is our phone plan outrageous? I think it is

[Denisemomof4]

I thought I should keep this separate than my other thread.

 

I think our phone plan is OUTRAGEOUS. I don't know how many phone minutes we have but we don't pay for extra because we really don't use the minutes we already have as most of our friends also have Verizon.

 

We pay $240 per month for four phones, three have internet, one has unlimited texting, and my new Droid X has 250 texts for $5, and that makes me mad that I can only send and/or receive 250 texts. Does the amount we pay and the services we receive sound right? I think it sounds outrageous!

 

Can you please share your phone plans?

[milovany]

$100 for three phones, 700 shared minutes, unlimited texting, no internet. This is with t-mobile. I used to sell cellular service (several main companies) and t-mobile was *always* the least expensive of the ones I rep'd and I highly recommend them.

 

ETA - Just read someone else's description below which reminded me that the above also includes our landline with unlimited local and long distance calling.

Edited December 30, 2010 by milovaný

[Mosaicmind]

We have AT&T. We have 3 phones with 750 shared minutes and unlimited texting on all the phones. Our phone bill is $120/mo. We never use all the minutes so we always have roll-over minutes. I will be adding another phone and that will increase our bill by $9.99 but I will also increase our minutes per month and so we will pay another $20.

[praisefor3]

3 Droid phones (Evos), unlimited data (texting, internet) - 1250 shared minutes, no minutes to any other cell (even other companies) free nights and weekends. $145 including taxes. Sprint.

[Miss Peregrine]

3 phones 750 shared minutes, 250 texts

high-speed internet

home phone local and long distance

 

$190/month

[Hunter's Moon]

We have 3 phones with Virgin Mobile.

Mine is $25/month and I get 300 anytime minutes, unlimited texting, web and email/im.

Both my parents have pay-as-you-go. They spend about $50 in all a month for minutes and it is $00.20 a minute.

So, about $75/month.

 

When we were with AT&T, it was about $175/month for 4 phones. 2 had unlimited texting and the others did not. We had 1400 minutes/month split between all 4 phones, but we also had unlimited nights and weekends starting at 9pm, which we don't have with Virgin.

Edited December 30, 2010 by BeatleMania

[Shawna in Texas]

Off the top of my head, $180 for 4 lines, 1400 shared minutes, unlimited text on 3, and internet on one, with AT&T. When my DH gets his Droid next month, the bill will be around $200. Work pays for DH's portion, so it's not that bad and my 86 yo grandfather doesn't text, so that saves us a bit right there. :001_smile:

[AngieW in Texas]

We have Sprint. We have 5 phones with 1500 shared minutes and unlimited texting. It costs $155/month. We don't have a a data plan on any of the phones. We never come anywhere close to the limit on our minutes. The 12yo sends/receives 1000-6000 texts/month (actual range). The rest of us are probably closer to about 100/month combined.

 

I looked up what the cost would be to add unlimited data to our plans (keeping everything else the same) and it looks like that would be $200/month. That's actually a lot better than I thought it would be. We may look into doing that when we get new phones in July. Right now only the 12yo has a phone that's good for texting. We're all going to get phones that are good for texting when we replace them in July.

[Julie in CA]

4 phones, one with unlimited data/internet (& warranty coverage), all with unlimited texting & picture messaging, 1400 shared minutes, nights & weekends are free, free Verizon to Verizon, and we have "Friends & Family" list that's also free. We rarely end up using very many of our 1400 minutes because there's so much free calling included. Around $150 per month with Verizon.

[Joker]

We pay around $80 month for three phones, unlimited texting, around 700 min. and no internet. We use T-Mobile.

[Stacie]

It looks like Verizon's family plan for four phones, 1400 shared minutes and unlimited texting for ALL the phones is $140. Data pricing (internet and web) is tiered and charged per phone. Check the usage on each phone, make sure that all capable phones are set to pick up wifi networks at home and work, and only use the package that seems to work best individually. Add the internet plans for the phones (between $10 and $30 per phone, some may be able to go pay per use) and determine your base bill before fees and taxes. If these are more minutes than you need go with a less expensive plan. I know my minute usage fell when I added unlimited texting. But whatever you do take advantage of the family talk and unlimited text plans; they can lower your bill substantially over doing individual plans for each phone!

