Community Forums

Kro1957 · 10-19-2017, 06:39 PM

We have been with Verizon for a very long time.
Both of us have Smart phones.
We like the coverage under Verizon but our bill is $150 a month for the two of us I think the data is 4g per month.

We are not under contract, but is there another provider you would recommend that has great coverage?

Any discounts your provider gives?

I think we get a 8% loyalty discount right now. I plan to see if my military is better deal.

Any of them have a Senior rate? Just looking for the best bang for the buck with good service. What service provider do you recommend? And if you don't mind me asking how much is your cost per month?

Thanks!!!!
James

rk911 · 10-19-2017, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kro1957

We have been with Verizon for a very long time.
Both of us have Smart phones.
We like the coverage under Verizon but our bill is $150 a month for the two of us I think the data is 4g per month.

We are not under contract, but is there another provider you would recommend that has great coverage?

Any discounts your provider gives?

I think we get a 8% loyalty discount right now. I plan to see if my military is better deal.

Any of them have a Senior rate? Just looking for the best bang for the buck with good service. What service provider do you recommend? And if you don't mind me asking how much is your cost per month?

Thanks!!!!
James

if you don't need a lot of data check out consumer cellular.

Robmat · 10-19-2017, 07:13 PM

I have AT&T for my personal phone and Verizon for my work phone and every summer we take a month long trip across the country. I can say that I have seen no substantial difference between each of them. I only had one place where Verizon worked and AT&T came up emergency calls only. Considering that AT&T was recently awarded a 20 year US government contract to build a nationwide public safety network called FirstNet I have to think that when they fill the voids with FirstNet towers they will throw a couple of consumer antennas there also. You can get two phones with 12 GB shared data and unlimited talk and text for $75/mo. for a prepaid plan. I use this website for comparing plans - https://www.whistleout.com/ As far as discounts they give me 15% as a gov't employee their website says bring your employee ID or Union card to the store to check for discounts also they offer 10% for AARP members on certain plans.

I also have one of those AT&T Mobley MiFi's units with a connected car plan and had it on the entire trip this summer and had no areas that I didn't have data. Even the time I had limited voice service I still had data service.

aether_one · 10-19-2017, 07:17 PM

AT%T prepaid at $40/month unlimited talk/text and 6 Gb roll-over data.

Kro1957 · 10-19-2017, 08:49 PM

We purchased both of our i-phones through Verizon and have used their service exclusively.

If we changed to another provider, do we have to change out sim cards on the phones? Can we just walk into say a Consumer Cellular or AT&T and they would be able to import, contacts, and all else using the same equipment and same numbers? I am thinking you can just not sure since I have had Verizon ever since we have had cell phones.

staggerlee · 10-19-2017, 09:15 PM

I got phone unlocked so I had something to say about what company I wanted to use, not what they wanted me to use.
We had U.S.Cellular for lots of years. They always told me that we were in a good area at home for a signal. WRONG.

When they said they sent someone out to test the signal, without contacting me while here. That was it.
Now with control over my own paid for phone I can switch carriers at will.
The best we have had so far is Cricket. Unlimited everything. about $100.00 a month with 2 phones, but $5.00 less with direct deposit.

staggerlee · 10-19-2017, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kro1957

If we changed to another provider, do we have to change out sim cards on the phones?

You will need a new sim card, and they can get your numbers in there.
The good thing about having an unlocked phone is you have several choices to choose from.
Pay your final bill, then go on to the next carrier. No contract to get you all tied up in their bull.

hawkeye1995 · 10-19-2017, 10:10 PM

The problem you will have is the phone itself. Unless they are unlocked, you will have to get new phones. I like AT&T, but for only one reason. I can watch my Direct Tv on my smart phone with no data usage. This comes in handy when you are not close enough to get Local TV. Plus its great for keeping up with national news, for what that is worth. I'm sure they all have there plus and minus. Some people say Verizon is the best for tower connections. But, that not really true, on a trip to Texas Grand Canyon, {really called something else} we had no problem with AT&T but the people next to us had no service. We had the same problem out west, no service, but Verizon could connect. Our plan is about the same as your paying now. 15gb with the right to use as hotspot. They have unlimited plan, 22 gb of 4g, throttled back, and way back, after that. Plus, you can not use your phone as a hotspot. I have never went over, and what I don't use gets rolled over. I like the idea of using my phone as a hotspot for surfing with my laptop. And as stated, get to take my Direct TV with me. You will not get every single channel you get at home, but you will get most of them. Just don't get IPhones!!!!! can not mirror signal to TV with out using Apple TV, then both have to be on same network, that get complicated. That is a whole new subject. Good Luck. CORRECTION: AT&T Unlimited Plus Plan does have a unlimited plan with 10GB of hotspot data at 3MB, after that throttled back to 128gbs. Recommend you visit their store or web site for the best accurate quotes for their plans.

