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Cell Phone / Internet Input Requested
11-20-2020, 09:55 PM
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#1
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Diablo Valley (SF Bay Area)
Posts: 2,704
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Cell Phone / Internet Input Requested
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
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11-20-2020, 10:48 PM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,201
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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.
__________________
If something cannot endure laughter.... it cannot endure.
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Retired Jan 2012 at age 56
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11-20-2020, 10:51 PM
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#3
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Diablo Valley (SF Bay Area)
Posts: 2,704
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Not exactly. It's 1 cell phone + home internet. And I think I'm paying too much
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11-20-2020, 10:55 PM
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#4
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: North Bay
Posts: 1,246
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 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
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That sounds like a lot! I pay $180 to Verizon for 5 unlimited lines, including charges for handsets!
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11-20-2020, 11:21 PM
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#5
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Diablo Valley (SF Bay Area)
Posts: 2,704
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scrinch
That sounds like a lot! I pay $180 to Verizon for 5 unlimited lines, including charges for handsets!
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Is that just for the phone or does it include internet (computer) access
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11-20-2020, 11:28 PM
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#6
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,201
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gayl
Not exactly. It's 1 cell phone + home internet. And I think I'm paying too much
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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.
__________________
If something cannot endure laughter.... it cannot endure.
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Retired Jan 2012 at age 56
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11-21-2020, 01:48 AM
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#7
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,852
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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-...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.
__________________
Eat, Drink and Be Merry.
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11-21-2020, 06:20 AM
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#8
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Posts: 2,638
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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?
__________________
-Looking to FIRE in the mid-2020s, which would be our mid-50s.
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11-21-2020, 06:27 AM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 11,701
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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.
__________________
Retired Class of 2018
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11-21-2020, 06:28 AM
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#10
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,157
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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.
__________________
I thought growing old would take longer.
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11-21-2020, 06:40 AM
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#11
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,201
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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.
__________________
If something cannot endure laughter.... it cannot endure.
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Retired Jan 2012 at age 56
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11-21-2020, 06:40 AM
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#12
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Dryer sheet aficionado
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: SE Mich
Posts: 38
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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.
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11-21-2020, 07:15 AM
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#13
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,157
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeWras
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.
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Wifi calling works so well now that I don't think coverage in your home is an issue any more.
__________________
I thought growing old would take longer.
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11-21-2020, 07:18 AM
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#14
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,078
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We had t-mobile years ago and it was great. Where we love now, no reception.
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11-21-2020, 07:33 AM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Limerick
Posts: 5,633
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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.
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11-21-2020, 07:42 AM
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#16
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 928
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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.
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11-21-2020, 08:12 AM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Coronado
Posts: 3,655
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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.
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11-21-2020, 08:14 AM
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#18
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: NW Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,803
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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.
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11-21-2020, 08:17 AM
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#19
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,201
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Quote:
Originally Posted by braumeister
Wifi calling works so well now that I don't think coverage in your home is an issue any more.
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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.
Quote:
...Unfortunately, if you’re saving money by using an MVNO, you likely won’t have it as an option. That’s a bummer. ...
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__________________
If something cannot endure laughter.... it cannot endure.
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Retired Jan 2012 at age 56
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11-21-2020, 08:20 AM
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#20
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: NW Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,803
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pb4uski
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.
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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.
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