Affordable Cell Phone plans...

[Joy Pathak]

I am trying to get a good cell phone plan for New york. I have been searching online but have been just bombarded with super expensive plans ranging in the 50-70$ range WITHOUT data .

Does anyone know of any good affordable plans where I can call to Canada from USA on nights and weekends as part of the package? I saw the AT&T Nation Canada plan, but it's only "calling" to Canada for 60$ per month minimum.

Is there any Talk and Text plan to Canada in the $50 range that anyone has come across?

Are there any discount cell phone providers other than AT&T, Verizon and t-Mobile?

I am not looking for Data plans or expensive iphone type phones.Just a cheap talk and text plan with long distance hopefully.

Is 75$ per month a norm for USA for talk and text features with long distance? I pay $25/month in Canada for unlimited international texting and unlimited nights and weekends within my area.

Any help is appreciated

 

[kbharadwaj]

Joy, I was looking for same sort of plans. However, mine is a different case wherein I would have to make calls to India during night and the weekends. If you come across any good plan, kindly let me know.

 

[Felix]

There is

No Contract Prepaid Cell Phones
Virgin.com

but I would actually find the best plan with one of the 4 big providers (ATT, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint) and use skype, google voice or another VoIP to call Canada.

Also, not that it matters too much, but reception at Baruch is spotty. ATT seems to have the best reception there (which is not the carrier I have).

 

[joel_b]

I have the $5.99 AT&T Canada plan, but that's a flat rate, and you still pay 9cents per minute. Skype is an optoon.

I should just get the calling cards, they are the best deal (non-VoIP). Quants must appreciate telephone line arbitrage, hahah.

edit: errr i just looked, I didn't even know at&t has US and Canada nationwide plans, no long distance at all for about $20 over their regular plan. check that out. only need to talk 155 minutes to canada and it beats the 5.99 +.09 cent plan.

 

[Joy Pathak]

I have the $5.99 AT&T Canada plan, but that's a flat rate, and you still pay 9cents per minute. Skype is an optoon.

I should just get the calling cards, they are the best deal (non-VoIP). Quants must appreciate telephone line arbitrage, hahah.

edit: errr i just looked, I didn't even know at&t has US and Canada nationwide plans, no long distance at all for about $20 over their regular plan. check that out. only need to talk 155 minutes to canada and it beats the 5.99 +.09 cent plan.

I am assuming you mean't 59.99?

Also, where do you see the 20$ for additional to call Canada? I seem to have missed that. Unfortunately, texting is an issue too. I need to be able to text to Canada.

I might have to stick with the Calling card system.

 

[joel_b]

Errr, some numbers are off. Let me clarify the options with AT&T for canada. plus the fact that text messaging is always separate is a real blower, the best you can do is reduce it, unless you get a global add-on data plan.


Nation 450 (no Canada) $39.99
-- 450 minutes, 5000 eve/wkd
+ add-on canada plan $4.99 flat
------ $0.09 long distance to canada
------ $0.25 per text sent to canada (not included in any us messaging plan)
------ $0.59 voice roaming in canada

= 44.98 + usage + text + roam

New Nation 450 + Canada $59.99
-- 450 minutes, 1000 eve/wknd
-- no charge long distance to canada
-- no charge roaming in canada
-- $0.25 text message sent to canada (still)

= $59.99 plus text

So, I've decided I'm going to use the second plan, and just call more instead of texting. There is a reduction in minutes, but I never use that many any, I use text in the us, voice to canada. Only need to call canada for 167 minutes a month for the 2nd plan to breakeven with the first. And that's not including if you travel to Canada, and call instead of getting additional text charges. Voice roaming etc you can have a $300 bill real fast, now I can turn off my data and just call everyone when I am in Canada.

But I have a bb, so I'm screwed. Nation 450 $60, BB Data $30, Messaging $20 I'm still at $110 out the door, not including all those extra fees. But I get them back a bit...bluetooth tethering...hehe.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Get someone with an existing plan and sweet talk them into adding your number as additional line for as low as $10/month.
Add text+data plan as you wish and offer them cost + overhead ($5-10)/month and prepay 1 year.
You may come out ahead if you pick someone with a generous plan.

I have a BB with a $20 dataplan which I use extensively for email/web. Little voice and no text.

 

[pruse]

MetroPCS advertises $40 unlimited call, text, and web, but i have no idea how reliable their service is.

I personally use ATT, which has great coverage.

 

[kbharadwaj]

Plans for India

Does anyone here know any good plans so that I could make calls to India in the night and on the weekends?

 

[sampadm]

Airtel call home - https://www.airtelcallhome.com/ - or stanacard call india service http://www.stanacard.com/en/home.aspx. There are also other calling cards, like reliance and raza.com. However, I prefer stanacard. Let me know if you are interested in stana, referral can get us bonus credits.

 

[alain]

get a magic jack and send it to India. Then have India call you.

 

[Joy Pathak]

Does anyone have a MetroPCS plan? or even their number?

The number on their website doesn't work... super ghetto. But they have cheap plans for Canada.

 

[Joy Pathak]

Boost Mobile BlackBerry Monthly Unlimited


Found a great plan.. $70 for international texting, calling, etc unlimited and data plan/blackberry.

 

[joel_b]

hot tip, I will look into that! Err wait, are they CDMA?

 

[Joy Pathak]

hot tip, I will look into that! Err wait, are they CDMA?

BoostMobile is on the Sprint network from what I read.

And I think, Sprint is CDMA.

 

[joel_b]

Yeah. Booo, i'm gsm. On Monday AT&T is changing their data plans. So I'm switching to the 200mb plan for $15, and the 1500 messaging for $15. So now it's 60+15+15 = 90 for the canada plan. Not as bad as before.

 

[Joy Pathak]

Yeah. Booo, i'm gsm. On Monday AT&T is changing their data plans. So I'm switching to the 200mb plan for $15, and the 1500 messaging for $15. So now it's 60+15+15 = 90 for the canada plan. Not as bad as before.

I would pay only 75$ with tax for the Boostmobile... Is there any reason I should opt for the 90$ plan that gives me the same thing?

I don't know much about cellphones/networks in the US.

 

[joel_b]

oh no, that is a better plan. Cheaper AND better actually.

I'm just hooked because I brought my rogers bb from canada, so I chose a simm card based provider, b/c I didn't want to get a contract in order to get a phone. In retrospect I would have been better off in the long run switching though, but it would have taken 2 years to realize savings.

Plus I have a bold, and boost you have to buy an old curve 8330...for $250.

 

[atreides]

Yeah. Booo, i'm gsm. On Monday AT&T is changing their data plans. So I'm switching to the 200mb plan for $15, and the 1500 messaging for $15. So now it's 60+15+15 = 90 for the canada plan. Not as bad as before.

Just an FYI, AT&T service sucks

 

[joel_b]

haha captain obvious in the house