<p>Please do not laugh, really dumb questions/topic, our family is probably the last family on earth who still does not have smart phones, yes, we are still using the flip phones, but soon it may change, or it just has to change!!!</p>
<p>I am totally overwhelmed and confused when I try to google the different cell phone companies and the smartphones they offer. Been talking to my friends, some have T-Mobile, some have Sprint, to me, their phones look the same. We try to get free phones, or at the least expensive, probably the most basic text and data plan, do not need any fancy stuff because I won’t be able to “learn” how to use it. I am hopeless.</p>
<p>So, what is the best way to shop, type of plan, cost of plan, cost of phone? Can CC give me a basic lesson, hopefully it will be easier to understand than what I have googled! I am sure you all have different cell phone companies, but you may be able to give me some tips as to what to look for and what to avoid.</p>
<p>What company are you with. They should give you a free upgrade to a new phone if you are a long time customer. Don’t think that will be the best offer but your starting point. Consumer report did a recent article on best phone plans based on your usage, etc. beware though, once you get the perks it’s hard not to use the perks!</p>
<p>Phones are not free. If the phone is “free”, then you end up paying for it over time in the service bill. That is why two year lock-ins are common.</p>
<p>New fad seems to be a per month charge with no contract. For instance where I live att offers 300 mg data and no limit calling/texting for $45/month/person. Saw ad on TV where t mobile has similar plan.</p>
<p>Imo, it isn’t worth having a smart phone if you don’t need more than 300mb of data.
My kids use about 2GB each, for $40, including unlimited text. (I have unlimited data & I use 8-10gb).
Id look at pre paid & or try to get the best deal from your current company.</p>
<p>It’s so hard to know up front what one’s usage will be if it was a non-smart phone before. 300 mg would be waaaay more than enough for me, S1 and S2. We use wireless almost everywhere. I too found the process entirely overwhelming.</p>
<p>“Free” phones often also often have some initial set-up fee, ~$35, although with some promotions it is waived.</p>
<p>You will learn it. That’s why I picked an i-phone–because everyone else on the planet had had one for several years and I figured they could direct me when I was lost!</p>
<p>I’d start with your current company if you like it. I’d check into pre-paid too. (says the person who thinks I should and hasn’t)</p>
<p>I like having e-mail access on the go and I love having weather, but I’m in an area prone to lake effect snow and tornadoes. Facebook,cc and kindle are what I use the most otherwise. They make waiting in dr’s offices, etc. much more bearable. Still haven’t decided if those are worth $50/month but I probably won’t go back now. H & D did get non-smart phones last time and the selection was very limited. Good luck!</p>
<p>Sprint has unlimited data and texting but locks you into 2-year contracts. T-mobile is the opposite, you have to pay full price for your phone, but no contract. I’m not sure how much they charge for data.</p>
<p>There was a company called Clear Spot where you could buy a small device and take a wifi network with you to use with your phone and/or laptop. They have now joined Sprint! There goes an interesting alternative - too bad.</p>
<p>As a Sprint customer, I’m offended by their “upgrade fee” for a “free” upgrade. They say you can call to ask that it be refunded. Also, they give discounts for various reasons IF you ask (AAA membership, etc.) but those expire with your contract and they don’t let you know when it happens.</p>
<p>I agree with you emerald, hopeful you might want to check if prepaid phones will meet your needs. They would be the least expensive most likely for the minimum coverage you likely need.</p>
<p>We made S research and he chose iPhones and Sprint, so that was what we ended up with. If you have credit union and join sprint, no $35 activation fee. Both our kids like the unlimited data, especially since S travels a lot. </p>
<p>Some folks love the prepaid Virgin and other plans, so it’s worth exploring. We figured since we had S research, we should honor what he chose, so we’ve been using the plan with the iPhones for 1 year of the 2 year plan. We did pay $128 for our phones and got $100 rebate apiece. Our monthly bill for all 4 of us and unlimited texts and data is $225/mo. Reception isn’t as good as Verizon but decent enough. Not sure what we will do when this plan expires in a year. It is the first time we’ve had data for the 4 of us. </p>
<p>For my nonprofit, I have a prepaid phone that is $35/month on TMobile for 1500 minutes or texts and 250mb data, I think. I never used the data and hardly used the minutes so switched to 1000 minutes or texts for $100 for a year, also in TMobile.</p>
<p>I don’t have great wifi available but it is cheap.
