Author Topic: AT&T Cheaper Alternative  (Read 4733 times)

KarefulKactus15

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AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« on: September 08, 2015, 07:25:22 AM »
Okay Let me throw out some usage statistics and you guys tell me if I should just leave it alone or if better cheaper alternatives are available.
Me and my wife own our phones, They are GSM and will work on any AT&T network. Any verizon network carrier is no good because verizon doesn't have service at our house.

1.)  118$ a month For Unlit Talk,Text, and 15 GB of data between me and wife

2.) 1000  Minutes talk time is sufficient for us
3.) 5,000 Text minimum ( I hate texting..but my poor wife knows no other form of communication apparently.....)
4.) 7GB is the minimum Data we need.   I use less than 1GB but my wife uses 6ish

So looking at the above data, is anyone using anything significantly cheaper that will meet our needs? Also I've become quite spoiled to 4G data, I'm not sure I can go back to 3g lol.    It seems like I shopped around a while ago and couldn't find a plan that offered significant savings while still meetings our "needs".  Just curious if you guys have had good success with other smaller carriers.

Daley

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Re: AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2015, 07:46:35 AM »
The smaller MVNOs from the guide are great. Your problem on savings is your wife's data habit. If you want to save money, you have got to break the data habit. (It's not a need, it's a want.) You do that, any of the AT&T MVNOs from the guide will be fine.

Stay away from carrier owned brands like AT&T's Go Phone and Cricket on the prepaid end. The support is even worse, and although they have cheaper data than the independent MVNOs, they're doing so to undermine their wholesale MVNO customers to pull back customers who bolted. Given their past track record, they undermine and shut down the smaller MVNO competition (they're not protected and given equal network access like they are in most other countries), expect the prices to get jacked right back up. You want cheaper service and competition? Don't do business directly with AT&T, and learn to live on less. Full stop. It's kinda messed up that you have to buy resold service from a third party to get cheaper mobile coverage in this country, but that's deregulation for you.
« Last Edit: September 08, 2015, 07:50:42 AM by I.P. Daley »

Daley

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Scandium

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Re: AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2015, 11:32:37 AM »
wow, how the heck does she use 6GB? Streaming 4k videos during a hour long commute or something? I barely think about limiting my data and rarely go over 400mb. I agree trying to bring her down to a sane usage level would be a good step in any case..

Same thing I posted in another thread which goes against I.P's advice, but Cricket does give you a 10GB plan for $55:
https://www.cricketwireless.com/cell-phone-plans

If you got the 1GB plan from H2O for $36 you'd go from $118 to $91/month.
https://www.h2owirelessnow.com/mainControl.php?page=planMonth


Daley

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Re: AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« Reply #4 on: September 08, 2015, 12:05:56 PM »
If you got the 1GB plan from H2O for $36 you'd go from $118 to $91/month.
https://www.h2owirelessnow.com/mainControl.php?page=planMonth

Airvoice's $30 plan does 500MB high speed and 500MB throttled now, for a total of 1GB of data. Their $50 plan also does 2.5GB of high speed and 2.5GB of throttled now as well for a total of 5GB of data.

$60-80 if you can learn to live on slower/less, and though I don't recommend against H2O, Airvoice's customer service is better... though either/both are still considerably better than AT&T/Cricket.

Scandium

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Re: AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« Reply #5 on: September 08, 2015, 12:21:33 PM »
If you got the 1GB plan from H2O for $36 you'd go from $118 to $91/month.
https://www.h2owirelessnow.com/mainControl.php?page=planMonth

Airvoice's $30 plan does 500MB high speed and 500MB throttled now, for a total of 1GB of data. Their $50 plan also does 2.5GB of high speed and 2.5GB of throttled now as well for a total of 5GB of data.

$60-80 if you can learn to live on slower/less, and though I don't recommend against H2O, Airvoice's customer service is better... though either/both are still considerably better than AT&T/Cricket.

Interesting, I hadn't looked at airvoice in a while. I haven't really used CS with either of them so can't comment.

One thing I recently learned is that (as far as I know) none of the MVNOs allow international roaming, except maybe canada and mexico. On a trip to europe my H2O phone was useless. Could not send or receive calls or texts. While my wife's phone on an AT&T plan could at least send the odd text message. There are travel SIM services I'll check out next time, but this gives you a separate number etc. I would have been nice to be able to send texts to family from my regular number, even if I had to pay a little for it. If people need to get a hold of you on the trip you have to make sure everyone has the "travel number".

I'll probably go with the "SIM sticker" from knowroaming
http://www.knowroaming.com/

Daley

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Re: AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« Reply #6 on: September 08, 2015, 12:36:32 PM »
Interesting, I hadn't looked at airvoice in a while. I haven't really used CS with either of them so can't comment.

