What Cellphone Carrier do you use and like?

[Night Stone]

We use T-Mobile and been happy with it, unlimited talk and text plus 10 gig data, 2 phones for 135 a month plus 50 for the phones, so total is 185 and tax. We had upgraded from go phones last year to Samsung note 4. We are never going back to at&t, service is poor and the way they change your rates like its the stock market. I used the most gigs per\month, about 2 gigs, so were still within the basic package. But I have it set to wifi as to minimize the usage. The great thing about this phone and its set up is, while plugged into your laptop, you can use the phone's internet to browse on your laptop.

[Iggy]

It seems the majority here have Verizon and they seem very happy.
So if I read in general terms $50-$60 is a general price for unlimited data and text plus phone calls.


I'm still on Sprint and the only one in the Poll. LOL
My time is coming up to end my 2 year with Sprint.
The problem I have is our Samsung Galaxy S4 phone are told I can't use on any other carrier. Does this sound true?
I know Sprint has a unique thing that the other carriers don't called SPARK but not sure if that has anything to do with changing carriers.


Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[keith_h]

I've been with Republic Wireless for a couple of years. You have to buy your phone but it pays for itself pretty quickly. I pay $10/mo plus taxes for unlimited cellular text and phone with WiFi data and no roaming fees. They've recently changed their plans but before that I could upgrade to unlimited 4G phone, text and data for $25/mo plus taxes. The nice thing is they let you upgrade or down grade twice within the billing cycle so you only pay for it when you need it. They have gone to graduated block purchase of wireless data so I don't know how that lines up to the old plan price wise as I haven't tried it yet.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by Iggy

It seems the majority here have Verizon and they seem very happy.
So if I read in general terms $50-$60 is a general price for unlimited data and text plus phone calls.


I'm still on Sprint and the only one in the Poll. LOL
My time is coming up to end my 2 year with Sprint.
The problem I have is our Samsung Galaxy S4 phone are told I can't use on any other carrier. Does this sound true?
I know Sprint has a unique thing that the other carriers don't called SPARK but not sure if that has anything to do with changing carriers.


Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

That is not correct I have a Galaxy 5 and Verizon is my carrier...

[madmaxmutt]

Originally Posted by Iggy

It seems the majority here have Verizon and they seem very happy.
So if I read in general terms $50-$60 is a general price for unlimited data and text plus phone calls.


I'm still on Sprint and the only one in the Poll. LOL
My time is coming up to end my 2 year with Sprint.
The problem I have is our Samsung Galaxy S4 phone are told I can't use on any other carrier. Does this sound true?
I know Sprint has a unique thing that the other carriers don't called SPARK but not sure if that has anything to do with changing carriers.


Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Verizon uses a different phone than Sprint. However, they will pay you for your old phone making the transition less costly. I think it was $300 for a working smartphone when we switched. I would recommend talking to the rep in a Verizon store about the current phone transfer schemes . . .

I don't know if they have an unlimited data plan at all. I pay for 12GB a month shared between the lines. Verizon currently has both a 24 month contract and what is basically a month-to-month plan. They change their new user plans occasionally, so like the phone your best bet is to visit a Verizon store.

[madmaxmutt]

Originally Posted by gljurczyk

That is not correct I have a Galaxy 5 and Verizon is my carrier...

Each manufacturer makes carrier specific phones including Samsung. If you want to switch carriers, the phone would need to be 'unlocked' from that carrier's software. You would still need to verify with Verizon that a particular unlocked phone could be transferred in.

[keith_h]

Even after unlocking the phone might not be usable as some carriers have customized their phones hardware to only work with their network. In other cases you might be able to make phone calls or text but not be able to access data.

[slide5r4fun]

Originally Posted by Iggy

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

We've been with Sprint for years but will more than likely change to Verizon at some point in the future. Our needs are more driven by our home internet service. We only have satellite internet available in our area and HughesNet is painfully slow and expensive. We often activate a mobile hotspot with Sprint and find it is faster than HughesNet.

For us at this point, Sprint is cheaper than Verizon. Since we're not able to travel the countryside yet coverage ranks 2nd under cost. Verizon, at least here in Texas, does not offer an unlimited data plan. We visited a Verizon store this weekend to compare plans and were looking at their 12 GB and 18 GB plans. We have 3 iPhone 6's on our plan that can't be used on the Verizon network but they will give a credit for the phones. Verizon will also buy you out of the remaining Sprint contract. Specifics on the credit for the phones was not very clear, I guess it comes as gift card at a later date. Contract buyout comes as a bill credit I believe. What we found is that for 3 phones on the 18 GB plan and a $10 monthly charge for the mobile hot spot (Jet pack) service, it would cost us about $40 per month more compared to Sprint's unlimited data plan with a 6 GB hotspot added per month. From what we were told, Verizon no longer does contracts so you don't get a price break on a new phone when you sign up, you pay for the phone monthly. For a 64 GB iPhone 6s, that monthly rate is about $32. My DW is pushing hard to switch to Verizon and that is a battle I will lose sooner than later but for now I'm sticking with Sprint and saving my $40 a month.