[i.love.lucy]

denise, that sounds about right. I also have verizon. I think its the data plans that are getting us.

 

4 phones. 250 texts on one. Unltd texts and data plans on two. Nothing but sharing the minutes on the fourth. We all share 1400 minutes. $ 200 mo.

 

Yes its outrageous but you are stuck with it with your contract. I found myself on a forum that was saying you could call V and ask for a discount on your data plan. I'm going to try it tomorrow and will let you know if it works.

[GraciebytheBay]

Wowza! We have three phones on the family plan, 700 shared anytime minutes (free nights and weekends), unlimited texting. We do not have data packages. We pay $132/month with taxes and fees. My ds20 is going to be added soon, and that will increase it by about $14/month - a total of four phones for $146. We do get a 10% discount through my husband's college.

 

I think our bill is ridiculous. Yours seems crazy! Why is it so high? Data packages?

[Abigail4476]

We have ATT and I think our bill is outrageous:

 

5 cell phones, 2 with unlimited data plans, and all with unlimited texting

1 home phone, unlimited long distance

dsl internet service

+ insurance plans on the two smart phones

 

$280-$300/mth :glare:

[milovany]

I think our bill is ridiculous. Yours seems crazy! Why is it so high? Data packages?

 

Yup, that's what does it. With our phone plan, if we wanted internet on our phones, it would be an additional $30/mo. per phone.

[nmoira]

Give this a shot. You may have to try multiple times, but if you skip to the end of the thread, you can see that some are still getting this deal even if they didn't receive the email.

[RegGuheert]

 

Verizon

In general, I consider Verizon to have the best coverage and IMO the highest rates go along with that.

We pay $240 per month for four phones, three have internet, one has unlimited texting, and my new Droid X has 250 texts for $5, and that makes me mad that I can only send and/or receive 250 texts.

We have five Android phones on T-Mobile. All have unlimited internet, texting and calling to T-Mobile phones. Two phones have unlimited calling to any phone and the other three each have 200 minutes available to call other phones. Total bill, with taxes, is $223.

[Country Mouse]

Our plan is for two phones only, but it includes 3000 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data/internet for $149 before taxes. This is with T-Mobile.

[flyingiguana]

So what's the absolute cheapest I can get cell phone service for if all we care about is the phone, not internet or texting or any of that other stuff that I've never heard of?

 

Should we be looking at prepaid plans? Do prepaid phones still have a monthly access fee?

[meet me in paris]

I thought I should keep this separate than my other thread.

 

I think our phone plan is OUTRAGEOUS. I don't know how many phone minutes we have but we don't pay for extra because we really don't use the minutes we already have as most of our friends also have Verizon.

 

We pay $240 per month for four phones, three have internet, one has unlimited texting, and my new Droid X has 250 texts for $5, and that makes me mad that I can only send and/or receive 250 texts. Does the amount we pay and the services we receive sound right? I think it sounds outrageous!

 

Can you please share your phone plans?

 

It's not outrageous, but you could do better. We called and complained to T-Mobile this summer and said we were going to cancel our contracts - they piped in with some really good offers very quickly. :)

 

You should be able to get unlimited texting for all 4 of you for a flat family fee. We pay $20. Our total bill is $188 and we have 2 droids w/data plans (internet/email, etc) and 2 phones w/no data. All unlimited texting and shared 1800 minutes (which we never use). Call and complain, and they'll give you a better plan - ask for the customer loyalty department when you call.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

So what's the absolute cheapest I can get cell phone service for if all we care about is the phone, not internet or texting or any of that other stuff that I've never heard of?

 

Should we be looking at prepaid plans? Do prepaid phones still have a monthly access fee?

 

I've never had anything but a pre-paid Virgin phone. My last phone costs about $20 and I pay to "fill it up" everything three months for another $21. I only use it for quick chats and emergencies. I forget how much it costs per minute as I've never used up my balance before I fill it up. As far as I know, I never lose my minutes with Virgin Mobile. So basically, my phone costs me $7 or per month.

[flyingiguana]

I've never had anything but a pre-paid Virgin phone. My last phone costs about $20 and I pay to "fill it up" everything three months for another $21...

 

Thanks! That seems like a good deal for our situation. We're so clueless about this. I have resisted getting a cell phone because of the ridiculous price and the fact that I don't want to have to carry one more thing around, but it now looks like we could really use one -- if only because pay phones are no longer ubiquitous.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

We have 3 phones with Virgin Mobile.

