<p>Our cell phone contract is over and we are now in the “do we stay or do we go” position. We are currently with verizon, but (as he did when we were with us cellular) H is wondering if another carrier is cheaper. We need 2000 minutes of talk time, unlimited texting, and we have 5 phones - all standard phones (no data plans). I like verizon’s coverage area, have had no problems with our phones, dropped calls, customer service, etc. but wonder if sprint, at&t, t-mobile, etc. are the same or better.</p>
<p>Who do you use and are you happy with your cell phone company?</p>
<p>We have Sprint because when we got our phones their coverage was slightly better in a part of the country that we were traveling to frequently. We have stayed with them because they haven’t given us any problems, they offer a 10% discount to credit union members, and our plan is so ancient that we can’t get an equivalent one for a better price anywhere else.</p>
<p>tmobile is being bought by at&t so they will soon be the same. i’ve been with at&t in the past and their coverage area was nothing compared to verizon. I lost calls left and right and couldn’t even get reception at my grandparents house whereas with verizon i have four bars there. i’ve heard good things about sprint.</p>
<p>When I was between jobs, I needed a cell phone for 4 weeks. I chose T-Mobile from Radio Shack because their month-to-month plan fit my needs and budget. It was the worst phone, customer service, and coverage I’ve ever experienced. I will NEVER use T-Mobile again.</p>
<p>we have verizon because years ago my mother wanted me to have a cell to contact me & that was the company she chose.
We get a company discount of 10% & allowing for the new line charge if we switched companies I decided we might as well stay for now.</p>
<p>I am a very happy ATT customer. We have never had call issues with coverage, calls dropped, etc. We live in an area where coverage is great. We travel to areas where coverage is great. We have kids in college where coverage is great. </p>
<p>Coverage problems are regional/local, so start there. Then follow the money. We have ATT family plan with 4 phones and share minutes. We can have up to 5 phones. Texts are unlimited for up to 5 phones for 19.99. We have some using data and some not. ATT HAS ROLLOVER and it is great. If you do not use your minutes they are available to use if you go over FOR THE NEXT YEAR. Some months we have rollover minutes that we do not use, but some months we use them. It is great for when you almost need the next step up but don’t. ATT now texts you if you have a data plan and are close to going over, and has a great online account page where you can watch your minute use. But with rollover, we have no problems. </p>
<p>Find out from friends what the coverage is in your area for the competitors, then compare prices.</p>
<p>That is our situation except we are with Verizon. But we have been very happy with Verizon. I know some people have complaints, but I have always had excellent customer service when needed.</p>
<p>If you are worried about coverage quality, you can buy an inexpensive prepaid phone and plan from Target or Wal Mart for testing purposes.</p>
<p>Sprint and T-Mobile are the two less expensive carriers, though their coverage may be less in some parts of the US than Verizon. AT&T is buying T-Mobile.</p>
<p>^^^Agree with checking out your local coverage first, then price afterwards. No price is worth it if you can’t make phone calls! Verizon has good reputation for best coverage in the US and their price reflects that. We use Tmobile in the northwest and have no problem, but then their headquarter is practically in our backyard. Not sure what’s going to happen with the ATT buyout. We lean towards phone company with GSM phone networks since it’s very convenient to travel overseas and simply swap SIM cards to get access to the local network.</p>
<p>We use less than 700 minutes shared a month w Verizon on 4 lines ( yes we still pay for older Ds line, but when she is done with school we will stop- it is minimal for now).
I have a smart phone & w unlimited data/text, girls have phones w unlimited data/text & H doesn’t text or use web- although we did finally get him a new version of the basic phone.</p>
<p>I don’t really like Verizon just on principle- ( various glitches have been difficult to sort out), & I do periodically look at other plans/carriers to reevaluate but while we did tentatively get an ATT contract- for a phone D got for travel- that was even more PITA than Verizon! :p</p>
<p>I expect eventually cell phones won’t be so dependent on carrier and we will all carry around our own skype line, but until then I will hold my breath till my contract runs out & I can get an iphone.
