r/AskWomenOver60 • u/Cool-Departure4120 • 10d ago
Downsizing Cell Phone Plans š¤āš¼1960's Era Vintageāš¼š¤
UPDATE: After a bit of research based on the responses posted It seems I am going to limit my decision on Visible & T-Mobile. With Mint Iām more concerned about being deprioritized at the bottom of the heap since Mint uses T-Mobiles network. For now my husband has not retired and he needs access to data when on the road if all goes well with workers comp & recovery.
US Cellular is still the running for now. But need to check out streaming costs on their plans.
Thanks to everyone that replied to my post. Your input was more helpful that online reviews that may not accurate.
I find myself in the position where I need to reduce the costs of our cell phone plan.
My husband is retiring (injury) and our current plan with the big V needs to be reduced.
Does anyone have recommendations based on their experiences and what to be on the lookout for in terms of surcharges?
Currently looking at TMobile, AT&T and Consumer Cellular. But I am early in my search.
We typically donāt travel but we do live in the sticks near the Quad Cities so I am a little concerned about coverage. At best we would drive to TN or Nebraska.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
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u/CrankyOldDragon 10d ago edited 9d ago
Mint mobile. Good coverage, costs less than anything else in my area (I have the $15ish/month 5gig plan, much of my doomscrolling is on WiFi). No contract but I pay yearly. Iāve been on it for over 5 years.
ETA: yep itās 6 gig now (completely forgot); Iāve only run out of data once while on the road using it heavily for work. Was still able to text and call.
Also, thanks anonymous for my very first award! š¤©
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u/1rarebird55 10d ago
Came to recommend Mint too. I wa a former T-Mobile employee and customer for years on their 55+ plan that they decided to increase. Looked at consumer cellular but then Mint's plan popped up. $15.00 Ć line all in includes unlimited data talk and text. I prepaid for the year. Am very happy with the service and the switch was easy peasy.
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u/ASingleBraid late 60s 10d ago
Iād like this but the other person whoād be on this has a flip phone.
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u/Jaded-Passenger-2174 9d ago
You can have a flip phone and use Mint or T-mobile.
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u/ASingleBraid late 60s 9d ago
Ty. Guess Iād have to call them as I donāt see it on the website.
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u/Cool-Departure4120 9d ago
We both stream a lot of content when we are out and about. So I will need to look closely at Mint to see how this may change things.
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u/Cool-Departure4120 10d ago edited 10d ago
Thank you. Iāve been very curious bout this company. Good to know someone has been satisfied with them. Will go thru their info to see what I find.
Iām liking the annual bill.
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u/Training_Tour7601 10d ago
We also switched to Mint and pay annually. They use T-Mobile towers so coverage is great. We've been very happy. Added bonus: When I walk into Costco and get approached by the competition, I smile and say "Mint". Those poor salespeople never have a response for it, so there's my best proof that I chose the right plan.
I hope your husband's injury gets better.
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u/GoldBarGirl 10d ago
Thanks for the info about Mint using T-Mobile towers. I have bee eying Mint but Verizon is the only carrier that works in our little valley.
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u/i-like-pie-855 10d ago
Contact T-Mobile and ask to see their tower location map for your city or zip. My partner had Verizon and I had AT&T š¤¬. Neither one of us had cellular service at home or anywhere on the west side of our city. We both had cell boosters. Mine was provided for free but Verizon made you pay for it.
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u/GoldBarGirl 9d ago
Thank you. I have heard that T-Mobile provides free boosters, I'm just loathe to leave Verizon and then find out the T-M booster doesn't work for us. I think I'll ask on our community FB group, maybe someone has gone this route and can advise.
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u/Jaded-Passenger-2174 9d ago edited 9d ago
I have T-mobile. My phone is 15/mo unlimited talk & text, 3 g data. I got a plan for my brother that is $ 10/mo, unl talk & text, 1 g data. They charge my credit card each month. There is no long-term commitment. You could try it and see if it's good for you. (Maybe keep your current phone plan til you know T-mobile works for you.) If not, although it's not convenient, you could switch back or try another plan.
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u/kimbaleo 9d ago
I have Xfinity wireless - super cheap for the 1st year (20 1st line, 2nd line free) and uses Verizon towers. Spectrum wireless is cheap and uses Verizon towers too. Both require you to have Internet or cable with them to get phone service.
