[monster]

My contract with AT&T has finally expired and no-contract cell phone plans seem to be a much better value in terms of both talk time, sms & data. Even AT&T's no contract is a better value than the contract (as long as you have a phone)

I looked at Target and liked some of the no contract plans - AT&T, Virgin but wanted to get some advice first.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a no contract plan that they use?

[BCien]

(10-14-2014 12:16 PM)monster Wrote:  

My contract with AT&T has finally expired and no-contract cell phone plans seem to be a much better value in terms of both talk time, sms & data. Even AT&T's no contract is a better value than the contract (as long as you have a phone)

I looked at Target and liked some of the no contract plans - AT&T, Virgin but wanted to get some advice first.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a no contract plan that they use?

If your ATT device is still good and you like it, check out H20 Wireless they run on ATT network and your device wont need to be unlocked, if you want something cheaper have your device unlocked through ATT and get into T-Mobile prepaid or Simple Mobile you have so many options it all depends how much LTE Data allowance you need, you've got a lot of options if you want to keep your same device.

[YossariansRight]

AT&T and Verizon are the best of the "big 4" providers in the USA. Sprint and TMO bring up the rear.

The specific services I use are AT&T GoPhone for my main line of service and Cricket (an AT&T subsidiary) for my iPad/burner phone number.

GoPhone is sold and serviced at AT&T corporate stores and uses the same cell towers, getting the same handling priority as AT&T postpaid (a.k.a. contract) service. And you get actual customer support, unlike most/all other prepaid services.

I currently pay $40.05/month for unlimited talk/text/1GB of data on GoPhone and $45/month for unlimited talk/text/3GB of data on Cricket. I use the SIM card from my Cricket service for Internet on my iPad as well as use it in my burner phone(s) for talk/text/data.

Prepaid is a good value because of what you save on a monthly basis compared to postpaid. Depending on the state you like in, you can easily save 15+% a month in taxes and fees on top of your cell service...which you can then turn into buying your own phone(s), which is what I do. I've been off contract for almost 10 years and love it.

If you want more specifics, PM me.

[Aziz Nuts]

My brother uses Straight Talk. I think it's Walmart's prepay plan. He says it kicks ass with great service (AT&T towers) and is like $45 per month. All-inclusive talk, internet and text. I'd be using it now but my employer pays for my phone. Same thing as other prepay plans though - you need to own the phone.

[NovaVirtu]

I hear good things about Ting. Apparently it's no contract and you pay only for what you use- minutes, data, all of it. Uses the Sprint network.

I'm still on the Verizon family plan (still a good deal that was grandfathered in) but if I were to switch I'd go with them.

[MY DETROIT PLAYAS]

Did Verizon, currently with Virgin Mobile - but I'm trying Boost Mobile next

Can't comprehend how my friends can do the contract thing in this day and age

[jariel]

Page Plus uses Verizon's Network.

I think the unlimited plan is 39.99/mo.

[Darius]

Virgin mobile is the best I have had in Canada by far. I would be interested to see if they are as good in the US.

[40plus]

I have used AirVoice for several years, it works on AT&T towers so a locked iPhone will work fine. Unlimited talk and text plus 1G of data is $40 a month.

[Ingocnito]

I switched from Verizon to Boost, they are owned by Sprint, so anyone coming from any other company other than Sprint gets a $100 phone credit.

I pay for unlimited text & talk and 5Gb Hspeed data for $45.

I applied the $100 credit to a new LG Volt (damn good phone so far), and paid apx. $90 for the remainder of the phone cost.

[Avarence]

Best deal here in the US:

T-Mobile: 100 minutes talk, Unlimited text, and 5 GB of LTE-speed data.
(It's low on minutes, but you can always use Google Voice over wi-fi or data)

$30/month

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans

It's true that TMo doesn't offer the same wide coverage as Verizon or AT&T, but you'll be fine in major cities and most suburban areas.
And where they do have LTE coverage, they're typically very fast. In my area, T-Mobile is twice as fast as AT&T.

[Ironsun]

Before choosing a prepaid company, have an understanding about how much voice, text and data you use so you can dial it in and not spend too much.

I am familiar with Tracfone, NET10 and Straightalk. All 3 are owned by the same company and each is geared toward a different level of user.

Tracfone: Low to medium use. Primarily for voice and text. May not be a good choice if you are heavy into data use.

Net10: Medium use. Has an all you can use plan for $40.

Straighttalk: Power user. Best phones of the 3. Iphones and latest Androids also.

I have used Net10 and now moved to Tracfone. Very happy with both. They use both the ATT and Verizon networks depending on which phone you buy so coverage and call quality are good.

If you do not use a lot of data give Tracfone a serious look. It is cheap and they have android phones for about $120. Although they are 1 release behind generally.

I believe all 3 companies have a bring your own phone option. Meaning they will send out a sim card for your phone to work on their network. I am not sure how the nuts and bolts work on this feature, you will have to search on it to know. Also, I am pretty sure Net10 and ST may have a limit on how much data you can use, so check it out to make sure that would be acceptable to you.

Howard Forums is a pretty good site for cell phone info and have a section dedicated to prepaid phones.

One last thing, if you do use Tracfone etc, get a copy of the Opera mini browser for your phone and stop using the browser that came with the phone. The reason is you will be billed a lot less minutes when you hit the web as the default browser is connected from start to finish and the Opera mini only connects sporadically.

[PastTense]

Here are a couple good comparison articles:
The Best U.S. Prepaid Talk and Text Only Deals:
http://www.prepaidphonenews.com/2011/02/...plans.html
The Best US Prepaid Phone Plans For Data Users:
http://www.prepaidphonenews.com/2011/02/...plans.html

[Brian Shima]

What carrier will best suit me if I have an unlocked at&t phone and use lots of data? I have heard good things of Net10.

[Sourcecode]

(10-14-2014 12:43 PM)Aziz Nuts Wrote:  

My brother uses Straight Talk. I think it's Walmart's prepay plan. He says it kicks ass with great service (AT&T towers) and is like $45 per month. All-inclusive talk, internet and text. I'd be using it now but my employer pays for my phone. Same thing as other prepay plans though - you need to own the phone.

Ive used straight talk for almost 4 years now.
I vouch for it.
you also get a little discount if you autopay.

Unlimited everything and for SIM user you can choose to use either Tmobile or ATT towers
Just go to each site and see where you get the best service.

Since its prepaid.. if you dont pay..you dont get service.
Since ive also left the country multiple times...I just stop paying and my account goes dormant.
Save the SIM card...and when i come back to the States I just go online and pay for the service via my account and reactive the same number.

I also tried the Tmobile 30 dollar plan.. not really worth it as much. if you arent around perfect wifi.
Tmobile service goes out in damn near every building ive been in...so you never get a good enough data connection to use the data to make calls.
And I actually used way more than 100 minutes a month.

[Brian Shima]

What towers does straight talk use?

[jamaicabound]

Im a big fan of sprint, I know many hate it. I believe they are the only ones who provide truly unlimited data in a package and no throttling like everyone else limiting your speeds after you use so much. The downside for many on here sprint sucks for international travelers and though its great in chicago I know it can be spotty in some areas although I reently drove from Chicago to South Carolina through mountains and rural areas most of the way and was streaming netflix the entire time with minimila interuption if any even through the smoky mountains. They are cheaper than the verizons and at&t and stuff though still not as cheap as cricket, boost, go, etc. I tried cricket in the past and had spotty coverage and also had friends with boost whihc was a nightmare. I guess if you dont mind a bit of downtime or droped calls may be worth saving $50 a month but my personal phone is also my business phone so can't have that.