DQOTD: Phone Data Usage?

[aja8888]

This brings me to this point. Why do these doggone sites like to play videos so much, and uninvited at that? I can read the text or transcripts a lot faster than watching these talking heads. It's harder now to find a news site that just gives me the text articles and some photos. Like old newspapers and magazines, you know?

A lot of phone users can't read very well. They are a product of our society.

 

[tulak]

It's good that we can easily afford it then, isn't it.

Priorities. Life simplification (on our terms) is a big one for us.

+1

Even though we pay a ridiculously low amount for four lines ($94 total).

I'd easily be willing to pay $40/line. We use our phones a lot, even though DW and I rarely get close to 2GB/month. That's mostly because we don't stream video.

We originally went with T-Mobile for two reasons. The first was that our kids needed phones and T-Mobile charged $10/line for each additional phone (unlimited everything). The added benefit was no overage charges. Our kids would get stuck with slow speeds if they used up their data limit, which is fine with us.

The second is international roaming. We travel regularly to Europe/Asia and often to Canada. Not having to deal with SIM cards is a big plus.

And then there are the added bonuses. We had unlimited fast LTE data for our one month trip to Europe last summer for four phones. It was a promotion, but that's the kind of thing that builds brand loyalty. Especially when it's on top of a cheap plan.

I look at the T-Mobile One plan and wish I could justify an upgrade. We're headed to Canada and they seem to have some of the slowest 2G speeds. It's still better than no data, but having LTE speeds would be nice. Some of the other features would also be nice to have. But I can't justify the extra $22/month.

 

[athena53]

I've got Ting (thanks to the folks here) and my bill runs around $20/month depending on whether or not I have text messages or over 60 minutes of talk time in a particular billing cycle.


I got my iPhone from Verizon almost 3 years ago and got the 1 Gig data plan. I never went near that and it was running almost $100/month. I went down to 250 mb and never exceeded that, either. Ting's lowest data tier is 100 mb and I've stayed under that, too, in the year I've been with Ting.


I manage by keeping Cellular Data off when I don't need it, tapping into WiFi everywhere I can, and not streaming anything or running YouTube videos while on Cellular. I'm sure I'd use my phone more for that, for getting directions (now use a GPS) and more FaceBook browsing if I had more data but it's not worth it to me. I may buy a burner phone if I want it when I go to Panama and Costa Rica in April- or I may just go without. DO I really NEED to know what the market is doing in the middle of a rainforest hike? Probably not.

 

[tulak]

DO I really NEED to know what the market is doing in the middle of a rainforest hike? Probably not.

Of course not. The biggest benefit for us is keeping in touch with each other while traveling. But what about GPS, looking for places to visit in the neighborhood, reconfirming (or booking) travel plans, sharing photos?

I find it convenient to have an internet connected computer in my pocket. If you think about it, it's really pretty amazing.

And occasionally it's helpful to access your financial accounts when you're traveling. For security, I prefer to do this over a cell network than wifi.

It's all about convenience. Being connected improves the quality of my life and the costs associated with that are worth it. I understand it's not for everybody, but comparing T-Mobile to Ting or Cricket is not an apples to apple comparison.

 

[audreyh1]

Well - 2 lines unlimited data for $120 taxes and fees included now has a promo, it's $100 for two lines.

With kickback enabled on each line, that should bring it down to $80 including taxes and fees. Saving us $15-$16 a month. So we switched over.

They had a couple of other promo features including doubling the (low) speed provided overseas.

 

[W2R]

After two months on my new cell phone plan with Cricket, I am SO GLAD to have found a plan that fits my needs better and at less than half the price. I haven't cut back at all in my data usage but I get 1 GB free and that is really all that I would ever possibly need. I get all the phone and texting I want for free, too. And, my new (free) LG smartphone is much easier to hear on than my iPhone 5S, which may have been broken but anyway had terrible sound when used as a phone.

