Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
wootwoot
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by wootwoot »

Verizon prepaid. $25 a month for 5GB of data and the best coverage.
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anon_investor
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by anon_investor »

wootwoot wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:50 am Verizon prepaid. $25 a month for 5GB of data and the best coverage.
Is the data deprioritized?
zlandar
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by zlandar »

Yes.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NoContract/com ... riers_and/

There are a few MNVOs that get priority data on VZN's network. Not sure how accurate the post is as plans constantly change.
logiclife
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by logiclife »

Phinance wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 4:26 pm Frustrated with Verizon, really with all cellphone companies, all non-transparent pricing with gimmicks. We are a family of 2 looking for unlimited text/call and reliable coverage, any recommendations? I’m guessing my options are:
1) Verizon (sigh)
2) T mobile
3) AT&T
4) Google FI

Any experience with any of these, any BH like carrier?

Thank you in advance.

Iam happy with xfinity mobile
Jags4186
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Jags4186 »

We’re in our 3rd year with Mint Mobile. I have a 10gb plan ($252 with all taxes for a year) and my wife has the 4gb plan ($189 with taxes for a year). We took advantage of some AMEX offers and got $180 total off one year. This most recent year I had some billing hiccups with them and I ended up getting myself $135 in free credit—although it will have to be used on the next renewal 12 months from now. Also have earned $50 in referral fees.

All in all, it’s been just fine and I don’t miss not having a cell phone bill. I live in the Metro NY market and have 5G practically everywhere. I get about 4-5x faster data service at home on my Mint Mobile device than I do on my home FIOS connection. YMMV depending on where you live/travel. No usable international support, but that’s just fine with me.
Laundry_Service
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Laundry_Service »

I think you need to figure out which provider will give you a quality of service you find acceptable in the areas your spend your time then work backwards. If Verizon is the best service and Tmobile doesn't work inside 75% of your home whatever price you pay you aren't going to be happy with. If the issue is billing is the issue check out the MVNOs.
Doctor Rhythm
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Doctor Rhythm »

Not sure what the Boglehead carrier would be, but I’d say the Boglehead approach is pick the one that provides what you need at the lowest total price. Some people feel like they’re being deceived when the the $25 per month rate actually comes out to $30 after fees/taxes. I don’t care; if $30 is still the best price for what I need, I’ll take it even if half the price is surcharges.

For us, an MVNO makes the most sense financially (we use Visible). For my parents, it was important to set them up with a carrier that has brick & mortar stores and in-person assistance, even if it cost a bit more.
Vanguard User
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Vanguard User »

I have Visible. Verizon owns them.

$25 a month. Unlimited everything.
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anon_investor
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by anon_investor »

Vanguard User wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:19 pm I have Visible. Verizon owns them.

$25 a month. Unlimited everything.
Is that before taxes and fees?
Vanguard User
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Vanguard User »

anon_investor wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:48 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:19 pm I have Visible. Verizon owns them.

$25 a month. Unlimited everything.
Is that before taxes and fees?
After. Flat $25.
wootwoot
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by wootwoot »

Vanguard User wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:57 pm
anon_investor wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:48 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:19 pm I have Visible. Verizon owns them.

$25 a month. Unlimited everything.
Is that before taxes and fees?
After. Flat $25.
Just an FYI, you need 4 people signed up at visible to get that rate. If it's just a single phone the price is $40 a month.
SunnySideUp
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by SunnySideUp »

wootwoot wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:52 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:57 pm
anon_investor wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:48 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:19 pm I have Visible. Verizon owns them.

$25 a month. Unlimited everything.
Is that before taxes and fees?
After. Flat $25.
Just an FYI, you need 4 people signed up at visible to get that rate. If it's just a single phone the price is $40 a month.
Sorry, but this is an incorrect statement. Any customer can buy a single line of service, join an existing "Party" (10 months ago as a new customer I joined the default "Party" offered by the Visible App (or website, I forget which) one having "Reddit" in its name, having thousands of members), and pay $25 per month going forward. I have no knowledge of or relationship with any of the members of the "Party" of which I am a member.

