Carrier carrier plans for someone who is clueless? 10/23/24

[cSalmon]

Hoping someone can walk me through the best carrier plans, I'm completely clueless. I have the original ATT unlimited plan, instead of rewarding me as a loyal customer they just raise rates. Total bill is now $130 a month.

My phone is dying funky digital lines running through the screen and black voids. Never travel international and honestly don't care about coverage where I live doesn't get cell service for any of them - so I'm always wifi calling anyways.

Everyone claims their package is unlimited, seems if they were truly unlimited there would only be one option. What do I need to look out for, thoughts on the best deal? Is it just better to buy the phone separately from the plan or sign a 2 yr agreement? ( I was actually hoping to wait for the SE4 with apple's modem that doesn't seem to be in the cards)

Any help is appreciated.

thanks,

 

[Apple_Robert]

1) Buy the phone (outright) from Apple. That way, you aren’t tied to any particular carrier. The carriers want to try and suck you into getting a phone from them for 24-36 months. I think that is a bad move.

2) How far is your typical daily cellular circle?

3) If you don’t need unlimited data, you might want to look into a prepaid plan as they are usually a lot cheaper.

4) If possible, I would steer clear of AT&T and Verizon, as they are the most expensive. Take a look at T-Mobile, Mint, and Visible.

5) If you use WiFi most of the time, you can get a plan as low as $10 a month.

 

[cateye]

No one is going to hold your hand through the mountain of information involved in choosing a rate plan. We don't know what your priorities or budget are. Some guidance for how you can solve this problem on your own, however:

1. What's your budget. What do you pay now a month, and are you willing to pay more to get more features or allowances, or would you rather pay as little as possible?
2. Know your usage. How much data do you actually use in a month? Do you ever spike well above that? "unlimited," as much as that's a misnomer, may not actually be useful for you.
3. What features do you actually need. You already mentioned you don't travel internationally, so things like data abroad won't be useful to you. But what else? Cell plans are stacked with all sorts of flotsam these days: Streaming services, add-ons, etc. If you want those things, it can save you money to get them bundled, but if not, you'll know you can save money by avoiding plans with those options. You mention wifi calling—that's plan specific. Not all carriers support it on all plans, particularly low-cost MNVOs.

With these three things in mind, go through each carrier's website and review the plans. Take notes on a spreadsheet or piece of paper—whatever makes the most sense to you. Write down plan price, what's included, what's not included, aligned against the budget and needs you determined above. Clear winners should emerge. Like Apple_Robert suggested, be sure to evaluate some MNVO/pre-paid plans: These are companies that re-sell service provided by one or more of the Big Three under their own brand name with more limited features at usually a significant discount. If your needs are simple, there may be a great option among them. Mint, Visible, Cricket, Consumer Cellular and Boost are some of the most common ones, but there are many more. Google is your friend.

I also agree with Apple_Robert: Don't finance a phone through a carrier. For one, it's ridiculous to finance consumer goods (IMO, YMMV, etc.). Second, it ties you to that carrier for the length of the credit term, during which time the carrier is free to jack up your rates. If there's no way for you buy a phone without financing it, consider used, or at least finance through Apple. It gives you the advantage of spread payments without locking you to a carrier.

 

[Fred Zed]

Point 5 what @Apple_Robert said. Big saving to be had by porting into an MVNO, take a look at Reddit sub nocontract.

 

[russell_314]

Carrier plans only make sense if you need 4+ lines or just don’t care about the price. They get people with discounts on phones but make it up by overcharging for the service.

In the USA Straight Talk is $45 plus tax for “unlimited data” per month. It’s about $50 with tax. You can buy the cards or auto pay online if you don’t want to think about it. It’s on the Verizon network.

 

[BigBlur]

I was actually hoping to wait for the SE4 with apple's modem that doesn't seem to be in the cards

Could just find a cheap/used phone to tide you over for a few more months. SE4 is rumored to launch in March or April, so not that far away.

iPhone SE 4 Mass Production Timeframe Revealed as Launch Gets Closer

Apple suppliers will begin mass production of the fourth-generation iPhone SE in December, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in a blog...

www.macrumors.com

 

[webkit]

Everyone claims their package is unlimited, seems if they were truly unlimited there would only be one option.

Regarding "unlimited" (data) plans, there are a few potential variations.

Unlimited as in unlimited premium/priority/high-speed data.
Unlimited as in unlimited data but may slow above a certain GB threshold.
Unlimited as in unlimited data but may slow at any time.

Other plan variables can include mobile hotspot data, "free" (included in price) streaming services, international voice/text/data features, taxes included, etc.

 

[cSalmon]

thanks everyone for your insights.