Switching to Disc. Cellphone Carrier?

[kfoss99]

I looked at my last cell phone bill and I'm paying Verizon $130 for two lines.

I use about 2 gigs of data a month. My wife uses 15 - 20 gigs.

I've seen lots of ads for Visible and Mint Mobile. Does a switch to a discount carrier cause more headaches than money saved? It looks like I could cut my monthly bill in half.

I'm currently shelling out $200 a month for home internet and cell phone carrier. That seems crazy; there's really no other option for me switching internet provider.

If it matters, we have two Android phones paid in full.

Thanks.

 

[Harry Hooper]

Switched from Visible (budget Verizon) to Mint a month ago, extremely easy with a phone I already owned. Potential for a shared savings with a referral, so DM me if interested. The Mint website has a tool to check your phones' compatibility.

 

[nighthob]

I’ll second Mint’s quality. I got two year’s free service by buying a new phone from them (I was a Sprint customer and had my aging iPhone SE deprecated). It’s been worth every penny.

 

[milfordsoxfan]

Definitely worth looking into. I used Google Fi for years, and switched to Verizon pre-paid. I am paying about $25 a month for 5gb. There are better deals. I got this one because I wanted off Fi and didn't feel like trying to unlock my credit when I was standing in a Verizon store.

I'll throw out the caveat that you depending upon where you live, it is worth understanding data prioritization with MVNOs. This reddit thread is pretty useful (the main post). I notice this in NYC sometimes and it can suck. The TL;DR is your data could slow down if there are a lot of people around you on a higher prioritization tier. I live in the CT burbs, so it typically doesn't matter. If I lived in NYC, I'd probably pay for a top prioritization plan. I'm not sure how bad it is in other cities.

Worst comes to worst you go back to Verizon on a promo or something. It's infuriating to a shitload for cell service. I feel bad for the Canadians, they really get fucked.

Edit: some of the companies are better with number porting than others, also worth being aware of it.

 

[djbayko]

As far as T-Mobile / MetroPCS (their discount brand) I never noticed any difference. I switched back to T-Mobile in order to take advantage of their discounted iPhone offering a few years ago, and they were somehow able to use discounts to match the pricing that I had with Metro PCS for a family plan with 7 lines. T-Mobile comes with free Netflix, which is nice because I probably wouldn't bother paying for the service myself. They also have pretty good deals from their partners every Tuesday.

 

[Scott Cooper's Grand Slam]

I switched from Verizon to US Mobile in November and I'm very happy. I pay $90 for two lines of Premium Unlimited. I used to pay Verizon ~$130 for two lines of 5 GB data combined. Unlimited comes with free international data (amount varies. I got 10 GB per line in the UK and 3 GB per line in Mexico). My data speeds are significantly faster, too. I used to get 10-15 Mb/s down, now I'm consistently getting 50-100 Mb/s. US Mobile has no customer phone support. All support is over chat so far, and it's been painless.

PM me if you want a referral code good for up to $10 off your first bill.

 

[Max Power]

I switched to Mint a few years ago. My data usage is minimal, so it made sense even if the speeds weren't great. In the beginning I'd dread seeing tbe 5G logo around Boston since I'd clearly be de-prioritized and be super slow. But now that T-Mobile has built out the 5G infrastructure, things are working well, even at Red Sox games.

If you're at the end of your contract, there's no harm in giving someone else a shot. Numbers port easily and everyone uses ESIMs, so you don't need to deal with physical cards.

 

[Marceline]

Seconding US Mobile. They have a data prioritization deal with Verizon so you get the same priority as actual Verizon customers.

I pay $70/month (after taxes) for 2 lines of Unlimited Basic and usually we never go anywhere near the max (30gb per line).

 

[bosoxsue]

I have had Cricket for years and it seems to work fine; my three kids are on the plan and stream like typical Gen Z. Even when the data slows down after they reach a certain level, it doesn't seem to be an issue (or they know better than to complain, as they're aware they'd pay more on a solo plan). We pay $25/line per month. If you keep Verizon, you should still negotiate; my husband has that carrier through work, although it's a solo plan (long story, but reimbursed by work), and he pays $30/month.

It used to be that Cricket would be a pain for international trips, but esims like Airalo solved that problem.

 

[the1andonly3003]

I have had Cricket for years and it seems to work fine; my three kids are on the plan and stream like typical Gen Z. Even when the data slows down after they reach a certain level, it doesn't seem to be an issue (or they know better than to complain, as they're aware they'd pay more on a solo plan). We pay $25/line per month. If you keep Verizon, you should still negotiate; my husband has that carrier through work, although it's a solo plan (long story, but reimbursed by work), and he pays $30/month.

It used to be that Cricket would be a pain for international trips, but esims like Airalo solved that problem.

Does negotiating work for mobile plans?

 

[bosoxsue]

Does negotiating work for mobile plans?

I've heard a few anecdotes of success specifically regarding going to a Verizon store to do it, especially if you're carrying a piece of direct mail from Xfinity or TMobile.

 

[Humphrey]

If you have any Comcast product (internet or TV), Xfinity Mobile is a very good deal. $107, tax included, for 3 lines, unlimited data, 5G (not that 5G means very much overall at this point in time). Service (usually Verizon) is perfectly fine; I'm on Cape Cod and service can be a real problem.

 

[BenjaminDooley]

If you have any Comcast product (internet or TV), Xfinity Mobile is a very good deal. $107, tax included, for 3 lines, unlimited data, 5G (not that 5G means very much overall at this point in time). Service (usually Verizon) is perfectly fine; I'm on Cape Cod and service can be a real problem.

Thanks for the advice sir.