OP didn’t specify number of lines. For low numbers of lines, I’d definitely recommend MVNOs (MetroPCS, etc). Or if you can stomach sprint, get their kickstarter plan and hope the merger completes and that you get the pricing grandfathered in with Tmobile.
I’m on a plan with some other family members. Early last year was the best rates available. Especially without the video throttle and deprioritization caps. We have Tmobile One with 10GB hotspot/One Plus on each line (But most lines aren’t actually using the unthrottled video or much data… go figure). We use 6 lines but ended up with 9 lines on the plan, it was actually a little cheaper to add the lines. The 9 voice lines cost $161, less $8/line that is under 2GB data that month. Last month the 9 voice lines came out to $105 and $3 charge for netflix 4-screen plan, then add other types of lines and equip chargs. All prices include all taxes and fees, they’re included in the plan price. Our plan works out to $17.89/line over 2GB and $9.89/line under 2GB, although that assumes we were actually using all 9 lines. Spreading the cost across only 6 lines it’s $22.83/line over 2GB and $14.83/line under 2GB.
To get the same plan now, even for just 6 lines and only add Plus to two of the lines (since only 2-3 generally use much data), it would cost $180 + 2x$15 (only current One Plus, does have 20GB hotspot instead of 10GB) = $210, double the $105. And they killed off the kickback program, so no cost benefit for lines that use under 2GB. To get the same plan now for 9 lines and have One Plus on all lines, it would cost $330, over double the $161 we’re at.
The best cost current plans on Tmobile proper have the 1.5Mbps video throttles. If the account holder is 55yrs old or older, it’s $70 for 2 lines. If the account holder is a veteran or service member, the first line is $55 instead of $70, and all the other lines are half the normal price, $25 for line 2 and $10 for lines 3-6. These plans don’t qualify for some of the add-a-line promos, like the current 2for1. Alternately, there’s an Advantage plan for employees of certain companies that’s “regular price” but includes the One Plus features for free.
I’ve been on the Sprint free plan since last September and I renewed it in my mother’s name last month. I have a need for a large amount of hotspot data (for streaming Netflix on my personal laptop at work) so I have two phones, both with 10gb hotspot data per month. My mother’s phone is the third line.
The inability to talk and use data simultaneously can be remedied by using the second phone’s hotspot data as a WiFi source.
Normally I leave the second phone with my laptop in the office, but if I’m driving somewhere unfamiliar and I know I’ll be using Waze, I take the second phone and connect the first phone to its hotspot, so if I should get a call while driving, waze still stays connected to the internet and continues to work perfectly during the call.
It should also be noted that sprint is rolling out VoLTE (finally) and that should eliminate the problem of not having data while on a call.
Note that the current sprint free plan does not include hotspot data, and neither does kickstart. If you use android, this probably won’t matter (there’s an app for that), but if you want to use an iPhone as a hotspot on these plans, it will require a jailbreak.
I think it depends on what network you want to be on. It really is hard to beat the Sprint deal frankly from a total price perspective, but for some networks like T-Mobile or Verizon, you might find one of the Tracfone brands to be a good deal. Some people like Verizon’s Visible company.
For AT&T, if you own your phone, I think their 8GB plan prepaid with 1 month rollover and hotspot allowed that cost $40 with auto-pay is a good deal. Even with auto-pay, you can recharge with prepaid cards that can be 10% off from certain retailers. So, you are looking at $36 all-in which is one of the lowest cost options on that network. It gets cheaper if you add more lines obviously.
I’ve been happy with T-Mobile for many years. I’m on a plan at $40 a month. I have never hit any data limit.
On another note, if you want multiple lines, like one for business, there’s an option of putting them on the same phone. This is available via an app for iphone, and they say they are working on an app for Android. Monthly plans start at $9.95 for an additional line:
Another Red Pocket user here. I have the unlimited talk/text and 5GB data plan on AT&T’s network for $30/month. You can purchase an annual plan on ebay for $240 ($20/month). Ebay sends out coupons for up to 20% off every once in a while, so $192/year or $16/month.
Red Pocket offers plans on the 4 major mobile networks. T-Mobile and Sprint have spotty coverage in my area. The best plan just really depends on how much data you need, where you live, and where you travel.
While this is a valid point, I have gotten around it by simply using Google Voice / Hangouts. In my case, my main phone # resides on Google Voice, which might not work out if the # you are calling from is required to be the number on file with your credit card, for example. Otherwise, dialing on Hangouts uses WiFi or cell data and you are able to look up your e-mail, etc. while on the call. The key is to anticipate the need before you dial out
I have the exact same setup, my number is on gv as well. The issue I have is while driving a call over Hangouts isn’t nearly as clear as a cellular call, and is much more likely to disconnect.
I’ve been using Unreal Mobile for about 2 months now. It uses the Sprint network and I brought my own phone. The cost is $15/month with 2GB of high speed data. It’s worked well for me, I was on a $60 Sprint unlimited plan, so I knew the service would work.
Surprised no one has mention tello.com which uses Sprint network. I seldom call so I pick zero minutes, 500MB data (get unlimited 2G if limit reached and good enough for navigation) and unlimited texts (SMS, MMS) for $8/mo; pay a bit more for more data. I put $10 in their pay as you go for the few incoming calls I get at 3 cents/minutes, which lasts me almost a year; and use Google Hangouts to call out.
Wow, that is a really competitive rate, if you don’t mind having a Sprint phone.
I went through the migration from Sprint -> Ting, back when Ting was new.
Then migrated to Republic once my phone was long in the tooth.
Now that Republic also MVNOs for TMobile, I have one of those phones so I can just buy a local sim card on the cheap when I travel internationally. ($10-$15 for a bucket of minutes and texts and a gig of data is a steal compared to whatever a US based service will offer internationally)
If I didn’t need that feature, I’d give tello a look.
I second the recommendation for Tello. My kids’ phones are with them, using our older Sprint phones. Galaxy’s S4 and S5 still work great (the advantages of replaceable batteries!)
We were with Tello before switching to Red Pocket. If Sprint is good in your area and you don’t travel much outside of cities, it’s a pretty good deal. One of our kid was exactly on this $8/month plan but going with Red Pocket, we paid $89/yr ($7.4/month) for the 500 MB/500min/500 SMS plan instead on a AT&T network. But that way we had enough minutes that he doesn’t have to play extra for calls.
One thing I’ll give Tello however is their customer service is very good. No wait time when calling their service line, can do most things very easily on their website. Can change plans mid-month etc.
That is one of the main reasons that I’m still on the fence about the Sprint taxes-only-for-a-year plan. I’ve got the Tello $7.00 /mo plan, as I only text and very occasionally use data (<100mb / mo). Tello never spams me. Every month, they email me an accurate receipt. The one time that I called customer service, they were prompt, professional, polite, and solved the problem. It is hard for me to reward Sprint, who is none of those things.
I’ve had sprint since 2006. I can’t remember calling them with an issue other than buying a new phone or setting up a new line in the past 7 years. If their customer service does suck, their service is consistent enough and their price is right that I’m more than happy to sign up with them.
