Ottakee Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Right now we have an old Verizon plan (used to be Alltel) that has unlimited texting, smart phones for ds and I and the friends and family along with 1200 minutes. It is working well for us but before we upgrade our phones and get locked into another 2 years of this I was wondering if there are any other great ideas/plans for us. We have: Me---heaviest phone user, text user and love my smart phone. Dh--light user of phone and text 24ds--moderate text, phone user, wants smart phone 17dd--very light user of talk/text 16dd--light user of talk/text We are rural and Verizon has the best service in our area but I didnt' know if there were any other reputable prepaid or other services that use Verizon towers/signals but just without the Verizon name. 17dd has a very old flip phone where she texts still by using the number pad and pushing it until she gets to the right letter. She is happy with this but at some point will need a new phone. I might be interested in an iphone. I have a droid that is working Ok. It is several years old and has a few quirks at times but works. Ds's Droid 2 is even older and now it won't ring for incoming calls or texts so if I got a new phone he could have mine but if we are going to do a new 2 year contract then it might be worth getting him a new phone at the same time with the free or cheap ones they offer. 16dd and dh have newer and in good shape basic texting phones so they are all set for a while. Any ideas/hints? I HATE the thought of these over $200/month cell phone bills. We do have a basic land line too as we do foster care and other things and really need a land line for here at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 We are with T-Mobile and have their family plan with 5 phones. Ours is around $140 for all, with unlimited call and text, BUT we do not have smart phones and don't use the internet at all. Might be worth checking T-Mobile out. We are happy with them and have had good customer service with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 You might want to look into a prepaid service like Page Plus (uses Verizon's towers). You could find a cheap used iPhone online to use with PagePlus. You can read Clark Howard's guide. Another place to compare plans is Wirefly. In our family, we buy a cell phone and use a prepaid service. It's much, much cheaper than getting a contract through a big carrier, but you have to be willing to pay for the phone you want. DH & I each bought $40 phones and pay $30/month for 1500 minutes of talk/text through TMobile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 We have Walmart Family Plan phones (like the PP they are prepaid, no contract), and for two phones we pay $79.95 per month with unlimited talk, text, and web. My husband has a cheap $20 flip phone, and I have a smart-ish phone (not a smart phone like my old Droid, but I can get on the web for basic needs). LOL We like it, but the only thing that is bad about it is that we don't get any reception in most of Omaha, NE (where we are from), and not at all where we stay when we visit, so it is kind of a pain. I would check their coverage map before joining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 LOL I wish. I look.Never find anything better. Ours is $170/mo. That was my parents' mortgage back in the day. If someone finds any way around this, let me know. We can't ever go back to no cells or no texting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 trac phones are cheap for light users/moderate users Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 It really depends on your usage. Thankfully, DH's work pays all but $20 of his bill. They make them pay $20 of the $100 bill so that they can use it for personal use. I much prefer that to him needing 2 cell phones! Then I have Straight Talk unlimited for $45/mo. Kids have pay as you go cheap plans because they only use them to contact ME. Youngest has a friend he texts but he uses and ipod touch. Their bill is $5 each every 90 days with Spot Mobile. Dawn LOL I wish. I look.Never find anything better. Ours is $170/mo. That was my parents' mortgage back in the day. If someone finds any way around this, let me know. We can't ever go back to no cells or no texting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 If you need Verizon, I would look at PagePlus. Straight Talk can use Verizon depending on what phone you use with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 We have Walmart Family Plan phones (like the PP they are prepaid, no contract), and for two phones we pay $79.95 per month with unlimited talk, text, and web. My husband has a cheap $20 flip phone, and I have a smart-ish phone (not a smart phone like my old Droid, but I can get on the web for basic needs). LOL We like it, but the only thing that is bad about it is that we don't get any reception in most of Omaha, NE (where we are from), and not at all where we stay when we visit, so it is kind of a pain. I would check their coverage map before joining. Is this the Straight Talk plan? I have it and it's only $30 a month with 1000 minutes talk and lots of texting. Don't know their family plans but they likely have some and they also sell Android type phones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Is this the Straight Talk plan? I have it and it's only $30 a month with 1000 minutes talk and lots of texting. Don't know their family plans but they likely have some and they also sell Android type phones. Not Straight Talk, we use Walmart Family Mobile. With them it is $45/month for the first phone, and $25/month for each additional phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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