Cell phone companies

[Iggy aka IG]

Expenditure reduction time!

On several different money saving sites and blogs, I've read about people switching to Republic Wireless (or others) from a major carrier.  Have you made a similar change, and if so, how was the process?  My goal is to reduce my current cell bill which is via Verizon @ $72 rounded for cell, data, unlimited calling, a tablet, taxes, etc. without the fuss and muss which seems to come with switching providers.  TIA

[Chocolate Lover]

minnesotapaintlady uses Ting, I think and has for a while. I can't remember who else might be helpful, but it's not me. I'm with T-Mobile still. 

[Deleted]

I've been on Ting for maybe 10 years.  I'm not getting quite the deal as I used to because I use a lot more data now, but for three lines my bill is usually around $60-80/month..  If I'm careful and shut if off and only use WiFi I can get it down to about $35 for all 3 lines.  "A lot" of data for me is 3-5GB which isn't much for many people, so if you're a heavy user it won't save you anything. 

[Deleted]

I also use Ting and have been very happy- my typical bill is $17/month for one line.  That's keeping data usage under 100mb.  Since I don't stream anything or play games on-line I don't need much; I keep Cellular data turned off unless I need it, and rely mostly on Wi-Fi.

[Iggy aka IG]

Thank you, MPL and athena!  I'll check into Ting. 

[NastyWoman]

Jan 10, 2020 16:18:59 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Thank you, MPL and athena!  I'll check into Ting. 

Just a quick warning: I used Ting for ~ half a year (loved their pricing) but had to drop it because there were to many dead zones for it around here. You may not have that problem, but be aware that you could

[Deleted]

Jan 10, 2020 17:49:57 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Just a quick warning: I used Ting for ~ half a year (loved their pricing) but had to drop it because there were to many dead zones for it around here. You may not have that problem, but be aware that you could

They use the Sprint network. I'm happy with it most of the time but there are some dead zones when I drive between KC and Des Moines.

[TheOtherMe]

Jan 10, 2020 17:49:57 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Jan 10, 2020 16:18:59 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Thank you, MPL and athena!  I'll check into Ting. 

Just a quick warning: I used Ting for ~ half a year (loved their pricing) but had to drop it because there were to many dead zones for it around here. You may not have that problem, but be aware that you could

I can't get a Sprint signal at my house so Ting is not a consideration.  

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Another Ting user here.  We bought our phones outright unlocked and switch out SIM cards when we travel.  Our bill for 2 phones generally is around $40/mo.  We try to avoid using cellular data.  

[schildi]

I am using Tracfone. Has been under $4 per month per line ($40 per year). That includes 100 Minutes, 250MB and 100 texts per month (1,200 mins / 1,200 texts and 3GB per year).
If I do need extra before the end of the year, I can add 1,000 texts for $5 or 1.5GB of data for $10.

Everything rolls over also, and I can choose the carrier I want: Verizon, ATT or TMobile.


In fact, deals were so good that I am pre-paid until 2023. LOL. No cell phone bill until then. Even if I lose the phone, I can transfer the remaining service to a new sim card, switch carriers, etc.
I am using an unlocked Samsung S9+ that I bought during Black Friday 2018.

[cottontail]

There are so many options available now and it really comes down to what kind of reception you get with various companies and how many call minutes plus how much data you need.

I'm saving a fortune using Red Pocket but I buy their annual plans on eBay where they are much cheaper than through their website. Around Black Friday I picked up plans for my husband and I that work out to $16.25 each per month for unlimited calling, unlimited text, and 5GB of high speed data per month (after 5GB it gets very slow). There is a hassle factor though and online chatting with their customer service seems to go much more smoothly than calling them. They offer coverage on all the major companies' lines. Their red service is through Verizon, their blue service is through AT&T, and their yellow service is through Sprint. Sprint is terrible in my area but I've had good luck with Verizon and AT&T MNVOs.

If you want great customer service, Consumer Cellular is really good. They use AT&T lines but rate higher in customer service than AT&T. They will not be dirt cheap but should save you money if you don't need tons of data.

[cottontail]

You'll need to look into whether you can use your old phone with your new company. I think Verizon branded high-end phones like the the iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy 8 and later phones have all had the necessary bands for both CDMA and GSM services but low-end older phones may not.

[countrygirl2]

Hubs got me Straight Talk for Xmas and a Samsung Galaxy 7 phone. Yeah way behind the new ones but that's ok with me.  It's $40 a month for unlimited minutes.  I had an old flip phone and Verizon for  $17 for 300 minutes. I would run out, put in new dollars and half the time wouldn't recognize and have to add them again.  By the time I left one month paid $60 and sometimes could use the money on it when I ran out and sometimes made me add more, even with money on the account.  It was costing me, so we ditched it.
 
He bluetoothed it to the car phone, I love it. Even opens when I get a text message and I can listen to it.  this is new stuff for me and I love it.  My truck may have had it, I have no idea, never had a phone to work with it before.  I think hubs cost $25 a month, not sure what he has.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jan 10, 2020 22:26:01 GMT -5 cottontail said:

You'll need to look into whether you can use your old phone with your new company. I think Verizon branded high-end phones like the the iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy 8 and later phones have all had the necessary bands for both CDMA and GSM services but low-end older phones may not.

We have iPhone 6 and they have bands for both GSM and CMDA services.  We will have to upgrade soon, but will probably keep one for travel since it is easy to switch out the SIM card for service.

[Deleted]

Jan 10, 2020 17:53:06 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Jan 10, 2020 17:49:57 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Just a quick warning: I used Ting for ~ half a year (loved their pricing) but had to drop it because there were to many dead zones for it around here. You may not have that problem, but be aware that you could

They use the Sprint network. I'm happy with it most of the time but there are some dead zones when I drive between KC and Des Moines.

It used to be just Sprint, now you can choose between GSM and CDMA when you sign up.