A request for help from Katie:
Cell phones and service are basically a necessity, but the cost is ridiculous!! Are there any companies or deals that offer cheap services and/or products that are also of good quality? What about the deal through WalMart or Boost? I’m tired of giving T-Mobile way too much money every month!
If you’ve got a suggestion for cheap cell phone services or products in Colorado Springs? Please leave a comment on this post if you have a tip!
Need help finding products or service providers here in Colorado Springs? Check the Reader Requests Page to view the archives or submit your own request.
$1.25 for Lucerne (half gallon) at Safeway, Fri-Sun Only
We just went throught this as we added a teenager who has several friends who are only allowed to text. The best deal we found was the one through Wal-mart. I am pleased with the service and paying the flat rate is great. Also when we add our other daughter in a few years her line will only be $25. There is no contract which is great. The only thing is you can go to target and buy the phones for much cheaper then activate the card through Walmart. We saved about $150 on phones doing it that way. Hope this helped.
This might not be a comprehensive option for you, but if you have a nicer phone, you can get apps that allow for free texting if that’s a large part of your bill every month. It probably means a more expensive phone, which usually requires a more expensive plan, but depending on what you’re looking at, it might be an option.
I disagree that cell phones are a necessity!!! Ours lives in a drawer. We have it for “emergencies” only & pay as we go. We must add money every 90 days ($15/90 days). Yes, we pay $5/month. Every once in a while if our balance is high, we’ll use it, just to bring down the balance. We don’t text, access the internet through ours … it’s just a basic phone. Our service is with Virgin & we’ve been happy with signal & haven’t experienced dropped calls … like I said, we don’t use it much!
We use Tracfone. The phones are inexpensive and the service is pay as you go (no contract). And widely available (Target, Walmart, grocery stores, etc.). We aren’t web surfing with it, but it suits our needs.
CRICKET- I have an plan for $46 a month to include UNLIMITED calls, messages and text messages, and web surfing. I keep getting the cheapest phone, with a full rebate on it’s cost. I have replaced the phone 3 times now with $0 out of pocket. Only requirement for the free phone is that you keep the service for 45 days. No contract ever. The reception quality is as good as my T-Mobile, if not better.
We recently changed to Virgin Mobile. We both bought the android phones because we are tech geeks, but with the money we are now saving every month compared to what we were paying monthly for Sprint service, we could afford to splurge a little. You can get unlimited minutes, text and web for $60 a month; 1200 minutes, unlimited text and web for $40 a month; or 300 minutes a month, unlimited text and web for $25 a month. Our first month we went with the $40 a month plan ($80 for the 2 phones) which was better than what we were getting with Sprint where we shared 1500 minutes and paid $165 a month for unlimited everything else. Since I don’t talk much and am more of a texter and web user, I decided to try the $25 plan this month and so did my hubby although I am thinking he will prob have to buy more air time before the end of the month. And, because I filled out a survey from Virgin Mobile, they sent me a code for $20 of free service so actually I only paid $5 for the month for my service. We were also able to transfer our phone numbers over from our Sprint phones. So far, the service has been great, although when we are out in Westcliffe and remote areas, there is limited signal. But, I am totally happy. And, one of the best things is that all you pay is the monthly price… you don’t have to pay taxes or FCC charges on top of that ;-)
I also have Virgin Mobile plan for $25.00. I am wondering if anyone else with this plan is really paying $27.20 a month. I was told that the additional money is for tax. Just wondering if somehow I am being mislead by Virgin.
I literally just switched from Tmobile 2 days ago, we settled on a no contract option with Virgin Mobile, $25 a month for unlimited text & web w/300 minutes, though you do have to buy your own phone. We have a landline so we didn’t need a lot of minutes. Good luck!