It is true that the Visible "Party" concept used to require customers to create their own (or have knowledge of and join an existing) "Party", because the maximum size of a "Party" was 4 customers/lines, which was also the size necessary for every member of the "Party" to receive the $15/month discount, but Visible discarded these clumsy aspects of their "Party" scheme (evidently someone with half a brain finally realized that this misbegotten marketing concept was nothing more than a drag on sales that offered no benefits whatsoever) at least one year ago by removing the maximum "Party" size limit, thus allowing Parties having massive numbers of members, which all customers could join, while keeping the verbiage saying that you only get the $15/month discount if you are part of a "Party" having at least 4 members. If your "Party" has 1,000+ members and is adding new members daily because the Visible website/app directs new customers to join this "Party" by default, there is effectively no chance that the number of members of that "Party" will ever drop below 4, ensuring that all members of that "Party" will be paying $25 per month indefinitely.

Edit: Visible's announcement of the change to their "Party Pay" plan "Starting February 2021": https://www.visible.com/newsroom/news/partypay
Edit2: attempted to tl;dr the linked news article in the previous para.
Vanguard User
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Vanguard User »

wootwoot wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:52 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:57 pm
anon_investor wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:48 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:19 pm I have Visible. Verizon owns them.

$25 a month. Unlimited everything.
Is that before taxes and fees?
After. Flat $25.
Just an FYI, you need 4 people signed up at visible to get that rate. If it's just a single phone the price is $40 a month.
Yes but there is a link in the app where you join the group. I believe that group has like hundreds of members. So I’ve been getting $25 rate instead of $40 from day 1.
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jeffyscott
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by jeffyscott »

SunnySideUp wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 12:00 amIt is true that the Visible "Party" concept used to require customers to create their own (or have knowledge of and join an existing) "Party", because the maximum size of a "Party" was 4 customers/lines, which was also the size necessary for every member of the "Party" to receive the $15/month discount, but Visible discarded these clumsy aspects of their "Party" scheme (evidently someone with half a brain finally realized that this misbegotten marketing concept was nothing more than a drag on sales that offered no benefits whatsoever) at least one year ago by removing the maximum "Party" size limit, thus allowing Parties having massive numbers of members, which all customers could join, while keeping the verbiage saying that you only get the $15/month discount if you are part of a "Party" having at least 4 members. If your "Party" has 1,000+ members and is adding new members daily because the Visible website/app directs new customers to join this "Party" by default, there is effectively no chance that the number of members of that "Party" will ever drop below 4, ensuring that all members of that "Party" will be paying $25 per month indefinitely.
So what exactly is the point of requiring that you join a "party" at all? Why not just make the price $25?
Circe
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Circe »

I had PagePlus for at least 10 years. It was a prepaid plan. Periodically there would be billing problems; last year they became frequent. I switched to TracFone and it's even cheaper plus I got an iPhone SE for about 2/3 of the cost from Apple. No billing problems.

Oddly, TracFone owns PagePlus and a few other service providers. TracFone was purchased by Verizon last year.

TracFone said that they would use whatever carrier was best in my area. That is Verizon, which is what I had with PagePlus. I just didn't want T-mobile because my brother has it and his phone is always dropping calls. Mine pretty much never does and I go to some pretty remote places.
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jeffyscott
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by jeffyscott »

Circe wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:15 amI switched to TracFone and it's even cheaper plus I got an iPhone SE for about 2/3 of the cost from Apple.
The phone deals are the reason we recently switched my spouse there. I was looking at maybe $125 for something like an unlocked Moto G, for her to use with her current service (Red Pocket) and then renew at $100 for a year of service. Instead, with Tracfone we paid $80 for a new Android phone plus a year of (minimalist) service. We also got $50 worth of reward points with a referral from my son (he got the same reward value).

