NRR: Cell Phone Carriers are the worst. Who's the best of the worst?

Same situation here.

Currently with Sprint, but there 3G/4G in my area and where I normally travel blows. Only paying $45 month, so that is a positive.

Have been looking at GoogleFi, which the cost is obviously VERY good overall, but given they use 2 of the "weaker" data networks (again for where I live and travel a lot) in Sprint and TMobile, I am hesitant to switch to this. If I lived in a bigger city and my travels involved main highways, I would be okay with TMobile/Sprint due to them having good to great coverage in cities/highways.

Verizon is just so damn expensive, but you get the best nationwide 4G coverage. I also HATE the fact you pay a $20 smartphone access fee in addition to the monthly fees. So in order to access the data I am paying for I have to pay an access fee? Huh? Talk about nickle and diming your customer.

Keep in mind, that a lot of the "prepay" services throttle your upload/download speeds (they just don't tell you this) or they cap you out at a certain number. I know Boost and Straight Talk are traditionally "slower" speeds on 3G/4G than they are on Sprint/AT&T normally.

We have T-Mobile and it works for us. However, the second phone is about 30/mo after "fees." They pay pretty well to switch, so, don't take the first offer.

If you guys don't use your phones much, you might consider going plain-vanilla prepaid/pay-as-you-go. It works for some who use the phone for calls and that's about it.

You're getting ripped off. I've got 16GB plus rollover from Verizon for 2 phones and 2 iPads. Bill is $190. And no you won't find better coverage. But yes, it's not the cheapest.

I use consumer cellular. Yeah they advertise to old people but their customer service is great and my family bill dropped in half when I switched several years ago. If you are a data hog, you could try republic. You aren't stuck with the big 4. MNVOs have gotten quite good.

A few years ago I switched from Verizon to Ting. I recommend. My monthly bill is around $24 (I am not a heavy phone user), and the few friends I know who use their phones more and have Ting usually pay in the 30s to low 40s.

Awesome customer service, too.

Memphian wrote:

Currently, I have Verizon and my phones will be paid off / eligible for upgrade / whatever they call it now / in the next couple of months. For 2-phones I'm paying around $230 per month. (15GB data and unlimited calls & texts all shared)

I want a plan that is inexpensive and has consistently decent data service. Having up to date devices is ideal, but others are considered at the right price point.

Any better options out there?

I have used Verizon for years. It's more expensive but I've never had a complaint You get what you pay for.

$100 for one line with 16gb. Unlimited text and voice.

shifted to republic wireless for two phones and it is $25 per month, including taxes, total. there is wifi data use for free, while you can get on some data plan for when you aren't in a wifi hotspot, where it is somewhat more expensive. I had to buy the two smartphones for about $225 total with taxes and shipping initially--and smartphones are annoying because they always have to be recharged and aren't durable--but we are saving $80 per month over verizon with non-smart phones and paid off the phone cost long ago. I figure that we have now saved about $1400 in the last year and a half or so. There are a few other companies doing this now.

We at LetsRun use T-Mobile and love it. It's cheaper than Verizon and the CEO is a huge running fan.

It's coverage is fantastic in major cities. Now if you are going to be travelling a lot to say rural Oregon, it may not be for you.

Ours plans are very cheap but we are on the simple choice plans. It looks like they may only be offering unlimited plans now. Not sure if you can still sign up for simple choice or not. Unlimited for two lines is $120 per month (+ taxes and fees).

What we like about it is there are a) no overage fees b) you can use your phone free of charge to text/surf the Internet when overseas c) when overseas you can call for a reasonable race (20 or 25 cents per minute).

So every month, we know what we are going to be charged.

They also treat you like a human being. For example, they offered free calls in Brazil during the Olympics. During the Hurricane last week, they offered free calls to the Carribean so you could call loved ones. ON Tuesdays, they even give you a free gift (I got a free sub at Subway and a free pizza from Dominos).

Here's a true story. A rep from T-Mobile even called me (we have a busines account) to let me know that one of our lines was getting zero usage and did we want to cancel it. I couldn't believe it.

Great service.

+1 for Republic. Unlimited over wi-fi, it uses Verizon in rural areas for text and calls. $15/month. Perfect for me.

jjjjjj wrote:

shifted to republic wireless for two phones and it is $25 per month, including taxes, total. there is wifi data use for free, while you can get on some data plan for when you aren't in a wifi hotspot, where it is somewhat more expensive. I had to buy the two smartphones for about $225 total with taxes and shipping initially--and smartphones are annoying because they always have to be recharged and aren't durable--but we are saving $80 per month over verizon with non-smart phones and paid off the phone cost long ago. I figure that we have now saved about $1400 in the last year and a half or so. There are a few other companies doing this now.

rojo wrote:

Now if you are going to be travelling a lot to say rural Oregon, it may not be for you.

I'd switch in a heartbeat if this wasn't the case (not rural Oregon but too many other places).