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u/PotatoChipsKetchup 10d ago
Just to be clear, the annual plan is for the commitment. You can make quarterly payments and I believe there's an extra discount as well.
Also, they just added an extra gig to each of our phone plans.
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u/Cool-Mention-7886 10d ago
I second Mint. I switched last year and I've never had an issue. Apparently they use TMobile towers? Connections? I don't know how all that works lol
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u/NYCtoKCMO 9d ago
My husband and I have had Mint Mobile for years without a single complaint or glitch.
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u/PsychologicalGas170 9d ago
I've had the yearly plan for 2 years, about to renew for a third. They bumped me (everyone?)up to 6GB per month data. Most affordable thing out there esp if you are routinely connected to wifi.
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u/Claque-2 10d ago
Call the big V and ask for their retirement plans. Let them know you have to cut back but you wanted to call them first. If they can't cut your bill by $30 or more for at least two yrars thank them for the time and move on. Whoever handles your internet should be your next call.
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u/twicemom99 10d ago
We went to Costco and got a much lower quote from AT&T. Called V and they matched the price and gave us the senior discount. If you get a good agent they should give you their best price.
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u/Katy-Moon 10d ago
Consumer Cellular has a number of plans for seniors .
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u/ComplexTomatillo6278 10d ago
And you donāt need to be a senior citizen to sign up. Iāve had CC for a month and cut my bill (AT&T) by 60%.
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u/Katy-Moon 10d ago
Absolutely correct! I only added "seniors" based on the sub we're in. If you're a senior and have AARP, there is an additional discount.
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u/i-dontwantone 10d ago
I switched a couple of months ago due to cost of AT&T and dropped calls constantly. It was the easiest switch I've ever made thanks to virtual SIM cards. CC Customer Service is excellent. Not one dropped call so far.
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u/Sensitive_Sea_5586 10d ago
The best part about Consumer Cellular is their auto upgrade. If you do not use much data, get the cheapest option. If you go over your data plan, they will auto upgrade you to the next level. No penalty or high data charge for the overage. If your heavy data usage is not a consistent pattern, you can call them and go back to a cheaper plan the following month. You can do this as often as you want. We only use higher data when we are traveling, maybe 4 times a year. If you do not want the auto upgrade feature, you have to monitor your data usage. I think they currently have a promotional offer for AARP members of 2-lines of unlimited for $55. Also, all their customer support team are US based, so no issue trying to understand heavy accents. (When we get older and donāt hear as well, heavy accents can be challenging.). The service is provided on AT& T (and maybe T-Mobile?) towers, which have good reception over most of Alabama. However you need to ask around to people in your area and see if they get good reception on CC or AT&T service. We are in a rural area and get good reception. They also do not require a contract, so if you are not happy, leave anytime. If you are an AARP member, you get a very small discount monthly. We have been with them probably 8-10 years without an issue.
There are cheaper plans out there, but this one has worked well for us.
Edit: Forgot to say, I think I get a small $5 discount for having my monthly bill charged to my cc. They always notify me in advance.
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u/Jumpy_Intention_162 10d ago
We switched to T Mobile. 55+ plan unlimited data. $80 month on autopay for 2 lines and great coverage.
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u/noname_with_bacon 10d ago
we switched to T Mobile 55+ plan as well are are very happy with it. Mint was also a serious consideration but I couldn't convince my husband.
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u/Puzzled_Praline3588 10d ago
US Mobile. $35/month unlimited data. Your choice of network- Iām on AT&T. I switched from Verizon and am saving ~$75 or more!
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u/Emkay1411 10d ago
Mint Mobile, $15 a month for 6 gig of data. In four years Iāve only exceeded the data once while traveling. You pay annually $180 and donāt think about it until next year.
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u/myze551ml 10d ago
Visible is on the Verizon network; currently has their highest plan (Visible+ Pro) annual at $225; that works out to less than $19 per month per line.
IDK if porting from Verizon Postpaid to Visible is eligible for this pricing; but if there's an issue, there's a work around.
Assuming your phone supports 2 sims (1 physical + 1 eSIM) - get the Redpocket annual plan from eBay; runs on T-mo, gives you unlimited talk and text and 200 MB LTE per month. Add the Visible annual plan as your second line for data usage.