I plan to soon do the same, since my current phone is over 4 years old.
michaeljc70
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by michaeljc70 »

I've used Mint for 3 years. I pay $250 for the year. They have cheaper plans with less data. No issues.

The only problem I've had with MVNOs is if you travel internationally you usually need to come up with an alternative (or pay a lot). Some MVNOs do include Canada/Mexico.

You say you don't want gimmicks, but my spouse switched from T-mobile to Verizon a few months ago and got a $900 phone for free. Of course, the service costs 3 times what mine does.
02nz
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by 02nz »

zlandar wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:42 am Visible. Anyone can join a party pay for $25/month per user. Join this one if you don't know any Visible members:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Visible/commen ... ase_go_to/

$25 includes all taxes. You get unlimited data and hotspot. Hotspot limited to 10mbps. I get good coverage and live in a mix of rural/suburban.

ATT is my only other option. T-Mobile is way too limited for rural use.
YMMV but my experience (and that of a lot of users) is that Visible's throttling is very severe. US Mobile gets you the same priority as Verizon's postpaid customers, as long as you have a 5G device.
xb7
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by xb7 »

I've been with T-Mobile for quite some time now and am happy with it. Used to be on their 55+ plan, but I'm a veteran and found that I was able to go on their military plan with minor hoop-jumping to prove status. Now have our kids on the same plan (we pay for it, a sort of minor before-death slow motion asset transfer I guess).

T-Mobile really does seem to find ways to give more to the customer over time. A lot of it is gimmicks IMO ("T-Mobile Tuesdays" or something like that). But we get a discounted Netflix account with them and a year of Apple TV, which we've enjoyed. Once we start to travel again, I will again appreciate --- as someone else pointed out --- just getting off the plane almost anywhere to find that my phone "just works". Much easier than the old days of having a GSM phone, getting it unlocked, and getting a local SIM card and keeping local money on that.

We have Samsung 5g phones (Galaxy S21's) and mid-band 5g where T-Mobile wins makes a big difference in internet speed. We have a somewhat remote cabin where the only signal used to be Verizon, but these days I can get a call there via T-Mobile, and put my phone in the window as a hotspot (very slow hotspot at that location but still much better than the nothing we had been getting).

It's possible that we could pay less elsewhere, but what we do pay seems reasonable for what we get.
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anon_investor
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by anon_investor »

xb7 wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:41 am I've been with T-Mobile for quite some time now and am happy with it. Used to be on their 55+ plan, but I'm a veteran and found that I was able to go on their military plan with minor hoop-jumping to prove status. Now have our kids on the same plan (we pay for it, a sort of minor before-death slow motion asset transfer I guess).

T-Mobile really does seem to find ways to give more to the customer over time. A lot of it is gimmicks IMO ("T-Mobile Tuesdays" or something like that). But we get a discounted Netflix account with them and a year of Apple TV, which we've enjoyed. Once we start to travel again, I will again appreciate --- as someone else pointed out --- just getting off the plane almost anywhere to find that my phone "just works". Much easier than the old days of having a GSM phone, getting it unlocked, and getting a local SIM card and keeping local money on that.

We have Samsung 5g phones (Galaxy S21's) and mid-band 5g where T-Mobile wins makes a big difference in internet speed. We have a somewhat remote cabin where the only signal used to be Verizon, but these days I can get a call there via T-Mobile, and put my phone in the window as a hotspot (very slow hotspot at that location but still much better than the nothing we had been getting).

It's possible that we could pay less elsewhere, but what we do pay seems reasonable for what we get.
You can also get a free year of Paramount+ through T-Mobile too.

https://www.t-mobile.com/offers/paramount-plus-deal
vrex
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by vrex »

+1 for Consumer Cellular-2 phones-$44/month
michaeljc70
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by michaeljc70 »

I don't know if anyone pointed this out yet, but consider taxes and fees. Where I live the taxes/fees on a cell plan are high. I've found them way less on the prepaid plans. Like I said above, I am paying $20/mo out the door ($240 for the year). When I had a big 4 plan the taxes/fees alone were around $12/mo.
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riverant
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by riverant »

Phinance wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 4:26 pm Frustrated with Verizon, really with all cellphone companies, all non-transparent pricing with gimmicks. We are a family of 2 looking for unlimited text/call and reliable coverage, any recommendations? I’m guessing my options are:
1) Verizon (sigh)
2) T mobile
3) AT&T
4) Google FI

Any experience with any of these, any BH like carrier?

