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My Sprint contract is up at the end of October and I really do not know the real offerings out there other than what store salesmen will tell me. I am not tied to the "Big 3" and am open to any carrier. My current phone is an Iphone 4S which suffices for what I do. (text, news, calls) I do not really modify my phone software wise whether it be Android or IOS. A charger is usually nearby and usually the longest away from a charger is 5ish hours, a couple times per month. With that said I am positive there are better plans out there. I've attached a copy of my most recent bill. The tablet plan is also ending the same day as phone. Thanks for the suggestions.

Is that your typical monthly usage? Couple of hundred minutes, couple of hundred texts, 4-5GB of data?

Do you want to get a new phone or are you happy enough with the 4S to stick with that and strictly shop plans? I don't know if Sprint phones are locked to their network (one of the other forum members certainly will).

One variable is where you live/travel. (Not sure in your case: 419 is an Ohio area code but your bill indicates NY). T-Mobile used to have the best deals, but their coverage is less comprehensive than Verizon and AT&T (though getting better). If don't travel much and are usually in an area they serve well (or you travel regularly to Canada/Mexico, where they give you free roaming), they might be worth a look. For example, their "Simple Choice" plans include unlimited talk/texts, and 5GB of LTE data for $70, or 3GB for $60 (there's no added charge for going over the cap, but you get throttled down to 2G -- though apparently you've been surviving on 3G so far, so maybe that's not so bad). An add-on data plan for 1GB of LTE for the tablet should be $10 (when added to a voice plan). Or you could just use or iPhone as a hotspot (if Sprint allowed that) and tether your tablet; T-Mobile (unlike some carriers) doesn't restrict that.

Verizon recently changed their plans (in part to respond to T-Mobile it seems); I think the "Medium" is 3GB for $45 and the "Large" is 6GB for $60, but you have to include the device fees ($20 for a phone, another $10 for a tablet) so they're in about the same price range as T-Mobile.

AT&T plans look cheap when looking at raw data but their device fees ($10 for tablets, but $40 for smartphones) always seems ridiculous every time I price them out.

(BTW, you might want to black out your identifying info in that photo -- phone #, account #)

Protip: if you end up using a post-paid account with any carrier and you're OK with getting electronic statements, set your mailing address to somewhere in Nevada or Oregon so you can get the lower tax rates. The carriers assess tax and fees based on your mailing address; I believe my mailing address is Caesar's Palace . This doesn't usually matter for prepaid plans as those rates usually include taxes and fees.

Ubergerbil- Thanks for the spot on info. Uploaded the raw not edited photo. As for typical usage yes. Rarely on trips I've pushed 10+gigs all through streaming but that was more of a "because it's available."

As for phone I would like a phone with 4G support, other than that my current phone is fine.

As far as travel I will most likely be in the Ohio/Michigan region. I have never had a real issue with Sprint's coverage.

The main issue I have is that with what I typically use per month in total, shouldn't be anywhere close to $100.

Zoomastigophora- Very interesting. Though usually the tax rates I'm not too worried about.

I'm in the process of moving all my families phones to Cricket from AT&T. The Cricket "Pro" plan (unlimited Talk & Text, 10GB 4G data) is $60 month and you can get a $5 credit for setting up auto-pay. I went with the "Smart" plan which is $50/mo and has 5GB of data for my daughter and the "Basic" plan for my wife and I (2.5GB of data) for $50 and $40 respectively. As far as coverage goes, they use the AT&T network. Go check out the MVNOs that use the Sprint network if you are happy with their coverage.

--SS

I've moved my wife and I to Republic Wireless from AT&T. There's the up-front cost of purchasing the phones, but with their data refund package our $65/mo service was only about $36 after the credit. We were paying about $125 for just the two of us on a family shared plan.

I'm pretty happy with Ting. Here's their rates:
https://ting.com/rates

so you'd owe them $83.50 for that month of service assuming you have one device. Add $6/device otherwise.

If you're interested, PM me and I'll send you a referral link for a $25 credit.

UberGerbil wrote:

Do you want to get a new phone or are you happy enough with the 4S to stick with that and strictly shop plans? I don't know if Sprint phones are locked to their network (one of the other forum members certainly will).

The 4s is a universal phone so it should work on any GSM or CDMA network.

I'm on T-Mobile, just outside the big 3 carriers. They implement all the good new ideas, like splitting phone payment plans and service plans into separate offerings, offering free texting and (slow) data in 100+ countries, carrying extra data over from one month to another, and not counting music streaming towards your data bucket on any of the major streaming services.

However, my service was pretty spotty in Michigan when I went to the barbecue this summer.