link30240 · 10-20-2017, 04:48 AM

Straight Talk is running a promotion right now. ends nov 20,2017

https://www.straighttalk.com/wps/portal/home

Buy any new Samsung phone and activate with their 55.00 per month plan and you get unlimited 4g LTE with throttling after 32gigs.

you can get a decent phone Samsung Galaxy Sky for 99.00. And works on Verizon towers.

When going through their website they make it appear you have to get the new galaxy 8 but it has been confirmed any new samsng phone qualifies aslong as it is activated with the 55.00 plan and that plan is maintained each month

then the plan for 2 of you @55 x 2 you are looking at 110 a month. set up automatic billing and get a small discount also.

Straight Talks service has been great for us, but their customer service sucks so keep that in mind before making a decision.

link30240 · 10-20-2017, 04:54 AM

Another option is T-mobiles senior plan

https://www.t-mobile.com/offers/t-mo...reative%7D,s:g

Not sure about T-mobiles coverage where you travel but you should be able to keep your Iphones and just change the sim

you get 2 lines with Tmobile senior plan for 60 bucks a month unlimited LTE throttling at 50gs

If coverage works for you that is a screaming deal

**CountryFit** · 10-20-2017, 10:24 AM

dw and i used to be with verizon on grandfathered unlimited data plan with 1400 minutes calls and no text, at $180/mo. 3 months ago we jumped onto tmo 55+ plan at $60/mo. we travelled two places - san francisco bay area and las vegas. generally speaking tmo internet connections in those places are stable, no disruptions during the entire 500 miles route from 880s - 101s - 252e - 5s - 58e - 15n. the only shortcoming is video streaming, not as good as verizon. based on your 4gb data usage, i assume you are not doing heavy streaming, tmo might be adequate for you. jmho.

nehog · 10-20-2017, 06:42 PM

IIRC, Verizon's military/veteran discount is 10%. They also have an academic discount too.

jamaddox · 10-21-2017, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkeye1995

They have unlimited plan, 22 gb of 4g, throttled back, and way back, after that. Plus, you can not use your phone as a hotspot. I have never went over, and what I don't use gets rolled over. CORRECTION: AT&T Unlimited Plus Plan does have a unlimited plan with 10GB of hotspot data at 3MB, after that throttled back to 128gbs. Recommend you visit their store or web site for the best accurate quotes for their plans.

I have the ATT unlimited plan and if you use your phone as a hotspot you will get 10Gb of data and the you are throttled. If you purchase a device that is not a phone but is a hotspot (unite pro or explorer) the you can use the unlimited data and you are subject to network management after 22GB. You can add a hotspot device to the unlimited plans for $20 per month but they will be freezing that option for new customers on Oct 28, 2017. If you buy before then you should be grandfathered in. ATT also has a 15% military discount but only for the primary line. Not for the additional lines.

Robmat · 10-21-2017, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kro1957

We purchased both of our i-phones through Verizon and have used their service exclusively.

If we changed to another provider, do we have to change out sim cards on the phones? Can we just walk into say a Consumer Cellular or AT&T and they would be able to import, contacts, and all else using the same equipment and same numbers? I am thinking you can just not sure since I have had Verizon ever since we have had cell phones.

Some I-phones are either GSM or CDMA and some newer ones are dual band. It should tell you on the phone if it CDMA, GSM, or both. If it's only CDMA you are limited to Verizon, US Cellular and Sprint. The rest (AT&T, T-Mobile, and everyone else in the world) use GSM. Many of the unlocked phones for sale on Amazon have both. Once your phone is paid off you can take your number anywhere. I don't have Apple phones but my son has and he phone crashed and had to have a system reset at the Apple Store and once he logged into his apple account all the numbers came back to his phone.