Thank you in advance.
AT&T prepaid. For 4gb of shared data with rollover and unlimited talk/text for two phones (bring your own device), we pay $50 a month total. No contract.
Vanguard User
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Vanguard User »

SunnySideUp wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 12:00 am
wootwoot wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:52 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:57 pm
anon_investor wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:48 pm
Vanguard User wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:19 pm I have Visible. Verizon owns them.

$25 a month. Unlimited everything.
Is that before taxes and fees?
After. Flat $25.
Just an FYI, you need 4 people signed up at visible to get that rate. If it's just a single phone the price is $40 a month.
Sorry, but this is an incorrect statement. Any customer can buy a single line of service, join an existing "Party" (10 months ago as a new customer I joined the default "Party" offered by the Visible App (or website, I forget which) one having "Reddit" in its name, having thousands of members), and pay $25 per month going forward. I have no knowledge of or relationship with any of the members of the "Party" of which I am a member.

It is true that the Visible "Party" concept used to require customers to create their own (or have knowledge of and join an existing) "Party", because the maximum size of a "Party" was 4 customers/lines, which was also the size necessary for every member of the "Party" to receive the $15/month discount, but Visible discarded these clumsy aspects of their "Party" scheme (evidently someone with half a brain finally realized that this misbegotten marketing concept was nothing more than a drag on sales that offered no benefits whatsoever) at least one year ago by removing the maximum "Party" size limit, thus allowing Parties having massive numbers of members, which all customers could join, while keeping the verbiage saying that you only get the $15/month discount if you are part of a "Party" having at least 4 members. If your "Party" has 1,000+ members and is adding new members daily because the Visible website/app directs new customers to join this "Party" by default, there is effectively no chance that the number of members of that "Party" will ever drop below 4, ensuring that all members of that "Party" will be paying $25 per month indefinitely.

Edit: Visible's announcement of the change to their "Party Pay" plan "Starting February 2021": https://www.visible.com/newsroom/news/partypay
Edit2: attempted to tl;dr the linked news article in the previous para.
Correct.
Kow
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Kow »

We use xfinity mobile. No noticeable change in service from Verizon (uses same network but we save over $100 month.

Free unlimited calls and texts, we pay for data off which we don’t use a ton. Our total Bill is monthly $50 which included 3Gb of data plus some calls and texts to Canada. We also save $10/month on our cable with it. You must have xfinity cable or internet to use.
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turtlebug
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by turtlebug »

bob60014 wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 8:49 pm Age? We're on the T-Mobile 55+ plan, 2 lines @ $60/mo. for almost 10 years. Unlimited text, data, phone, international coverage (excellent in Europe) , etc. Zero issues.
Ditto. We're grandfathered onto this plan at $60/mth. I think for anyone looking to get onto it now, it's $70/mth for 2 lines, incl taxes/fees.

** As an aside, if you love baseball, T-Mobile has recently offered a free mlb.tv subscription every year (worth $139). Nice perk (in addition to the freebies/discounts given on T-Mobile Tuesdays) **
tunafish
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by tunafish »

treypar wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 4:30 pm I use consumer cellular with no problems. It is very low priced and I get a AAA discount.
+1 Good customer service also.
Jack FFR1846
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

I'm also with Cricket. 4 of us for $100 a month. talk and text unlimited and more data than my 2 kids can video to death use in a month. And if you happen to leave youtube retarded running horse on for 30 days straight, it doesn't charge you more or shut you down, it simply slows the network.

