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Thread: New Cell Phone plan question

  1. #1
    Member medford's Avatar
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    New Cell Phone plan question

    Need some advice, I'm sure there are many on here with some to dispense.

    My cell phone battery is pretty much crapping out, same with my wifes. We could go the simple route and just purchase new batteries for our phones, which are each 3+ years old so perhaps its time to get a new phone anyways.

    Niether of us use our cell phones a ton, most of the calls are b/w each other, so outside of each other, we could probably get away with 300 minutes a month combined (if that).

    Neither of us texts very often, actually my wife's phone has text messages shut off for some reason she's not sure of. She's still on a family plan with her mother, which he mother has been generous enough to continue even after we got married 6 years ago, so I don't think we'd qualify as a renewal (She's with AT&T mobile I believe). I have my service thru verizon, and am certainly eligible for the renew every 2 discount.

    Niether of us have a smart phone, though I'm interested. I don't think I'd use the smart phone capabilities a ton, I'm in front of a computer at work most every day, she's teaching, outside of that we're home w/ a WiFi connection. Of course, it could come in handy when we're out, but don't think we'd need an unlimited data plan.

    We spend a majority of out time b/w Cincy & Dayton.

    Anyone have an opinion on plans/phones?

    Virgin mobile seems to offer what I'm looking for, $35 a month for 300 minutes, unlimited data/texts. Not sure which phone is the best one for that type of thing. I'm not looking to spend a ton, but I dont need to go cheap either. However, I'm open to anything at this point, if anyone has any advice.

    Thanks,


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  3. #2
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    If you make most of your calls between each other you need to get on the same service provider. Minutes between Verizon members for example are free. That would allow you to get the lowest minutes package available.

    I would also strongly advise you to get a smart phone. You will use it far more than you think you will.

    Also if you both get iPhones you can text back and forth for free as well.

  4. #3
    Danger is my business! oneupper's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    I can hear your confusion (sounds like me). I have an AT&T family plan, with 5 phones on it and every phone can get a discounted upgrade phone every 2 years IF you renew your contract for two more years.
    The thing is to upgrade them all at the same time, because it always goes from the latest one upgraded.
    At 9.99/month for each extra line, its hard to beat the family plans for marginal cost.

    But if you want to "break free" from your wife's family plan, get one of your own or switch your wife into yours. She will be eligible for a new phone (and you will be on the hook for two years).

    Verizon and AT&T have data plans which when unlimited, can be expensive because they are not a pool like the minutes.
    I'm intrigued by the Sprint unlimited iPhone plans (don't know details). Right now, one of the family phones is an iPhone and we're on a 25 MB (I think) plan for like $20/month. (or $25 for 20 MB...). (My daughter) Never goes over the limit because they have warnings when your usage is close and Wi-fi is available all around. Its nice to have the 3G (4g) when you're in the car and need some kind of info.

    It's complicated and can get expensive. I spend way too much on phones (home, family, business, Skype).
    "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."

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    Member medford's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    Thanks for the update. Its only my wife and me, my 3 year old and 2 month away from being born don't need one quit yet.

    I assume at some point, my mother in law isn't going to keep paying for my wife's cell phone plan, so I can't exactly join her family plan, more likely starting our own.

    Can you share data plans over a family plan? I'm not even sure if my wife cares to have a smart phone at this point, but if she does, can we share the data plan across both of us, or do we have to get a seperate data plan for each phone.

  6. #5
    Danger is my business! oneupper's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    Yeah, you should probably start your own family plan. You and your wife both could probably each get a new phone (w/2 yr contract) when you establish it.

    I don't think data sharing is possible over family plans like minute sharing. At least AT&T doesnt allow it. Maybe Sprint or T-mobile have better deals.
    "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."

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  7. #6
    I hate the Cubs LoganBuck's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    Quote Originally Posted by oneupper View Post
    Yeah, you should probably start your own family plan. You and your wife both could probably each get a new phone (w/2 yr contract) when you establish it.

    I don't think data sharing is possible over family plans like minute sharing. At least AT&T doesnt allow it. Maybe Sprint or T-mobile have better deals.
    Granted we have a family business but we were able to work a deal with Sprint, so that we get unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited mobile to any mobile, 1500 minutes to landlines (shared, we only hit about 1000 per month), insurance on all the phones, 4 smartphones (HTC EVO 4G), and another standard phone, $250/month.
    Hugs, smiling, and interactive Twitter accounts, don't mean winning baseball. Until this community understands that we are cursed to relive the madness.

  8. #7
    Danger is my business! oneupper's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    Quote Originally Posted by LoganBuck View Post
    Granted we have a family business but we were able to work a deal with Sprint, so that we get unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited mobile to any mobile, 1500 minutes to landlines (shared, we only hit about 1000 per month), insurance on all the phones, 4 smartphones (HTC EVO 4G), and another standard phone, $250/month.
    That's a sweet deal. I have to look into that.
    "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."

