Aubrey Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Completely boring thread, sorry. We've got AT&T on our landline & internet, & I really want a cell phone for emergencies. Ils added us to their family plan for a really low price, but now dh uses that phone for work. When he's not w/ me is when I really need the phone, though, lol, so...I've been looking at plans, & it's been frustrating, kwim? We had cells w/ no landline a few yrs ago, but then found out internet's more expensive w/out a landline, & I really don't want to pay an extra $30/mo for the same internet we've got. But I just realized the other day that ATT has a bundle for internet, landline, & cell phone that costs the. same. as. we're. paying. for. just. phone. and. internet. I'm slapping my forehead--it's too good to be true. The downside is there's a 2yr contract on the cell phone plan, which, if we had to continue it w/out the phone for some reason, would be about $40/mo. It's one phone w/ 450 min/mo, but for an emergency plan when I'm out at night w/ the kids, that's more than enough, & of course they'll always sell us more if for some reason we need (want) more. I have this hesitation I can't explain, so I just wanted to check w/ you guys. Am I overlooking something obvious? The whole bundle should transfer w/ us no problem if we move, which is a possibility, & w/in the next 2 yrs is a sure thing. I think I'm just commitment-phobic. I've heard the horror stories of people being stuck in terrible cell phone contracts, & thinking they need STUFF when they don't. So am I forgetting something obvious? Or do I need to put "call ATT" on my to-do list & get a phone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela in GA Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I think if it's the same price you are already paying, go for it! We've had cell phones for so long now, I can't imagine NOT having one! lol. Up until this year, we had the no-frills plan. No texting, so internet, nothing. We survived just fine. We also have AT&T. We've had no issues with them at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 (edited) I think if it's the same price you are already paying, go for it! We've had cell phones for so long now, I can't imagine NOT having one! lol. Up until this year, we had the no-frills plan. No texting, so internet, nothing. We survived just fine. We also have AT&T. We've had no issues with them at all! :iagree: We have a plan with about 500 or 550 min. per month (AT&T/Cingular), but we now have rollover minutes, so we have more minutes saved up than I can imagine using. We normally use less than 500 min. per month. On this plan, we have 2 cell phones (shared minutes). I think our internet and cable are bundled separately (Time Warner). Our phone plan is 2 yr contract, but we've been doing this now for about 5 yrs, and don't foresee switching companies or giving up cell phones (we got rid of the landline a couple of years ago). ETA: no, we got rid of the landline when we got our cell phones 5 yrs ago--I forgot it was that long ago, because about 3 yrs ago we took advantage of a free deal for a landline phone, but didn't use it, so we cancelled that when the trial period expired. Our most recent 2 yr contract expired 2-3 months ago, and when that happened, our phone service continued month-to-month without a contract. We still pay the same rate and get the same "plan" but no contract. We both needed new phones, so after researching phones for a while, then waiting for them to go on sale, we finally signed up for a new contract (so we can get the discounts on phones that go with doing that). Our new phones arrived yesterday.:) Edited July 15, 2009 by gardening momma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deidre in GA Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 if AT&T has good cell coverage for your area then go for it. i've been with AT&T for more than 5 years now w/o a problem. last year i added my son to our plan - being sure to turn off internet access and texting for him. we share 550 minutes and it's more than enough especially since, even though my cell is my business number, i never came close to using the 450 minutes of the plan when it was just me. i believe we have about 3000 rollover minutes banked! if you truly don't want a contract though, you might look into prepaid mobile phones from T-Mobile. moneywise you'd be paying more since you say what you're paying AT&T now is the same as if you bought their package but you wouldn't be locked into a contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted July 15, 2009 Author Share Posted July 15, 2009 if you truly don't want a contract though, you might look into prepaid mobile phones from T-Mobile. moneywise you'd be paying more since you say what you're paying AT&T now is the same as if you bought their package but you wouldn't be locked into a contract. That's what we thought we'd do when we had our other ones turned off, but after checking prices--goodness! the only thing you're getting is the freedom to cancel & no credit check. I'd assumed you could buy a phone for $20-$40 & then buy minutes for $20 & then let it just sit there. Letting them expire is a SCAM, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I'm like you, hating to make that committment, but dh doesn't:o) We've had the AT&T contracts for about seven years now. Our old plan allows only three lines; to go to a fourth would add $20/month instead of just $10. So we're continuing with a Tracfone besides the AT&&T phones. I personally am fine with the Tracfones. We buy the cheap $15-30 ones from Walmart that come with double minutes. We figure they cost $8/month or less. Unfortunately, I MUCH prefer the AT&T phones with free long distance. The kids prefer the fancier models we could get free with AT&T so I let them have them. Then I grab them when I can to make long distance calls to friends. There is some website where you can exchange your phone plan for $. I can't find it in my files now, but maybe you can find it with a search. It was on the order of Paperbackswap.com:o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delighted3 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 and it is exactly what it says it is. We haven't noticed any hidden costs. With our cell phones, the penalty for not keeping the 2 year contract is $200 max and gets lower the closer you get to the end of the contract, so I comfort myself with knowing that if for some unforeseen reason that I had to cancel the plan, it wouldn't put me in debt for years. Also, most ATT plans come with unlimited night and weekends that aren't part of the basic minutes and the minutes roll over if you don't use them every month. My 2 kids and I share 700 minutes and we never go over and have tons of rollover built up. Also, you can go online and see your account and how many minutes you've used and add or take away features completely online. I love that. Very convenient. HTH, Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenschooler Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 We have the bundle plan, and we've had no problems. Believe me, I go over the bill in detail every month, and if there were anything hidden, I'd know. The few times we've had problems (one dd not realizing games cost internet minutes!) they credited us the amount, and all was well. I'm the one who calls about problems like this, dh would just roll over - but I really don't think it's me. They're pretty upfront. I wouldn't bother getting the phone insurance, because you still have to pay for a new phone. Ours was $50 when one dd dropped hers in the sink. We just let her buy a used phone instead, so the insurance we'd been paying was a waste of money. Although, couldn't you just add another phone on the existing account for $10-$15 a month? I'd crunch the numbers and see which way would come out cheaper for you, especially since you don't plan on using it much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenschooler Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Also, some of those no-contract deals are horrible. Dh had one once, and you couldn't even access customer service by phone (only in person) until you'd paid the (incorrectly charged) bill. That took about 10 years off my life, fighting with them. Cricket, I believe it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 (edited) A couple of things to check... Is this deal only for new customers? Sometimes package deals are only for new customers. I assume you already checked this aspect. Is this deal an introductory offer? Will it suddenly increase in price in six months or a year? Edited July 17, 2009 by Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted July 17, 2009 Author Share Posted July 17, 2009 Although, couldn't you just add another phone on the existing account for $10-$15 a month? I'd crunch the numbers and see which way would come out cheaper for you, especially since you don't plan on using it much. Yeah, but it's il's acct, & I don't want to ask them to do that. They are SO generous to us already, & adding the wireless to our acct now will raise our bill $5/mo or less (if I understand everything right, lol), so it's still cheaper. Thanks, everybody! I finally called this AM, & I should have my phone by next weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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