Mine is $25/month and I get 300 anytime minutes, unlimited texting, web and email/im.

 

 

I have the same plan with a Samsung Intercept smart phone. You can't beat that deal at the moment. They have other plans with more minutes if 300 isn't enough. The drawback is you have to buy the phone up front, but it more than pays for itself in the first few months.

[elegantlion]

We have three phones, 1000 minutes shared, unlimited Sprint-to-Sprint minutes, free nights, weekends, unlimited data plan, unlimited text on all. $165 (that includes taxes).

[texasmama]

AT&T - We pay about $180 (including taxes) for three phones with more minutes than we can reasonably use, unlimited texting for all three and internet access for two of them.

[DawnM]

Sprint. 3 phones, $35/month plus tax. 750 anytime minutes, nights and weekends, Sprint to Sprint. Low end data plan on mine included. No texting, but I am told I can add it for $10/month.

 

Dawn

[mytwomonkeys]

we use straight talk. there's no contract. my phone is $30 month, which includes 1000 minutes, 1000 texts, and web use.

 

my husband has the $45 plan which is unlimited web, text, and talk.

[Tess in the Burbs]

att

 

2 phones

 

1500 shared minutes

 

I have unlimited data. dh has the higher plan.

 

he has insurance($5)

 

We pay for 200 texts each.

 

$140 a month

[Pretty in Pink]

We have Verizon. I don't know what kind of phones we have, but they are not fancy or new.

 

We have 2 phones, 1400 shared minutes, free mobile to mobile and to other Verizon customers, free nights and weekends, 250 texts per line per month.

 

We pay 130.00 + tax, which seems high to me.

[Parrothead]

We have three phones and just changed to the US Cellular Belief plan. I really don't know what all is included but we pay $139 per month.

 

Okay, here I went to their website:

NCLUDED FEATURES WITH THIS PLAN:

 

• UNLIMITED MOBILE-TO-MOBILE
  
• UNLIMITED NIGHT AND WEEKEND MINUTES STARTING AT 7PM
  
• FREE INCOMING CALLS, TEXTS, PIX AND VIDEO MESSAGES
  
• 1500 Minutes ($0.40/min. overage charge)
  
• Unlimited Messaging
  
• Voice Mail
  
• Call Waiting
  
• Caller ID
  
• Call Forwarding
  
• Three-Way Calling
  
• All Belief Project Benefits (click to learn more)
  

 

NATIONWIDE 3G DATA:

Data Plus with 5 GB included per line, along with Web, e-mail and turn-by-turn navigation.

MESSAGING

Unlimited texts, pix, and video messages on every line.

ADD A LINE: $40/line per month

Up to 3 additional lines can be added when ordering on-line. You can have a total of 6 lines on your Family Belief Plan when buying from your local U.S. Cellular Store.

 

I'm not exactly sure how dd's phone is included. We were told that as soon as her phone contract is up she can upgrade to a smart phone and there won't be any extra charge, but the above says there will be an extra $40 per month. I guess we will find out when we upgrade her in November '11.

[Haiku]

My MIL has AT&T. She has five phones on the line. We all share unlimited texting. Three phones have internet data plans. We share 1700 minutes a month. The bill is $223 a month, taxes included.

 

Tara

[Nakia]

We use Verizon and have 4 phones on the contract. We have unlimited texting, unlimited in-network calling, unlimited nights and weekends, 1400 anytime minutes, and insurance on all 4 phones. A HUGE chunk of the bill is my brother's because he has a smartphone with internet. The total is around $200 per month.

[alpidarkomama]

YOWZA! Our plan: tracfone, $8/month. :)

[Plucky]

In general, I consider Verizon to have the best coverage and IMO the highest rates go along with that.We have five Android phones on T-Mobile. All have unlimited internet, texting and calling to T-Mobile phones. Two phones have unlimited calling to any phone and the other three each have 200 minutes available to call other phones. Total bill, with taxes, is $223.

 

 

I agree about Verizon being the best in my area and also for regional travel. My dh travels for business and so it is necessary here. Still, we have 4 phones, 700 shared minutes, unlimited texting, and internet for $130. We do not do smart phones as that would jack up our rates. It would be $20 to add another phone which we may have to do in a few years.