And each month I pay exactly $30.00 (which includes tax and fees), instead of over twice as much! It's a good fit to my lifestyle. Let's see... what will I use the $376/year on, that I am saving?

 

[audreyh1]

Of course not. The biggest benefit for us is keeping in touch with each other while traveling. But what about GPS, looking for places to visit in the neighborhood, reconfirming (or booking) travel plans, sharing photos?

I find it convenient to have an internet connected computer in my pocket. If you think about it, it's really pretty amazing.

And occasionally it's helpful to access your financial accounts when you're traveling. For security, I prefer to do this over a cell network than wifi.

It's all about convenience. Being connected improves the quality of my life and the costs associated with that are worth it. I understand it's not for everybody, but comparing T-Mobile to Ting or Cricket is not an apples to apple comparison.

Well said

 

[kimcdougc]

I have Tmobile. (5) phones - unlimited everything on 4G, 2 free note pads (unlimited data and text messaging). We don't use all the data, but when we travel we often use our tablets or phones as a hotspot to watch movies and surf. Bill is $193.00 per month for all.

 

[audreyh1]

I have Tmobile. (5) phones - unlimited everything on 4G, 2 free note pads (unlimited data and text messaging). We don't use all the data, but when we travel we often use our tablets or phones as a hotspot to watch movies and surf. Bill is $193.00 per month for all.

Do you get kickbacks for when you don't use much data?

 

[braumeister]

After nearly 10 years with AT&T I just made the phone call to T-Mobile. Their current promotion was just too good to pass up.

We have the 3GB shared plan with AT&T. With my military discount it's just over $87 a month for two lines. The T-Mobile plan will be $100 for unlimited service and since we hardly ever go over 2 GB a month we'll be getting $10 back each most of the time. That makes this unlimited plan actually cheaper than our current 3 GB plan.

The other factor is that we love our European trips. With AT&T I had to buy a $60 plan each time for each of us. That's $120 or more each trip. With the T-Mobile plan we'll have unlimited data over there for no additional cost.

I suspect the coverage with T-Mobile won't be quite as extensive as AT&T or Verizon, but I think I'll be happy with it. This is the kind of competition that changes markets.

 

[easysurfer]

I use Consumer Cellular with a plan of 250 minutes calling, 2000 texts, 250 MB Data. Plenty for my needs. All for under $24/month.

I do have a landline though.

 

[explanade]

After nearly 10 years with AT&T I just made the phone call to T-Mobile. Their current promotion was just too good to pass up.

We have the 3GB shared plan with AT&T. With my military discount it's just over $87 a month for two lines. The T-Mobile plan will be $100 for unlimited service and since we hardly ever go over 2 GB a month we'll be getting $10 back each most of the time. That makes this unlimited plan actually cheaper than our current 3 GB plan.

The other factor is that we love our European trips. With AT&T I had to buy a $60 plan each time for each of us. That's $120 or more each trip. With the T-Mobile plan we'll have unlimited data over there for no additional cost.

I suspect the coverage with T-Mobile won't be quite as extensive as AT&T or Verizon, but I think I'll be happy with it. This is the kind of competition that changes markets.

They give you money back if you stay under 2 GB?

I'm currently on a Simple Choice 3 GB plan. They've tried to get me to switch to the "unlimited" One plan, like free iPhone 7 if I upgrade my plan. Last fall, it had taxes and they limited tethering. Now, they've given tethering and include everything for $75 for one line so it's not that much more than what I'm paying.

Hell if they offer free iPhone 8 or whatever the new one this fall, I'd probably bite.

As for Internet overseas, I use it all the time. Last year, during the summer, they had a promotion where they didn't throttle the data in Europe. So I had full speed LTE in July in Greece and I used a ton of data.

Can only hope they do similar promos this year.

 

[audreyh1]

After nearly 10 years with AT&T I just made the phone call to T-Mobile. Their current promotion was just too good to pass up.