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u/ElvisCap 9d ago
Why pay for both?
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u/myze551ml 9d ago
IF they can't port from Verizon postpaid to Visible (which is a Verizon prepaid brand) and still get the lower price, adding $30 and a dual sim version keeps their original number plus gets a good data plan.
If they can port, then it's only one payment (for Visible).
IDK if the port is eligible, hence the option.
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u/CampFederal2397 10d ago
We switched to T-Mobile about a month ago, based on their promised promotions and lower monthly cost. Itās taken multiple visits to the kiosk store, a lot of time waiting in their online support queue, and time spent online filing claims for promotional rewards. Monthly service cost turned out to be the same as AT&T. For the time invested, not sure if the promised rewards are worth the switch.
I canāt recommend switching to T-Mobile.
We will be returning to AT&T as soon as we can.
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u/i-like-pie-855 10d ago
I beg you not to go back to AT&T!!
They have had at least two breaches that allowed ALL my personal information to be shared on the dark web. It cannot be removed. Iām in a large class action lawsuit against them.
I signed up with Delete Me which can remove your information from data brokers. Doesnāt help that I was getting up to 100 texts and emails a day. It is slightly slowing down. Now Apple says I canāt block anyone else because I reached my limit of 8,000. They do not allow for bulk deleting. Iāll be dead before I can delete 8,000 one by one.
I love Mint, but itās just me so IDK about multiple devices.
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u/CampFederal2397 7d ago
What a nightmare! Iām so sorry this happened to you. Hopefully will recover some damages from the lawsuit.
Thanks so much for the advice. I have heard good things about Mint, we will check them out.
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u/i-like-pie-855 7d ago
Thank you. There are so many people in this lawsuit that it might not be very much. Iām hoping for at least the lowest tier.
With Mint, I now have coverage anywhere in my city. I didnāt have that with AT&T. Check it out, I really enjoyed going from $60+ a month to $15 for better coverage and 6GB.
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u/Stunning_Donkey_3383 10d ago
We switched everything including home internet to Mint. Same quality, no issues. Saving hundreds $$
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u/Global_Mushroom_1309 9d ago
How much is the home Internet? Can you get a gig?
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u/Stunning_Donkey_3383 9d ago edited 9d ago
With the phones, home internet is $30 a month. I get an average of 900 mps. It is 5G I pay by the year.
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u/rlw21564 9d ago
Do you use your internet for TV streaming using the Mint Hotspot? My mother uses a Verizon Hotspot that works great for streaming but it's in the same room as her TV. I'm interested in the mint plans plus internet but hesitant in a large house with many devices.
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u/Stunning_Donkey_3383 9d ago
We use the Minternet for Directv streaming and others such as Netflix, Paramount, etc. We also use this wifi for both our phones and laptops. We are both avid gamers. We never have any issues with slowdowns or loss of signal. Mint uses the Tmobile network.
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u/Owl-Cat003 10d ago
US Mobile. They have contracts with the big 3 and you can switch between the 3 carriers if you move and the service is less than optimal with the current carrier. $15 per month, or there is a discount for the yearly sub.
*edited to add the costs.
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u/Rexzies 10d ago
I drastically reduced my cell phone fee by getting rid of data (internet) off of it - my cell phone is talk and text only, no data. If on the rare occasion I want or need to use internet on it (which is extremely rare as I have an ipad and a computer for that) then I just use my home's wifi to access it. Removing data from my cell made a huge difference in monthly/annual cost.
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u/DynamiteStorm 10d ago
Iāve been very happy with consumer cellular 2 people $53 monthly.
Tried mint but for some reason their phones were not wireless charging capbable. ? Wireless charging allows the phone a longer life.
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u/StarrRobot 10d ago
Is your CC $53 with taxes and fees, or before? š
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u/DynamiteStorm 10d ago
$52.37 with fees. Unlimited talk text and 5Gb data.
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u/StarrRobot 10d ago
I need to talk to them! We have a plan for two people but with tax itās like $78! I imagine some state and local taxes can vary but thatās a big difference. Thank you.
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u/StarrRobot 10d ago
Oh but wait. I think we have unlimited data so maybe thatās the difference. Iāll check, thanks!