[i.love.lucy]

Give this a shot. You may have to try multiple times, but if you skip to the end of the thread, you can see that some are still getting this deal even if they didn't receive the email.

That's what I was referring to. Gonna try it today!

[Kari C in SC]

We have 3 phones with 1500 minutes, unlimited data and text through Sprint for $142 total a month. That also includes insurance on each phone. We do get a 22% discount because my oldest used to work for Blockbuster and he got the discount then. Still - even without the discount - sounds like I am getting a pretty good deal. Oh and cell phone to cell phone minutes are all free no matter what the company - no circles.

[Kari C in SC]

We have three phones, 1000 minutes shared, unlimited Sprint-to-Sprint minutes, free nights, weekends, unlimited data plan, unlimited text on all. $165 (that includes taxes).

 

Sprint now has cell to cell minutes always free. They do not have to be on Sprint. Now we hardly use any of our minutes because of this feature. Most of our calls are to other cells.

[Hannah C.]

We have AT&T. Our base plan is $70/mo for two phones with 450 minutes (plus rollover, free nights and weekends, and free mobile to mobile to other AT&T phones). We then have unlimited family plan texting, which is $30/mo for both our phones. That price would not change if we added more phones, and all the phones would be covered by it. So it ends up being about $106/mo when taxes and such are added in. If we added extra phone lines it would be $10/mo per line.

[Amy in NH]

YOWZA! Our plan: tracfone, $8/month. :)

 

:iagree:

[Crimson Wife]

DH has an iPhone and AT&T is a complete rip-off. He got the phone through his old employer and we couldn't believe the cost when we had to start paying it ourselves. It's something like $150/mo for just him. My Verizon plan is less than half of that and includes more minutes, texts, and data than I ever use. Plus the coverage is WAY more reliable than AT&T.

 

It's cheaper for each of us to have individual plans than for a family plan through AT&T.

 

My brother has a great deal with Boost (it's on the Sprint network) but while the coverage where he lives in LA is fine, up here it's spotty.

[Plucky]

YOWZA! Our plan: tracfone, $8/month. :)

 

What do you get for that?

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

Prepaid t-mobile at $100.00 for 1000 minutes that are good for a year and rollover if you refill before the end of the year:) It is good for me since I hardly use the phone:)

[Rebel]

4 phones, one with unlimited data/internet (& warranty coverage), all with unlimited texting & picture messaging, 1400 shared minutes, nights & weekends are free, free Verizon to Verizon, and we have "Friends & Family" list that's also free. We rarely end up using very many of our 1400 minutes because there's so much free calling included. Around $150 per month with Verizon.

 

Hmmm, I wonder if Verizon plan prices vary by part of the country, because I have the same as you except only 3 phones. The other difference is we have the family road side assistance which is $5, 2 phones have the insurance protection (ds and I are ROUGH on phones) which adds another $13, and 2 have the thing where you can manage minutes, set time restrictions, and block numbers which adds another $10.

 

You would think my total would therefore be $28 more than yours. Actually, if you subtract the $12 (9.99 + tax) off for the extra phone you have, then mine should only be $16 more than you, buuuuuut my total bill is $230 a month, and no, we do not go over on anything or have any extra data charges. I know when I called to check on my plan once, it was called the "Central Texas Family and Friends 1400" plan which would make you think they vary by location.

[Rebel]

In general, I consider Verizon to have the best coverage and IMO the highest rates go along with that.

 

While living in this same area, I've had AT&T, T-mobile, and Verizon. Verizon has by far the best coverage where I live. AT&T had okay coverage, but dropped calls all the time so when our contract was up, we switched to T-mobile. It had better coverage, except within a 3 block radius of my house. I called T-mobile about it and they checked and said something was out and they would get it fixed. My area was supposed to have the highest level of coverage. We went back and forth on this for about 6 weeks. They tried to blame my phone until I explained that my son's phone and any guests with T-mobile ALSO had no signal. They sent techs out and freely admitted the problem was on their end, but nothing ever got fixed. I told them I wanted out of my contract. They had made sure to string me along past the 30 day period where I could get out easily. They would not agree so I finally stopped paying and switched to Verizon. We are still arguing about it. I think I will have to get a lawyer to show they were breaching their end of the contract, and I can't afford that right now.