Author Topic: 6 Month Update! Google Voice + Tracfone + Galaxy s3 = $8.33 / mo  (Read 3878 times)

aglassman

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About 6 months back I dropped my ~$80 bucks a month phone plan, and began a little experiment. 
Here is a link to the original thread.
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/google-voice-tracfone-galaxy-s3-$8-33-mo-$22-285-59-savings-swing!/

Well, 6 months later, I'm still using this setup!  So far, I've been able to stick to the $8.33 / mo figure. 

Here are some pros/cons:
Pros:
  • The TracPhone battery lasts a few days!
  • I haven't had any issues with tower signal.
  • Call clarity is decent, handset volume is decent.
  • TracPhone is very very light, and durable.  I don't even notice it in my pocket compared to my Galaxy s3.
  • I can make calls over my computer using my high quality microphone + headset.  Most people I call using this are relatives or friends I haven't talked to in a while, so I don't mind spending 20+ minutes catching up (for free!).  They have almost all commented on how high quality the audio is, and there is no latency since it's going through the router, and not wifi.
  • All text messages are forwarded to my inbox.  If I reply, it appears to come from my phone number.  This is amazing, and I do almost all my "texting" through email now.
  • My Galaxy s3 has become more of a IPad Mini if you will.  I use it for dropbox, audible, instagram, reddit, email, google maps, facebook ect.  You'd be surprised how often you have free wifi, seriously, even restaurants and bars have wifi now. When there is no wifi, I find I didn't really need to use it anyway.
Cons
  • Google voice has dropped their XMAPP availability. I can't make calls using the GV Phone app on my Galaxy S3 anymore.  I may be able to make calls using the Voice app, but I haven't tried yet.  I didn't use this much anyways because the latency made having a conversation difficult.
  • There was no way to port contacts over to the TracPhone.  I just added them one by one as I needed their number, or they called me.  This caused some minor confusion for a few weeks.
  • If I needed to make an outgoing call from my TracPhone, it confused the recipient as they had my phone number as something else.  Now almost everyone I talk to has both numbers saved on my contact, so this issue has pretty much faded away
  • Google voice does not support MMS messages, so I sometimes miss picture messages, and bulk texts.  O well, not that big of a loss.

aglassman

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Re: 6 Month Update! Google Voice + Tracfone + Galaxy s3 = $8.33 / mo
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2014, 12:49:17 PM »
One more con:  My wife switched to a non-unlimited plan on U.S. Cellular.  She managed to go over her allotment of time/picture messages 3 months in a row.  I made her switch back to unlimited, and ended up getting something around $ 65 a month.  There was one bill that was $120... for one phone....  That was a fun bill to open :(

Thegoblinchief

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Re: 6 Month Update! Google Voice + Tracfone + Galaxy s3 = $8.33 / mo
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2014, 07:54:07 PM »
One more con:  My wife switched to a non-unlimited plan on U.S. Cellular.  She managed to go over her allotment of time/picture messages 3 months in a row.  I made her switch back to unlimited, and ended up getting something around $ 65 a month.  There was one bill that was $120... for one phone....  That was a fun bill to open :(

Dumb phone or smart? At least with the smartphones, most carriers have an app that lets you easily track usage.

I need to cut my cell bill. It's ridiculous for how little I use it. For whatever reason I've been dragging my feet on it.

aglassman

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Re: 6 Month Update! Google Voice + Tracfone + Galaxy s3 = $8.33 / mo
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2014, 08:56:37 AM »
My wife has the Galaxy s3.    She's on unlimited now, but a tracking app may still be useful for if she ever switches back.

You should definitely try switching up your phone/plan.  It is easier than you think, especially if you don't make very many calls!  It has definitely been one of the bigger money savers for me, second only to cutting cable TV.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: 6 Month Update! Google Voice + Tracfone + Galaxy s3 = $8.33 / mo
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2014, 10:56:06 AM »
My wife has the Galaxy s3.    She's on unlimited now, but a tracking app may still be useful for if she ever switches back.

You should definitely try switching up your phone/plan.  It is easier than you think, especially if you don't make very many calls!  It has definitely been one of the bigger money savers for me, second only to cutting cable TV.

Finally paid T-mobile what's left on my hardware. When my AirVoice card comes, I'll do the unlock and move over. Glancing over past months of usage, I should get below $20 on pay as you go with almost no habit changes.

aglassman

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Re: 6 Month Update! Google Voice + Tracfone + Galaxy s3 = $8.33 / mo
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2014, 11:16:09 AM »
Good luck!  let the extra cash roll in!

Mntnbkr83

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Re: 6 Month Update! Google Voice + Tracfone + Galaxy s3 = $8.33 / mo
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2014, 06:58:44 PM »
My wife has the Galaxy s3.    She's on unlimited now, but a tracking app may still be useful for if she ever switches back.

You should definitely try switching up your phone/plan.  It is easier than you think, especially if you don't make very many calls!  It has definitely been one of the bigger money savers for me, second only to cutting cable TV.

Finally paid T-mobile what's left on my hardware. When my AirVoice card comes, I'll do the unlock and move over. Glancing over past months of usage, I should get below $20 on pay as you go with almost no habit changes.

If you were satisfied with your t-mobile coverage, check out Lycamobile.us  They only use t-mobile towers, no service provider, so check out T-mobiles website and their service map.  It's RIDICULOUSLY cheap.  2 cents a minute, 4 cents a text (only for incoming!) and 6 cents a mb for data.

I've been spending less than 5 bucks a month consistently since September.  On my android I have it set up so that every time I dial in my phone, it asks if I want to call via Google voice (my number everyone knows).  So no one has to know my two numbers.