A Good Cell Phone Plan?

[JohnHKart]

Well I guess I'm going to take the plunge now.....The other day I got stranded at my house..the landlines are all shut off here and I'm moving across town. The damned 14 foot Uhaul truck got stuck in my steep driveway in park, and then we broke the gearshift right off the steering column. My car was blocked in the driveway. So I did use my neighbor's phone once, but decided not to bug her again. So after two trips a mile away to use a pay phone......I think that's it I really need a mobile phone. By the way, it took two hours to get Uhaul's tow truck here, and 45 minutes for the guy to figure out how to tow it when it was stuck in park. The last straw was hearing today that the phone company wants 90 dollars to turn on the second line (mine) at the new place....F them! So what is a good cell phone plan.....Cingular looks good but do I have to be stuck in a two year contract? I hardly talk on the phone at all and the most I've spent per month recently was about 25 bucks. I can live with spending about 30 a month....but what if I call England, how much extra is that? And how about long distance charges in general?

John

[WickerBill]

Problem is that cell phone companies perform differently from city to city, so getting your advice from a bunch of us might lead you down the wrong path. I'd suggest if at all possible finding out what people around you like best.

Personally, I'm a big fan of Sprint PCS and their new 2-way (nextel-like) feature. Phone is small, sounds excellent, good coverage, ability to roam if I'm stranded outside their area, $40/mo for 500 minutes, unlimited nights/weekends, unlimited Sprint-to-Sprint, and free long distance including Canada. Tis a business plan though, your mileage may vary.

[KLang]

Consumer Reports did a big write-up in the last couple months. You have to pay to look at stuff on their website but I think it's only a couple bucks for a 30 day registration.

[JLMannin]

In my part of the world, the best are cingular and verizon. Both have very similar coverage. But as WB points out, it would be very wise to see what the locals have to say.

If you expect you cell usage to me minimal, a pre-paid plan my suit you well. Last time I moved, I cut the land line off and am cell only. When I move somewhere permanent like (currently renting), I will likely get internet access through broadband or DSL.

I'm done with land lines - too much money for something I can only use whan I am home (and awake)

[WickerBill]

JHK, as a followup to what I said and then Mannin said... Cingular is good where he is, and the pits here in Indy (probably undeniably the worst signal in town as far as signal fade goes). There's just no way to say from city to city which one will be best.

For us in Indy, from what I've seen, Sprint, Verizon, and TMobile all have good coverage.

[Wabbit]

More than anything, find out about their customer service. Doesn't matter if they have the greatest coverage and cheapest price. If customer service sucks, you're in a world of hurt if you have a problem.

So far, I have been happy with T-Mobile. The biggest thing that keeps me from trying Cingular is their 2 year commitments. You might want to check out AT&T wireless, they will be Cingular soon, and might grandfather in a one year contract.

[longbeach32]

One thing you might want to look at is the local calling area vs. the whole national plan. It depends on how big the area is and how much you travel.

I pretty sure for my Cingular plan, the local calling area ranges from northern VT to Southern TN, and the Western PA Border to the Eastern Coast...

[JLMannin]

I have Verizon and I am pleased with their customer service. What pleases me even more is that I have only needed to use customer support once in a year and a half, and my problem was resolved in one phone call with one represenative.

I live in north central indiana, BTW

[Insomniac]

Well I guess I'm going to take the plunge now.....The other day I got stranded at my house..the landlines are all shut off here and I'm moving across town. The damned 14 foot Uhaul truck got stuck in my steep driveway in park, and then we broke the gearshift right off the steering column. My car was blocked in the driveway. So I did use my neighbor's phone once, but decided not to bug her again. So after two trips a mile away to use a pay phone......I think that's it I really need a mobile phone. By the way, it took two hours to get Uhaul's tow truck here, and 45 minutes for the guy to figure out how to tow it when it was stuck in park. The last straw was hearing today that the phone company wants 90 dollars to turn on the second line (mine) at the new place....F them! So what is a good cell phone plan.....Cingular looks good but do I have to be stuck in a two year contract? I hardly talk on the phone at all and the most I've spent per month recently was about 25 bucks. I can live with spending about 30 a month....but what if I call England, how much extra is that? And how about long distance charges in general?

John

I can't help you much with picking a provider, but if you want to make international calls cheap, I'd recommend http://www.onesuite.com/. Their current rate for the UK is 2.5/3.9 cents/min (or 2.3/1.9 for mobile phones in the UK) The two rates are based on wether you call a 1-800 number or a regular number. Basically, you prepay them like a calling card and then just dial in, and make your calls. No fees. If you're thinking about signing up, PM me. I have a referral ID that gives me 20 mins ($0.90 for calls) if you use it to sign up.