The big difference with Cricket (owned by AT&T) and the other 2nd tiers is more than the charge per line. With AT&T, which I used to have and Verizon, first instead of $25 a month for a line, you're charged $50. Then you pay the 911 fee and the interstate exchange fee and the graft and corruption fee. When you're done with all the fees, you're at $67 per line. With the second tiers, if they say it's $40 or $25 or $15, there are no extra fees.
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j9j
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by j9j »

bob60014 wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 8:49 pm Age? We're on the T-Mobile 55+ plan, 2 lines @ $60/mo. for almost 10 years. Unlimited text, data, phone, international coverage (excellent in Europe) , etc. Zero issues.
I would also recommend this plan if you qualify. Although I think latest prices have gone up.
cowbman
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by cowbman »

During the pandemic T-Mobile was giving away free lines for life. I added these on to my Grandfathered One Plus plan with kickback. I pay $123.97/month for 11 lines. My friends and family pay me back for their lines, so the cost is very minimal.
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jeffyscott
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by jeffyscott »

j9j wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 2:13 pm
bob60014 wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 8:49 pm Age? We're on the T-Mobile 55+ plan, 2 lines @ $60/mo. for almost 10 years. Unlimited text, data, phone, international coverage (excellent in Europe) , etc. Zero issues.
I would also recommend this plan if you qualify. Although I think latest prices have gone up.
It was of no interest to me, so maybe I missed something, but I just got an offer in the mail for this plan at $27.50, $55 for two lines.
Timmay!
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Timmay! »

treypar wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 4:30 pm I use consumer cellular with no problems. It is very low priced and I get a AAA discount.
+1
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AllMostThere
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by AllMostThere »

Ron Ronnerson wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 9:47 pm Mint Mobile, $240 for 12 months ($20/month) with 10 GB of data and unlimited talk & text.
+1. Mint has been great for our family of 4. We also use the 10GB plan. Comes out to ~ $22 each per plan with tax when paid yearly.
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michaeljc70
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by michaeljc70 »

Since Mint has been mentioned....Best Buy (online and in store) today only has $75 for 6 months on Mint Mobile. 10GB data per month. You also get a $10 Best Buy gift card.

Existing customers can use it but would get a new phone number.
nura
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by nura »

I had Mint for 2 years now. $200/year including taxes and fees; 5G in US metros, included Wifi calling allows to me send and received calls and texts anywhere in the world using US number - a must for MFA with accounts like Vanguard while travelling internationally
Marylander1
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Marylander1 »

wootwoot wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:50 am Verizon prepaid. $25 a month for 5GB of data and the best coverage.
One of the reasons I left Verizon Prepaid for Fi is that Verizon Prepaid had huge deliberate dead spots, including all of Western Maryland and Puerto Rico. When I called Verizon to inquire, willing to pay roaming costs to have access in those areas, even some of their customer support people didn't know about the dead spots and were surprised to read about it in their own documentation. There was simply no service at all, and none available.
an_asker
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by an_asker »

SunnySideUp wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 5:18 pm [...]
https://prepaidcompare.net/
[...]
Does not even include Tello. Thank you Tello for not wasting our money on advertising campaigns!!

Looks like Tello gets enough subscribers through word of mouth!

PS: It looks like Tello is there under the Operators tab. But doesn't come up on the Home tab. Hmmm,,,
Last edited by an_asker on Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
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oldcomputerguy
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by oldcomputerguy »

Da5id wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 10:14 pm Some providers do allow for WiFi calling which can help.
Consumer Cellular does this, it has come in very handy during some of our international trips.
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jeffyscott
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by jeffyscott »

an_asker wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:29 am
SunnySideUp wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 5:18 pm [...]
https://prepaidcompare.net/
[...]
Does not even include Tello. Thank you Tello for not wasting our money on advertising campaigns!!

Looks like Tello gets enough subscribers through word of mouth!

PS: It looks like Tello is there under the Operators tab. But doesn't come up on the Home tab. Hmmm,,,
Huh :?: :

Image

Perhaps you missed the scroll bar?

