How much is your phone bill?

[Jimzz]

$180/month for 3 smartphones on Verizon with unlimited talk and text, with 6GB of data shared. Sprint and AT&T coverage suck here, especially once you leave the city.

Use pageplus then. Same towers, better price, and more data as well if you want it.

 

[clamum]

Sadly, I think that I lot of people don't have the cash on hand to pay $700 for an off-contract Smartphone up front.

Because of this, they end up paying an extra $1,200 for the phone over the 2 year life of their $100 a month cell phone contract. When you look at it like that, that "$99" Smartphone sale at AT&T or Verizon isn't quite a bargain.

If they need the latest and greatest phones, yeah, maybe $700 they'd have to pay. I don't, but I like a nice phone. So I have an Android 4.4 phone, 4.5" screen, 1.2 GHz quad-core, blah blah and it cost $130 new. My other previous phones have been similar and have been under $200.

At some point in the next few years, they'll shut down the CDMA network that your old phone probably still runs on and force you to upgrade to an LTE network phone.

Verizon is planning on doing the same thing to their old CDMA network as well.

Ugh. I guess it doesn't surprise me. I've had CDMA phones since I think my first phone around 2001.

 

[Dankk]

Been using Straight Talk for 5 years now. Unlimited talk, text, and data for $45/mo. I will never pay more than $50/mo if I can help it. Nor will I ever have a contract again.

Those people paying $150+ mo for these things are lunatics. I don't even think that's an opinion.

QFT. If you're paying that much for a cell phone, you're doing it wrong.

 

[TheAdvocate]

I was a little hostile in my last post. Sorry. I have just found that Verizon, Sprint, et al act as if you HAVE TO 1) have a smartphone and 2) a data plan. When I have talked to them about not needing all of that, they get angry, and ... entitled?

Why has someone not come out with an unlocked "phone" that is basically just a wifi device? Or a traditional calling plan without the extremely expensive data plans attached?

I don't like the attmepts to force me to sign up for darn near a car payment every month. Those phone data plans are way more than even my TWC internet/tv/phone bundle with HBO and other add ons. It's crazy.

 

[WackyDan]

Verizon, two smart phones, 3 GB of data shared, unlimited txt and minutes... $130 after 22% discount on plans through Verizon due to my employer.

 

[Dankk]

Why has someone not come out with an unlocked "phone" that is basically just a wifi device? Or a traditional calling plan without the extremely expensive data plans attached?

Check out Republic Wireless.

https://republicwireless.com/info/plans/

You can get plans as low as $5/mo, at which point it literally is a WiFi phone. Great value at the other tiers too.

 

[WackyDan]

I was a little hostile in my last post. Sorry. I have just found that Verizon, Sprint, et al act as if you HAVE TO 1) have a smartphone and 2) a data plan. When I have talked to them about not needing all of that, they get angry, and ... entitled?

Why has someone not come out with an unlocked "phone" that is basically just a wifi device? Or a traditional calling plan without the extremely expensive data plans attached?

I don't like the attmepts to force me to sign up for darn near a car payment every month. Those phone data plans are way more than even my TWC internet/tv/phone bundle with HBO and other add ons. It's crazy.

Then maybe you are looking for a tablet... that is wifi only.

I look at it this way... I could probably save $50 a month on the two phones for the Wife and I but I've seen others use low cost carriers and still not be very happy. Plus I travel and need the coverage.

I also don't have a land line expense... I know, I'm old and from the days of rotary phones, but that saves me $40+ a month too.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Just switched to T-Mobile's 2 lines, unlimited talk/text/data for $100.

 

[TwiceOver]

So I went out to the PagePlus website to see what they are up to lately. I dropped them years ago when you simply weren't able to upgrade past a DroidX as the best phone. Anyway, I found this funny:

So who are they using for their backbone now, sounds like their 4G is on Sprint? Or did Verizon finally let them authenticate LTE phones?

 

[ghost recon88]

Use pageplus then. Same towers, better price, and more data as well if you want it.

Was on PagePlus for a while, no 4G LTE then and side by side with a Verizon phone the coverage wasn't as good. Granted I was using a Sprint phone that had been "flashed" over. At $60 a person on Verizon vs. $55 on PagePlus, I'll pay an extra $5 to get true Verizon service, and no hassle of having to flash phones or mess with APNs. That and MMS would never send correctly until I was using the stock TW ROM, no one could get picture messages to send in CM10/11 with PagePlus even after supposedly fixing the APNs.

