Cell Phone / Internet Input Requested

[gayl]

Ive been with AT&T for ever. But the last 3 months they've charged me a late fee every single month despite the fact that I'm on auto pay. Than I have to call and get them to remove it. The bill for one phone and Internet is $170 a month. I've noticed that T-Mobile would be about $80 for the same thing. Does anyone use T-Mobile, or is there better option out there? I don't have a land line. But my cellphone does cover all my needs. My cable (Comcast) is separate but they haven't messed up billing yet

 

[pb4uski]

Wow... one cellphone with data is $170/month? I must be misinterpreting something.

We use airvoicewireless... an AT&T MVNO... they rent bandwidth on AT&T towers. Unlimited talk and text and 3GB data (1.5GB high speed and 1.5GB reduced speed) is only $18/month on autopay.

If you need more data they have a $63/month on autopay plan with 22GB of high speed data and 22GB of reduced speed data.

Service has been very good, including customer service.

 

[gayl]

Not exactly. It's 1 cell phone + home internet. And I think I'm paying too much

 

[scrinch]

Ive been with AT&T for ever. But the last 3 months they've charged me a late fee every single month despite the fact that I'm on auto pay. Than I have to call and get them to remove it. The bill for one phone and Internet is $170 a month. I've noticed that T-Mobile would be about $80 for the same thing. Does anyone use T-Mobile, or is there better option out there? I don't have a land line. But my cellphone does cover all my needs. My cable (Comcast) is separate but they haven't messed up billing yet

That sounds like a lot! I pay $180 to Verizon for 5 unlimited lines, including charges for handsets!

 

[gayl]

That sounds like a lot! I pay $180 to Verizon for 5 unlimited lines, including charges for handsets!

Is that just for the phone or does it include internet (computer) access

 

[pb4uski]

Not exactly. It's 1 cell phone + home internet. And I think I'm paying too much

I think you are right.... you're paying too much.

We pay $18/month for one cellphone.

In Florida we have Xfinity for internet... I get the cheap 30 mbps Performance Starter internet which serves our needs fine even when we do a lot of streaming and it is $53/month less a $10 discount for autopay and paperless billing... or $43/month less a $13 promotional discount for a net of $30/month.

Up north we pay $70/month for 100 mbps internet (promotional discounts are expired).

So either way, our monthly bill for internet and one cellphone is ~$50-90/month.

 

[tulak]

If you're 55+, with T-Mobile you can get one cellphone with unlimited data for $50/month. For two lines, it's $70/month.

https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/unlimited-55-senior-discount-plans

Then you can find a separate home internet plan. I doubt that would cost anywhere near $120, so yeah, you can find something cheaper than $170/month.

A quick search for Diablo Valley found AT&T: "Prices from $35.00/mo* for up to 100 Mbps download speed"

Ironically, that's still with AT&T. Maybe it's not available in your specific area, but in terms of price, that seems about right.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

We have 3 lines with T-Mobile, unlimited calling and data, for $130/month AFTER all taxes and fees. If you can get a discounted plan, I'm sure you could do better.

When you say "one phone and internet", do you mean mobile data, or home internet service?

 

[JoeWras]

I think the key here is whether the T-mo network in your area will work for you.

Last year when I was looking to move away from AT&T, I checked out the T-mo network by going with a cheap T-mo MVNO as a test for a month. I used an extra phone so it was just a test, I didn't switch anything right away. At that time, the T-mo network just didn't have the coverage I needed for my daily usage. Especially important is inside your home. This is highly specific to your area and not a blanket statement about T-mo.

My solution was to go with Consumer Cellular, and specifically get their AT&T SIM. At first they defaulted to the T-mo sim, and I had to swap it out. They run on both networks.

I'm very happy with Consumer Cellular.

I stayed with AT&T for internet. I live in an area with internet competition so they were competitive. This is very market specific.

 

[braumeister]

As tulak said, T-Mobile can be an excellent option, especially if at least one of you is over 55. We've been using it for nearly four years (switched from AT&T) and we love it.

A side benefit if you travel is having the same service as at home (unlimited everything) when in another country at no additional charge. I don't think any other carrier offers that.

