Low Cost Cell Phone Networks

[BOB OLINGER]

Does anyone have experience with the low cost cell phone networks such as Puretalk or Consummer's Celllular that they'd like to share?? We've been with US Cellular for like 25 years, but the advertised low monthly costs of some of these low cost competitors are gaining my attention. Any comments, good or bad?

[Alan Rutherford]

We've been with Tracfone for about 15 years. We're not heavy users and probably spend about $5-7/month for service. I've bought several package deals from HSN or similar with a decent phone plus a year of service for the price of the phone. Phones, unless you bring your own, are often limited versions but that hasn't been a problem. You can use almost any phone if you want. One of ours is a relatively new non-Tracfone Pixel 6.

Service where we live has been miserable but it's miserable for the neighbors and their iPhones, too. My Tracfone phone is on Verizon and my wife's is AT&T. I haven't tried complaining to Tracfone but I don't think it's a Tracfone problem. I know I wouldn't get anywhere with Verizon or AT&T. Away from home, our service is fine. Tracfone customer service for other issues has been better than you might expect.

So I'm OK with Tracfone. Just wish there was better service from the companies really providing it.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have a Tracfone also but my service is great where I live. I have Verizon and get good service. My son has an I phone and when he is over here he can't get any bars unless he goes out to the middle of my yard He has AT&T for his carrier

[Lee DeRaud]

I've been with Consumer Cellular (AKA "BoomerCom") going on seven years now.

Great service, no negatives except maybe for their ads: I really don't like Ted Danson.

[Brian Gouldman]

All of these companies basically just run on Sprint, T-Mobile, Att, or Verizon. Those companies by law have to allow competitors to utilize their network at wholesale rates. So the main differentiator between them all beyond cost, which many are about the same, is customer support/experience and which network you get the best reception on whereever you are most often.

[Jim Becker]

All of these companies basically just run on Sprint, T-Mobile, Att, or Verizon. .
Minor edit...T-Moble, ATT and/or Verizon. (sometime multiples) T-mo bought Sprint and it no longer exists.

[Ralph Okonieski]

We switched from Verizon last year to Consumer Cellular and are very happy with the change. In addition to saving a lot of money per month, we get more bars on our phones than we did with Verizon. Sounds like some people improved when changing others degraded. Just depends on your area.

[Bill Dufour]

Verizon is weird in the mountains. Callers can talk to me or leave a mesage. If they leave. a message I can not see I have one or listen to it until we go down the hill to a verizon tower area? I can not send or receive text messages in the mountains either.
Bill D

[Bruce Wrenn]

Was with Verizon for many years, till they required me BUY a new phone, despite a plan giving me a new phone every two years. I'm a flip phone user, only needing a phone that does hello, and goodbye. Verizon wanted $120 for a new Alcatel flip phone. Trac Phone wanted twenty bucks, actually $19.99 for same phone. Was paying Verizon about $40 a month, including their junk fees. Now, I'm paying $15 a month for unlimited talk and text. Ironically, Verizon bought TracPhone a year or so back. Never a problem with TracPhone. Can't convince wife to divorce Verizon. She likes paying TOO MUCH for cell service. Taking her phone with her, she could go to TracPhone for about $25 a month, saving almost fifty bucks a month.

[Bill Dufour]

Verizon offered us new phones for free. The scam was you then had to buy upgraded service for $20 a month more, per phone. Once you got onto the improved plan no going back. So two free phones would cost $480 extra a year, forever.
BilL D

[Curt Harms]

I had Pure Talk for a few months and was pleased with it. USA based support so I could understand the person I was talking to. How refreshing is THAT? The only reason I left is that I was in an Xfinity store and was offered unlimited mobile service with a new free phone and 200/10 internet for $35/month. Hard to say no to that. 200/10 internet sounds too slow but I haven't had any streaming buffering or other indicators of inadequate network capacity. There's just me so no heavy users.

[Michael J Evans]

I had really good luck with straight talk. They runn of Verizon or T-Mobile depending on your area / phone you brought.

Currently with Xfinity mobile, which with theee phones worked out to be cheaper than straight . So far so good with Xfinity (about a year). They also run off Verizon networks. If you have two phone I think each is 45 month for unlimited. 3 is 33 each.

[Ed Aumiller]

Have consumer cellular, which uses the ATT network and cut our costs over 50% for the exact same service...
AND if you have a problem, the support team is great...(American based).. even though only used them when we
signed up to switch service to them...

[Zachary Hoyt]

I'm a happy Tracfone user.

[Jim Becker]

These alternative carriers do have very attractive pricing, especially for folks who primarily need voice calling and texting. They seem to become less advantageous when one wants/needs higher levels of data bandwidth up to unlimited. I did a comparison recently between TMobile (which I have with four lines and unlimited data for the family) and Consumer Cellular. The cost was virtually identical. So when you consider these alternatives to the "big three" (US consumers), be sure you are comparing similar levels of service.

[Alan Rutherford]

You make a good point about the cost of data. I leave mobile data turned off on my phone (with Tracfone service) unless I need to Google an address or something while away from home. At home, there is no mobile data usage because the phone connects with the wifi on our router to get directly on the internet. So I'm not even using the amount of data I'm paying for. It might not work out as well for someone else.

[Jim Becker]

That's it, Alan...it really comes down to how someone actually uses their device. Some folks are voice and sometimes text, but don't really use much "data". Others are heavy "data" and "well, if you really have to call me, I might answer, but...". Folks who don't move around a lot and have good Internet access at home also may not need substantial mobile "Data" bandwidth since they will live mostly on WiFi while at home. All of these things have to enter into the comparisons and decision.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have been a Tracfone user for 20 years. I spend about $100 a year. You can get unlimited talk and text for $15 month. Think they give talk and text away cheap counting on you buying data to make their $$$. Im connected to WiFI at home and work so I use little data.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Tracfone - cheap and it works fine where I live.

[mike calabrese]

consumer cellular here switched to the $20.00 / month plan unlimited talk and text 1 gig data, I don't need data service just use wi-fi on my phone.
These cell companies kind of kill me they all claim they have the best customer service, network coverage and fastest data .
Like someone previously said there are limited communication networks out there and they all use the same two or three it is all just puffing the biz. I wish I could call someone to complain :eek:
calabrese55

[Lee DeRaud]

consumer cellular here switched to the $20.00 / month plan unlimited talk and text 1 gig data, I don't need data service just use wi-fi on my phone.
One vague annoyance with CC is the structure of the data tiers: 1GB, 5GB, 10GB etc. I typically use 1GB-1.5GB (non-WIFI) per month, almost all of it running Android Auto in the cars for navigation. So most months I can't quite fit in the 1GB tier, I have to bump up to 5GB. Only a couple bucks, but still...

[Dave Lehnert]

One vague annoyance with CC is the structure of the data tiers: 1GB, 5GB, 10GB etc. I typically use 1GB-1.5GB (non-WIFI) per month, almost all of it running Android Auto in the cars for navigation. So most months I can't quite fit in the 1GB tier, I have to bump up to 5GB. Only a couple bucks, but still...

Not sure how CC works but Tracfone you buy the data when you need it and you never lose it, It rolls over each month.

[Lee DeRaud]

Not sure how CC works but Tracfone you buy the data when you need it and you never lose it, It rolls over each month.
If CC's data rolled over, I'd already have more than a lifetime supply. :)