Do they have 4G LTE now?

 

[MiniDoom]

Verizon
$155 for 2 phones (4GB data+700 minutes+unlimited text)

 

[SunnyD]

So I went out to the PagePlus website to see what they are up to lately. I dropped them years ago when you simply weren't able to upgrade past a DroidX as the best phone. Anyway, I found this funny:

So who are they using for their backbone now, sounds like their 4G is on Sprint? Or did Verizon finally let them authenticate LTE phones?

They're still on VZW. I walked away from them once they sold to America Movil though. That and T-Mo is cheaper for better service without having to deal with (at the time) a crap selection of phones.

 

[dabuddha]

Straight Talk using the AT&T network.

I jumped on the $20 off deal they had last month and was able to get 2 years of service for $22/month for unlimited talk text data (3GB at LTE speed).

 

[Virge_]

0$. Company provides a phone, I use Google Voice with my own number.

 

[JBT]

Wife's on Verizon Unlimited talk/txt 2GB of data for about $59 all said and done.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Straight Talk on AT&Ts LTE network - unlimited for $42.50/month which my company fully reimburses me.

 

[clamum]

Straight Talk using the AT&T network.

I jumped on the $20 off deal they had last month and was able to get 2 years of service for $22/month for unlimited talk text data (3GB at LTE speed).

Dang, that's a great deal. Nice!

 

[TwiceOver]

They're still on VZW. I walked away from them once they sold to America Movil though. That and T-Mo is cheaper for better service without having to deal with (at the time) a crap selection of phones.

I'd love to get on T-Mobile just because I like the crap that comes out of their CEO's mouth. Man that guy has some balls. But alas, I like to be able to use my phone outside of major, major metropolitan areas.

I guess "Big balls, small network".

 

[Imp]

$100 a year. Just topped up last week. Five year old dumb phone. I only need it to text and receive voice messages/private calls. It takes a minute to send a photo though, FML.

 

[Dankk]

$100 a year. Just topped up last week. Five year old dumb phone. I only need it to text and receive voice messages/private calls. It takes a minute to send a photo though, FML.

Can I ask what service you use?

 

[Jimzz]

So I went out to the PagePlus website to see what they are up to lately. I dropped them years ago when you simply weren't able to upgrade past a DroidX as the best phone. Anyway, I found this funny:

So who are they using for their backbone now, sounds like their 4G is on Sprint? Or did Verizon finally let them authenticate LTE phones?

Yea still on verzion. They allow 4g phones now as long as you get the 4g sim card to make it work.
Have not looked into it much as I only use voice, the $100 for a year card.

 

[bradly1101]

$30/mo from MetroPCS. Everything's 'unlimited' but LTE data throttles at 250MB, which is fine for me; I never consume a lot of data away from my WiFi. Being out is what's best about being out.

 

[sphenodont]

I was a little hostile in my last post. Sorry. I have just found that Verizon, Sprint, et al act as if you HAVE TO 1) have a smartphone and 2) a data plan. When I have talked to them about not needing all of that, they get angry, and ... entitled?

That's where the margins (and for the sales drones, the commissions) are. The big carriers want you locked into a cycle of endless upgrades to the newest and bestest, all while you're emptying your wallet into their pockets.

Talk to the MVNOs instead, and you'll find much better rates, especially for your usage. The better MVNOs won't blink when you tell them you don't care about texting or data, even on smart phones. You could take your exact phones you have now to Ting and be paying $40 plus tax.

Also, there's been a lot of focus on the low- and mid-range phone market, so you can easily get some really nice phones for under $100 now.

 

[vi edit]

I'm going to be moving some contract phones over to Verizon Edge plus adding a third line with a MotoX I already own. 3 smart phones, 10 gig of shared data and unlimited text and messaging.

I'm starting to take the "best of last year" approach to phones and buying 2nd hand for 1/3 of the price on Android devices. My wife is still an iPHone junkie so we'll be paying for those either 2nd hand or through the program at some point for another $30 a month.

 

[child of wonder]

$119 per month after fees and taxes for 4 lines, 2.5GB data each through TMobile. Goes down to 1GB data each in January 2016 and will probably change providers then unless TMobile ups their game.