Michelle My Bell Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I am considering getting a cell phone for my daughter and I to share since she and I work in the early morning hours before the sun rises delivering newspapers. We usually do it together, but occasionally she does it by herself and I feel it would be wise to have some sort of phone on her. I will use it occasionally for texting & phone calls. I don't see myself using for internet very often. She will use it the same, maybe a bit more internet but not a lot. We have found a deal on Verizon's website for a free iphone 4 (love Apple products :) ) with a share everything data plan 2 GB for $60. I don't even know what the data plan is. Can someone explain that in a nutshell for me? I am pretty computer savvy, but I have never owned a cell phone that was more than the most basic of phones. Also, since I don't know what a data plan is, I don't know how much I need. Maybe I should go with something else? I know I want more than a basic phone, but it should be reasonable. Any advice? I don't want a prepaid phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 The data plan is for anything internet related when not hooked up to a wifi What I use mine for is nice but not worth the cost I pay for it (mostly price checking / map location & directions ) . I don't think you can use an iphone as a phone without some kind of data plan though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 Thank You! I totally get it now. So does anyone have any recommendations for providers? I just looked at Verizon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 My dh has a Straight Talk phone from Walmart. It is $45 per month and no contract. He has unlimited text, talk and internet. We went with this phone because we are very rural and have no cell service at our home and we wanted something inexpensive. Strangely enough it is an excellent phone service and he can get one or two bars here. AT&T and other name brand companies have no bars in our home. We actually pay slightly less than $45 per month because after having the phone for 6 months or so and liking the service we started purchasing the phone cards at Walmart.com in 6 month or 1 year increments for less $$. Callie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Just check the TOTAL cost for the month. If I remember right (and the plans are ALWAYS changing) it is $60 for the DATA plan but then you still need to pay $30-35 per month for the phone/text portion which makes the bill more in the $90+/month range. Depending on what you need we used pages plus for my daughter for a while for her phone or you could look at a prepaid month by monty phone which wouldn't do as much on the internet but is much cheaper. Our foster daughter had a $55/month unlimited talk/text/web for her phone through Virgin Moble and they had other plans with less web/phone/text for less money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I would consider paying whatever the cost is to get unlimited text messages. I have had many a friend burned by overage costs on texting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 My dh has a Straight Talk phone from Walmart. It is $45 per month and no contract. He has unlimited text, talk and internet. We went with this phone because we are very rural and have no cell service at our home and we wanted something inexpensive. Strangely enough it is an excellent phone service and he can get one or two bars here. AT&T and other name brand companies have no bars in our home. We actually pay slightly less than $45 per month because after having the phone for 6 months or so and liking the service we started purchasing the phone cards at Walmart.com in 6 month or 1 year increments for less $$. Callie We use Straight Talk, too. ST uses the towers of the big companies. You can tell which tower you use by the phone's model number. Model numbers that end in "G" are GSM phones and use AT&T and T-Mobile towers. Model numbers that end in "C" use Verizon, Sprint, etc. towers. You can read more about it here. Personally, I would never enter into a contract. I'm curious why you wouldn't consider a prepaid phone? This Time article may give some points to consider: http://business.time...aid-smartphone/ You can purchase a used iPhone, at a fraction of the cost, get a ST SIM card, and pay $45/month for unlimited everything. Honest, I don't work for the company, but it's a heck of a deal. ETA: Gack! Out of curiosity I looked at Verizon's website and there is a $350 early termination fee on 2 year contracts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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