Author Topic: Best cell service for an iPhone  (Read 7019 times)

buttercat

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Best cell service for an iPhone
« on: July 31, 2016, 08:03:06 AM »
Hi Guys! My two year contract with Verizon is almost over, and I'd love to switch cell phone service providers & save a bundle. However, I really want to keep my iPhone (which it looks like I can't do on Google Fi or Republic Wireless). I'm currently paying $125/month for two lines with Verizon. 3 gb of data on each line for $40 each, unlimited talk $45. Add in taxes and it's actually $140 a month.

Any pointers? I searched around on the forums for existing threads but didn't see anything. My apologies if I missed something- this is my first post, though I've been lurking for awhile.



Daley

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4825
  • Location: Cow country. Moo.
  • Still kickin', I guess.
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2016, 09:10:46 AM »
It's a sticky in Share Your Badassity:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/communications-tech-son-of-the-superguide!/

Unabridged and slightly more current: http://www.techmeshugana.com/theguide/

Also, iPhones are designed to have some "core" functionality break unless you go with one of Apple's officially blessed providers. AT&T MVNOs have the greatest trouble deviating from that list, especially with MMS support, unless they're blessed... and none of the cost effective, single line AT&T MVNOs are blessed. Verizon MVNOs are some of the most expensive, and though they should all work with your iPhones, I can only recommend Selectel in good conscience of the options available. Bottom line, don't use Verizon unless you HAVE to. If coverage is an issue, aim for AT&T MVNOs. Unfortunately, using iPhones puts you between a rock and a hard place on this point.

Go on a data diet, know what you need in the way of actual usage, and you'll probably find something in the guide that'll work for you at around the $50-60 price point. Most multi-line Verizon iPhone defectors usually wind up with Consumer Cellular. Just be sure to get the AT&T SIM card from them, not the T-Mobile, or you'll find yourself rapidly cursing Apple's antenna design and T-Mobile's network coverage, even if they do provide AT&T roaming.
« Last Edit: July 31, 2016, 09:12:28 AM by I.P. Daley »

buttercat

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2016, 09:29:53 AM »
Thanks so much!! Sorry I totally missed that sticky!

Daley

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4825
  • Location: Cow country. Moo.
  • Still kickin', I guess.
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2016, 09:52:26 AM »
No worries. :)

Any questions, just ask.

GrumpyPenguin

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 298
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2016, 12:09:24 PM »
I have an unlocked iPhone 6.  I was on Cricket for a while. It's an AT&T MVNO that is directly owned by AT&T.  It worked great.  It's $35/month for unlimited talk and text and something like 2.5 GB of high speed internet (then throttled unlimited) if you link a credit card for payment.  After getting more than 3 users on a plan, the price drops by $5 a month per phone -- you can find a subreddit where people get together to make groups, which can get your bill down to $20/phone.

I've mentioned this on other threads, but around January I moved by iPhone over to Ringplus, which uses Sprint.  Each month I get 4000 minutes, 4000 texts and 2.5 GB of LTE data for free. The only catch is you have to listen to ads when you make a call, instead of a ringtone. Oh, and visual voicemail is broken, boohoo.  It was something like $35 up front, and that particular allotment was a promotion (they change all the time). 

Inaya

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1644
  • Age: 39
  • Location: Land of Entrapment
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2016, 01:30:21 PM »
My husband and I switched from Sprint to Ting a couple months back. He has an iPhone 5s and had no problem switching (probably because Ting runs on Sprint/T-mobile) and didn't even need a new SIM card. We pay ~$55/mo (down from $170 on Sprint). I think you can buy a Ting-friendly SIM card from them for pretty inexpensive. Their customer service is also great, so if you have any questions about your phone's compatibility, contact them before you switch. From what I've seen they're pretty honest and will tell you if they don't think it'll be a good fit. They also have a tool on their website that can help figure out if your phone is compatible.


(And if you do decide to switch, lots of other Ting users on here--myself included--can give you a referral link for $25 off your first bill.)

billy

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 298
  • Age: 42
  • Location: CA
  • fired at 39 since 2021
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2016, 12:42:08 PM »
Check out H2O wireless which is a ATT MVNO.  In the future if you switch to Android, the Nexus phones would be your best bet for sure and google fi MVNO is a neat idea.

Tiger Stache

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 114
  • Location: NOLA
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2016, 03:26:05 PM »
My wife's been using Cricket since it was AIO, $35 can't really be beat. I still have Verizon with unlimited data. I recently saw Verizon is offering prepaid service for $45 that mirrors Cricket data (when you use up your allotment you get throttled). It'd be an option if you wanted to stick with Verizon.

beastykato

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 136
  • Location: Pennsylvania
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2016, 06:30:46 PM »
I also use Cricket.  Their customer service is absolutely atrocious though, and I've had to get in contact with the AT&T office of the president to resolve a couple cash issues I had with them.  When I had Verizon I used to call, and bitch, and get discounts on my bill.  That will NOT happen with Cricket because they simply don't care.

