Would appreciate advice on smart phones.

[skypilot]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by DonViejo (a host of the General Discussion forum).

I use Verizon for internet and home (land line) phone service. I've been using a prepaid flip phone for a year now and want to upgrade to a smart phone to take with me for a trip out west next month. Want access to Google Maps and Uber. I've had no trouble with my prepaid flip phone which I use only for calling and texting but I know that there is a bit more to smart phones with data, wifi, etc.

After trying to do some research my brain is half fried from all the negative reviews I've read about different providers and their plans. Everyone seems to hate all of the "Big Four" carriers for one reason or another. A coworker recommended a TracPhone but I'm seeing all kinds of bad reviews for them as well. So many people complain that they are told one thing regarding their phone plan but end up receiving and getting billed for something else and then enduring terrible customer service to resolve the issue.

My situation is this: I'm not a big phone user. If I get a smart phone I won't be streaming music or movies. I just want a phone and a plan that allows me to call, text, take pictures, download a couple apps and get Google Maps, which I think comes with most phones these day. I just want to go to my provider (or a new one) pre-armed with some input from impartial sources.

Thanks in advance to all who reply.

[MattP]

1. Google fi seems like a good deal and they offer discounts on the phone

I'm on a discount line and have been locked in for years otherwise I think I would go for a Google fi plan

[OilemFirchen]

13. Project Fi hands down.

Cheap talk and text, one penny per megabyte of date, with bill protection at 10 gig.

We got two Moto X4s for $500. Our total bill for the first full month was $42.25.

[skypilot]

16. Might have to look into this Project Fi but...

...quite frankly the NAME puts me off a bit. "Project" makes it sound like something in it's initial, experimental phase.

[OilemFirchen]

20. It's Google.

We've only been subscribers for two months, but the friend who referred us has been with them from the inception. Never a hitch, excellent customer service and very inexpensive. You do have to use one of their selected group of phones, but that allows them to upgrade Android constantly.

[Different Drummer]

2. Speaking from experience....

I would avoid TracFone. I had to change my email password on my laptop and, unless things have changed recently, there is no easy way to make such a change on a TracFone...you have to call TracFone and endure their terrible customer service.

[nykym]

3. I would consider Tracfone

Yeah they were a bit messed up in the beginning.
But things seem to be running smoothly now.
So you can bring your own smartphone if you have one
or buy one from them. Then you need a Sim card from them easy to do.
and for about $99.99/yr you can have a phone with apps etc.
and I think about 1200 minutes 1.17GB Data 1200 Texts.and a years service.
I like you just need it for ocasional calls and texts, maps, and photos.
I have an iPhone 6

[skypilot]

6. A lot of the TracPhones reviews...

...were from people complaining that they were being robbed of their minutes. Is that one of the things that was "messed up in the beginning"? I would probably never use 1200 minutes but I don't want to lose them if I've paid for them.

Also, I'm leaning towards and Android phone because that's something I have some familiarity with.

[flamin lib]

4. I am in Consumer Cellular. Marketed through Sears and Target.

Used the AT&T infrastructure. Cheap, they boost data caps as needed while I travel and I can drop them back down with a phonecall. You have to buy the phone outright but that's cheaper than having the carrier add it to your bill.

You can buy a factory un-locked phone on EBay or elsewhere. I bought a Galaxy S5 for $175.

[ananda]

9. Me too.

I have an iPhone and like Consumer Cellular just fine!

[GeorgeGist]

5. I've been using TracFone for nearly 2 years and so far no issues!

Their phones use either ATT or Verizon towers.

This LG Tracphone uses Verizon


from Amazon; https://smile.amazon.com/TracFone-Fiesta-LTE-Prepaid-Smartphone/dp/B077Y4BYJX/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1532034150&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=tracphone&psc=1

[skypilot]

8. No issues at all?

I'd really want that to be the case for me because it seems to be unanimous that if you have to deal with TracPhone's customer service reps you're in for a big ordeal.

[kimbutgar]

11. I have a similar phone with no problems

The website is constantly being improved to add minutes and get support.

Just got hubby a new phone. Ordered one on Friday got it Monday it was active within 2 hours when I switched it over from his old tracfone.

[Phoenix61]

7. Stay with Verizon

They have the largest network which really counts when you get away from population centers. Personally, I like an iPhone. One of the biggest advantages, especially if you are new to smart phones, is all iPhones function the same. It doesn't matter what model so if you need help doing something with your phone someone near you will know exactly how to do it.

[kimbutgar]

10. I would advise tracfone

I have been using them since 2004. Only cost me $24 for every three months with 120 minutes. I text, use the internet And take pictures. Every year I buy the newest phone which costs less than $60. Brought my hubby a new one the size of an iPhone 6 with more memory. Easy to transfer contacts and settings with a google account.

The only downside of you going out of the country you can’t use them to call into the US but you can buy an International card to call fro the US to overseas. If had to make a call back to the US when I was i Europe and had to use the hotel phone. That said I also have a landline in my home.

[yonder]

12. Tracphone prepaid

I'm like yourself, not a big phone user, don't need a lot of bells and whistles. 7 bucks a month. I really only buy a card to extend the service date deadline, not the minutes, texting or data. I'm using a 2 or 3 year old Samsung Stardust. With a SD card it has some 60+ gigabytes of memory and is about 2/3 full of mostly music. I think it's a 3g so it ain't the latest by any means. Yes, it is outdated, sometimes a bit slow and clunky but it works just fine for me.

Now, from the stories I've heard, dealing with Tracphone can be a nightmare. So far, for me, it hasn't been that bad. The worst was losing a bunch of minutes trying to move them from an old semi-smartphone to this one, as well as at first spending a bit of time with their CS folks. I'd say the less you have to deal with them the better. But so far, so good.