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  9. #8
    Be the ball Roy Tucker's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    Quote Originally Posted by LoganBuck View Post
    Granted we have a family business but we were able to work a deal with Sprint, so that we get unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited mobile to any mobile, 1500 minutes to landlines (shared, we only hit about 1000 per month), insurance on all the phones, 4 smartphones (HTC EVO 4G), and another standard phone, $250/month.
    We've got close to the same deal with Sprint only 5 phones over 3G. About $195 a month. But its the same unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited mobile to any mobile, 1500 minutes to landlines and insurance on 3 of the phones. My 2 daughters average about 100 texts a day. Sprint has some good family deals.
    She used to wake me up with coffee ever morning

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    westofyou (02-25-2023)

  11. #9
    I hate the Cubs LoganBuck's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    Quote Originally Posted by Roy Tucker View Post
    We've got close to the same deal with Sprint only 5 phones over 3G. About $195 a month. But its the same unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited mobile to any mobile, 1500 minutes to landlines and insurance on 3 of the phones. My 2 daughters average about 100 texts a day. Sprint has some good family deals.
    My number includes all the taxes, and access fees. Does yours? If it does I need to see why I am paying more. I guess part of that is if you only have insurance on 3 phones. Sprint does charge a fee for smartphones, how many of yours are smartphones?
    Hugs, smiling, and interactive Twitter accounts, don't mean winning baseball. Until this community understands that we are cursed to relive the madness.

  12. #10
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    i can't wait until our contract is up. i'm going with PagePlus and their 12 buck plan:
    http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Plans/12%20Plan.aspx

    my wife will probably get the $30 one. you can take pretty much any verizon phone with you to PP, which also runs on verizon's towers. we're never doing post-paid again. my experience is only with verizon, but they look for any reason to charge you more, and i think they're a huge ripoff.

  13. #11
    Playoffs ?? !! goreds2's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    I did not want to start a new thread but I have had the Visible cell phone plan for a month and it has been great. It looks like the deal is expired but I am paying $15 a month for unlimited talk, text and DATA for one year then will increase to $30 a month after that but $30 is still great.

    That rate includes taxes and fees. $15 a month out the door the first year then $30 a month out the door after 12 months. I love it.

    https://www.visible.com/

    https://clark.com/cell-phones/visible-review/
    Last edited by goreds2; 02-25-2023 at 01:19 PM.
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  14. #12
    breath westofyou's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    Quote Originally Posted by Roy Tucker View Post
    We've got close to the same deal with Sprint only 5 phones over 3G. About $195 a month. But its the same unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited mobile to any mobile, 1500 minutes to landlines and insurance on 3 of the phones. My 2 daughters average about 100 texts a day. Sprint has some good family deals.
    I've had Sprint for 25 years, just never needed to change. I went into the shop the other day and the kid working there (19 or so) was all in shock that I had been a customer longer than he's been alive

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    goreds2 (02-25-2023)

  16. #13
    Member Kinsm's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    nvm - responding to a 10 year old message....for shame

  17. #14
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    So, surprisingly, Verizon has been putting out some pretty good customer loyalty promotions. A few months ago, I upgraded our previous shared data plan to unlimited for my wife and I. The plan I set up for my wife (I think it's the second highest level) had the free Disney promotion (Disney+/ESPN+/Hulu+), which we were previously paying for on it's own. In the end, we ended up getting much better data plans for about $3 extra per month, and we got to stop paying for the Disney package, which saved us $15-20 a month.

    Note: If you have the Disney package already, and take advantage of that deal, do NOT active the free Verizon version using your current email address and password. Use a different email/password combo- one you've never subscribed with- or you'll only get a few months of free service tacked onto your current one. Cancel your previous subscription(s) under the other email. Yes, you will lose your favorites and have to set up your new account. But it's FREE.

    They also have a pretty good online-only deal on Pixel 7 Pro phone upgrades w/no trade-in required. I've been shopping for those for my wife for a few months. Long story short, she hates her Samsung Note 20, which she hastily got to replace a broken (which I question still) Pixel 3 XL, which she loved as much as she hates the Samsung. Yesterday, I logged into the My Verizon app and saw that I had an offer for $720 off a Pixel 7 Pro with NO trade-in required (she refuses to trade in). I paid off the remaining couple hundred bucks on the Samsung and grabbed her a 512 GB Pixel 7 Pro for $10 per month (3-year contract). Our monthly bill now decreases by about $40/mo. as she was on a 2-year plan. I don't normally pay off phones early to upgrade, but it was pretty easy to justify given the monthly bill savings and that I don't project to be able to grab that kind of deal sans-trade in once she paid off the phone in four or five months.

    I had to call Verizon to straighten out some payment source issue w/PayPal and both associates I spoke to were flabbergasted that the deal was available (the first one literally started laughing) without needing to trade in another phone. There was also offer I declined for half off Pixel earbuds that would have stacked with the discount.
    "The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer

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  18. #15
    Member medford's Avatar
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    Re: New Cell Phone plan question

    So a lot has changed in the 11 years since I first made this post.

    FWIW, after going with StraightTalk, which seemed to fit my needs when I made this post, I eventually went back to Verizon for the deal on new phones and data plans. Was with the life span of my first Iphone then thru the first 2+ years of my IPhone 11. Switched to Spectrum (still using the same phone) and I see no difference. I figure I'll probably need a new phone in about a year or so, so perhaps I'll switch back if decent phones are included in the cost of the plan and make sense, or just buy a new phone and stick with what I got.

    I think what Verizon and other large carriers have figured out, is that most people recognize that their phone works just as well on any carrier in most places so why spend $X on their plan if I can get the same service for $z less on another plan.
    Posting in the clutch since twenty ought two.


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