Happy shopping!

[madmaxmutt]

Originally Posted by keith_h

Even after unlocking the phone might not be usable as some carriers have customized their phones hardware to only work with their network. In other cases you might be able to make phone calls or text but not be able to access data.

Yes, without getting too technical Verizon uses a transmission method called CDMA and uses different radio frequencies than Sprint. Ask Verizon.

[Kevin & Judy]

ATT
Tried Verizion and Sprint and do not have coverage at our Michigan summer home, Have had ATT since 1994, we find its been very good, Was just as good across the country as the others, Our friends have verizion and as you will find some have coverage here and some do not, Its about a wash.

[emm-dee]

As far as i remember Verizon is CDMA, Sprint TDMA. AT&T, T-Mobile, most of the boutique plans and all of the rest of the world use GSM. I buy my iPhones direct from Apple and they are usable on any GSM network. The only thing network specific is the sim card. I used to go to France and England a lot so I had a Vodaphone sim card I put in the phone to use over there.

Compared to most of the rest of the world (mainly Europe) the cellphone system and charges in the USA are still in the dark ages.

[The_Rhino]

DW & I have Moto X phones on Republic Wireless @ $25/mo. each for unlimited everything @ 3G speeds. They use WiFi to make calls from home/work/etc. by default but seamlessly transfer calls/data to towers when we hit the road...

I routinely drop my plan (on-the-fly) to the $10/mo. service resulting in no data from towers, only through WiFi, which is fine because I don't need data when I am traveling between work & home. However, when we are camping we can immediately increase one phone to 4G data for $40/mo. and use it for tethering/hotspot. A plus is that the bill is prorated for only the days @ 4G, not the entire month...

Our 3 kids have Moto E phones on Ring Plus w/FREE 1200 minutes, 1200 texts, and 1.2 GB of data /month. The service is free because RingPlus plays radio ads in the background while you are waiting for the other person to pick-up. The FREE 1200 or 1500 plans are typically only available during Black Friday & holiday specials & we got the Moto E phones for $40 each at BB this Christmas.

Both Republic Wireless & RingPlus piggyback off of the Sprint network which is good-enough in our area to justify the HUGE savings. $50/month total for (5) Smartphones works for me! Yes, Verizon is better here, but I'm not paying $100/mo. per phone like some of my silly friends do. Yikes! Money saved = more days camping!

We also cut Cable & only have TWC's $15/mo. Internet combined with OTA Antenna, TIVO, and Netflix... So in the end we spend less than $100/month for (5) cell phones, home Internet, Netflix, and OTA (new) shows recorded via TIVO.

[madmaxmutt]

An excellent resource, for those that care . . .

https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/fre...es-by-provider

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by madmaxmutt

Each manufacturer makes carrier specific phones including Samsung. If you want to switch carriers, the phone would need to be 'unlocked' from that carrier's software. You would still need to verify with Verizon that a particular unlocked phone could be transferred in.

If you want to keep the same phone # you had at sprint and wanted to use it on Verizon, they will switch it with sprint. It will usually take two days to activate. The Galaxy phones are all the same no matter where you buy it. Verizon will try and give you a new number, just say NO I want to keep my old #. I have just done this. I have a jetpack and now my Samsung on a combined 6 gig unlimited telephone and text, I pay for the 6 gigs of data that is shared. If I want the large data package which is 12 gigs shared it is 20.00 more a month. Verizon also has given me a military discount of 15%, because of my disability monthly. Verizon also has 4 different systems 4G LTE, CDMA, and 1xRTT. I leave mine on 4G LTE. That would give you service in Verizon 3g areas also. If your in a 4g LTE it will also connect to that. If you use the CDMA it will connect automatically to mostly a 3G network which is 15% slower. At least this has been my learning curve...

[Iggy]

I just checked Verizon online and entered my MEID # and it said
" The phone associated with the Device ID you entered is not compatible with the Verizon Wireless network."


So I guess my SPRINT Samsung Galaxy S4 (SPH-L720T) is Not compatible with Verizon

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by Iggy

I just checked Verizon online and entered my MEID # and it said
" The phone associated with the Device ID you entered is not compatible with the Verizon Wireless network."