 

[pb4uski]

I think you need to focus first on home internet since that will likely be the larger part of the total. Look at cable operators like Comcast, Spectrum, Frontier, et al in your area. Also look at DSL from your local landline telephone company. Next would be cellular internet from the likes of AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc. You should be able to find home internet for $50-80/month before any promotional credits and you'll likely get a promotional credit for being a new customer for the first 12 months.

Then for cellular it is pretty easy... two good AT&T MVNO choices would be airvoicewireless that I mentioned earlier and Consumer Cellular that JoeWras mentioned... those should be ~$20/month or less.

Put them together and you should be in the $70-100/month range, and less than that for the first 12 months after promotional credits for new customers on the home internet side.

 

[Scusan]

We each have our own cell plan. Now that neither of us w*rk anymore, we don't use a lot of data...as in usually under 1 GB each.

DGF is with Xfinity cellular. She brought her own iphone over and her service bills are generally around 15 bucks a month. The Xfinity plan operates on the Verizon network.

I went with Google Fi. It operates on wifi, Tmobile, Sprint, and US Cellular networks and will chose the best one. To take full advantage of the Google Fi system you need a phone designated by them (or you did when I switched). I got a perfectly good Motorola smartphone for 150 bucks and it's been great for the last 3 years or so. I also get data when travelling internationally at no cost and can use my phone internationally for a very low per minute rate. With an internet connection, it places calls over wifi for free. I pay around 30-35 a month.

Hope that helps.

 

[braumeister]

the T-mo network just didn't have the coverage I needed for my daily usage. Especially important is inside your home. This is highly specific to your area and not a blanket statement about T-mo.

Wifi calling works so well now that I don't think coverage in your home is an issue any more.

 

[MRG]

We had t-mobile years ago and it was great. Where we love now, no reception.

 

[Dash man]

We’ve been with Verizon Wireless for years with no problems. We pay ~ $154/month for unlimited data on two iPhones and an Apple Watch. We also use Verizon FIOS in our home package. One of my sons has just the 200mg Internet from Verizon for $34.95/month. It used to be $39.99/month, but was reduced for some reason. It may have gotten linked to my own account with a veteran discount.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

We have 3 tmobile phones on an old people plan. Costs us about 90 a month for unlimited everything including hotspot and international data. If we didnt want the international data we would be with one of the discount companies. Googlefi/Republic/Redpocket etc. They just buy cheap airtime from sprint and verizon and pass along the savings. Dont be afraid of discount carriers. House internet is 59.99 a month, up from the discounted introductory rate.

 

[cathy63]

The problem is that you have cellphone and internet with AT&T and cable with Comcast. By splitting things that way, you are not taking advantage of the bundling or discounting both companies offer.

My recommendation is to dump AT&T since they're obviously mismanaging your billing and payments. Call Comcast and switch to their Xfinity Internet service.

If you use 1G or less of mobile data on your cell phone each month, then you should also switch to Xfinity Mobile at $15/mo. You'll have everything on one bill if you do that.

If you typically use more than 2G of data, then it's cheaper to go with Google Fi or another MVNO for mobile phone service. I like Fi because we don't use much data, and there's nothing better when traveling internationally, but there are many other options.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I would look into bundling your cable TV and internet from the same provider (Comcast, in your case). They usually have a pretty good bundle promotion rate. After 1 or 2 years, the price will go up. That's when you look at alternatives again.

As for cell phone, T-Mobile (and a few companies that re-sell T-Mobile service -- i.e. Mint, etc.) does indeed offer some compelling pricing. However, as a couple others posted above, when I tried them in my location, the coverage just wasn't up there for me. Dropped calls, calls not coming through, etc. I left them after 2 months.

I am currently using Verizon's Pre-Paid 5GB plan for one phone. It starts out at $40/month. But you get a $5 discount if you set up automatic payment from a credit card. So down to $35. Then after 3 month, it goes down $5 with a "Loyalty" promotion. Down to $30/month. That's where I'm at now. After 9 months, it drops another $5 with another Loyalty promotion. So $25/month. If you use more data than 5GB, they have other similar plans with more data. The key is use the "Pre-paid" plans.

Verizon coverage in my area is great. Never had one issue. I use less than 1GB of my 5GB allotment every month.

 

[pb4uski]

Wifi calling works so well now that I don't think coverage in your home is an issue any more.

If you can use wifi calling... I don't have that option.

