OT: Is this a good smart phone deal?

[bfit]

I don't have a smart phone (just an old flip phone where I pay as I go). A friend told me that she got a "great deal" on a smart phone so I called the store where she got it. The deal is a free older model (version 6 vs today's version 10) phone and then $50 a month for unlimited calls and texting but not much "data". If I want more data it's $75 a month. Even at $50 a month that's $600 a year for something I'm not sure I would actually use that much. I'm in the classroom or on a train for what seems like half of my life, and I can't use the phone then. My husband has a smart phone (for a lot less than $50 a month) that we already use for Uber and such. What do you think? I made an appointment at the store, but now I'm having second thoughts.

[bzar]

see if you can be added to your DH's plan first -have that provider give you a quote and ask them to see if they can beat the other deal that you're considering. they don't want to lose you as a customer, so they might be motivated. family plans tend to be better in terms of net cost and data capacity.

[hdw]

I don't think that's a good deal...

We all have prepaid. My kids have 8 GB data for $40/mo, unlimited everything else. That's plenty of data in my book! As you know, prepaid is you buy your own phone. For the phone your friend is talking about, looks like it includes paying for the phone + monthly plan. The phone payment most likely includes interest. Does it have a contract where you can't cut it off without paying penalty?

I have a smart phone. I don't have data. I enjoy the apps with wifi. There are a lot of free wifi when I'm out of the house. If not, I'm OK too. Like you, I can't use my phone at work. You might want to look into getting your own smart phone. The apps are nice to have and don't cost extra money if you just use wifi. I have a Motorola Moto G -- love this phone! Google value or budget smart phone there are plenty out there..

[lizh]

What is "not much" data?

[Lannette]

Doesn’t sound like a great deal to me, especially if you’re talking about an iPhone 6.

[Nanny]

This might not be the best smartphone out there, but it works for me -

https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Mobile...s%2C169&sr=8-5

It's prepaid & comes w/ the first month of service free. You can either buy a card each month or go thru the app to extend your service. If you chose to do auto renew, it's a little cheaper each month. I haven't yet because I usually stick w/ the $25 a month unlimited talk + text plan & upgrade to a plan w/ more data when I go on vacation.

I've had great service w/ Simple Mobile & my family members like Tracfone so I think it would be cheaper for you to get a prepaid plan if you can't get added onto your husband's.

[casey]

Hi
My son is tech obsessed computer engineering major and he had me buy a refurbished google pixel smart phone on Amazon. It cost me $175 and they tell you which phone plans they work with. I originally had at&t but he later convinced me to switch to a google phi phone plan. I'm very happy with the service and the cost. I can look easily on my phone anytime to see my usage, cost and there's excellent customer service. And no contract.

He also set up our nest system with the camera doorbell, yale lock. The yale lock is great bc if you're not sure you locked your door you can check the app on your phone and lock your door remotely. You can assign a temporary pin code to the door for someone that comes your house and then it is disabled so they can't use it again. You can answer someone that comes to your front door even if you aren't home.(from your smart phone)

He set up a nest camera in my 90 year old fathers apartment so i can check on him and his aide service because he still wants to live independently. (Again from my smartphone) I was able to check when I was out of town and saw and heard his smoke detector going off. The aide didnt check his cooktop before they left his house. (He works out every day!). I called her and had them return to turn off his cooktop and open up his windows. I don't have that aide anymore but now theres a sign on his door to check the oven before leaving the house.

All this new technology has really made an impact on our lives for the better.
Hth /casey

[Pat58]

I'm new to the smart phone world, only had mine two years now. It was the cost that kept me using the flip.

I bought unlocked (bare bones) Motorolas in an older model, a 4G. Then I went to Verizon and talked to the sales clerk. He set me up with the "Small 2GB" data plan with unlimited calls and texts. I average $75 monthly for the both of us. That's around what I paid for the stupid flip phone.

You just have to be careful to keep your data turned off until you really need it. You have phone and text all the time; when you're near a wifi you've got internet. I turn data on for directions when I'm driving or to use the web when I'm away from a wifi. I hardly go near using my 2GBs up.

Love my cheapo Motorola, takes great photos, never have a problem with it and don't have monthly payments to pay off the "free" phone.

[marki64]

Originally Posted by Pat58

Love my cheapo Motorola, takes great photos, never have a problem with it and don't have monthly payments to pay off the "free" phone.

Me too. I have the G6. I really love it. It does just about everything an Iphone does. My daughters were surprised, even though they call my phone a "cheap phone." It takes great pictures and video is so clear (YT vids). It does everything I need it to do.

[Izzy]

I am no where near to being a phone geek and I know very little. I message my kids for help when I need it.

What I did learn is the phone is as good as the battery you have in it. Both my daughter and I got new phones 4 years ago. I got a 6 she got an 8. A year ago we had been talking about how slow our phones were getting, messages delayed, voice mails not coming through, batteries running out quickly etc and we waited another year to finally get new phones. It was our trip to her Boston Marathon run that sealed that decision. Here I am in Boston, trying to track her run, message the family etc etc and 1 hour into the experience my phone dies and the phone was over 65% charged and I had hardly used it. So on our drive back home we agreed we were ready for new phones. We could have gotten new batteries and that might have saved us some money but my phone was having issues. Bottom line is the older the phone the more likely you will have to replace the battery more often. I had already replaced my battery once. Keep that in mind when purchasing phones.


Mary