Changing Wireless Providers. . . Any Suggestions

I have been a Verizon user for several years, mostly back to an old job that provided me the free phone. I switched jobs a year ago, so I kept my Verizon account and got a monthly check from my new employer to pay for part of it.

My contract is up and I am ready to upgrade phones (to the Iphone 5) so I have been shopping around to see if I can get my monthly bill down.

I am paying about $95 monthly for 900 minutes, unlimited texting and 2 GB data. It is just me. . . one phone so I can't get a volume discount. I don't need all the minutes. . . using between 400-600 a month and I could go down to 450 minutes and save $20, but if I go over the 450, they hammer you for 0.25/minute.

I looked at Sprint and AT&T and everything seems the same so I thought I'd ask this panel of experts for suggestions.

 

Whatever you have and whatever problems you've had, customer service will not improve with AT&T. In my remote area of podunk, it's the only carrier with decent service so I have to keep it. That's the only thing keeping me from switching.

You will not have a customer service call with AT&T that will last less than 45 minutes, I can guarantee that.

I think the plans and phones are fairly comparable across the board.

 

I've been with Sprint for five years. Zero complaints ... a phone with more memory would be nice, but that's an operator error, not the company.

Thing is, let this thread hang around long enough and someone will find big problems with every provider. YMMV.

Good luck.

 

Just upgraded to the iPhone 4S after three years of the 3GS. Shopped around for plans with different carriers, and found that they're almost all virtually the same.

I think most carriers have some kind of carrier-to-carrier discount, so if you call a bunch of AT&T numbers and you're on Verizon, those minutes are usually going to count toward your 900 allowed. In that case, you might want to switch to AT&T and maybe then you'd only be "using," say, 300-400 minutes, thus allowing you to drop to the lower plan.

FYI, I haven't seen a cell phone bill under $100 in at least seven years. Just sayin'. Of course, I use upwards of 800 MB of data every month so I definitely get my money's worth.

 

I just switched to T-Mobile and got an iPhone 5. I had been on Verizon. I would definitely look at T-Mobile's rates -- they're a hell of a lot less than I would be paying if I was still on Verizon.

 

I have a personal Droid on Verizon and a company iPhone on Sprint.

My main issue with Sprint is the network, because there are too many places in our suburban-to-farmland coverage area where my fancy iPhone might as well be a paperweight. Verizon has (almost) never let me down, not even after Hurricane Sandy.

I figure that's why I'm paying too much. Most of the cheaper carriers either piggyback on another network or don't have much of one at all.

 

I have been with T-Mobile since I got my first cell phone, and I can vouch for their excellent customer service and rates. I pay about 85 bucks a month and get unlimited minutes/texts/data. Only issue is the coverage is spotty more often than I would like. And when I get a new phone, I am guessing my rates are going to go up. I will be keeping an eye on this thread because I am considering switching plans as well, but my rate is so good right now it will have to be a really good deal.

 

If you text/web surf a lot on your smart phone, it's hard to beat Sprint's unlimited data/unlimited texting plans. But yeah, coverage can get pretty spotty if you spent a lot of time away from major cities or the Interstate.

 

My wife is a T-Mobile call center supervisor. I get unlimited minutes and texts, plus a little bit of data for $15. I'm saving for my first smartphone. Probably going to hold out for the supposed low-cost, plastic iPhone, which may or may not be out this fall.

I know you won't be able to base much from my own expense, but even if she didn't work there we'd be with T-Mobile. The plans are fine for just the two of us, plus I really don't like being in a contract for anything. Having researched the new T-Mobile plans versus the new stuff rolling out from Verizon and AT&T, the T-Mo plans are less complicated to understand.

But, it's still a cell phone plan. T-Mobile won't save you a fortune, but maybe a few bucks every month. It'll add up in the long run. There's a fairly accurate comparison chart here: http://www.macrumors.com/2013/07/18/comparing-the-new-frequent-device-upgrade-programs-from-u-s-carriers/