And I thought Canadian carriers were worse… I'm moving down to the US for school for the next 3 years, so a contract isn't a huge deal other than the fact that I hate the idea of being locked down. The biggest problem is I want a GSM phone (because I have an unlocked iPhone), and it seems like my only two options are AT&T and T-Mobile. I've heard that nobody likes AT&T and that calls get dropped constantly. Data isn't a huge issue. I've lived without data on my phone for over a year now and it's fine. Here's the thing: Do all American rate plans start at $40? Whatever happened to those el cheapo $20 plans? We have them up in Canada, and we're supposed to be notorious for ******** carriers and ridiculous fees. My question comes down to: is it either $40+ or go home?
In a nutshell: yes. As a student though many cell companies will give you a % discount on your bill. But for the 500min talk and Unlimited text you are stuck at 39.99 with T-mobile. Also you will have about an extra 25% of taxes tacked onto your bill (my base bill is 39 but I pay in the region of $9 extra in taxes both Gov't and Phone carrier)
I don't really care that much about minutes. Most of the time, I'll have a Wifi connection and I could just Skype it. 25% taxes? What is this? Communism? Ok, government sales tax could be maybe 5-10%, but what other taxes? Like BS carrier charges? We used to have a non-governmental access fee, but that has since been eliminated with Canada's introduction of new mobile carriers. Which carrier do you use and what plan?
I just switched from Verizon to AT&T, and compared to what I had, I'm pretty much in love with AT&T. I havent had any of the "dropped call" issues with them, but have had every call (not joking) drop with Verizon. I've only been on for about a week and a half with AT&T and they have more then made up for Verizon's BS. As for you, I would look at who has the best coverage before deciding anything. Being that you are looking at using the iPhone, AT&T and T-Mobile are you best bets (there are some other gsm carriers out there). I know T-Mobile is cheaper, but AT&T has more coverage in areas, where T-Mobile doesnt. Last time I used T-Mobile (way back in 2000-2003), they could roam on (AT&T)Cingular's cell towers, but not the other way around. I'm not sure if this is the case now. Personally, if you have coverage with T-Mobile and can stand to not have 3G (T-Mobile only has Edge), go with them. AT&T just required skewed the data packages for iPhones/iPads, so your still paying the $20-$60, but only getting a fraction of what you could get. You mentioned Skyping it though.. if you had a different phone, you could talk to AT&T (have to bend an arm or two) and get on a data only plan. They'll let you do it, but you have to really try to get on one. Not sure what T-Mobile's data is like, but you could try the same with them. As for the "25% taxes", thats actually taxes and carrier surcharges. Basically, you have your local taxes, and then a few charges that the carrier charges the customer, because the FCC charges the carrier. Most of the time, those charges and taxes are: Federal Universal Service Charge, Regulatory Charge, Administrative Charge, State Tax, Federal Tax, 911 Op Fee and a few others I cant remember off the top of my head. just for reference - my plan Nation FamilyTalk 1400 - 3 Lines, 2 Smartphone + Data, Family Unlimited Messaging - $195/month + taxes & fees my first bill was $216
I'll be in New Haven, which more or less has excellent AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon coverage. Verizon's out of the picture. No GSM = no dice. I think I'll just ride it out with a $30 off contract plan for now. It seems to me that contracts don't really offer much of a discount other than subsidizing a phone, which I already have an unlocked one. At $30-40 base, $55 for an iPhone 4 with 200MB data doesn't seem so bad, but there are constant rumors of AT&T losing exclusivity which may mean price drops for everyone. I'm not that hooked on having the latest and greatest as I still use the original iPhone. I can wait. $216 for a bill is ridiculous. Are you guys just used to the fact that cell bills get that high? I suppose you have a family plan, but I'd be outraged if my plan ever exceeded 3 figures.
IIRC, T-Mobile has some no-contract plan, thats $20 less then normal. $216 isnt all that bad, considering its 3 lines.. 1400 min/2 lines started at $89, +$30 messaging back +$30 x 2 Data for Smartphones. Cant really argue, considering I was paying the same amount with Verizon with just standard phones, and no data.
I live in Oklahoma and Have AT&T. No problems with dropped calls at all. We have 3 iphones on the Family plan with 700 minutes going to change to the 500 minute plan soon because we never seem to use all of our minutes and have tons of rollover minutes. Cost is 223$ per month which is 75$ per person.
I've heard that AT&T call dropping was mostly a high-density city problem, like NYC, Housten, LA etc. New Haven must be pretty good, seeing how it's only got 100k people.
I'm assuming so, because I dont get them and I live in a rural area (even though I get 3G coverage in 90% of the city). I havent traveled to anything big, next time I have to travel to a bigger city (Raleigh/Durham area) I'll see if I get anything dropped.
