OT: Best prepaid wireless plan?

[DogTalk]

I’ve been eyeing the Red Pocket 5GB plan. It is $240 per year, with unlimited talk and text, 5GB LTE.
Anyone seen any better plans available?

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

I used Google Fi for a few years and bragged about how I was only paying $27 a month. Then my phone just died suddenly and never came back on. It was going to be 3 days before Google could get me a new one. I immediately ran to Verizon and got on a plan with a smoking deal on a new phone instead and have not looked back.

I may be paying an extra $50 a month, but I never drop calls (a discount virtual provider gets the bread crumbs of coverage when networks are busy.) I can reliably use my phone as a hotspot for my laptop and give presentations/bids on any jobsite instead of emailing bids later... Which is helping me land more deals. And factor in what you are going to pay for a new phone when yours craps the bed, which it will.

With all that said if these things are not important to you, $20 per month is hard to beat.

 

[johnson86-1]

I’ve been eyeing the Red Pocket 5GB plan. It is $240 per year, with unlimited talk and text, 5GB LTE.
Anyone seen any better plans available?

Not sure about Red Pocket, but Total Wireless has two lines for $62 per month (after taxes and fees) with unlimited data (and something like 25G of high speed data before being throttled; I've never hit the limit so don't know). They have a single line, 5GB plan for $33.20 per month (which I assume ends up being something more like 37 or 38 after taxes and fees. Or single line unlimited for $47.50 (which I assume ends up being more like $50-52 per month).

That's obviously more expensive, but I can vouch for their network, at least in Mississippi. Occasionally I've had data issues (like a few times a year) where it gets really slow. I think they contract with a major carrier to use their network and they get throttled if there is congestion? But like I said, rarely any issues. The only time it's been a problem is when I was in a major city. Not sure how long it lasted, but I was trying to look up stuff to figure out where to go and it was a pain in the ***. Was fine several hours later, but may have been fine half an hour later. Didn't check in between.

 

[msstatelp1]

I’ve been eyeing the Red Pocket 5GB plan. It is $240 per year, with unlimited talk and text, 5GB LTE.
Anyone seen any better plans available?

Who provides their service?

 

[Dawgzilla]

Red Pocket uses a variety of providers for their bandwidth. I had an AT&T Samsung phone that simply could not connect to their data service. I switched over to Consumer Cellular, which only uses AT&T, and connected with no problems. This isn't so much an indictment on Red Pocket as an indictment of my phone, but Red Pocket would not refund any of my money.

With Consumer Cellular, I get 5GB of data plus unlimited talk and text for $30/month, but I think it is about to go up to $40.

 

[ezsoil]

Cricket....$30 a month for 2 gig of data ... $55 for unlimited data AT&T towers ...you just have to pay for the phone

 

[MidsouthDawg]

Cricket....$30 a month for 2 gig of
data ... $55 for unlimited data AT&T towers ...you just have to pay for the phone

I've been using cricket for 3 years and the service is great, $35/month for 5GB LTE, which is plenty for me since 95% of my day I'm connected to wifi

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

CSpire, been on their prepaid plan for almost three years

$40 mo., unlimited talk and text

Don't recall the data, but I have WiFi most days, so that has not been an issue.

If I traveled a lot, not sure how it would go.

Seems ok, most of the time.

I had been with ATT many years prior to then.

 

[johnson86-1]

$40 mo., unlimited talk and text

Don't recall the data, but I have WiFi most days, so that has not been an issue.

If I traveled a lot, not sure how it would go.

Seems ok, most of the time.

I had been with ATT many years prior to then.

I can tell you the data is awful if you travel, at least where I travel with my work Ipad. And it's not like I'm in the boonies. I'm just out of state.

Not sure about the talk and text. I'll tell you I had to cancel a conference call the other day because a necessary participant was on CSpire and traveling on I-10 between Destin and Mobile and he kept dropping. I'm hoping he just had a beat up phone or something because surely they have coverage on that stretch of I-10.

 

[patdog]

I've had a LOT more success using data out of state with CSpire the past year or so. To the point I haven't really noticed any issues at all.

 

[johnson86-1]

I've had a LOT more success using data out of state with CSpire the past year or so. To the point I haven't really noticed any issues at all.

Maybe my ipad just has some damage or something screwing up reception because it is **** for me.

 

[lutedog]

I’m not in Mississippi, but Mint Mobile has been awesome for me. $240/year for 8GB LTE per month. https://www.mintmobile.com/product/12-month-medium-sim-card-plan/
http://fbuy.me/lABMc

 

[anon1787432961]

I’m not in Mississippi, but Mint Mobile has been awesome for me. $240/year for 8GB LTE per month. https://www.mintmobile.com/product/12-month-medium-sim-card-plan/
http://fbuy.me/lABMc

Mint is SPARSE in Mississippi and non existant in the midwest and some western states

Agree that C Spire coverage nationwide has gotten drastically better

 

[dawgfan016]

I use mint also. Coverage is tough in rural parts of MS but speed blows cspire put of the water in larger areas (coast, Jackson, etc). Price tough to beat and works for what I need.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

I've had a LOT more success using data out of state with CSpire the past year or so. To the point I haven't really noticed any issues at all.

I traveled to TAMU on Easter and Cspire coverage was very spotty, over the 4th traveled AL, TN and GA, again Cspire coverage was not good.

 

[revereno]

Total Wireless

Runs off Verizon towers. AT&T cell service wasn't cutting it for us.

2 phones, 30GB of data for $60

 

[The Peeper]

14 years w/ CSpire and no problems till it gradually just started totally sucking on all 4 phones. Customer service had us changing band #'s, settings, etc and it didn't help. Took advantage of state employees discount and changed to AT&T and no problems at all EXCEPT game days using data at Davis Wade and it SUCKS!

 

[Dawg1976]

I got a free LG Stylo 3 when I switched. It's a little bigger than I like but works as well as any that I've owned.

 

[Sienfield]

I've been using Cricket for about a year now and no complaints. I'm on the 4 phones with unlimited usage for $100 a month. They are a sub of AT & T and basically the same coverage. No contract required.

 

[tribaldawg]

CSpire

14 years w/ CSpire and no problems till it gradually just started totally sucking on all 4 phones. Customer service had us changing band #'s, settings, etc and it didn't help. Took advantage of state employees discount and changed to AT&T and no problems at all EXCEPT game days using data at Davis Wade and it SUCKS!

I have had the exact same problem with CSpire. 3 phones were great for a decade and now the internet is horrible on all 3 phones. They send you through a long list of nonsense with zero results then continue to claim their signal is great. When I told them my neighbors have the same problem in our area (less than a mile east of campus) they were indifferent. Will be with a different carrier soon.

 

[dawgfan016]

I have had the exact same problem with CSpire. 3 phones were great for a decade and now the internet is horrible on all 3 phones. They send you through a long list of nonsense with zero results then continue to claim their signal is great. When I told them my neighbors have the same problem in our area (less than a mile east of campus) they were indifferent. Will be with a different carrier soon.

EXACT same Cspire experience also, which is why we switched after many years. Not sure what they are doing but it has killed their data speed.