Crickets price and service provided by AT&T's network can't be beat for the price though, as long as they have good coverage in your area and you avoid having to use their customer service lol. 

I've tried those WiFi plans that switch service between a cell carrier and hotspots and honestly it sucked.  Specifically, I tried Google Project Fi.  It uses WiFi, Sprint, and T-Mobile.  It sounds great in theory, but the service switching was anything but smooth and would regularly leave me stranded when in-between different service areas (because it couldn't seem to decide who had the stronger signal).  Plus it was more expensive to boot.

billy

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 298
  • Age: 42
  • Location: CA
  • fired at 39 since 2021
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2016, 08:36:19 PM »
That's too bad google fi didn't work that well, did you try them when they were in beta?  But ya you could beat there price if you didn't care about international calling/data.  I use ring+ with google voice and hangouts, my service is basically free every month with 1 GB of data and a bunch of talk and sms.  My lady's line is also free with 3 GB of data :)

Choices

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 516
    • ChooseBetterLife
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2016, 08:43:19 PM »
We took our iPhones from AT&T to Pure Talk, bill dropped from $180 to $45-55 depending on the month. But, the MMS (group texts and photo messages) wouldn't work. Apple locked the MMS settings so they'd only work with AT&T and aren't editable. We liked Pure Talk, so we sold our iPhones on eBay, bought Samsung phones on eBay, and still use Pure Talk.

We got the Galaxy s5 and it's waterproof. It also has a slot for an expanded memory card. Come on Apple, why can't you have these awesome features?

tennisray

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 103
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #11 on: August 04, 2016, 09:44:22 AM »
Hi, I apologize for my lack of knowledge in this area.  My mother in law wants an iphone since she has a macair/macbook pro and likes apple.  I tried to convince her to go with android, but she is adamant.

She does not own an iphone yet.  I read  about the $30/month "hidden" t-mobile plan.  Is that still available?  Also, where is the best place to buy an iphone (new or used-as long as it had a warranty) that would be able to use t-mobile service?

Tiger Stache

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 114
  • Location: NOLA
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #12 on: August 04, 2016, 10:17:07 AM »
I've bought used phones off swappa. Make sure the T-Mobile coverage is okay for your MIL, we had tried it and the coverage was awful. Inside buildings was virtually non existent. Later gen iPhones (5c/5s and later) on Verizon can (full LTE and all) work on AT&T and T-Mobile, so you don't have to worry about having it unlocked.
« Last Edit: August 04, 2016, 10:19:48 AM by Tiger Stache »

beastykato

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 136
  • Location: Pennsylvania
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #13 on: August 04, 2016, 01:49:21 PM »
That's too bad google fi didn't work that well, did you try them when they were in beta?  But ya you could beat there price if you didn't care about international calling/data.  I use ring+ with google voice and hangouts, my service is basically free every month with 1 GB of data and a bunch of talk and sms.  My lady's line is also free with 3 GB of data :)

I tried them fairly recently.  A few months back they were offering a big discount on the Nexus devices if you signed up.  So, I left Cricket for a month to try them, so I could get a new phone to replace my old Moto G.  Shortly after my experience I went back to Cricket. 

The service could have been cheaper than Cricket if I used ONLY WiFi, but there are a lot of instances where I can't.

If they can get everything working smoothly and reduce the data cost from $10/gb, I think it would be a great service.

JimLahey

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 128
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #14 on: August 06, 2016, 08:14:22 AM »
I also use Cricket.  Their customer service is absolutely atrocious though, and I've had to get in contact with the AT&T office of the president to resolve a couple cash issues I had with them.  When I had Verizon I used to call, and bitch, and get discounts on my bill.  That will NOT happen with Cricket because they simply don't care.

Crickets price and service provided by AT&T's network can't be beat for the price though, as long as they have good coverage in your area and you avoid having to use their customer service lol. 

Your best bet with Cricket customer service is via email at support@cricketwireless.zendesk.com. They are usually pretty helpful. That being said i'm on Straight  Talk at the moment. I was on Cricket but kind of got turned off when they had that nationwide outage and I was without service for a good chunk of the day. I also like that the data on Straight Talk is uncapped. I did a speed test recently and had a 27 Mbps download speed and and 5 Mbps upload.

brokemillennial

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 13
    • Simply Worth Saving
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #15 on: August 07, 2016, 06:28:29 PM »
I use Virgin for my iPhone 6s, and have no complaints. I just switched to a new plan, where I get unlimited talk/text and 4gb of LTE data (unlimited throttled after that). Plus you get a $5 discount for connecting a card to your account for autopay. I pay $35 plus tax.

