Recommendations for a No-Contract Cell Phone Plan

[joeychitwood]

My contract with Verizon is up, and I'm not inclined to lock in to another, given the many new "no-contract" phone plans out there. I am not a heavy data user, so the size of the data component isn't terribly important to me. I'm not dissatisfied with Verizon, but I'm willing to change to a new provider for a good plan. Do you have experiences (good or bad) with no-contract plans? Recommendations?

[Kingair]

Guess that Verizon is the best so it will be hard to get the same service / reception

Got T-Mobile and it's really ok in the big cities but outside less of course

The good thing is that with my Note 3 I just need WiFi to call and text . . .

[b06tmm]

Here's a thread from another forum I visit asking the same question.

[GradyPhilpott]

You don't need a contract to stay with Verizon.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

You don't need a contract to stay with Verizon.

Verizon has a $45 package that I am considering.

[anothernewphone]

AT&T's $45 plan is a good option, too. Unlimited talk and text, 300mb of data, and you don't need a carrier phone to use it, unlike VZW. You can bring any unlocked device you want.

[Rootbeer]

Im using the AT&T $45 no contract package and no complaints so far. Good flexible way to do things for me as i'm not bothered about having the latest handset and brought a 4s with me from the uk.

[mailman]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

My contract with Verizon is up, and I'm not inclined to lock in to another, given the many new "no-contract" phone plans out there. I am not a heavy data user, so the size of the data component isn't terribly important to me. I'm not dissatisfied with Verizon, but I'm willing to change to a new provider for a good plan. Do you have experiences (good or bad) with no-contract plans? Recommendations?

As a fellow motorcycle rider one thing to consider is coverage. You travel a lot and if you had a breakdown or medical emergency in the middle of no where you'd want to be able to call for help. I've been deep in the Adirondacks with friends and VZW & AT&T pretty much always get service, one more than the other. The other guys not so much

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by mailman

As a fellow motorcycle rider one thing to consider is coverage. You travel a lot and if you had a breakdown or medical emergency in the middle of no where you'd want to be able to call for help. I've been deep in the Adirondacks with friends and VZW & AT&T pretty much always get service, one more than the other. The other guys not so much

Maybe use a Iridium Phone as backup . . . .

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by mailman

As a fellow motorcycle rider one thing to consider is coverage. You travel a lot and if you had a breakdown or medical emergency in the middle of no where you'd want to be able to call for help. I've been deep in the Adirondacks with friends and VZW & AT&T pretty much always get service, one more than the other. The other guys not so much

This is one reason I am strongly considering a Verizon no-contract plan. On my travels out west, my Verizon phone is often the only one with a signal. I have an acquaintance who is an FBI agent out east, and he says that Verizon is the provider for both the FBI and the Secret Service because of the coverage.

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

This is one reason I am strongly considering a Verizon no-contract plan. On my travels out west, my Verizon phone is often the only one with a signal. I have an acquaintance who is an FBI agent out east, and he says that Verizon is the provider for both the FBI and the Secret Service because of the coverage.

So go and get it !

If they use it . . . .

[vitalsignsrn]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

This is one reason I am strongly considering a Verizon no-contract plan. On my travels out west, my Verizon phone is often the only one with a signal. I have an acquaintance who is an FBI agent out east, and he says that Verizon is the provider for both the FBI and the Secret Service because of the coverage.

Thats a pretty damn good recommendation. I would stick with Verizon then. No brainer. ;-)

[seand442]

Been with VZW for many years and no plans to leave. Best coverage in rural areas I've found, especially out here in the west.

[handsfull]

Hmm. I carry both Verizon and AT&T iphones daily and can tell you that AT&T is best overall (for sure in MN). AT&T's rate plan (off/no contract) is very competitive now.

Side note: The one thing that has pi**ed me off with the new iphone 6 is that even WITHOUT a contract, yes...meaning I'm paying full price for the phone...you can only purchase a 'locked' phone. Meaning my phone is unable to be used on any other network except AT&T even though AT&T isn't subsidizing my purchase whatsoever! Maddening. This means if one travels abroad and wishes to pick up service with a local carrier (say Europe/Mexico), it won't work with your brand new phone you paid full Apple retail for.

[Soly20]

Originally Posted by handsfull

Hmm. I carry both Verizon and AT&T iphones daily and can tell you that AT&T is best overall (for sure in MN). AT&T's rate plan (off/no contract) is very competitive now.

Side note: The one thing that has pi**ed me off with the new iphone 6 is that even WITHOUT a contract, yes...meaning I'm paying full price for the phone...you can only purchase a 'locked' phone. Meaning my phone is unable to be used on any other network except AT&T even though AT&T isn't subsidizing my purchase whatsoever! Maddening. This means if one travels abroad and wishes to pick up service with a local carrier (say Europe/Mexico), it won't work with your brand new phone you paid full Apple retail for.

I have no Idea why you did that! I bought an iPhone 6 from the apple website, fully unlocked. Just choose the T-mobile version, which is the unlocked version. You will pay full price and you can use it on whatever network you choose. I use mine on AT&T.

[handsfull]

Originally Posted by Soly20

I have no Idea why you did that! I bought an iPhone 6 from the apple website, fully unlocked. Just choose the T-mobile version, which is the unlocked version. You will pay full price and you can use it on whatever network you choose. I use mine on AT&T.

I did just that today....I got bad news for ya partner...bought a tmobile iphone 6 (cash) with that idea in mind. Guess what? ITS LOCKED TO TMOBILE. Don't believe the nonsense people are spreading online about tmobile being unlocked- like myself.

