Thursday, November 6, 2014
The toughest part about picking your smartphone plan is that you're going to be stuck with whatever you pick for two years. The best way to alleviate some of the cost and worry that comes with picking a smartphone plan can be opting into a family plan.
Family plans usually let groups of people share the same call and data limits for much lower prices. Instead of paying for each person's entire plan separately, you usually just pay a smaller fee to add them to your family plan.
The toughest part about picking your family plan is actually figuring out what you're going to need. Here are some of the best new, data-conscious plans for your family.
Sprint's Family Share Pack gives you unlimited talk and text will cost you $75, but you'll only get 600MB of monthly data per phone.
T-Mobile's Simple Choice gives you a two-phone plan for $80. You get unlimited talk and text along with 1GB of monthly data per phone.
If you think you'll use the extra 400MB, then T-Mobile's 1GB plan is probably worth the extra $5.
On the higher end, you can get A&T Next for $130 monthly which allows for 5GB data usage per phone.
If you're looking for Verizon's famous coverage and call consistency, then a three-phone plan is actually your sweet spot.
You can get 1GB, 2GB and 4GB per-phone for $150, $140 and $155 respectively.
On the lower end, you can get T-Mobile's Simple Choice plan for three phones at $90, which comes with 1GB per phone.
Verizon Edge Share Everything will get you 2GB of data for $150 and $160 for four and five phone plans respectively.
When it comes to picking a plan for four or five phones, though, it's best to keep an eye out for carrier-based offers. Companies will offer you big discounts, so be sure to keep an eye out for my coverage.
1. Paying for more data doesn't mean that you'll use more data
Earlier, I wrote a tip about picking your data plan and I'd definitely recommend you take another look before finishing out this tip. While text messaging is almost a necessity nowadays, most of the apps that require data plans can also be used near a Wi-Fi hotspot so they don't suck up too much data from your cell plan.
2GB will be fine for most average users. 4GB or unlimited plans are more important for travelers and people who stream a lot of media to their gadgets.
2. Consider quality over quantity
Data limits are one thing, but while you won't find AT&T in any of my lowest price options: AT&T ranked first in a Consumer Reports survey for best and fastest 4G connection.
Verizon, the most expensive all-around option, ranked first for highest overall customer satisfaction.
If you're not going to be constantly downloading stuff, however, speed might not be the biggest issue for you. Consistency is pretty high across almost all carriers, so your mileage may vary if you opt for a budget option.
3. Keep an eye out
The most important thing to do when you're picking a mobile data plan for your family is to watch for deals. Companies want you to sign up for these contracts because they really don't want you to sign up with other companies.
Getting into a two-year contract under a deal means that you'll usually get to keep that price throughout the duration of your contract.
That could add up to a massive amount of savings. If you do need a cellphone until you'll be able to get onto your new plan, you might also consider a no-contract phone.
The toughest part about picking your family plan is actually figuring out what you're going to need. Here are some of the best new, data-conscious plans for your family.
Two person household
The cheapest plan to pick for a two-phone plan is either Sprint or T-Mobile's family plans.Sprint's Family Share Pack gives you unlimited talk and text will cost you $75, but you'll only get 600MB of monthly data per phone.
T-Mobile's Simple Choice gives you a two-phone plan for $80. You get unlimited talk and text along with 1GB of monthly data per phone.
If you think you'll use the extra 400MB, then T-Mobile's 1GB plan is probably worth the extra $5.
On the higher end, you can get A&T Next for $130 monthly which allows for 5GB data usage per phone.
Three-person household
If you're looking for Verizon's famous coverage and call consistency, then a three-phone plan is actually your sweet spot.You can get 1GB, 2GB and 4GB per-phone for $150, $140 and $155 respectively.
On the lower end, you can get T-Mobile's Simple Choice plan for three phones at $90, which comes with 1GB per phone.
Four- and five-person households
The cheapest that you'll get when trying to run a four- or five-phone plan is, again, T-Mobile's Simple Choice. You can get 1GB per phone for $100 and $110 monthly for four and five phones respectively.Verizon Edge Share Everything will get you 2GB of data for $150 and $160 for four and five phone plans respectively.
When it comes to picking a plan for four or five phones, though, it's best to keep an eye out for carrier-based offers. Companies will offer you big discounts, so be sure to keep an eye out for my coverage.
Rules of thumb
While these deals are subject to change as promotions come and go, there are a few basic ideas that any smart consumer should keep in mind when hunting for their next cellphone plan:1. Paying for more data doesn't mean that you'll use more data
Earlier, I wrote a tip about picking your data plan and I'd definitely recommend you take another look before finishing out this tip. While text messaging is almost a necessity nowadays, most of the apps that require data plans can also be used near a Wi-Fi hotspot so they don't suck up too much data from your cell plan.
2GB will be fine for most average users. 4GB or unlimited plans are more important for travelers and people who stream a lot of media to their gadgets.
2. Consider quality over quantity
Data limits are one thing, but while you won't find AT&T in any of my lowest price options: AT&T ranked first in a Consumer Reports survey for best and fastest 4G connection.
Verizon, the most expensive all-around option, ranked first for highest overall customer satisfaction.
If you're not going to be constantly downloading stuff, however, speed might not be the biggest issue for you. Consistency is pretty high across almost all carriers, so your mileage may vary if you opt for a budget option.
3. Keep an eye out
The most important thing to do when you're picking a mobile data plan for your family is to watch for deals. Companies want you to sign up for these contracts because they really don't want you to sign up with other companies.
Getting into a two-year contract under a deal means that you'll usually get to keep that price throughout the duration of your contract.
That could add up to a massive amount of savings. If you do need a cellphone until you'll be able to get onto your new plan, you might also consider a no-contract phone.
Source: Consumer Reports