Yes, I had to pay for the phone outright, but I typically keep my phones in excellent condition for about 4 years before upgrading. I would have tried selling my last one back, but it got stolen (hence the early phone "upgrade").

I've looked into the alternative providers that use wifi-where-available; unfortunately in my city, free wifi is hard to come by. Plus I virtually never use my phone to make calls--I'm pretty strictly a text-and-data kinda guy. So I'm not sure it's such a good fit.

TheBeeKeeper

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 104
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #16 on: August 22, 2016, 02:18:44 PM »
any recommendations for a new smartphone that can still fit in my pocket and small hand? That will have 16Gb memory and decent speed.
My iphone 4S is too slow and battery runs out quickly. I was going to replace it with a Moto G or a similar android, but those phones are huge in size compared to the iphone.
I really love the small phone. I could live with the 5S, which is a bit longer than the 4S, but I don't want something bigger than that.

Another problem is in our area cell phone service is not great, so only verizon or AT&T. We have one phone with Cricket SIM, and it works just as fine as the 'regular' AT&T service. T-mobile or Sprint are no good here.

buttercat

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #17 on: August 22, 2016, 02:48:31 PM »
Hi Everyone - original poster here!

Just wanted to come back and let everyone know what I did to get a better deal on my iPhone cell service.

I happen to be a small business owner (with a business partner) and we decided to merge our lines and pay for them from the business account rather than our own personal accounts. We each had two lines, so a total of four, and we shopped around to see which provider would give us the best deal.

We ended up going with TMobile. 6 GB data per phone, unlimited talk and text, for $120, or $30 per line. That doesnt include taxes. We're pleased, as we were each paying slightly MORE than that, so we cut our costs in half. 

Daley

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4825
  • Location: Cow country. Moo.
  • Still kickin', I guess.
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #18 on: August 22, 2016, 03:07:34 PM »
any recommendations for a new smartphone that can still fit in my pocket and small hand? That will have 16Gb memory and decent speed.
My iphone 4S is too slow and battery runs out quickly. I was going to replace it with a Moto G or a similar android, but those phones are huge in size compared to the iphone.
I really love the small phone. I could live with the 5S, which is a bit longer than the 4S, but I don't want something bigger than that.

Another problem is in our area cell phone service is not great, so only verizon or AT&T. We have one phone with Cricket SIM, and it works just as fine as the 'regular' AT&T service. T-mobile or Sprint are no good here.

The Alcatel Pixi 4 (3.5) is probably about as close to what you're after as you're wanting, size wise, that has a remotely current OS and reasonable specs without resorting to an unpatched Android handset or trying to find an alternate ROM. Unfortunately, small phones are out of vogue currently as everyone wants fargin' phablets, so it's pretty hard to find a small smartphone. Fortunately, it has a user replaceable battery and you can stuff an SD card into it - of course it's GSM only, so you won't be able to use it on Verizon.

TheBeeKeeper

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 104
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #19 on: August 23, 2016, 09:35:58 AM »

The Alcatel Pixi 4 (3.5) is probably about as close to what you're after as you're wanting, size wise, that has a remotely current OS and reasonable specs without resorting to an unpatched Android handset or trying to find an alternate ROM. Unfortunately, small phones are out of vogue currently as everyone wants fargin' phablets, so it's pretty hard to find a small smartphone. Fortunately, it has a user replaceable battery and you can stuff an SD card into it - of course it's GSM only, so you won't be able to use it on Verizon.

Thanks ! This sounds good enough for my needs. GSM is better for me too, works with AT&T or Cricket and also good for travel abroad.


Daley

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4825
  • Location: Cow country. Moo.
  • Still kickin', I guess.
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #20 on: August 23, 2016, 10:15:34 AM »
Thanks ! This sounds good enough for my needs. GSM is better for me too, works with AT&T or Cricket and also good for travel abroad.

The more I look at that Pixi, the less confident I am in recommending it. Forgive me.

If you're willing to go up in dimensions to at or smaller than 130 x 66 x 12 mm (the 4s is 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm, and the 5s/SE is 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm), your range of options opens up a bit more with a few more beefier handsets.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2016, 10:19:52 AM by I.P. Daley »

TheBeeKeeper

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 104
Re: Best cell service for an iPhone
« Reply #21 on: August 23, 2016, 11:20:42 AM »
thanks again,
right now I'm debating between the 2013 Moto X and iPhone 5s (can get refurbuished for 220$)
Will probably wait for the new iphone release in September, then the price of the older models will go down more

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!