan you already have. It's like when you buy software with an educational discount showing proof you have a student in your household.
LeeAndra
Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
Hubs has a non-smartphone through Straight Talk (Walmart) for $45 that is unlimited everything. I have a smartphone through Virgin Mobile for $45 that is unlimited everything.
Both are no contract.
Virgin Mobile already offers Iphones on their plans. You do have to pay for it at full-cost upfront ($300 or $400), but then you can use the same $45 unlimited plan.
Straight Talk is going to do the same thing with the Iphone 4 and Iphone 5 soon. They just announced it this past week.
I haven't done the math, so I don't know if you save $$ that way, but it seems like it would be at least close to the same amount with a traditional contract phone over the course of a year.
Both are no contract.
Virgin Mobile already offers Iphones on their plans. You do have to pay for it at full-cost upfront ($300 or $400), but then you can use the same $45 unlimited plan.
Straight Talk is going to do the same thing with the Iphone 4 and Iphone 5 soon. They just announced it this past week.
I haven't done the math, so I don't know if you save $$ that way, but it seems like it would be at least close to the same amount with a traditional contract phone over the course of a year.
Lots of companies do this. Apple gives discounts to active and retired military. It is just a discount and has nothing to do with work. It is just like showing your student ID if you go to college.
SeattleSheri
Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
I agree, I always ask about discounts! You never know unless you ask! A lot of companies won't necessarily advertise eligibility.
I think we are a special situtation, but we have had Vzw forever and love it. We've been able to keep our same numbers for so long. They have no issue with all our moves or suspending our lines when we went overseas for a few years. We came back and they took our Korean iPhones and gave us the same credits towards new ones. We got on one of the share plans. But with dh D, his line is suspended so we dropped the data down. Currently its just me, I have unlimited text/talk with 1GB of data for 120$ with taxes and such(Like insurance and what not). I use Wifi everywhere I can. But I do download/stream stuff. I love their app to watch my usage/pay my bill/etc. I also get a text when I get close to my limit on data. 
A lot of restaurants give a small military discount if you show your ID card. We've gotten great deals on museum, zoo, and other memberships. But when we make a big purchase, we definitely ask because you never know and no one ever has given us a hassle for asking. If they don't have one, they usually say something like, "I wish we did and I don't know why we don't."
farrijc
Active member
Are you happy with your service? I stayed with AT&T when I got my iphone a year ago, but I'm not happy with how much it costs. With 300 mb of data, a 1000 text limit and whatever minutes I have, it's around $85 a month... so almost double what you are paying. When I ask my friends, it seems like everyone that pays less than I do isn't thrilled with their service, though. I would pay for the phone upfront in a heartbeat if my bill was that much less and I felt like the service was as good as what I have now.
When you are deciding between the various cell providers, ask to see a map of the areas that they cover. We went with the carrier that we did because it was literally the only one that provided service where we were living at the time. You'll want to make sure that they have coverage where you'll be using your phone. If you travel often to places where they don't have coverage, that won't be helpful either.
