Cell phone provider reccomendations

[Spudman***]

Our contract is up with Verizon and our daughter managed to leave her ENV3 outside in the dirt for 2 weeks so we need a new plan and at least 1 new phone.

Who has affordable service with texting? We don't need data. It's been a long time since we got the service initially so I'm unfamiliar with what is out there. Any ideas would be appreciated.

[Tig***]

We moved to T-mobile a few years ago and haven't regretted it one bit. They have a great network and better/cheaper rate plans than most. We get a better rate for month to month (no contract) than other carrier's plans.

[Eric***]

We moved to T-mobile a few years ago and haven't regretted it one bit. They have a great network and better/cheaper rate plans than most. We get a better rate for month to month (no contract) than other carrier's plans.

I agree that T-mobile is cheaper, and I liked their customer service when I was with them. I did have dropped calls every once in awhile when I had them, but I still liked them quite a bit. That was about 5 years ago, so everything (network-wise) could be different by now. It seems to be quite dependant on who has the best service in your area. Out here, Verizon Wireless seems to do really well, but I imagine it's different in different parts of the country.

That said, when our contract is up I think my wife and I are just going to buy phones outright and try a service like Virgin Mobile or one of their contemporaries.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

I think the weaknesses of carriers other than Verizon show up in less-populated areas. For example, I had perfect Verizon connectivity while at a remote lake in the Cascades while my relatives' T-Mobile phones didn't work. Hell, my phone worked in Cancun (albeit at 99-cents a minute), and I didn't have to do anything beforehand. If you're not in a metro area, or you travel a lot in the boonies, this might be a consideration. I shopped mobile service recently, but really couldn't find anything that would give me any substantial saving over our Verizon 2-line, 700 shared minutes plan at about $75 a month.

[Spudman***]

but really couldn't find anything that would give me any substantial saving over our Verizon 2-line, 700 shared minutes plan at about $75 a month.

This is where I am too.

[marnold***]

I'm on a regional carrier so that won't help you much. It's cheaper than Verizon but uses their towers when roaming so I still get good coverage on those rare occasions I'm out of state. The disadvantage is that they are slow to get new phones, so you're out of luck if you want the latest and greatest.

[Tig***]

Yep, Verizon has the best coverage and network, especially for voice.

Our T-mobile 2-line, 700 shared minutes plan with data for Mrs. T runs $75, but we don't use texting.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

I resurrected this thread because I found an excellent deal on cell phone service with Consumer Cellular. http://www.consumercellular.com I switched from Verizon almost 2 weeks ago, and it's working fine. They're on AT&T's network, so the coverage is fine. The best part is that it's half the price of Verizon, based on a 2-line shared 750 minutes plus a modest text plan ($2.50 for 100 texts a month). After the wife switches over, we'll be saving almost $500 a year. The activation/porting was quick and easy. And the US-based, English-speaking (Portland Oregon) support is a nice plus. They even have a nice referral plan where both parties get a $10 credit (PM me for my number, should you decide to take the plunge).

One of the deciding factors was that the company is the top-rated cell provider according to Consumer Reports.

Consumer Cellular seems to be the best deal for light-to-moderate users. StraightTalk (Walmart) looks like the best deal for heavy talk/text/data users - $495 (prepaid) a year for unlimited everything.

I realize that the coverage might be a bit thinner than Verizon in outlying areas, but we don't travel all that much to justify paying so much more.