Also, you can put in your desired minutes, data, texts to get a list like this:
Image
an_asker
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by an_asker »

jeffyscott wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:33 am [...]
Huh :?: :
[...]
Perhaps you missed the scroll bar?
[...]
You got me. My bad. I got the big scroll bar but missed the little one. :oops:

Thanks!!
zlandar
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by zlandar »

02nz wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:49 am
zlandar wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:42 am Visible. Anyone can join a party pay for $25/month per user. Join this one if you don't know any Visible members:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Visible/commen ... ase_go_to/

$25 includes all taxes. You get unlimited data and hotspot. Hotspot limited to 10mbps. I get good coverage and live in a mix of rural/suburban.

ATT is my only other option. T-Mobile is way too limited for rural use.
YMMV but my experience (and that of a lot of users) is that Visible's throttling is very severe. US Mobile gets you the same priority as Verizon's postpaid customers, as long as you have a 5G device.
I've had Visible for half a year and it's been ok. I usually get 10-30 mbps. That's plenty fast for internet browsing and watching videos. Sometimes I get 200 mbps and I assume I'm near a new 5G tower.

I've looked at USM. Their newest plans don't include taxes and that makes a difference. You also need 4 lines to get the lowest monthly rate.
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jeffyscott
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by jeffyscott »

an_asker wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:40 am
jeffyscott wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:33 am [...]
Huh :?: :
[...]
Perhaps you missed the scroll bar?
[...]
You got me. My bad. I got the big scroll bar but missed the little one. :oops:

Thanks!!
The other day, I put in 2 lines and some minimal requirements and then was about to post that they seemed to have the pricing wrong...forgetting that the monthly cost was doubled because 2 lines. :)

I'm pretty impressed with the tool, it even calculates add-on costs and shows the details in the pop-up if you click one of the results, e.g.:
Image

(it appears to do some rounding on that one, since 1200 + 1000 texts in a year is not quite 200 per month, but given that it's not a monthly cap that seems reasonable.)
an_asker
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Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:15 pm

Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by an_asker »

jeffyscott wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:58 am [...]
The other day, I put in 2 lines and some minimal requirements and then was about to post that they seemed to have the pricing wrong...forgetting that the monthly cost was doubled because 2 lines. :)

I'm pretty impressed with the tool, it even calculates add-on costs and shows the details in the pop-up if you click one of the results, e.g.:
Image

(it appears to do some rounding on that one, since 1200 + 1000 texts in a year is not quite 200 per month, but given that it's not a monthly cap that seems reasonable.)
That's nice! To be honest, I am satisfied with Tello that I have not tried comparing. #touchwood

I do have a related question (which might be OT) - how exactly does WiFi calling work? I googled and the link I got was not really helpful.

My specific question: let's say I have Tello and my plan does not include calling minutes, then how do I use the WiFi calling if I call from home? Tello has a pay as you go model for calls made and received. So, my question is would the WiFi calling go around this pay as you go model?
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Vulcan
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Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Vulcan »

VG81 wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 10:37 pm We have the Google Fi Flexible plan with 3 lines, which includes unlimited calls & text for $50 + data + taxes/fees. If we use no data, then the cost is $50 + $13.36 taxes/fees = $63.36 for one month. Data is $10/gigabyte. We seldom use data since we have WiFi in the house and so many places we go have free WiFi. I also like the built in VPN and spam blocking. If you use a lot of data, another plan or company may be a better deal.
Their new unlimited plans are hard to beat, especially for multiple lines.

https://fi.google.com/about/plans
If you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything. ~Ronald Coase
Lmf1171
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2020 10:09 am

Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Lmf1171 »

We have Ting and pay $10/line for unlimited talk and text. Data is $5/GB shared between all lines. Since we're almost always on Wifi, we pay $35/month + taxes/fees = ~$45/month for 3 lines.
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jeffyscott
Posts: 13438
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:12 am

Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by jeffyscott »

an_asker wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:44 am I do have a related question (which might be OT) - how exactly does WiFi calling work? I googled and the link I got was not really helpful.