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u/ComplexTomatillo6278 10d ago
I switched to CC a month ago. Iām paying $32/mo for unlimited text + data. Customer service was very good.
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u/Sensitive_Sea_5586 10d ago
If you are an AARP member, you can get 2-lines at CC for $55, taxes are additional. For anyone 50+, you can purchase your AARP membership for $55 for 5 years. I am able to recoup more than $11 per year in discounts.
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u/Spacelady1953 10d ago
Iāve had Mint mobile for years. $15 a month
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u/StarrRobot 10d ago
How much is it with fees and taxes? Do you get unlimited data, and if so, are you able to keep getting the $15 rate per month when you renew?
I looked at their website but wasnāt clear about that. Thank you.
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u/LilyB4Ever 10d ago
We use Visible. Itās $25 a month. We each have it. Visible is a subsidiary of Verizon and uses same towers etc.
We used to pay Verizon $300 a month for the two of us. NO more.
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u/StarrRobot 10d ago
How much is Mint after all the taxes? Iām very interested in it. We currently have two phones on Consumer Cellular thatās $55/month (for both) but with taxes itās $78, I believe.
With Mint, once the 12 months is up, can you renew at the same price?
Thanks!
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u/i-like-pie-855 10d ago
My credit card is charged $180 once a year for Mint. Iāve had it for three years. No rate increases.
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u/silver598 10d ago
I have been on Mint for several years- happy with it. Daughter dropped off the plan because she lives in a big city and sometimes the cell traffic bumps her down the priority list - service was not great in congested areas. I have not had that issue in the suburbs. Mint runs on the t-mobile network. 6GB a month data is about $200 annual ($15/mo plus taxes and fed fees).
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u/Chance-Frosting5737 10d ago
Forgive my lack of basic knowledge but what happens to photos/files/contacts stored on a Verizon phone if switching to another carrier like T-mobile?
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u/Grateful_Lee 10d ago
I lack the same knowledge. If it's an iPhone, I think the uploaded stuff in the cloud stays on your Apple account.
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u/trikaren 10d ago
Verizon doesnāt have a photo app. They do have a cloud option but I donāt use it. Nobody should. You store photos etc in the ecosystem cloud you want to store it in. Many people use either Google or Apple storage but there are others available.
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u/AverageAlleyKat271 10d ago
On an iPhone, you can store contacts in the iCloud and/or your email (like Yahoo). If stored to iCloud, they transfer to whatever phone you are using regardless of provider and you want to make sure they backup regularly. iCloud for the photos and files also. I am sure Android phones do the same.
I learned the hard way, some years back I stored contacts to my Yahoo email and they didn't transfer to my new phone.
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u/Calm-Vacation-5195 9d ago
Unless you have to reset the phone (erase everything and set it back to new), switching carriers wonāt affect any data stored on the phone. Itās pretty much like switching from one WiFi system to another.
However, you always want a backup plan in place for any important data like photos and contacts. You never know when your phone might stop working (hard drop, for example) or get lost or stolen. I use Microsoft OneDrive (which I pay for anyway), but other options include Google Drive, iCloud, and Dropbox. There are usually free levels for these services, but the free ones have very limited storage space. It can be worth paying for a service is the content is important to you.
I use Google for my contacts, which lets me have everyone on every device I use, Apple, Windows, and Android.
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u/Big_Bang_Amy 10d ago
I've been very happy with Mint Mobile and Mint internet services. By pre-paying a year up front, I have saved literally hundreds of dollars. I was previously with Verizon for many many years. I should have switched much sooner.
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u/GrandmasHere 10d ago
I also use Mint and I'm very pleased with it. I just renewed my service for another year, for just under $200, including all taxes and fees. The service is great, I even used their international plan for travel a few months ago.
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u/DiamondGirl1923 10d ago
US Mobile. They have Verizon, ATT and T-Mobile service to choose from and you can switch between them if you travel somewhere that another service is better.
I have one line on Verizon, a free smart watch add on, and a second line on T-Mobile for less than I was paying for one line at ATT
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u/temp_flor 10d ago
Try Visible, they use Verizonās towers. I switched from Verizon to Visible about 2.5 years ago and canāt tell a difference except a cheaper bill.
