Switching off of a Family Plan

[Kliq]

So it is time for Kliq to become an adult and get off of his crappy family share plan from AT&T, but I'm unsure about where to start. I'm looking to get an iphone 6, but I also need to get it on a manageable plan, since I'm a poor college student. I first began looking at Cricket Wireless, but the reviews online were pretty bad, even if the plans were pretty economical. Is anyone else on T-Mobile, Cricket, MetroPCS, etc.? What have your experiences dealing with them been like?

 

[derekson]

I wouldn't get off of the family plan. IF you want to be an adult, then just offer to pay your parents your share of the family plan bill. You're going to pay way more for decent service solo.

 

[Kliq]

The problem is that I pretty much need a data plan for my job, and the other members of my family gobble up the 10 GBs of data within days of the new data being issued. I would like to get a smart phone (I currently don't have one) and have my own data plan that will allow me to manage my data.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

If you don't have a smartphone, what are you using data on? And if you're a poor college student, what job are you talking about that requires you to have a phone with data? Or do you just mean so that you can surf the web while at work?

 

[derekson]

The problem is that I pretty much need a data plan for my job, and the other members of my family gobble up the 10 GBs of data within days of the new data being issued. I would like to get a smart phone (I currently don't have one) and have my own data plan that will allow me to manage my data.

 
 
The best solution to me still seems like staying on the family plan and paying the parents for your share. If they're using all the data, then get a bigger data allotment. AT&T is the best carrier to use for iPhone, because they combine good network coverage with 4G fallback when there's no LTE signal (Verizon has a bit better overall coverage but when there's no LTE it falls back to ancient and ridiculously slow 3G data). I guess there are some MVNO options that use the AT&T network (Cricket I think, for one) but I still think your best bet is to remain on the family plan.

 

[Kliq]

If you don't have a smartphone, what are you using data on? And if you're a poor college student, what job are you talking about that requires you to have a phone with data? Or do you just mean so that you can surf the web while at work?

 
Currently, I'm not using any data. Right now I am interning at Gate House Media as a general assignment reporter, and I have experienced a number of times where I have been out in the field and I would have greatly benefited from having a smart phone with a good data plan, hence why I feel the need to upgrade. 
 
 

 
 
The best solution to me still seems like staying on the family plan and paying the parents for your share. If they're using all the data, then get a bigger data allotment. AT&T is the best carrier to use for iPhone, because they combine good network coverage with 4G fallback when there's no LTE signal (Verizon has a bit better overall coverage but when there's no LTE it falls back to ancient and ridiculously slow 3G data). I guess there are some MVNO options that use the AT&T network (Cricket I think, for one) but I still think your best bet is to remain on the family plan.

 
This is more of a personal issue, but even if I paid for extra data, the rest of my family would just use all of it, and if I got an unlimited data plan, the principal of me paying for the plan while the rest of my family leeches off of it wouldn't sit well with me. If upgrading the family plan to unlimited data is the most economical way to go, that will likely be what I have to do though.

 

[derekson]

If your family is really that impossible to deal with maturely then I'd go for an MVNO on AT&T's network.

For example right now I'm in a spot that's waffling between one bar of LTE signal and two bars of 4G signal. Even on the "4G" I'm getting 4 Mbps download. Verizon falls back to EVDO 3G which is around 1 Mbps.

 

[Caspir]

You probably shouldn't be making financial decisions that you're going to be stuck with based off of a six month(?) internship. If the money is going to be tight, suck it up and stay where you're at instead of buying a phone you might not be able to afford down the line. Also, the "leeching your data" not sitting well with you after you've been on a family plan and probably paying nothing is kind of dickish.

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Saw this on SD, may help OP's family situation:
 
T-Mobile family plan 4 smartphone lines with 10GB each for $120
The new TMobile simple Choice Family Plan offers 4 lines of service for $120, including 10GB of high speed data for each line, unlimited talk and text. - switch prior to Labor Day.

More details -

T-Mobile [t-mobile.com]

With T-Mobile’s latest move, each and every family member gets 10GB of 4G LTE data per person – no sharing required
Everyone on this new family plan gets “Mobile without Borders,” calling, texting and high-speed data throughout the U.S., Mexico & Canada at no extra cost
 
EDIT:  just found out that the TMo 2 lines of UDP for $100 is no longer offered, replaced by the above plan as their come-on special offer.  Some are of the belief that TMo will follow the lead of VZW and ATT and never offer UDP again (a theory I dont prescribe to).

 

[Marceline]

If you don't use a lot of data, Ting is the way to go. My bill with them averages $14 a month, but I usually stay under 100mb.
 
If your usage doesn't fit that profile, I'd recommend Straight Talk. $45 a month for unlimited talk/text/data (speed is throttled above 3gb), and uses the AT&T network, so the service is a bit better compared to Ting (which uses Sprint).