Find out if tower coverage is good in your metro area. And don't expect supreme coverage when you travel. That will help determine if it's right for you.

I haven't used it myself, but T-Mobile's WiFi calling feature should be helpful in the areas where their coverage is lacking.

Milo Burke wrote:

Find out if tower coverage is good in your metro area. And don't expect supreme coverage when you travel. That will help determine if it's right for you.

Seconded that T-mo's coverage is spotty. If you're going with them, make sure you get a phone that supports their new 700 MHz LTE band (band 12). That should help urban coverage a bit.

Sprint coverage sucks and T-Mobile coverage sucks. Go with Verizon or AT&T. Even their prepaid plans are nice.

Thank you for the replies. Seems as though an MNVO is going to be my best route. I've looked at some that share carriers as well. I will probably stick with a larger name though, Cricket/Virgin Mobile. The inexpensive android smartphones seem decent and will have better specs than my 4S if I don't carry it over.

Well I decided to go with Virgin Mobile (Sprint). Picked up a Moto G, which isn't the fastest phone but better than my Iphone 4S. I am not a power user by any means and just use it for some music, emails, texting/calling and couple news apps. So far so good. Went with the $45 per month plan which is unlimited talk/text (On Sprint) and unlimited data (3GB high speed). Could of gone for 8GB for $55 per month but I have access to wifi most anywhere. Surprisingly they have a partnership/promotion in which Pandora and couple other music services data does not count towards monthly allowance. Swapping number from Sprint to Virgin was somewhat troublesome and had to call Virgin but got sorted out.

Sprint also offers their own prepaid plan which was almost the exact same as Virgin, go figure, yet offered somewhat less phones. Overall my bill has been halved monthly. Will keep updated on any issues. Thank you for the help everyone.

Atradeimos wrote:

Milo Burke wrote:

Find out if tower coverage is good in your metro area. And don't expect supreme coverage when you travel. That will help determine if it's right for you.

Seconded that T-mo's coverage is spotty. If you're going with them, make sure you get a phone that supports their new 700 MHz LTE band (band 12). That should help urban coverage a bit.

I'm on T-mobile, using a Sony Z3C that supports the 700 MHz LTE band, and in the greater Seattle area.

I still get sh** bars.

EDIT: Okay, I'm getting conflicting information on whether the Z3C (model D5803) supports the 700 MHz LTE band or not. Amazon product page says yes, B&H says no. Reddit and a few other sources say no, so I'm going to go with no.

Hmm - I'm on tmobile with a Moto X (2014), and my coverage is perfectly good - except for building penetration. I've seen sites where my signal inside is excellent (fairly close to a tower), and I've seen ones where my signal nearly goes dead inside.

This is in the SF east bay and Corvallis mainly. Road trips have good signal near most towns, though I tend to hit EDGE a lot on those long I-5 trips. I recall signal being fine the last time I went up to Seattle, no different than anywhere else I've been.

Signal strength is the same for me when I tested before/after in my basement. Else where it has been the same mostly which is to be expected as it's all Sprint. The Moto G has LTE support/4G which the 4S didn't which is a huge plus, as I was paying for it. Interestingly my Virgin Mobile plan has a benefit similar to T-Mobile music promotion, in that Pandora, Slacker, and IHeartRadio, usage does not count against bandwidth usage. Huge plus for myself as I like to stream music. Hopefully Spotify can get the same benefits in the future. Though now I just realized that I can use Spotify offline (or whichever service) and put all my music onto an 8GB SD card (32 official support) I had lying around. Oh Apple I won't miss that.

Hmm, surprising that Spotify isn't included on theirs. I like the peace of mind from it - either I don't stream music on my phone much, or I go for a long drive (some trips I do actually have LTE throughout) and eat gobs of data, streaming at max quality the whole way.

I still wonder how much 4G/LTE is actually a benefit though - for me, it seems to be latency (ex. waking up the connection) and performance with VOIP (latency and consistent connection, not bandwidth) that LTE very noticeably improves, not the raw bandwidth. Plus, it's probably using the tower/spectrum more efficiently.

I'm still I'm tempted to get a device with SD card though for the long drives without LTE though. I can save enough music on my phone, but 96kbps downloaded offline (I can't fit much if I go higher) is just enough to make me notice and question things. Did a 9 hour drive that way while wondering why my aux adapter was a piece of crap (CDs sound a good deal better in the car), only to realize what my Spotify settings were. Oops.

localhostrulez wrote:

Hmm, surprising that Spotify isn't included on theirs. I like the peace of mind from it - either I don't stream music on my phone much, or I go for a long drive (some trips I do actually have LTE throughout) and eat gobs of data, streaming at max quality the whole way.