I think I can't use it because I use a MVNO. I can't find that option on my Moto G7 Play but there are tutorials out there showing how to turn wifi calling on for that phone but they don't show up for me.

...Unfortunately, if you’re saving money by using an MVNO, you likely won’t have it as an option. That’s a bummer. ...

 

[PaunchyPirate]

If you can use wifi calling... I don't have that option.

I think I can't use it because I use a MVNO. I can't find that option on my Moto G7 Play but there are tutorials out there showing how to turn wifi calling on for that phone but they don't show up for me.

MVMO's can offer WiFi calling if they want to. Or at least some can. When I used Mint (a T-Mobile MVNO) they offered WiFi calling at no charge. It didn't seem to help me with dropped calls, however. I left Mint after 2 months.

 

[Ian S]

As others have said, with your existing Comcast account, it would make sense to switch your internet over to them to get a bundling discount. If the cable infrastructure in your area is good, it's hard to beat for internet service. As for cell phone, T-Mobile is great if you have good signal but that applies to any cell phone provider,. I have to think with the Sprint merger, T-Mobile will get even better. If you are in an area where all the carriers have good signal, then I'd go on price and T-Mobile pricing for seniors is hard to beat. If you travel or make calls regularly to other countries check out costs to do so. I call my mother in Canada every day for half an hour or longer and with T-Mobile it doesn't cost me anything. When I travel there, I get 5 GB of high speed data for free along with free calls and texts. The same applies to Mexico.

 

[cathy63]

MVMO's can offer WiFi calling if they want to. Or at least some can. When I used Mint (a T-Mobile MVNO) they offered WiFi calling at no charge. It didn't seem to help me with dropped calls, however. I left Mint after 2 months.

Yeah, it depends on the MVNO. Xfinity Mobile, which is what my Mom has, uses WiFi calling. When I researched mobile plans for her, I found that to be the cheapest option for an existing Comcast subscriber with low data usage. It runs on Verizon's network, so you also get 5G if your phone supports it.

 

[OldShooter]

I think the "best" carrier depends on your specific needs. Do you use a lot of data or not? Do you travel outside the US often enough that always having a reliable phone is important?

In our case, we use very little data and (until recently) traveled internationally a couple of times a year. For us, Google Fi is a good fit. Data is $10/gig but you pay only for what you use. Many months our data bill is under $1. International coverage is about as good as it gets. 200 countries +/- with calls mostly at 20 cents/minute and data at the same $10/gig.

Our Google Fi bills typically run about $45 for two lines, unlimited talk and text. Here is the most recent one:

Flexible Plan $35.00 ($20 for first line, then $15/line)
Last month's data (Used 0.14 GB at $10/GB) $1.39
Taxes & regulatory fees $8.84
Total $45.23

If you use a lot of data, though, that $10/Gig can start to look expensive. I am not hampered by any facts, but my guess is that Google will be reducing that number in order to remain competitive, but it doesn't matter much to us anyway.

HTH

 

[njhowie]

Ive been with AT&T for ever. But the last 3 months they've charged me a late fee every single month despite the fact that I'm on auto pay. Than I have to call and get them to remove it. The bill for one phone and Internet is $170 a month. I've noticed that T-Mobile would be about $80 for the same thing. Does anyone use T-Mobile, or is there better option out there? I don't have a land line. But my cellphone does cover all my needs. My cable (Comcast) is separate but they haven't messed up billing yet

Moved DW/DD over to T-Mobile Magenta Unlimited 55 last month. Very happy.

DD brought her own iPhone and just needed new SIM card. We got DW a new Samsung 5G phone with promo for 50% off.

I remain on MetroPCS (now owned by T-Mobile). I contemplate switching to Mint, but I'm going to need a new phone soon, as my ZTE is past end of life, no longer supported (but would work with Mint), can't upgrade past Android 6, etc. I figure I'll just stick with what I have until it's no longer usable and then get new phone and plan.

 

[Chuckanut]

Not exactly. It's 1 cell phone + home internet. And I think I'm paying too much

My home internet is $45 a month for Fios service. This is for 30/30 service, which is slow according to many, but completely adequate for me. I am not a gamer nor do I download/stream video 24/7.

My phone bill is $60 a month for two lines, unlimited everything from T-Mobile. This is their age 55+ deal. I believe it is now $70 a month.

So that is $115 dollars a month for for internet, two phones, unlimited everything.