We have the 3GB shared plan with AT&T. With my military discount it's just over $87 a month for two lines. The T-Mobile plan will be $100 for unlimited service and since we hardly ever go over 2 GB a month we'll be getting $10 back each most of the time. That makes this unlimited plan actually cheaper than our current 3 GB plan.

The other factor is that we love our European trips. With AT&T I had to buy a $60 plan each time for each of us. That's $120 or more each trip. With the T-Mobile plan we'll have unlimited data over there for no additional cost.

I suspect the coverage with T-Mobile won't be quite as extensive as AT&T or Verizon, but I think I'll be happy with it. This is the kind of competition that changes markets.

The unlimited data overseas is low speed, although in practical terms we ran into higher speed service often probably because there wasn't low speed available anymore. We use wifi at the hotels. Calls, texting works great. Low-speed data good enough for maps, emails, some minimal web browsing while out running around going touristy things. We often got better than that in the urban areas.

In term of the coverage - at home or at my Dad's place wifi calling solved any connection issues. Running around and traveling coverage not much of a problem where we live unless we're inside a big building. We also used wifi calling at the hotels in Europe. Traveling in the US, West coast, Hawaii, Southeast, we rarely encounter coverage problems. Love the tethering - often used it to download financial data to my computer when traveling.

The cell coverage at our house is so bad that Verizon and AT&T weren't any better than T-mobile - actually maybe worse. When we could get wifi calling with T-mobile we switched from Verizon as that completely solved our reception problem. And if we accidentally connect to a Mexican cell tower, it's included in our plan!

 

[audreyh1]

They give you money back if you stay under 2 GB?

I'm currently on a Simple Choice 3 GB plan. They've tried to get me to switch to the "unlimited" One plan, like free iPhone 7 if I upgrade my plan. Last fall, it had taxes and they limited tethering. Now, they've given tethering and include everything for $75 for one line so it's not that much more than what I'm paying.

Hell if they offer free iPhone 8 or whatever the new one this fall, I'd probably bite.

As for Internet overseas, I use it all the time. Last year, during the summer, they had a promotion where they didn't throttle the data in Europe. So I had full speed LTE in July in Greece and I used a ton of data.

Can only hope they do similar promos this year.

If you switch to the T-mobile One plan. I think they are currently offering $70 taxes fees included for one line at the moment that includes tethering. There are a couple of other freebies you can enable in the promo. If you turn on the kickback feature, yes, you get $10 back if you use less than 2GB of data. This gets turned on under profile->settings per line, I think. You get your kickback on the next bill AFAIK. This is spelled out in the FAQ.

 

[tulak]

Well - 2 lines unlimited data for $120 taxes and fees included now has a promo, it's $100 for two lines.



With kickback enabled on each line, that should bring it down to $80 including taxes and fees. Saving us $15-$16 a month. So we switched over.



They had a couple of other promo features including doubling the (low) speed provided overseas.

Nice!

I wish we could transition to the new plan, but it costs too much for four lines. I'm hoping they have another promotion in the future that might make it a better deal.

We're due for getting new phones this year and I try to take advantage of the promotions they offer when iPhones are released. T-Mobile usually gives $100 off with 0% financing. When I was looking at this for the iPhone 7, I noticed they only offer the promotion for customers on the T-Mobile One plan. That complicates our upgrade strategy.

 

[Hyperborea]

We have the 3GB shared plan with AT&T. With my military discount it's just over $87 a month for two lines. The T-Mobile plan will be $100 for unlimited service and since we hardly ever go over 2 GB a month we'll be getting $10 back each most of the time. That makes this unlimited plan actually cheaper than our current 3 GB plan.

The other factor is that we love our European trips. With AT&T I had to buy a $60 plan each time for each of us. That's $120 or more each trip. With the T-Mobile plan we'll have unlimited data over there for no additional cost..

At your usage rate you would be better off with Google Fi if you've got a phone that will support it.

I pay $20 for unlimited talk and text, my wife's line is $15 (and so would more family lines), and data is $10 per GB. If you go over you just pay the same prorated $10/GB and if you go under you get a refund. International calls from within the US are ridiculously cheap. Using the plan when you are outside the US has a variable but generally low per minute call charge (about 20 cents / minute). The data usage is at the same price as within the US.

