All-Purpose Cell Phone & Plan Thread

We really need one of these, and I didn't see one anywhere else.

So, to summarize: Dropped our home phone a few months ago and went just to celluar. Wife already had a phone and since I don't use my phone for much I kept my cheap-o basic AT&T Go Phone.

A few months in, and it's not really working for me. The Go Phone is too small and I was burning through my minutes. She uses Sprint with an everything 450 plan for about $90 a month. Their basic plan is $29 a month and doesnt seem to offer much.

So what's the cheapest basic phone and plan combo? All I use the phone for is calling home, work and family. Some texting. I wouldn't mind a camera or a few apps but I'm not going to have the phone in my hand constantly so I don't need a huge data plan.

I think the Virgin Mobile $30 PayLo plan would fit me just fine, but is there an even cheaper option?

I currently pay about $25 for 3 months worth of minutes for the AT&T GO phone, but having been going through that amount in a month.

Tagging for interest.

I have a smartphone with Sprint, but I've found that the data access is super overrated. 2 year contract ends in 10 months, and I might switch to a basic talk/text plan later on and save the cash if there's a reasonable plan out there.

Although I have kept my data usage to below 2 gb a month since I got my droid charge, I don't like the idea that I have to pay full price next year if I want to keep my unlimited data plan. It's good to have that extra space. Even with my educators discount I am paying 70 bucks a month for 450mins/250 text/unlimited data. That's an additional 30 bucks since I got this phone and met my wife [she's a texter] :\

I'm tempted to not even use sprint due to the past customer experience I had with them and their incomprehensible Indian accented customer service reps..

Spent about 30 minutes on the phone, had to repeat every question, was told they waived the activation fee. Then, a supervisor calls up the next day with a similar accent and says the activation fee won't be waived.

I've been using Straight Talk (the Wal-mart exclusive pay-as-you-go) for about 2-3 years now and I plan on keeping it indefinitely.

Buy the phone you prefer (anything from super-basic to Android or Blackberry) or buy a new compatible SIM-card for more phone options (including iPhone IIRC), then pay $30 a month for 1,000minutes/1,000texts/30MBweb or $45/month for unlimited.

CDMA phones use Verizon towers, GSM phones use AT&T.

I've had the same phone since I started it without a single problem: the Samsung R451C, which has had a good battery life and gets reception where 80% of people get none, most notably inside certain buildings that seem to be lead-lined with how easily reception gets destroyed the minute you go inside them.

I don't like nor want smart phones, so it's exactly what suits me: a good, solid phone with a slide-out qwerty keyboard and no BS touchscreen.

You can buy the monthly cards at Wal-mart or at WM.com where they'll E-mail you the code in about 2 minutes. Straight Talk has an auto-pay feature, but I wouldn't recommend it. Their Customer Service is their biggest downside and if something odd happens it's a pain to get things straightened out (oh, irony). They'll fix what's wrong, but it's a total outsource experience with long wait times. The worst was when I would call for something and it simply says "our call volume is very high, please try calling back at a less busy time" without the option to even wait for however long it will take.

[quote name='Kerig']I've been using Straight Talk (the Wal-mart exclusive pay-as-you-go) for about 2-3 years now and I plan on keeping it indefinitely.

Buy the phone you prefer (anything from super-basic to Android or Blackberry) or buy a new compatible SIM-card for more phone options (including iPhone IIRC), then pay $30 a month for 1,000minutes/1,000texts/30MBweb or $45/month for unlimited.

CDMA phones use Verizon towers, GSM phones use AT&T.

I've had the same phone since I started it without a single problem: the Samsung R451C, which has had a good battery life and gets reception where 80% of people get none, most notably inside certain buildings that seem to be lead-lined with how easily reception gets destroyed the minute you go inside them.

I don't like nor want smart phones, so it's exactly what suits me: a good, solid phone with a slide-out qwerty keyboard and no BS touchscreen.