But...since I've been with tmobile for 20 years now (I was with aerial communications since day one), after 30+ minutes on the phone getting escalated up the customer support chain- they finally unlocked it. Good luck.

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by handsfull

I did just that today....I got bad news for ya partner...bought a tmobile iphone 6 (cash) with that idea in mind. Guess what? ITS LOCKED TO TMOBILE. Don't believe the nonsense people are spreading online about tmobile being unlocked- like myself.

But...since I've been with tmobile for 20 years now (I was with aerial communications since day one), after 30+ minutes on the phone getting escalated up the customer support chain- they finally unlocked it. Good luck.

I'm slightly confused , but that's nothing new. Soly said he is using his phone on AT&T, so apparently his wasn't locked.

BTW, you are with three carriers? Verizon, AT&T, and 20 years with T-Mobile? Wow, you should be able to get coverage in just about any situation.

[handsfull]

Originally Posted by T. Ferguson

I'm slightly confused , but that's nothing new. Soly said he is using his phone on AT&T, so apparently his wasn't locked.

BTW, you are with three carriers? Verizon, AT&T, and 20 years with T-Mobile? Wow, you should be able to get coverage in just about any situation.

Soly must have the lucky iphone 6 they forgot to lock-LOL....the Tmob Rep and I placed the At&t sim into the phone while I was in the store and it was a no-go "SIM INVALID". Rep said, you can try calling Tmobile customer service and if that doesn't work, bring it back for a refund....another reason why I've stayed with Tmobile.


Yep, Verizon on my work phone, At&t on my personal, Tmobile with my wifes. I've had Sprint = too many dropped calls.

[perpetualman88]

I think Verizon has an individual plan that is 60 bucks a month for iPhone unlimited talk and text and 2gb of data. Very well balanced plan IMO

[T. Ferguson]

I'm happy with T-Mobile, but live in Southern California so coverage is not an issue. Can't speak for more rural areas. I pay $50/mo. unlimited talk/text/data, though the data is 1 gig at high speed then would slow down (haven't used that much). They have plans at $60/$70/$80 that up the high speed data limits if you need that. I'm not a big data user. I use wifi when available, and even if I need the navigation it's usually just to tell me if the freeway on-ramp is going to be to the left or right. After that I know where I'm going.

The only drawback, or consideration, is if you like to have the latest and greatest phone and therefore upgrade every couple of years. No commitment means no upgrades, so you have to pay retail for the phone. Of course, you'd have to run the numbers, but something to think about when the high-end phones MSRP for close to $700.

I notice that although T-Mobile did away with all contracts, they did something very clever. They offer 2 years interest free to pay for the phone and many people use this option. Essentially T-Mobile has found a way for people to choose to lock themselves in for 2 years while getting retail for the phone.

[joeychitwood]

I went with the Verizon All Set plan. $45 per month for unlimited talk and text and 500 MB of data. Extra data can be purchased for $5-10 as desired. I also ditched my Neanderthal phone for a smartphone with the android OS. I had resisted until now in protest of the world seemingly burying its face in a phone, gathering more information than ever before, yet knowing nothing.

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

I went with the Verizon All Set plan. $45 per month for unlimited talk and text and 500 MB of data. Extra data can be purchased for $5-10 as desired. I also ditched my Neanderthal phone for a smartphone with the android OS. I had resisted until now in protest of the world seemingly burying its face in a phone, gathering more information than ever before, yet knowing nothing.

I'm the same, Joey. Just traded my old Motorola Razor phone in last week on a Galaxy, and even then only because I'd run out of storage and would have to delete a contact to put a new one in. I leave the GPS disabled unless I need it (or think I might) for the reason you alluded to - general principles.

I don't use it that much so thus far an overnight charge is all I need and it's good for the day.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by T. Ferguson

I'm the same, Joey. Just traded my old Motorola Razor phone in last week on a Galaxy, and even then only because I'd run out of storage and would have to delete a contact to put a new one in. I leave the GPS disabled unless I need it (or think I might) for the reason you alluded to - general principles.

I don't use it that much so thus far an overnight charge is all I need and it's good for the day.

I have enough devices at home which connect to the interwebs, so I have gotten along just fine so far without mobile data. If I am out and about away from my home wi-fi or a hotel wi-fi, I'm not really interested in surfing the web except to check college hockey scores or weather radar when on motorcycle trips.

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

I have enough devices at home which connect to the interwebs, so I have gotten along just fine so far without mobile data. If I am out and about away from my home wi-fi or a hotel wi-fi, I'm not really interested in surfing the web except to check college hockey scores or weather radar when on motorcycle trips.

Yeah, though having GPS turned on would be a good idea when you are on the road riding.

[vitalsignsrn]

I thought all the iPhones from Apple store came unlocked? Perhaps only in Canada. Thats what the sales guy at the store told me anyway.

[BeachesBeernBBQ]

Dr. Chitwood,I chose the "pre pay" month to month program with Verizon that comes to about 49 and change after taxes for exactly what you are looking for.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by BeachesBeernBBQ

Dr. Chitwood,I chose the "pre pay" month to month program with Verizon that comes to about 49 and change after taxes for exactly what you are looking for.

That is the plan I ultimately purchased. I'll never lock in to another contract.

[BeachesBeernBBQ]

Nice move.I did the same thing less than 2 months ago and still get the great coverage that Verizon provides @ just shy of 50 bucks a month.If you have retired from being an ER Doc,congratulations.