For your two lines and 2GB of data that would $55 / month.

 

[audreyh1]

Nice!

I wish we could transition to the new plan, but it costs too much for four lines. I'm hoping they have another promotion in the future that might make it a better deal.

We're due for getting new phones this year and I try to take advantage of the promotions they offer when iPhones are released. T-Mobile usually gives $100 off with 0% financing. When I was looking at this for the iPhone 7, I noticed they only offer the promotion for customers on the T-Mobile One plan. That complicates our upgrade strategy.

The 0% financing gets you on monthly taxes and fees. It's not really 0%, more like $5 per month financing per device. I bought a new phone through T-Mobile which let me get a 10% rebate on it through American Express, but paid it off as soon as I saw the real monthly charges.

So get the $100 off but avoid the financing if possible.

 

[tulak]

The 0% financing gets you on monthly taxes and fees. It's not really 0%, more like $5 per month financing per device. I bought a new phone through T-Mobile which let me get a 10% rebate on it through American Express, but paid it off as soon as I saw the real monthly charges.

So get the $100 off but avoid the financing if possible.

You had me worried, so I had to go back and check. We have a lease and we aren't paying anything more than taxes for the phones. Our total phone cost comes out to $623.99 + taxes, which is for the $749.99 phone. The reduced cost was a $126/phone promotion that is credited to our account each month.

When I read your post, I went and looked at our billing and it's not the easiest to decipher. I ended up calling T-Mobile to make sure I understand all the charges.

There are two parts to the bill. The first is for the overall plan and the second is for each phone. This is where I made a mistake earlier in this post regarding the total cost of our plan. Our plan costs us $93.89/month, but then for each phone we pay $4.18 in taxes and fees. This comes to a total cost of $110.61/month for four phones.

In the billing for each phone, I see a $2.50 tax for the phone, which is 9.6%, our local sales tax rate.

So the numbers add up for the total phone cost and we pay a bit more for the plan each month than I initially thought. But it's still a good deal for four phones with 4GB data per month.

While I was talking with the T-Mobile rep, I asked how much it would cost for four phones with T-Mobile One. We'd have to pay the full $160, no corporate discount (which is 15%). Even with kickback for two phones we'd be paying $140/month. I was also told our 4GB discount is only good until 2/19, at which point it goes back to 2GB/month.

When the new iPhones are released, I'll have to figure out what to do. Maybe we'll put off upgrading for another year? Still plenty of time to decide. Maybe I'll start making DS and DD pitch in.

 

[tulak]

At your usage rate you would be better off with Google Fi if you've got a phone that will support it.

I pay $20 for unlimited talk and text, my wife's line is $15 (and so would more family lines), and data is $10 per GB. If you go over you just pay the same prorated $10/GB and if you go under you get a refund. International calls from within the US are ridiculously cheap. Using the plan when you are outside the US has a variable but generally low per minute call charge (about 20 cents / minute). The data usage is at the same price as within the US.

For your two lines and 2GB of data that would $55 / month.

If I was an Android user, I would definitely consider using Google Fi. The high-speed international data would be a big bonus.

It's a shame they don't support iPhones, but I don't think that'll ever happen!

 

[audreyh1]

I think I was saw very close to $5 taxes and fees each month on my "0% financing" new iPhone - it might have been $5.12 or something. As soon as I saw that I paid it off. It burned me up because I had already paid the full sales tax when I bought the phone, but somehow there is a recovery fee applied each month plus some local fee, and then sales tax applied on top of that!

The T-Mobile billing is indecipherable and some "recovery fee" is tacked on to the account and each line. So it will be good to get away from the taxes and fees - international calling excepted.

Funny - we get a bill, but they don't charge my credit card the same as the bill because this mysterious "credit" of around $2 shows up each month and is applied. Never explained. Totally mysterious.