I still wonder how much 4G/LTE is actually a benefit though - for me, it seems to be latency (ex. waking up the connection) and performance with VOIP (latency and consistent connection, not bandwidth) that LTE very noticeably improves, not the raw bandwidth. Plus, it's probably using the tower/spectrum more efficiently.

I'm still I'm tempted to get a device with SD card though for the long drives without LTE though. I can save enough music on my phone, but 96kbps downloaded offline (I can't fit much if I go higher) is just enough to make me notice and question things. Did a 9 hour drive that way while wondering why my aux adapter was a piece of crap (CDs sound a good deal better in the car), only to realize what my Spotify settings were. Oops.

I really hope they include Spotify in the package. From a few months analysis on my iphone with unlimited high spreed data on Sprint, the vast majority was Spotify streaming. Now though I can just go offline mode and put the music onto the SD card. Pandora worked well enough free for a workout and didn't against data, so for now I can live with it. Was on LTE speeds so everything was quick, no buffering or hesitation when skipping song. (would on 4S at 3G) Boost Mobile does have a $60 unlimited everything (LTE Data) which I will consider later on if need be. They also had a better plan (5GB for $45 vs my 3GB) but did not have the Moto G. Their equivalent was a ZTE phone much less reviewed, happy with the Moto G. If it lasts half as long as the Iphone (probably more like 1/3) I will still come out ahead.

I'm not sure you even need offline mode - from what I've seen, if you saved the song offline, it'll use that rather than streaming it again. Slightly irritating (and fairly noticeable) when I save at low quality to save space, but have a fast data connection available for streaming. Same reason I had to block Spotify from using the music saved on my PC, for the most part - their version is often higher quality, but they insist on using mine if it's available. Never mind that I asked for high quality streaming, and some of my local files are a low bitrate.

Just a quick update. All good so far. Voice calls have been fine in commercial/industrial buildings so far. The Moto G is proving to be quite a capable budget smart phone. For the Android users here any recommended applications? Enjoy the weekend gerbils!

GeForce6200 wrote:

For the Android users here any recommended applications? Enjoy the weekend gerbils!

For work, I use RealCalc to replace my calculator. I use WeatherBug because we have a station on-site, so I can look at the actual weather trends for my location. For traveling, Zomato (formerly Urban Spoon) has done a good job of finding a restaurant when I need one. The Amazon shopping, Kindle and Music apps are great (especially if you have Amazon Prime). Game-wise, I have just a few installed on my Moto-X: Fallout Shelter, Plants vs. Zombies, Flow, and No Limit Drag Racing.

Milo Burke wrote:

I'm on T-Mobile, just outside the big 3 carriers. They implement all the good new ideas, like splitting phone payment plans and service plans into separate offerings, offering free texting and (slow) data in 100+ countries, carrying extra data over from one month to another, and not counting music streaming towards your data bucket on any of the major streaming services.

However, my service was pretty spotty in Michigan when I went to the barbecue this summer.

Find out if tower coverage is good in your metro area. And don't expect supreme coverage when you travel. That will help determine if it's right for you.

If you are talking mainly "at" the barbecue, every carrier's service at DrFish's cottage is poor. You're just outside the nearest tower for all of them, and phones will try to lock on to towers across Lake Michigan (e.g., Wisconsin).

Carriers are all a mixed bag. I think T-Mobile has decent plans and phone selection, and for their size, doesn't seem to shaft people. However, coverage outside of metro areas is mediocre in the US. This is also true (but more so) with Sprint, who is currently hemhorraging money (at least in part due to betting and losing on WiMax. T-Mobile also has Wifi calling, which may be of assistance in poor cell areas.

That leaves two other major options:

-(1) One of the big two: AT&T or Verizon. My experience with having both has been that Verizon hands down has the best overall coverage and data speed. Overall meaning that yes, there are dead spots and someone here will probably point them out, but largely, it covered me in places nobody else reached. It covered better in buildings. And when I had coverage, data speeds were better than other carriers that also had coverage in the same spot. AT&T (who I have now, primarily because I'm not paying the bill) has two small advantages: WiFi calling was just enabled, and they can do simultaneous voice and data which very few Verizon phones can do (useful if you're a tech trying to talk to a third-party support person and use your phone as a hotspot for data simultaneously). The downside is that due to the poorer coverage I've had in buildings, simultaneous voice/data is useless if you don't have cell coverage. I also get the impression due to jankiness and delays with Siri and Apple Maps (which require back-end processing at AT&T' facilities) that they don't handle the load that well, or their cell signal just isn't as good. Both are costly; if I'm going to pay, I'd pay for Verizon. Between the two, I've found that AT&T support sucks worse (not saying Verizon is great, but it's not as bad).

