I’m not a big fan of cell phones. However, after I moved to Alpena I bought a cheap Tracfone so I could at least have a number that I could put on job applications.
TRACFONE
I used the Tracfone for a while, and if you get double minutes, and if you buy the minutes in large quantities, and search the web for coupon codes, it can be a fairly economical choice. I think this is the best choice for those who only use their phone on a very limited basis.
However, I charted my minute usage and after a while I found that I was using the phone fairly regularly, and the more I used it the less cost effective it was. So, I started looking around.
I looked at AT&T and Verizon because through UPS I can get an employee discount, but the prices were just too high. Especially if you wanted a smartphone.
Then I came across Straight Talk.
STRAIGHT TALK
Straight Talk is a contract free cell phone service. They basically have two plans. The first one is $30 for 1000 minutes of talk time (any day, any time), 1000 texts, and 3o Mb of web. The second plan is $45 for unlimted talk, text, and web.
I currently have a Samsung phone (can’t remember the model) with the $30 plan which actually comes to $32 after the fees. It has a traditional Blackberry layout with the keypad below. However, that’s where the similarities end. I can use this to check emails if I absolutely have to, but that’s about it. It’s very stripped-down. However, the OS is fast, and the price and the call quality is good. And around here they use Verizon’s towers which is usually preferable to AT&T’s.
However, I just became aware of Consumer Cellular.
CONSUMER CELLURLAR
It seems to me that Consumer Cellular runs off of AT&T’s network. However, this place will sell you a Motorola Bravo which is a full-fledged Android phone. And you have more options for payment plans. It’s also a no-contract deal. You can get 300 min for $20 and 700 min for $30. Plus you can get larger plans and then add another phone for $10 and split the minutes. Sounds like a great deal.
However to use text and web you have to purchase another plan on top of the minutes plan. But the lowest one will give you 100 texts and 4 Mb of data for $2.50/month. And then for $5/month you can get 500 texts and 20 Mb of data.
Anyway, this seems like a pretty neat plan to me. And it might be especially nice for those of you who would like a smartphone but don’t want to pay up the wazoo for it. And another nice feature is that the smartphone also works on wifi. So whenever you are near a hotspot, you can use that instead of the network, and save your web usage for when you really need it.
I guess Straight Talk has also got, or is coming out with an Android smartphone, but it’s not available in my area. However, that might be one to consider as well.
I just thought I would share the info because we all know how $10-$20/month in cell savings can add up over time.
And… I will get $6.35 for every person I refer. Just tell ’em Matt sent you.
Chuckle, chuckle.