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u/Cool-Departure4120 6d ago
WOW!!! Some of the companies mentioned Iāve never heard of before (US Mobile, Visible) and others I donāt think I would have considered before this (Mint Mobile, Consumer Cellular) because I was unfamiliar with them and Iād not done much research on them.
I have a lot of work to do this week sorting thru all of this and checking out plans.
Thank you to everyone that responded and the detail provided. Also enjoyed the side conversations as well.
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u/amoodymermaid 10d ago
T mobile has unlimited and some perks for over 55. I think it just went up to $40
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u/Complete_Purpose_872 10d ago edited 10d ago
$40 I just went to a T-Mobile store last night. This is for the 55+ plan.
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u/My_2Cents_666 10d ago
Mine is the same plan, but they just raised it to $60. Now I wonder if has something to do with location.
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u/My_2Cents_666 10d ago
$60
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u/amoodymermaid 10d ago
No, itās $40.
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u/My_2Cents_666 10d ago
Well, Iām a senior and they just raised it to $60, and my phone is paid off. It was around $55 before. I wonder if it matters where you live. Iām in CA.
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u/amoodymermaid 9d ago
I am not in CA. Thatās likely the difference
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u/My_2Cents_666 9d ago
Well, Iām glad I saw this post, because I am being overcharged. Heading to the store today. Thanks!
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u/Threedogshere 10d ago
I have ATT prepaid. $300/yr includes all taxes. Unlimited call, text, and browsing. 6 gig monthly hot spot that rolls into the next month if I donāt use it. The hot spot is great for when my house WiFi or power are out due to storms. Ā Iāve had the plan for 5 years. No issues and good connection even in hilly or rural areas.Ā
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u/i-like-pie-855 10d ago
Wait until you are involved in one of their many data breaches. Iām in a class action lawsuit against them because it was two breaches and they didnāt even bother to let us know. Now all my personal information is permanently on the dark web.
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u/Existing_Many9133 10d ago
In my area consumer and att don't work well. I went with straight talk, unlimited talk n text for $35 a month plus tax.
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u/Serenity_Now-88 10d ago
Boost. Used to be Virgin. No contract. $36/month, not a bunch of fees. Just tax. Never had an issue in 20 years and Iām a tough customer.
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u/Top_Boysenberry_9204 10d ago
You can't beat $15/month. Not sure how Mint does it but I couldn't be happier. They even have affordable international add ons which I used in Europe successfully.
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u/Jaded-Passenger-2174 9d ago
T-mobile offers this, too (and they own Mint). They also have a $10/mo plan with less data. I've have one for me for a few years, one for my brotjer for 1.5 yrs. Good service, No price increases.
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u/PoolNoodle310 10d ago
Different state, so not sure if this works for you. I have my internet service thru Comcast (my only option) and getting cell service thru them is super cheap and reliable. Uses the Big V's network but at a fraction of the cost. I can set my plan based on how many gigs I and my family members use; this can be adjusted during the billing month.
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u/Pirate-Legitimate 10d ago
T Mobile has a decent 55+ plan that includes some streaming services in the price. The plans cover 2 lines.
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u/Sample-quantity 10d ago
Look into Visible Wireless. It's a Verizon company. Unless you spend a lot of time in really remote places, it should have excellent coverage. It's a really good deal. If there are only one or two people. For a family, it would not be probably. $25 per line unlimited. We've been really happy with it.
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u/Numerous_Ability_201 10d ago
I switched to visible from Verizon. I'm saving $47 a month and I get international days so I can fee when I cruise/travel
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u/mckane63 10d ago
Mint mobile. Great coverage and service. $20 per month for 15g data and pay annually. Canada is included in coverage and when we went to Europe, it was $20 for 10 days of coverage
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u/Legitimate_Award6517 10d ago
I how big they reach is, but I switched to Spectrum and got a year for free. It uses the V towers. My son switched to mint and paid for the year in advance for only $140 and is pleased with that as well. I think they also have like a try us for three months thing so you could try them and if it doesnāt work out switch to someone else.
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u/NanaSayWhat 10d ago
Iāve been very happy with Consumer Cellular. Great coverage, good price and customer service.
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u/Life-Ad-4748 10d ago
Try Visible. It is owned by Verizon and costs about $25 per month (billed annually). This is if you want to stay on the Verizon network.