Argy Bargy wrote:

+1 for Republic. Unlimited over wi-fi, it uses Verizon in rural areas for text and calls. $15/month. Perfect for me.

jjjjjj wrote:

shifted to republic wireless for two phones and it is $25 per month, including taxes, total. there is wifi data use for free, while you can get on some data plan for when you aren't in a wifi hotspot, where it is somewhat more expensive. I had to buy the two smartphones for about $225 total with taxes and shipping initially--and smartphones are annoying because they always have to be recharged and aren't durable--but we are saving $80 per month over verizon with non-smart phones and paid off the phone cost long ago. I figure that we have now saved about $1400 in the last year and a half or so. There are a few other companies doing this now.

What are people using when wifi isn't available? I use wifi just about everywhere I can find it and still consume over 5 Gigs per month when not on wifi.

My wife and I were both on VZW last year. Her phone broke just three weeks before she was eligible for her upgrade. They refused to give her the upgrade early. Total BS, and end of the line for her -- she switched to T-Mobile. I stuck around with VZW.

Anyway, it's been good to get a side-by-side comparison. I can say that here in the Boston area, T-Mobile is absolute sh*t compared with VZW. She has terrible reception, lots of drops, etc. And their phone selection tends heavily toward low end garbage, which is the primary reason I didn't go with her.

I only use data over wi-fi. Unlimited calls and text otherwise. If you want to use mobile apps on the road, etc., may not be for you.

Memphian wrote:

Argy Bargy wrote:

+1 for Republic. Unlimited over wi-fi, it uses Verizon in rural areas for text and calls. $15/month. Perfect for me.

What are people using when wifi isn't available? I use wifi just about everywhere I can find it and still consume over 5 Gigs per month when not on wifi.

vzw vs t-mobile wrote:

My wife and I were both on VZW last year. Her phone broke just three weeks before she was eligible for her upgrade. They refused to give her the upgrade early. Total BS, and end of the line for her -- she switched to T-Mobile. I stuck around with VZW.

Anyway, it's been good to get a side-by-side comparison. I can say that here in the Boston area, T-Mobile is absolute sh*t compared with VZW. She has terrible reception, lots of drops, etc. And their phone selection tends heavily toward low end garbage, which is the primary reason I didn't go with her.

1) You can use any phone you want on T-Mobile. I'm on the a promotional plan where i pay $19 a month for a iphone 6s plus (i think normally it was $31)

2) If she is having trouble with calls, maybe have her turn off "Wifi calling" when she's out and about or permanently. I notice it drops sometimes if I'm using wifi for the call and then walk out side and use the cellular tower.

If you want the best coverage, it's Verizon and it's going to cost you an extra $50 a month.

Rojo,

How can I get a $19 a month promotoinal plan at TMobile? Shit, I'd jump ship in a second for a $30/month plan (plus buy a new phone from them). Talk to your boy Legere and have him hook users of this site up.

rojo wrote:

1) You can use any phone you want on T-Mobile. I'm on the a promotional plan where i pay $19 a month for a iphone 6s plus (i think normally it was $31)

Interesting. My wife tried to get me to come over with her so we could do a family plan. I visited a T-Mobile store and didn't like what I saw, and I really wanted to keep my current phone (Droid Turbo). She talked to her T-Mobile rep and I called and talked to someone else, and both times they told us that I would need to buy a phone from them. Maybe it has to do with whatever plan she selected?

Thanks for the tip regarding WiFi; I'll let her know.

At the end of the day, don't you pay about the same for all the plans?

Google Fi (Uses TMobile and Sprint) is $20 month, plus $10 for every 1 GB of data you consume. If you use 2 GBs and "install" plan the phone, you are at about $70/month total cost

Verizon has a $20 smartphone "line access fee" so your 2GB of data at $35/month is really $55/month. Add in phone and you are at about $85 per month. Best network coverage and speeds by far. What the f**k a "line access fee" is, I don't know, but its almost as if a previous poster said...you are paying to access the data thru your phone which is what your $35 data charge is for? Huh?

If Rojo has a promotional price where I could pay $19 per month for TMobile, I'd switch in a second.

Memphian wrote:

Currently, I have Verizon and my phones will be paid off / eligible for upgrade / whatever they call it now / in the next couple of months. For 2-phones I'm paying around $230 per month. (15GB data and unlimited calls & texts all shared)

I want a plan that is inexpensive and has consistently decent data service. Having up to date devices is ideal, but others are considered at the right price point.

Any better options out there?

You are getting ripped off. Just change plans not carriers. We pay Vz ~190 for FOUR lines with either 12 or 18gb (I forget), and unlimited calls/texts which I think is standard now anywhere.

You must be on a dated plan.

+1 more for republic. It's way cheaper than the major carriers even after factoring in the phone cost. and has the same coverage.

I pay $32 after tax for unlimited call, text and 3g data. There is a soft limit on the data, but I've never hit it. My plan might be obsolete for new customers as I've been with them a while.