 

[HillysLastWalk]

I'd actually recommend Wal-Mart Family Mobile over Straight Talk.  The reason I didn't chime in previously was because he was talking about being a poor student, but his phone of choice is the newest iPhone.  Once you start talking Wal-Mart FM, Straight Talk, whatever ... you are buying your own phone.  Is he ready to commit $700+ to this?
 
As a Clark Howard listener, I've heard complaints about Straight Talk, but forget if it's more than their customer no-service.
 
Regardless, Wal-Mart FM has unlimited plans, just like Straight talk, and others.  Unlimited talk, text, data.
 
With Wal-Mart FM you get a couple options:
 
$29.88/month - with 1GB of 4G LTE data
$39.99/month - with 3GB of 4G LTE data
 
It's unlimited because after the cap, it throttles to a lower speed.  I think I use about a Gig a month.  And I'm often lazy about turning on my Wi-Fi (a lot of the time it's off).  But I also don't use music streaming services (which I'd guess is the one app that will use tons of data - since you are most likely to use it while driving and away from Wi-Fi).
 
I could get away with a Gig.
 
But the other issue is where he lives.  As someone that doesn't live in the boonies, my reception is great.  It works when I'm driving (minus some tiny dead spots here and there), works in my office (and I also have WiFi there), works at home (and I also have WiFi There), works pretty much everywhere when I'm driving around my town, or hitting up stores/friends/bars/places in my state.
 
But if I lived in say certain areas of Maine or New Hampshire or something ... it could get sketchy and your only choice might be Verizon.

 

[derekson]

I'd actually recommend Wal-Mart Family Mobile over Straight Talk.  The reason I didn't chime in previously was because he was talking about being a poor student, but his phone of choice is the newest iPhone.  Once you start talking Wal-Mart FM, Straight Talk, whatever ... you are buying your own phone.  Is he ready to commit $700+ to this?
 
As a Clark Howard listener, I've heard complaints about Straight Talk, but forget if it's more than their customer no-service.
 
Regardless, Wal-Mart FM has unlimited plans, just like Straight talk, and others.  Unlimited talk, text, data.
 
With Wal-Mart FM you get a couple options:
 
$29.88/month - with 1GB of 4G LTE data
$39.99/month - with 3GB of 4G LTE data
 
It's unlimited because after the cap, it throttles to a lower speed.  I think I use about a Gig a month.  And I'm often lazy about turning on my Wi-Fi (a lot of the time it's off).  But I also don't use music streaming services (which I'd guess is the one app that will use tons of data - since you are most likely to use it while driving and away from Wi-Fi).
 
I could get away with a Gig.
 
But the other issue is where he lives.  As someone that doesn't live in the boonies, my reception is great.  It works when I'm driving (minus some tiny dead spots here and there), works in my office (and I also have WiFi there), works at home (and I also have WiFi There), works pretty much everywhere when I'm driving around my town, or hitting up stores/friends/bars/places in my state.
 
But if I lived in say certain areas of Maine or New Hampshire or something ... it could get sketchy and your only choice might be Verizon.

 
It's funny, the place my family vacations in NH actually has better AT&T service than Verizon. I switched over to AT&T when the first iPhone was only on AT&T and was shocked that it was a better signal than the [poor] VZN signal. And that's still true today - I get LTE coverage with ~15 Mbps down there, Sprint and VZN are mostly 3G (VZN will occasionally flicker to LTE, I think, not entirely sure since i don't use it). I've honestly been really impressed with AT&T's coverage; when I switched off Verizon I thought it might be an issue but it's never been an issue anywhere I go.

 

[Marceline]

I'd actually recommend Wal-Mart Family Mobile over Straight Talk.  The reason I didn't chime in previously was because he was talking about being a poor student, but his phone of choice is the newest iPhone.  Once you start talking Wal-Mart FM, Straight Talk, whatever ... you are buying your own phone.  Is he ready to commit $700+ to this?

 
There are plenty of phones out there that don't cost $700.
 
My wife uses Straight Talk and has had zero issues with it over the past 18 months or so. It's been great. That Wal-Mart plan looks pretty good, but it uses the T-Mobile network, which could be an issue.
 
Edit: Just found out WalMart also has another plan called Total Wireless, which is $35/month for unlimited talk/text, 2.5gb data and uses the Verizon network. That sounds promising.

 

[SumnerH]

There are plenty of phones out there that don't cost $700.

Yep. The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 is a great budget option--$250 new unlocked from Amazon (they had them for $200 yesterday so you might be able to find a similar deal if you're patient). http://www.androidcentral.com/alcatel-onetouch-idol-3-review has a review with specs.

My wife uses Straight Talk and has had zero issues with it over the past 18 months or so. It's been great. That Wal-Mart plan looks pretty good, but it uses the T-Mobile network, which could be an issue.
 
Edit: Just found out WalMart also has another plan called Total Wireless, which is $35/month for unlimited talk/text, 2.5gb data and uses the Verizon network. That sounds promising.