You can buy the monthly cards at Wal-mart or at WM.com where they'll E-mail you the code in about 2 minutes. Straight Talk has an auto-pay feature, but I wouldn't recommend it. Their Customer Service is their biggest downside and if something odd happens it's a pain to get things straightened out (oh, irony). They'll fix what's wrong, but it's a total outsource experience with long wait times. The worst was when I would call for something and it simply says "our call volume is very high, please try calling back at a less busy time" without the option to even wait for however long it will take.[/QUOTE]


Do you use the internet on it? How is it?

I currently have a virgin mobile on an unlimited with 3G - not bad - but internet reception can be spotty and speeds can be slow.

Was thinking about upgrading to a 4G phone hoping that would make a difference.

I have experience with Virgin Mobile and Net10 on the no contract side. Both companies are good IMO.

Used to have T-Mobile, then Sprint, and then Verizon (which I will be cancelling soon on my second line).

Definitely feel the extra money those contract companies charge was never worth it.

[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']Do you use the internet on it? How is it?[/QUOTE]

Not with my phone other than an emergency Google search if I need to find a POI address that isn't on my car's GPS. I live a technology-segregated lifestyle by choice. Phones are for talking, texting, and taking pictures of dumb things you find at the store.

Like this classic:

Yeah. Right now I'm looking at either the virgin mobile $30 PayGo plan 1500 minutes/1500 texts, 30 MB web data.

Or for $35, unlimitied data and 300 minutes, unlimited texting. You get alot better (smarter) phone with the $35 plan. Would I need the unlimited data? I'm not likely to go through more than 300 minutes, and do text the wife frequently when at the store or out with the kids.

+1 for the Straight Talk $45 a month unlimited plan.

When my AT&T contract expired I unlocked and jailbroke my iPhone 4 and took it to Straight Talk in June? I'm happy with it paying half what my old bill was and now have no plans to upgrade iPhones for awhile, buying a mini instead.

To answer the earlier question, they do use all of At&t's cellular towers but your net is not as fast on speed tests. It's still very usable and I have no problem surfing the web aside from the couple places I had trouble with my at&t plan. Unlike Kerig, I believe phones are for the internet, txting, sxting, games and lastly in an emergency talking.

Recommendations on any $50 or less phones?
Kyocera Rise? PCD Chaser?

I have a 3G iPhone right now on Verizon with the 2 GB month data plan, this after 4 years of using an enV2. My contract for that will expire in May at which point I hopefully can get another good deal. 2 GB/month is fine by me, the only must-have in my phone's plan is unlimited texting.

tmobile prepaid here. I have an unlocked iphone 4 and buy $100 worth of minutes that lasts about 3-4 months. Maybe longer, some times shorter. Plans rape me every time I go on it. Really no reason to have internet on your phone unless you are addicted to facebook/twitter or your job requires it. Been doing this for about 2 years and I am not looking back. Also with apps that use wifi, you can text or call for free as long as the other person has the same thing.

I couldn't live without internet on my iPhone. YMMV. However, my wife has my hand-me-down iPhone 3GS and we use it with AT&T's pay-as-go service (without data) and that works well. We don't make a lot of calls and just some text. If you made a lot of cell calls it wouldn't work out as well. We pay $100 a year which covers all the texting and calling she does with it.

So far I think I've torn between Virgin Mobile's $30 1500 mins/1500 text and 30 MB web access.

or Virgin Mobile's $35 400 mins and unlimited text/data.

Don't really see a -need- for unlimited data but figure if I'd have it, I'd use it. Phones are a bit more expensive on the $35 plan vs the $30 plan as well.

Will run to Target tomorrow to see if they have any on clearance and if not, just pick one up online.

Is there are a cheaper plan that gives around the same minutes? I haven't seen one.
Something like $15/month for 500 minutes and 500 texts would be ideal. (Especially if it had roll over)