PS If you end up getting a plan that requires you to buy a phone, take a peek at wirefly.com
this may not be an option for you, but if you have family members/friends that have a cell plan, and they are willing, see if you can be added to their plan. my family has sprint and they allow you to have up to five lines. each additional line after the 2nd? maybe 3rd? is only 9.99 a month. i think other companies offer this as well. my husband and i got married 3 months ago and he was paying $55/month with verizon for the most basic plan with only 250 texts. my dad called sprint to inquire about adding him to our plan, but we already have 5 lines. she asked her supervisor and they made an exception for us! we didn’t even know to ask for that, the representative just offered this to him. now we will just pay my parents $20/month for both of our phones. this is a definite blessing!
so, if you know of anyone that this might work with, ask them and see if you can join their plan and pay them.
i also know that my dad has had a lot of success simply talking to customer service representatives. if you are willing to devote the time, remind them of your loyalty/history of paying on time, and are persistent in asking for the best deal, you can definitely try to get them to lower your costs or give you a better plan.
i hope you are able to find something that works best for your needs!
I would second the Trac Phone. I think I pay $75 for a years worth of service and 1000 minutes. We mostly use our home phone but we have plenty minutes for emergencies or when we are traveling.
We have a T-Mobile no contract phone. We signed up a couple years ago and bought a $20 phone to make it work. We buy 1000 minutes that expire a year from the date of purchase, but because of bonuses, etc. we usually get at least an extra 100 minutes out of the deal. It is very basic, but we just have it so we can be contacted in an emergency or quick calls home when one of us is out and about. It is great for $7-8/month. The only thing we would do differently is maybe spend an extra $20 or so on the actual phone (one-time expense) to get one that is a bit nicer. Yes, this is less technology than “everybody” has, but it is one of the ways we reduce our monthly fixed expenses so we can live within our means.
Depending on how many phones you would need and how many minutes you use, Virgin Mobile is a great deal. My husband and I were paying over $80 a month for our Verizon service with no web capabilities. We switched to Virgin Mobile for $25 a month per phone. We each get 300 minutes, unlimited text and web. We were only using about 120 minutes a month anyway so this was the best deal we found that didn’t require a contract. You do have to purchase your phone but it is saving us money each month for sure.
My husband and I switched to Virgin Mobile about 6 months ago.
We are VERY happy with their $25.00/month 300 min/unlimited txt and data/email. LOVE my Android phone :)
We use Virgin Mobile as well and love it. We got our phones on Criagslist which help withe the cost of the smart phone.
We tried cricket but was very unhappy with the service- we always lost our connection and also when we would go out of town then didnt work.
What kind of phones did you get? Do they have to be from virgin? We have tmobile phones (they have sim cards), will these work?
Wow! I am surprised to see what cheap options there are out there. We checked around a couple of years ago, and went with Sprint, because it was the cheapest we found. My husband talks on his cell all day for work, so he needed the unlimited plan. We recently switched to a family plan with unlimited text, data and mobile to mobile and 1500 minutes to landlines for $130 plus $10 for my phone. It’s saving us money every month, plus now I get text and data too!
I’m not sure if it is still offered, but T-Mobile had a plan for $15/month that included unlimited texting and $.10 per minute for calls. This worked great for our teenagers for awhile. One teen still has this plan but the other now has the $25 Virgin Mobile plan. Me? I still have an old pay as you go phone. I’m spending way less than I used to than when we had a two line plan from Verizon.
Lonnell, that plan with T-Mobile still exists – I am on it too.
I just switched from Verizon to PagePlus. PagePlus buys bulk minutes from Verizon and uses Verizon’s network, so the reception is as good as when I was with Verizon, and much cheaper.
You can pay for monthly plans, one of which is about $30 for tons of minutes and unlimited text, or just buy minutes.
I paid $50 for 1000 minutes, and can also use it toward text. That was 2 and 1/2 months ago and I still have $10 left so it is a great deal for me.
You can use your original phone if it is PagePlus compatible, or buy a phone off ebay and activate it.
I’ve tried Verozon too and it save me a lot including my family it is more cheaper compared to other deals.