 
I'd also consider Google Fi as a plan option, though it requires a more expensive phone (the Nexus 5) they'll also let you finance it interest-free for $20/month (assuming okay credit, which may or may not apply in this case) and the seamless use of wifi for calls/texts seems pretty slick.

 

[Monbo Jumbo]

Google Fi right now requires a Nexus 6, which is a phablet sized beast.
 
There are rumors that both Huawei and LG have 5ish sized phones under dev for Google with year-end releases possible. I suspect once Fi moves out of the 'invitation required' phase, they'll have more phone selection.
 
I never got the voicemail to text option with Sprint, as they charged extra.
 
Google sends out an SMS with a transcription of the incoming voicemail to ALL my devices.  Crazy. 

 

[Chuck Schilling]

I've had good luck buying used Samsung S3s on Swappa, ~125-150 per phone in good condition, and have them all on one Ting account. Four more than serviceable phones for under the price of one new iPhone, monthly bill averages $80.

 

[HillysLastWalk]

 
It's funny, the place my family vacations in NH actually has better AT&T service than Verizon. I switched over to AT&T when the first iPhone was only on AT&T and was shocked that it was a better signal than the [poor] VZN signal. And that's still true today - I get LTE coverage with ~15 Mbps down there, Sprint and VZN are mostly 3G (VZN will occasionally flicker to LTE, I think, not entirely sure since i don't use it). I've honestly been really impressed with AT&T's coverage; when I switched off Verizon I thought it might be an issue but it's never been an issue anywhere I go.

 
Yeah, I've been in NH and Maine recently, and there are definitely plenty of areas that I have no problems.  But there are also areas where data roaming occurs, rendering my data useless.  And of course there's the area's where the phone is useless.
 

 
There are plenty of phones out there that don't cost $700.
 
My wife uses Straight Talk and has had zero issues with it over the past 18 months or so. It's been great. That Wal-Mart plan looks pretty good, but it uses the T-Mobile network, which could be an issue.
 
Edit: Just found out WalMart also has another plan called Total Wireless, which is $35/month for unlimited talk/text, 2.5gb data and uses the Verizon network. That sounds promising.

 
Oh yes.  No doubt.  One of my favorite things to do is hit up eBay and get a "last years model".  At the time I got my Samsung Galaxy S3, the S4 was already out.  The trick is to find the ads that state "adult owned".  And there are plenty of cheap New phone options too.  But this guy was talking iPhone 6.  Even used one's are going to be expensive!
 
As for Straight Talk, I've heard this just from listening to Clark Howard on my commute home: http://www.clarkhoward.com/more-data-less-money-your-smartphone
 
 
 

I've heard from numerous people who switched to Straight Talk on my recommendation and then were unhappy with the customer service and the surprise blackout because they used too much data.

 
So it was with the customer service - and I'm also guessing that your wife doesn't use a lot of data.  As Straight Talk advertised unlimited, but now they have clarified that there it does get throttled and there is also a hard cap.  I'm not sure if Wal Mart FM has a hard cap.  I've never pushed the limits.  It's also amazing how hard it is to find this type of info.

 

[Marceline]

 
Yeah, I've been in NH and Maine recently, and there are definitely plenty of areas that I have no problems.  But there are also areas where data roaming occurs, rendering my data useless.  And of course there's the area's where the phone is useless.
 
 
Oh yes.  No doubt.  One of my favorite things to do is hit up eBay and get a "last years model".  At the time I got my Samsung Galaxy S3, the S4 was already out.  The trick is to find the ads that state "adult owned".  And there are plenty of cheap New phone options too.  But this guy was talking iPhone 6.  Even used one's are going to be expensive!
 
As for Straight Talk, I've heard this just from listening to Clark Howard on my commute home: http://www.clarkhoward.com/more-data-less-money-your-smartphone
 
 
 
 
So it was with the customer service - and I'm also guessing that your wife doesn't use a lot of data.  As Straight Talk advertised unlimited, but now they have clarified that there it does get throttled and there is also a hard cap.  I'm not sure if Wal Mart FM has a hard cap.  I've never pushed the limits.  It's also amazing how hard it is to find this type of info.

 
The Straight Talk cap is currently 3gb, which is a pretty decent amount for most people, I think. My wife is pretty much constantly on her phone either with facebook, instagram, listening to podcasts, or whatever, and I don't think she's ever come anywhere near that amount.
 
On the iphone 6 from the original poster, yeah, I'd missed that the first time I read through it. Still, if he is truly a poor college student, it would make sense to reconsider as there are a ton of more affordable phones out there that are still pretty good.

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Without trying to sound like a smartass:  is there any reason OP specifically NEEDS an iPhone 6? 
 
(e.g., my son is taking a course to become an EMT and wanted a big screen phone for research to use in class and on ambulance runs.  But it was pointed out to me in another thread that the vast majority of EMT apps are only on iOS or appear on iOS long before making it to Android, so an iPhone would be in my son's best interest.)