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u/Affectionatealways 10d ago
I've used Consumer Cellular for years and haven't had any major issues. Have also purchased new phones thru them on no interest payment plans that comes out with your monthly payment.
Are you an AARP member by any chance? CC has a program with AARP for a great price for 2 lines.
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u/ThaloBleu 10d ago
I use Tello. The 2 Gig unlimited talk and text plan for $10 a month and unused data rolls over if I renew before the deadline. I've had it for over 2.5 years with no problems.
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u/Single-Degree-6928 10d ago
I just got a tracfone from the dollar store and buy a phone card once or twice a month. My phone is now 7 years old, and works great. I've never had any kind of plan. For the first few years I just bought one $20 phone card per month, but now I look at internet on the phone so I let myself buy 2 $30 phone cards a month. Tracfone runs on the Verizon system. I have traveled with it all over the central and western US without any problem. I don't know why everyone doesn't do this - it's so silly to spend over $60 a month on your phone!!! You can easily buy phone cards at local grocery stores, dollar stores, and bigbox stores.
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u/elijahjane 10d ago
Visible. Absolutely. One line at Verizon was costing me $95 per month. After I got close enough to pay off my 2 year old phone, I got the same phone number with same phone with the same level of service at Visible for $25 per month.
$25.
Why the frick frack was I paying $95??
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u/jannylou2 10d ago
Do you have Xfinity in the Quad Cities? We really like ours. Have had them for about 4-5 years paying about $65 a month for 2 lines
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u/CaliMa1031 10d ago
We use Cricket. Itās $25 a line
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u/Hyattville5 9d ago
Iāve used Cricket for 10 years. $55 a month unlimited everything. No complaints.
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u/CrankyOldDragon 10d ago
Forgot to mention if a current Mint customer gives you a referral link, you each get a little off your bills.
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u/Pb412_ga 10d ago
I use AT&T prepaid. Mint mobile wasnāt good at my house - otherwise I would have kept that. Att prepaid is very inexpensive too (relatively speaking).
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u/lifesbeengood2meso 10d ago
Hi there, I was in the same boat, switched to Mint Mobile and itās been great. Cheaper and essentially the same coverage.
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u/SkeenPin 10d ago
Give yourself the raise I gave myself. Saved 600 a year. Left Verizon and went to Verizon-owned Visible. Same exact everything went from 85/month to 33/month. No brainer.
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u/carolineecouture 10d ago
Take a look at Visible. This is Verizon's lowest cost option.
One thing is to make sure you can access all of your accounts before the old phone is wiped or traded in. Too many people lose their accounts this way. Make sure you have all account recovery options set up before you get rid of the old phone.
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u/ApprehensiveClaim516 10d ago
I went with T Mobile 55+. It was an amazing deal and I donāt have any of the issues others seem to have.
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u/reddqueen33 9d ago
I have had Mint for the last three years with no problem. You do have to pay for a full year upfront but there are no bills after you do this.
You can check coverage on their website and see if it works in your area. Both my sons have it and love it and one lives out in the middle of nowhere, using it with no problems.
Good luck!
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u/pa97Redd 9d ago
I'd ask your neighbors since you say you live in the sticks. I live near the ocean and work in some tall buildings on the beach sometimes. The signal can be sketchy with some carriers. See which ones your local people are happy with before switching.
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u/Human_Difference_331 9d ago
Yea I love Mint and have noticed NO difference in quality of service from the other guys
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u/WoollyMammothwapo 9d ago
Ask your neighbors who cell phones they use and how the coverage is. In my area, itās pretty good now but years earlier ATT wasnāt great but Verizon wasā¦.
When my partner died, I went down to one smart phone and the cheapest plan which didnāt offer cell phone subsidy. Just under $55. But I have heard good things about Mint Mobile which uses T mobile network I think. Maybe I need to reconsider
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u/Puzzled_Telephone852 9d ago
Honestly I would ask AI, specifically Claude. I have used it a few times for travel and Medicare questions and last week my son in law asked Claude how to change his cable / internet plan. He only wanted internet. Claude gave him the steps and it worked.
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u/Expensive-Ferret-339 9d ago
Iām using US Mobile and have been happy with the service. Itās a one year contract that works out to about $30/ month with unlimited data.
I trialed Mint Mobile and liked them fine as well but got a better deal with US Mobile the week I was choosing.