So I guess my SPRINT Samsung Galaxy S4 (SPH-L720T) is Not compatible with Verizon

All they have to do is change the MEID card, it's just a chip. Go to a verizon store to have it done, has to be a corporate store.

[madmaxmutt]

Originally Posted by gljurczyk

If you want to keep the same phone # you had at sprint and wanted to use it on Verizon, they will switch it with sprint. It will usually take two days to activate. The Galaxy phones are all the same no matter where you buy it. Verizon will try and give you a new number, just say NO I want to keep my old #. I have just done this. I have a jetpack and now my Samsung on a combined 6 gig unlimited telephone and text, I pay for the 6 gigs of data that is shared. If I want the large data package which is 12 gigs shared it is 20.00 more a month. Verizon also has given me a military discount of 15%, because of my disability monthly. Verizon also has 4 different systems 4G LTE, CDMA, and 1xRTT. I leave mine on 4G LTE. That would give you service in Verizon 3g areas also. If your in a 4g LTE it will also connect to that. If you use the CDMA it will connect automatically to mostly a 3G network which is 15% slower. At least this has been my learning curve...

I think as far as the OP is concerned we are in the same place. Go to Verizon and ask what they can do for you. It may be cheaper to keep your existing phone, if that is possible. It may be more beneficial to trade it in and get a subsidized current phone. That is up to the OP to decide.

On the other note when I left Korea, there were 12 different hardware versions of a Galaxy S3. That doesn't take into account firmware and OS versions. I think there are over 20 hardware versions of the S4. One of these things is not like the other . . .

[Witch Doctor]

This can be very true, I bought my Galaxy 5 note at best buys, they activated it through Verizon. But they did ask what carrier I wanted to use. Sprint , ATT or Verizon being I had a jetpack already I told them Verizon. I never had to even go to the Verizon Company store. You are probably right they would want to sell him a new phone. It is my understanding which is very limited that both Sprint and ATT are moving away from the 2 year contract. Verizon is not. What I don't understand is that we have a friend staying with us she has an old IPhone and Ipad and she can get on my hotspot without any problems which is a Verizon network. It seems they just keep coming out with new phones and models and they want to upgrade you and lock you in a 2 year contract. I still think that Verizon has the best coverage, but it is not all 4g as they say, I can connect but sometimes I will be on a 3g verizon network, not a 4g. It will even tell me that. I have found that if I'm not near a big city I always get connected to a 3g which is slower for data only. What also gets me is that these phones are not cheap to buy right out which you can do, a galaxy 5 runs to the the tune of 700.00 bucks, with a 2 year contract it cost 299.00. At least that is with Best Buys and Verizon.

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by gljurczyk

This can be very true, I bought my Galaxy 5 note at best buys, they activated it through Verizon. But they did ask what carrier I wanted to use. Sprint , ATT or Verizon being I had a jetpack already I told them Verizon. I never had to even go to the Verizon Company store. You are probably right they would want to sell him a new phone. It is my understanding which is very limited that both Sprint and ATT are moving away from the 2 year contract. Verizon is not. What I don't understand is that we have a friend staying with us she has an old IPhone and Ipad and she can get on my hotspot without any problems which is a Verizon network. It seems they just keep coming out with new phones and models and they want to upgrade you and lock you in a 2 year contract. I still think that Verizon has the best coverage, but it is not all 4g as they say, I can connect but sometimes I will be on a 3g verizon network, not a 4g. It will even tell me that. I have found that if I'm not near a big city I always get connected to a 3g which is slower for data only. What also gets me is that these phones are not cheap to buy right out which you can do, a galaxy 5 runs to the the tune of 700.00 bucks, with a 2 year contract it cost 299.00. At least that is with Best Buys and Verizon.

Once your "hotspot" device is connected it creates a WiFi network. Basically, no different than the router you might be using at home which is connected to Comcast, AT&T, Hughes, etc. It's just the middleman. Once it is connected via it's cellular network its WiFi signal will allow incoming connections from any device that can give it the correct password. The connected device can be a cellular phone or a tablet or even any notebook/desktop computer with WiFi capability (probably all of them made in the past 5-6 years). The connecting device is not using any cellular data...only WiFi.

[HookupAndGo]

Is anyone out there trying the new Google Fi network with one of their Nexus phones? This whole thing sounds pretty compelling -- just curious what the coverage experience may have been. They seem to have a pretty interesting data model that may really fit the bill and help keep costs down without having to constantly change plans manually to save a $.