Cell phone plan info needed

[buggybuilder]

We will soon need a new cell phone, got a crappy Walmart track phone now.
AT&T does not work in our area. Any body have info on US Cellular or even Consumer Cellular??
We are technologically challenged (or at least I am) so simplicity is a plus.
Thanks

[CastingFool]

We use Consumer Cellular and we are very pleased with their service. We pay $70 for 3 phones with unlimited talk, texts, and 5GB's of data. No contract. If you exceed the data, they automatically increase it, with a $10 additional charge. You can drop back to the original set up, do it online, no hastle. Basic service depends on the plan you choose, each additional line is $15. During the time we have been members, CC has upgraded their plans at no additional cost. The downside is that you buy your own phone. Target has them. You can review phone prices on the CC site. All in all, we're happy with their service.

[abunaitoo]

Check out Patriot Mobile.
2A supporter.
Friend has it.
So far, he has had no problems.

[Rick Hodges]

Unfortunately I have a place in Michigan's north country and the only carrier that works, (and data is iffy at that) is Verizon. They are expensive, but if you are in a fringe area they give you the best chance of coverage. Make sure that your phone will work where you intend to use it. Don't trust a published "Coverage Map". Borrow a phone from a friend if necessary and make sure it works. (hard lessons learned with Sprint and T-Mobile who say they work in the area of my cabin but don't)

[Petrol & Powder]

It comes down to coverage and price in that order.

If it doesn't work where you need it to work, then it's a no-go from the start. After that, the question is, "what do you want to pay for"?

Remember there are really only a handful of carriers, many of the services actually piggy back off of one of the major carriers.

If you need to have data over the cellular network, consider a plan with unlimited data because if you exceed the allotment on a limited plan it gets expensive in a hurry. However, if you can access wi-fi for most of your data needs; this becomes less important.

[GhostHawk]

I'm with Castingfool. Consumer Cellular here for about 4 years.

2 phones, unlimited text, talk 50$ a month and only goes up if we need to up data for wifi hotspot when we are traveling.
Lets me browse this forum twice a day plus check my email for about 5$ a month when we are traveling.

Now my wife made the mistake of allowing a brand new computer to connect, and that quickly ran up the gig's maybe cost us an extra 25$.

We've had good service, no complaints. Easy to monitor useage/change plans online. If you need help it is there.

Tell the truth both our cells cost less per month than my old land line was a few years back. Hard to beat IMO.

FYI if you have trouble with connection, they can send a different sim card optimized for whoever is best in your area.

[Kraschenbirn]

Another kudo for Consumer Cellular here. Had it about a year with no complaints so far; good coverage in our area with reasonable charges. Like Ghosthawk, monthly charges for our two phones run only slightly more than what I was paying for one from my previous carrier.

Bill

[JimB..]

Consumer Cellular is a retail provider that runs on the ATT and T-Mobile networks. If you have poor coverage from those carriers I wouldn’t expect CC to be a good choice.

[MrWolf]

Unfortunately I have a place in Michigan's north country and the only carrier that works, (and data is iffy at that) is Verizon. They are expensive, but if you are in a fringe area they give you the best chance of coverage. Make sure that your phone will work where you intend to use it. Don't trust a published "Coverage Map". Borrow a phone from a friend if necessary and make sure it works. (hard lessons learned with Sprint and T-Mobile who say they work in the area of my cabin but don't)

When I moved here everyone said to get US Cellular as there was a nearby tower. Turns out US Cellular, Sprint, and AT&T would not work on my property but my Verizon phone still got a single bar. I stayed with Verizon and put up a 43' cell tower. I get two whole bars of 4g which works for me. Good luck