Phone Plan Recommendations?
Hello parents - got a family phone plan that you like and is reasonably priced? Our oldest is withdrawing from the family plan (AT&T), leaving us with 2 parents (not heavy data users) and 1 child (big texter). We're looking for good cell reception (we're in Berkeley), unlimited texting, and consistent billing/fees. Thanks in advance for your recommendations.
Oct 9, 2019
Parent Replies
Yes! We use Consumer Cellular— I can’t say enough good things about this company. not only is it the cheapest plan I know of for multiple lines, including unlimited phone and text, but I *love* their customer service (real people answering right away) and policies (for example, if you use more data than your plan covers, they simply charge you the difference ($10) between your plan and the next one for that particular month— there are no “gotcha” fees.) They’ll also send you a message if you’re getting close to your monthly allowance, if you’d like to stay within your plan’s limits. And their data allowances are generous— several tiers to choose from— the one we chose is more than enough for 3 of us. You can choose whether to be on AT&T network or T-mobile— I find reception better in N. Berkeley with AT&T (I’ve used both). I think they were designed for seniors unfamiliar with technology, so everything is very, very clear on their webpage— but they work extremely well, and cheaply, for us— with all taxes, $70 for 3 lines with unlimited text and calls and plenty of data— they have cheaper plans, too. I think the only down side I’ve found is they pretty much have no international travel plan— you’d have to just buy a SIM card abroad if you’re traveling— I’m not sure of the details because we haven’t left the country since we got the plan, but that’s what it seems like from what I’ve read on their website.
I'm not sure how they compare price-wise to other companies, but we've had a family plan (including unlimited texting, a must with 2 teens!) with Credo for years and they have great customer service and actively support liberal causes, in sharp contrast to AT&T and the other big phone companies.
Right now the best deal is with Google's Google Fi. It's been receiving great reviews.