When this phone craps out, I might continue to use Tracphone but my wife and kids are hounding me to get on their Verizon plan to reduce their bill. I think they said it would be 50 bucks a month for each of us. That seems high to me but that might include a new phone(s). Seems like they have all the latest stuff too where I'm a semi-Luddite. Still 7 bucks a month works for me and like I said, so far so good.

Hope this helps rather than muddy up the waters.

[skypilot]

14. 7 bucks a month?

Wow. I don't mind paying a bit more than that but I don't need bells and whistles either. Just want good coverage and reception and a decent camera.

[yonder]

21. Yep. less than 7, if I got this right:

I buy a 20 dollar card for 60 minutes of phone, text and data while adding 90 days to the service plan. Since I've got triple minutes for life, that gives me 180 of each, EXCLUDING the 90 days which is fixed. Because I don't use the phone that much, the only reason to buy a card (for me) is to extend the service days. Hell, I got more minutes than I know what to do with. So 20 bucks divided by 3 months works out to $6.67 a month. Of course, that doesn't factor in the original cost of the phone which I think I got from Target for $50.00.

Tracfone also offers all kinds of promo stuff which I ignore, so someone who pays attention to those things might get it cheaper.

Also, I think I remembered why I lost those minutes when trying to transfer them. I had activated the new phone online, before calling CS where I should have called CS to both activate and transfer the minutes. Something like that. Anyway, I don't have a whole lot of patience for dealing with CS people on the phone, but my experiences haven't been awful. So far. I'd still think about that customer service horror story aspect and if you want to run the gauntlet, go for it. Once it's up and running, you should be home free.

[skypilot]

23. Bear with me for this question.

So, you don't have to buy the phone itself from TracPhone?

[yonder]

25. Unless they've changed that policy, no you don't.

Target, Walmart, online etc. all offer Tracfone along with other prepaid phone services.

Please understand, I'm not pushing Tracfone, I'm just offering my experience with it. NCTraveler brought up some good advice about coverage, etc. that I didn't consider. My coverage needs fall between Idaho and Colorado 95% of the time, with no problems so far.

I think I'm mostly just happy with that little, old Android though, and unlike the rest of my family's long use of iPhones, I'd stick with Android, no matter what service provider I use.

And to echo NCTraveler, have a good trip!

[yortsed snacilbuper]

15. I'm using mint mobile, I like it.

https://www.mintmobile.com

[NCTraveler]

17. I know little outside of what I have.

I really like what I have. There is a major difference in carriers in my area. I will only go with VERIZON. I have been in other areas of the country where it is the same but a different company is leading.

I’ve always been on an iPhone. Just about dummy proof. A complete beginner will have the phone, camera, texts, email, and ways to transfer data off down pat in a very short period of time.

Last time I went to upgrade I started looking at other phones. Even asked for suggestions here. There are some really sweet phones out there right now that cost less than the iPhone. Some have many more options and give you more freedom. I already don’t get the most out of my iPhone so I decided not to complicate it.

If this vacation is a big deal please try to find some good coverage maps. Some places I go in NC I get nothing. My bad ass phone and expensive plan are rendered useless. I’m sitting there staring at my phone looking as lost as Trump thumbing through a book, while my dad is sitting next to me chatting away on his flip phone.

Price matters. I know people who pay way under what I do for comparable plans and they seem to do well for themselves. It’s foolish how much my plan and phone cost. I do use it for work and am not into throwing away money. I got rid of cable a while back because I wasn’t willing to pay what they wanted.

Good luck and hope your vacation is great.

[skypilot]

18. Thanks. I'm going to San Diego...

...and I think Verizon's coverage is pretty good there. I'm leaning towards an Android phone because I do have some familiarity with them. And I probably won't need the latest one because, like you, I wouldn't get the most out of it.

[NCTraveler]

19. Familiarity.

[FreeState]

22. You can also get pre-used for a great price

https://www.verizonwireless.com/devices/certified-pre-owned/?cmp=KNC-C-HQ-NON-R-AC-NONE-NONE-2K0PX0-PX-GAW-71700000034257881&gclid=COCf2fuerNwCFU94gQodlBAASg&gclsrc=ds

Like most cell phones your coverage in San Diego will depends and change from area to area. I have had ATT, Verizon, and Sprint. ATT has the best coverage for where I am at, Sprint was the worst.

I am partial towards used iPhones - they get support for years and are very dependable.

[csziggy]

24. I've used Tracfone since 2002

I started with a basic Nokia phone, which was replaced for free twice when the cell towers upgraded. Last year I "upgraded" to a semi smart phone - a ZTE Citrine.

I don't do much as far as smartphone technology goes. For one thing I get no cell signal to speak of at home and really don't need or want to be tied to it while away from home.
My husband had the same model smart phone and as he wanted/needed more of the smart capabilities he finally upgraded to a Verizon account with a Samsung S8. But he's on his phone constantly with Facebook and texting his family and uses a lot of apps so he does a lot with that phone.

I've been happy with the Tracfone system. Every couple of years I pay for one year's service with the minimum number of call minutes - then for a small amount more I get another year of service. Basically the last six to eight years I have paid $150 every two years and get more additional minutes than I will ever use. One time I tried one of their monthly deals but they screwed it up and I lost service and my minutes. With the prepay like I do on their website I have never lost minutes or service time.

Tracfone customer service is not good - but neither are any of the cell phone companies' customer service. I just hope I never have to rely on it again!

[DonViejo]

26. Locking...

The consensus of Forum Hosts, in response to an alert, agree this OP is not appropriate for the General Discussions Forum. Please post this in the DU Lounge

[underpants]

27. iPhone and Sprint