;)</p>
<p>We have a family plan with ATT for 4 phones and we never use up 700 minutes of monthly minutes. The good thing about ATT is that all minutes not used up for the month rollover to the next month. I think we have over 5000 rollover minutes. I also took advantage of a promotion which allowed us to call all cell phones, not just within ATT, for free, not counted against our monthly minutes. This is particularly useful for young people since none of their friends has landlines.</p>
<p>We used to be Verizon customers for years until ATT introduced the iphones many years ago and our kids just had to have them. I think the call quality with Verizon was much better.</p>
<p>We were with Verizon for many years until DH and DD bought iPhones and switched to AT&T. I stuck with Verizon for a couple of years after that but, when my contract expired, I went to a pre-paid plan with Virgin Mobil. I have an LG Rumor Touch and for $25/month ($27.31 with tax), I get 300 minutes of talk time, unlimited texting and unlimited internet. I never come close to using the 300 minutes of talk time.</p>
<p>Do you like that? My parents’ contract expires in June which means I’m getting the boot I’ll be looking for something at that point. We have Verizon right now and just have basic minutes/texting. I want to get a smart phone, but the data plans are pretty expensive it seems… I’ve had VirginMobile before and it was okay… Thinking about giving it a shot?..</p>
<p>I’ve been with Virgin Mobile for about nine months and I’ve had no trouble at all. I really just wanted a phone that would make calls and receive calls. DH, a very tech-savvy guy, can’t understand why someone would want something basic, but I made it clear I did not want an iPhone. When my Verizon contract expired, I dragged my feet for a couple of weeks before getting another phone. That made him crazy so he went out, bought the Rumor Touch, and signed me up for Virgin Mobile. It’s too much phone for me, but it’s fine. I text on average a couple of times a day and I do occasionally check FB or my e-mail when we’re out and about. The price seems decent enough.</p>
<p>The price seems very good, esp. since you also have unlimited internet. I pay TMobile ~$140 for 5 phones with unlmted texting and 700 shared minutes, fave 5 plan. Your plan x my family of 5 would = $135 a month AND that would include 800 more minutes (we don’t need them though) AND unlimited internet. Yours seems like a much better deal.</p>
<p>Hopefully I will remember that when our plans are up in July and also hopefully will know by then about the TMobile/ATT merger.</p>
<p>We started out with Sprint, mainly because it was the predominant carrier in our rural area. It had the best coverage and most families we knew had Sprint. Before texting making FREE cell to cell (within the same carrier) was important. We switched to AT&T after Ds first summers study aboard. Sprint has basically no international presence. The switch was easy, we were able to keep our same cell numbers and D was able to get the iphone. Locally, our coverage is not as good but I am glad we made the change.</p>
<p>We have stuck with Verizon for several 2 year cycles now. A national plan because we planned to travel all over and price/coverage was/is good. Also coverage at son’s potential schools was a consideration. We- including son- don’t use that many minutes and were able to lower our monthly minutes/charges below some of the plans listed on the site. Every two years we go through the same reevaluation and have ended up staying with Verizon. So- not a bad thing to stick with a carrier that works for you.</p>
<p>Also, you can check with them to see if they have any plans not listed online. When I originally joined up with Verizon they signed me up for an unadvertised plan with less minutes then what they advertised online and in store. The only reason I knew about that plan was because a friend of mine had it.</p>
<p>Verizon does have the best network. At my parents’ cabin, everyone else (with other carriers) has to walk to the end of the road (or stand on the picnic table) to get reception. My phone works on the porch. It also works in the mountains when no one else’s does, and worked when my brother and I were traveling in Canada two hours north of Thunder Bay on Lake Superior. </p>
<p>When my sibling died several years ago when I had a 30 minute a month plan (for emergencies only), and I used it for hundreds of minutes over that amount, I got a bill for $1,400. :eek: I called Verizon right away, and they backdated moving me to another plan so the cost was only $60. We agreed I would stay on that plan for the time being because I was still making a lot of calls. Then they called me a couple months later and said that my usage was consistently lower again, and asked if I wanted to be moved to a cheaper plan. All this was done WITHOUT extending my contract for another 2 years. I call that great customer service. </p>
<p>It is more expensive – sometimes I wish we could get a family plan with fewer overall talk minutes, as we don’t use our 700 even with 3 lines (partly cuz we mostly talk to each other, and that doesn’t count :D). But we have been pretty happy with them overall.</p>
I’ll be looking for something at that point. We have Verizon right now and just have basic minutes/texting. I want to get a smart phone, but the data plans are pretty expensive it seems… I’ve had VirginMobile before and it was okay… Thinking about giving it a shot?..</p>