My specific question: let's say I have Tello and my plan does not include calling minutes, then how do I use the WiFi calling if I call from home? Tello has a pay as you go model for calls made and received. So, my question is would the WiFi calling go around this pay as you go model?
WiFi calling would still count against your minutes or require a paygo balance. The purpose, for the user, would be to deal with weak cell phone signals.
an_asker
Posts: 4903
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:15 pm

Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by an_asker »

jeffyscott wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:59 am
an_asker wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:44 am I do have a related question (which might be OT) - how exactly does WiFi calling work? I googled and the link I got was not really helpful.

My specific question: let's say I have Tello and my plan does not include calling minutes, then how do I use the WiFi calling if I call from home? Tello has a pay as you go model for calls made and received. So, my question is would the WiFi calling go around this pay as you go model?
WiFi calling would still count against your minutes or require a paygo balance. The purpose, for the user, would be to deal with weak cell phone signals.
Oh ok thanks!!
ncbill
Posts: 2049
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 4:03 pm
Location: Western NC

Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by ncbill »

02nz wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:49 am
zlandar wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:42 am Visible. Anyone can join a party pay for $25/month per user. Join this one if you don't know any Visible members:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Visible/commen ... ase_go_to/

$25 includes all taxes. You get unlimited data and hotspot. Hotspot limited to 10mbps. I get good coverage and live in a mix of rural/suburban.

ATT is my only other option. T-Mobile is way too limited for rural use.
YMMV but my experience (and that of a lot of users) is that Visible's throttling is very severe. US Mobile gets you the same priority as Verizon's postpaid customers, as long as you have a 5G device.
Just be aware that the US Mobile plan (unlimited premium) that is equivalent of Visible is double the price...$50/month after all taxes/fees.
02nz
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Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:17 pm

Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by 02nz »

ncbill wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 11:39 am
02nz wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:49 am
zlandar wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:42 am Visible. Anyone can join a party pay for $25/month per user. Join this one if you don't know any Visible members:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Visible/commen ... ase_go_to/

$25 includes all taxes. You get unlimited data and hotspot. Hotspot limited to 10mbps. I get good coverage and live in a mix of rural/suburban.

ATT is my only other option. T-Mobile is way too limited for rural use.
YMMV but my experience (and that of a lot of users) is that Visible's throttling is very severe. US Mobile gets you the same priority as Verizon's postpaid customers, as long as you have a 5G device.
Just be aware that the US Mobile plan (unlimited premium) that is equivalent of Visible is double the price...$50/month after all taxes/fees.
With eSIM capability on both carriers, everyone should try and see what works for them in their area. US Mobile does offer multi-line discounts on their unlimited plans, and now you can mix and match. But IMO their best best deal for light to medium users is their pooled plan, at $9/line plus $2/GB, and about 50 cents in taxes/fees per line.
Afty
Posts: 2387
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 5:31 pm

Re: Boglehead Cellphone carrier

Post by Afty »

02nz wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:49 am
zlandar wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:42 am Visible. Anyone can join a party pay for $25/month per user. Join this one if you don't know any Visible members:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Visible/commen ... ase_go_to/

$25 includes all taxes. You get unlimited data and hotspot. Hotspot limited to 10mbps. I get good coverage and live in a mix of rural/suburban.

ATT is my only other option. T-Mobile is way too limited for rural use.
YMMV but my experience (and that of a lot of users) is that Visible's throttling is very severe. US Mobile gets you the same priority as Verizon's postpaid customers, as long as you have a 5G device.
This was my experience on Visible as well. Data would become completely unusable in even moderately crowded places like the mall or an amusement park. Visible seemed to also do some site specific throttling that made it feel slow even when not throttled. For example, I might get a 200+ Mbps speed test, but Instagram would load slowly and show posts one by one.

I switched to US Mobile and have been much happier. I pay slightly more for limited data, but it actually works.
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