I agree that if you have good wifi you won’t use as much data, but then I wonder if you could get away with using an iPod touch & a flip phone. That’s what H does.
We also get a price break for going through his employer.</p>
<p>The first thing to check selecting phone service is finding carrier with best coverage for you. If you have the fanciest smartphone, but you have to go outside from your house to your driveway to talk, that’s no good. Ask others in your area what works for them. If you travel, factor coverage areas into your decision making. In my area Verizon works best, then AT&T, and then with spotty service–Sprint and T-Mobile.</p>
<p>I’ve been using for past 2 years prepaid service on an iPhone 4 with a Straight Talk AT&T sim in it. I get unlimited voice, text, and 2.5 GB+ data for $45/month.</p>
<p>If I was buying a new phone today, I’d get an Android GSM Moto G for under $200 and with the Straight Talk Service with their AT&T sim in it and same prepaid plan I have now for $45/month.</p>
<p>I’m wondering too. We still all have non-smart phones. I have an iPod Touch so can get wifi if I’m out and somewhere in range. D is far away at school and Verizon has the best reception there so we have been sticking with them so far. I’m curious about the prepaid plans - we’ve always had the 2 year contracts. </p>
<p>I was going to leave Verizon because we were finally going to lose our unlimited data. My D had to replace her phone in December while in NYC and ended up getting her own plan with Sprint because with everything in my name, she couldn’t do anything at the Verizon store without me and I was thinking we were going to leave Verizon. She got an unlimited data plan and she is my big data user. Sprint coverage really, really stinks in my home area. Apparently there was a problem with a tower here and it’s been going on for four months. My ex-husband has Sprint and drops almost every call he makes from around our home town. My D was experiencing the same thing when she came home for Christmas. SO, my S and I decided to stick with Verizon. I picked a 4GB plan and we’re doing Verizon Edge, which works more like T-Mobile. You pay for the phone over two years in monthly installments. After the phone is halfway paid off, you can switch or upgrade the phone. We are no longer locked into a two year contract although if we leave Verizon, we have to pay off what we owe on the phones. </p>
<p>I did discover that if we go over our data plan, it’s only $15 per 1 GB over. I was afraid it would be like the nightmare stories you heard about kids who had thousands of texts and their parents ended up with a $1000 phone bill before the days of unlimited texting, but it isn’t. I’m not that worried about an extra $15 a month here or there. The monthly bill is just about what it was before with our old phones since dropping my daughter’s line from the plan so I’m not saving money, but I’m not spending more either. </p>
<p>I will be exploring this option as well. Our sprint family plan ends this December. I’m not thrilled with its limited coverage but otherwise it’s ok. Will see what the kids say. S does a ton of data and rally likes the unlimited data, as he flies a lot. So far he hasn’t been bothered with the poor coverage. D hasn’t mentioned any problems either. My folks have AT&T and sibs have Verizon. Have had those both as well as tmobile. They all seem to have pros and cons. Verizon has best coverage but most expensive. Tmobile is cheapest but spotty coverage and rachets down your data speed when you use more than 500mb in a month. Don’t know enough about prepaid or monthly plans with unlimited data. Anyone with personal knowledge and experience?</p>
<p>I am interested in all this, too. My fiance has a grandfathered unlimited AT&T plan, and he added a line for me that has pretty limited data because I use very little. I use my smart phone ALL THE TIME but web browsing uses hardly any data, I wait to download and stream until I have wifi. We are paying something like $160 a month and I would really like to be paying less. My fiance does use a lot more data than I do and is required to have a smart phone by his employer… they cut us a check quarterly but it’s more like a consolation prize than actual compensation. I just don’t want to have bad service, I’ve had AT&T forever and I ALWAYS have bars. </p>