-(2) Choose an MVNO piggybacking off a major carrier that can give you most of the signal quality of that carrier, but charge you less. Straight Talk has SIM cards for T-Mobile, AT&T, and also does bits and pieces of Verizon/TracFone stuff. Cricket does AT&T. Boost Mobile does Sprint I believe (which is probably why I wouldn't choose them). A few MVNOs do Verizon, but Verizon attempts to cripple some of the data side of things with some of those stepchildren to make themselves seem better, so read the terms carefully. If you can find a Verizon MVNO that does LTE data nationwide at a reasonable price, I'd jump on it. Note: If you're the type of person that needs tech support, MVNOs often provide considerably less than a major carrier (and knowing how mediocre big carrier support can be...well, you get the idea). If you know big words like MEID, and the different sizes of SIM cards, and such, this is probably not an issue for you.

To the OP: With no undue respect, it's probably time to sell the iPhone 4S on Craigslist while you can still get reasonable value for it. Newer phones have a lot more to offer, and I'm sure you've gotten your life out of it. You don't have to buy new, or the latest/greatest: if you like the iPhone platform, the 5S is still a plenty good phone, and on the Android end, there's plenty of not-quite-new choices like the 2014 Moto X, the LG G3, and more.

Well, I'd say both Verizon and AT&T. If it works in Idaho, it will work anywhere else. Idaho seems to be the last for everything. Most of the state is still wild frontier and mostly mountains passable by only the hardiest and bravest of men. Yup, AT&T and Verizon. I only lose service 80 percent of the time here. It is getting easier to call for help here when attacked by brigands and mountain warriors. Fatality rates are still pretty high here though, so Verizon is pretty expensive, probably due to the high amount of voided contracts when people die braving the elements or wildlife. If your ever visit Idaho, I would suggest having Verizon service, as well as an armored vehicle, weaponry, and a few duffel bags full of food rations and first aid kits. Dozens of telephone company employees have died burying fiber optic cable just to get internet service to half of the state. By the way, I'm beginning to think too much Skyrim will make a person batty.

I have 2 mobile phones, with very different experiences:
1) A 'dumb' Motorola flip-phone (Barrage: water proof, prolly bullet proof, maybe 6yrs old already, on my 3rd battery) on Verizon, subsidized (22% discount) by work that costs me about $31/mo (no data, pay-per-text, 450 min voice/mo).
2) Galaxy Note 4 on T-Mobile, 3 GB plan with carry-over, and since I've used so little data, it's effectively unlimited now. ~$69/mo after all taxes/fees.

The dumb phone works effing everywhere I've ever been, including multi-hour (4hrs straight at 65MPH is max so far) business TeleCons. Friends have asked to borrow this phone to make important calls (like when their wives are about to have a baby, phone-interviews for jobs, etc. (no exaggeration)) because they don't trust, or can't get good enough reception on, their smart phones. How much of that is the carrier or the phone itself (though the Barrage is legendary), I cannot say/tell.

The smart phone still amazes me when it's getting great reception, but there's holes on T-Mo (even where their map shows solid magenta), where it's dead as a door-nail, and reception inside buildings basically sucks. My experience with WiFi calling on T-Mo is spotty: perfect sometimes, but often need to reboot the phone to get it to connect to WiFi calling, and worse, there's plenty of places where I don't want to, or can't, connect to WiFi and can't get cellular reception.

My plan was to get rid of the dumb phone as soon as I was happy with the smart phone, but 8 months later, I still have both.

Personally I've only tried Verizon or AT&T, but I liked AT&T better due to their customer support. When I had a problem with Verizon they just kept sending me around to different phone numbers, and never actually solved the issue.

Slight update - All has been well running on Virgin Mobile. Switched over to an iphone SE and have been happy so far. Activation was very simple and took 5 minutes no calls, just a few clicks online. SE is much better of a daily than the MotoG and since i never really customize a phone stock ios has been completely reliable. Really like the SE form factor and with most of the 6S internals it is very quick. Took a day to get back used to only using one hand on a phone. I can't see Apple making another smaller form factor phone like this so it should "last" a few years. anyone's curious got the 64GB for little over 300 shipped. Still wishing I could get decent no contract plans from Verizon or AT&T. Sprint's LTE coverage is still meh in Detroit. I'm sure VM customers don't get priority either.