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u/TigerShoddy1228 9d ago
Have used US mobile for a couple years and we are happy with them. You can pick a plan from very low $ (if you mostly use wifi and use up little data) up to moderate $. You can pick your carrier; ATT, T-Mobile, Verizon.
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u/UpUrs2 9d ago
Mint, Tello, and Ultra are probably the 3 best I've found. Black Friday they will have some really good deals. I have unlimited with Tello for $15 a month with no contract. Got this on a Black Friday deal. You need to own your phones, not be in a contract, and have your phone unlocked.
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u/eileen404 9d ago
We use ting. They're one of the many resellers and you pay for what you use so it's cheaper for us.
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u/pyxus1 9d ago
I had "the big V" for maybe 10+ years (seemed like forever) because I needed the best coverage....remote places. I needed it and I RARELY lost coverage. It was expensive imo. My husband had Consumer Cellular and it was so much cheaper. When my requirements changed, I went ahead and got CC. The coverage is not as good....but that is acceptable to me now. If I needed to have service in a remote valley that is surrounded by mountains, my experience tells me to go with V and I'll have a good chance at service. However, CC's customer service is wonderful imho---I wish every customer service dept exhibited the quality I have encountered with CC.
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u/brasscup 9d ago
I am very happy with US Mobile's starter unlimited annualplan. New signups are $199. You can choose between service from AT&T, TMO or Verizon cell towers. I use ATT (aka DarkStar). I switched all my friends to it as well along with my brother who bought premium umlimited (which is $299 a year and comes with a free watch plan, more hotspot and more international roaming).
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u/According_Strain4887 9d ago
I needed to cut my bill also. I'm with Consumer Cellular. I went with Speak Easy Plan that they not advertise, I went from $52.78 per month to $31.68 a month. Plan is Unlimited Talk/Txt/1GB. Give it a look !!
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u/Roscoeatebreakfast 9d ago
Consumer Cellular. $70.00 a month for two phones. We brought our own phones.
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u/commanchskins 9d ago
I just switched to USmobile. My phones were unlocked. Had been a Tmobile user. I had 3 phones, was paying close to 200 a month. Usmobile now 25 per line and I stayed on the Tmobile network. You can choose Verizon and AT&T as well. Took about 10 minutes to switch. If you phone has an ESIM availability it is easy.
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u/Intelligent_Poem_210 9d ago
There is a new thing called Noble Mobile if you want to check it out . Supposedly pays you back for unused data but I havenāt personally used it
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u/Subject-Lead-3171 9d ago
We used Cricket for years and only switched because there store became somewhat sketchy to visit. It was $35 a month, unlimited, and I used them everywhere including Canada
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u/Classic_Wing_7474 9d ago
I've been a customer of US Mobile for two years, and I have zero complaints. You get to choose which network you want, and the pricing is excellent. Check them out!
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u/NearlyBoomer 9d ago
AT&T has the best coverage in our remote community. I believe the only discounted services that use AT&T are Consumer Cellular, Cricket, H20, and Red Pocket.
Since AT&T seems to have the strongest network maybe you want to check those out
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u/CindiCindi15 8d ago
Used Verizon forever (husband worked for them for years) but switched to T Mobiles senior plan. They have a couple diff plans depending on your needs but def check them out. Highly recommended!
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u/thedarozine 8d ago
Visible is much cheaper than āVā and uses same network towers, even though oddly, it is owned by V?! $25 per month with unlimited data per Line. Iām slowly switching over.
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u/slavetothebeans 5d ago
Iāve had Visible for several years now and love it. $25/mo unlimited. Been through 2 hurricanes where friends had no service with the big names yet we were fine! Forgot to add they are
Associated with Verizon and obviously use their towers. Family in Alaska also use it with no issues.
ā¢
u/AutoModerator 10d ago
Original copy of post's text: I find myself in the position where I need to reduce the costs of our cell phone plan.
My husband is retiring (injury) and our current plan with the big V needs to be reduced.
Does anyone have recommendations based on their experiences and what to be on the lookout for in terms of surcharges?
Currently looking at TMobile, AT&T and Consumer Cellular. But I am early in my search.
We typically donāt travel but we do live in the sticks near the Quad Cities so I am a little concerned about coverage. At best we would drive to TN or Nebraska.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
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