The Money Mustache Community

Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: steviesterno on April 09, 2017, 07:21:00 AM

Title: best way to shop cell phone providers?
Post by: steviesterno on April 09, 2017, 07:21:00 AM
hey all,

we've had ATT for pretty much ever, and even with a 27% discount through an old employer, our bills are sneaking up into the $167/month area. that pisses me off.

wife and I each have an iPhone and use it for mapping, pandora driving, and some work. We both have WiFi at work and home so I'm half tempted to do away with data. We have out of state family we call and text regularly, but not hours at a time.

ok so with all that, what's the best way to look and shop and do better?
Title: Re: best way to shop cell phone providers?
Post by: Daley on April 09, 2017, 07:59:48 AM
Short answer: With iPhones, multiple lines, and coming off of AT&T? Consumer Cellular is going to be your best choice for their pricing structure, quality customer service, and reasonable terms of service (these things matter more than you realize). Given you're willing to reduce your mobile data usage, Consumer Cellular makes even more sense well beyond those basic reasons. Given your handsets, you also have to be careful about which AT&T MVNOs you choose, because Apple has broken core mobile messaging features with most AT&T MVNOs by restricting access to certain settings with any SIM card using an AT&T network ID number. Fortunately, Consumer Cellular is on the Apple approved list of carriers so this isn't an issue.

Anything more you want to know in your efforts to reduce your communications costs without cutting corners on quality, give this a read (http://www.techmeshugana.com/theguide/). It's long, it's detailed, but it's well worth the effort.

Any other questions, feel free to ask. I'll be happy to help.