I've dealt with both a fair amount. I'll take the Airvoice customer support people over Locus' H2O support staff any day of the week.

One thing I recently learned is that (as far as I know) none of the MVNOs allow international roaming, except maybe canada and mexico. On a trip to europe my H2O phone was useless. Could not send or receive calls or texts. While my wife's phone on an AT&T plan could at least send the odd text message. There are travel SIM services I'll check out next time, but this gives you a separate number etc. I would have been nice to be able to send texts to family from my regular number, even if I had to pay a little for it. If people need to get a hold of you on the trip you have to make sure everyone has the "travel number".

I'll probably go with the "SIM sticker" from knowroaming
http://www.knowroaming.com/

KnowRoaming and Truphone are the two carriers I recommend these days for globehopping on an MVNO (depending on usage patterns), but as you've round-aboutly pointed out, there are advantages to my recommendations on not using straight SMS services and sticking with email and SMS/IM alternatives like XMS, Kik, etc. If the text runs on data, it should work anywhere.

Scandium

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Re: AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« Reply #7 on: September 08, 2015, 12:43:24 PM »
... there are advantages to my recommendations on not using straight SMS services and sticking with email and SMS/IM alternatives like XMS, Kik, etc. If the text runs on data, it should work anywhere.

Definitely, I wish I could go with an IM service for everything and everyone. I tried with my wife, but she just goes back to hitting iMessage and SMS all the time..  And my mom can just barely pick up a skype call so I not going to try to set her (or my MIL. *shudder) up with snapchat/whatsapp or whatever app of the week.

Daley

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Re: AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2015, 12:51:32 PM »
Definitely, I wish I could go with an IM service for everything and everyone. I tried with my wife, but she just goes back to hitting iMessage and SMS all the time..  And my mom can just barely pick up a skype call so I not going to try to set her (or my MIL. *shudder) up with snapchat/whatsapp or whatever app of the week.

Alas and alack. At least you gave it the old college try!

(Mind, I'm actually more posting this stuff for the newer community members to read by springboarding off of what you've posted. I know you're already familiar with my bleatings and recommendations.)

Scandium

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Re: AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« Reply #9 on: September 08, 2015, 12:59:07 PM »
Definitely, I wish I could go with an IM service for everything and everyone. I tried with my wife, but she just goes back to hitting iMessage and SMS all the time..  And my mom can just barely pick up a skype call so I not going to try to set her (or my MIL. *shudder) up with snapchat/whatsapp or whatever app of the week.

Alas and alack. At least you gave it the old college try!

(Mind, I'm actually more posting this stuff for the newer community members to read by springboarding off of what you've posted. I know you're already familiar with my bleatings and recommendations.)

Nono, that's cool. I too just hope people will look beyond the big 4 or republic wireless, which often seems to be the case here.. Not sure how useful others find this 2-thread conversation, but can always hope ;)

To continue the rant, I'm so annoyed everyone just stopped having open IM protocols, in favor of all these separate, siloed apps. Not long ago I even had an app which merged my facebook, google chat (and AIM, MSN etc) together. Now you can't even do that! And it's not just apple. Ironically that app decided to stop combining other protocols, and instead become a closed IM/social network themselves! ugh!

waffle

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Re: AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2015, 01:10:56 PM »
Check out Tmobile in your area. If they have good service you can get a pretty great deal. My wife and I have tmobile in Denver and are pretty pleased with it. for $60/month we get unlimited talk, text and data. My wife has the 2.5GB of high speed and I have unlimited high speed.

Daley

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Re: AT&T Cheaper Alternative
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2015, 01:17:59 PM »
To continue the rant, I'm so annoyed everyone just stopped having open IM protocols, in favor of all these separate, siloed apps. Not long ago I even had an app which merged my facebook, google chat (and AIM, MSN etc) together. Now you can't even do that! And it's not just apple. Ironically that app decided to stop combining other protocols, and instead become a closed IM/social network themselves! ugh!

Yeah, balkanization on that front has just been atrocious the past few years... but that's everywhere these days and what the smartphone, SaaS, and web 2.0/3.0 movements are all about. Divide and conquer for cash and data. It succeeds though, because most people are lazy. They'd rather download an "easy" app that requires you to fill out a dozen fields about who you are, where you live, and who you know to register an account and make you apply social engineering and peer pressure to your friends to use it as well instead of use an app that has a three-four fields for protocol settings and read a five sentence configuration guide from a provider that only needs an email address and password to register, or is potentially compatible with an existing account you already have.

*shakes cane and mutters about kids and lawns*

Nono, that's cool. I too just hope people will look beyond the big 4 or republic wireless, which often seems to be the case here.. Not sure how useful others find this 2-thread conversation, but can always hope ;)

Indeed!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!