Average Cell Phone Bill with Data PlanWhat is Reasonable?

[Saladsamurai]

Hey guys. I am going to finally catch up with technology and get a smart phone of sorts. But I have a dilemma: I have been with Sprint for ~7 years. It is part of a family plan, so it ends up being like $40 / month for my share.

I am eligible for an upgrade and could get a Blackberry or HTC for a good price OR I could switch carriers to get an iPhone. I can only imagine that the latter would come with a considerable increase in monthly costs.

I would like to (without getting to personal) get a rough estimate of what people pay for their cell phone bills who use similar devices.

Minutes are never a problem for me as I make few calls. But I have never needed a plan to
get online with my phone before (since I never used it). I am assuming this is what they are referring to as a DATA plan.

What are you folks paying monthly?

 

[rootX]

32 $ and a plain simple phone. It has some data limit but I only make/receive calls.

I am thinking about moving to a VOIP service like:
Google Voice: http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html
iCall: http://www.icall.com/
Not because they are cheaper but that they are more flexible.

 

[cristo]

I'm not from the US, but I pay around £30 a month for about 500 mins & texts, unlimited data (including tethering, which I'm not entirely sure they know about!), unlimited international calls. The network is crap, and I don't have a "posh" phone, but I got a pretty good deal, so can't complain!

 

[Sorry!]

In Canada with telus i have blackberry pearl. I pay aroudn 65$ a month for unlimited calls/texts to 5 ppl i choose 250 anytime mins i think like 1gb data unlimited emails and unlimited instant msging (blackberry msger or msn msger or w/e else) as well as voicemall 10 and call display

 

[jgens]

Well, for three Palm Pre's my family pays about $150 per month for unlimited data, 1500 minutes, and 300 text messages. I'm pretty sure that the Pre's data plan is only through Sprint at the moment.

 

[brewnog]

£17.50 a month with 300 any network minutes, 300 text/media messages, unlimited interthing, and a good handset.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

With sprint I have a basic calling plan, about 400 minutes I think and I never use them all. I got my texting(unlimited) and data(unlimited) plans separate because I could not afford them when I first signed on. With out a package plan, getting each added separately, I pay about $80 a month. Coverage around here is really good. I have no idea if they charge more, or less, elsewhere. From what I have seen the package plans add more minutes and options as you go for unlimited so to get unlimited texting and data on a package plan you will get a whole bunch of other stuff like international calling and what have you so they will charge you much more. I think the plans I saw with unlimited text and data were about $100 but I could be wrong. That might just be what they had at that store at that time.

 

[Equate]

In Canada with telus i have blackberry pearl. I pay aroudn 65$ a month for unlimited calls/texts to 5 ppl i choose 250 anytime mins i think like 1gb data unlimited emails and unlimited instant msging (blackberry msger or msn msger or w/e else) as well as voicemall 10 and call display

?

I don't understand a thing you are trying to say...

 

[jgens]

I think the plans I saw with unlimited text and data were about $100 but I could be wrong. That might just be what they had at that store at that time.

Sprint's unlimited everything plan costs $100, you're correct.

 

[Evo]

The Sprint Simply Everything plan with unlimited voice, text and data (including Blackberry) is $99 a month. Beware that unless you get the Sprint simply everythinng plan that Blackberry charges $30 a month for their data plan. If you don't use much voice, check into Sprint's everything data plan, it's cheaper.

Sprint has the Palm Pre, rated superior to the i-phone. I've used it and yes, it is superior. Palm did everything right on this phone. Much better than a blackberry, which is why a brand new blackberry is only $40 now.

Check to see if you have Boost mobile in your area. Boost is Sprint and unlimited everything is only $50 a month, but it's a pre-paid service. It's the best value though.

 

[Sorry!]

?

I don't understand a thing you are trying to say...

Well it's a list I just didn't put commas. I figured anyone knowing something about cellphone plans would be able to understand.

I pay 65 Canadian Dollars a month for:
Unlimited local calls/texts with 5 people of my choosing
250 anytime minutes +unlimited evenings/weekends starting at 9
1gb data (This is the data plan part... i think i get ripped off)
unlimited emails
unlimited instant msging (using blackberry msger or msn msg. don't know about the others haven't tried)
Voicemail 10 (10 minutes available for voicemail usage)
and Call Display
As well as the normal 911/taxi/411 and all those other nifty numbers
I use a Blackberry Pearl (which I don't recommend to anyone) which costs me 2 years ago 130$.

 

[Saladsamurai]

The Sprint Simply Everything plan with unlimited voice, text and data (including Blackberry) is $99 a month. Beware that unless you get the Sprint simply everythinng plan that Blackberry charges $30 a month for their data plan. If you don't use much voice, check into Sprint's everything data plan, it's cheaper.

Sprint has the Palm Pre, rated superior to the i-phone. I've used it and yes, it is superior. Palm did everything right on this phone. Much better than a blackberry, which is why a brand new blackberry is only $40 now.

Check to see if you have Boost mobile in your area. Boost is Sprint and unlimited everything is only $50 a month, but it's a pre-paid service. It's the best value though.

I have Sprint and had considered the Pre. But then i went to the store and actually held one and it just felt 'cheap'. Why do you think it is superior? What does it do better than the iPhone.

Usually people who are in the market for an iPhone are interested in things like: storing a crap load of music, viewing videos, having access to more Apps than they can ever use.

I am not sure that I could be convinced that iPhone hasn't perfected this. Or at least that Sprint can do it better.

 

[jgens]

I have Sprint and had considered the Pre. But then i went to the store and actually held one and it just felt 'cheap'. Why do you think it is superior? What does it do better than the iPhone.

Usually people who are in the market for an iPhone are interested in things like: storing a crap load of music, viewing videos, having access to more Apps than they can ever use.

I am not sure that I could be convinced that iPhone hasn't perfected this. Or at least that Sprint can do it better.

Well, the Pre can multi-task - open multiple windows at once - while the iPhone cannot. Currently, the Pre can hold 8 GB of music which - to my knowledge - is just as much as the typical iPhone. You can also load videos on the Pre, just the same as the iPhone. And, while currently the iPhone may have more Apps, the Pre is on its way to surpassing the iPhone - especially with the homebrew app store which the iPhone does not have.

 

[Saladsamurai]

Well, the Pre can multi-task - open multiple windows at once - while the iPhone cannot. Currently, the Pre can hold 8 GB of music which - to my knowledge - is just as much as the typical iPhone. You can also load videos on the Pre, just the same as the iPhone. And, while currently the iPhone may have more Apps, the Pre is on its way to surpassing the iPhone - especially with the homebrew app store which the iPhone does not have.

Hmm...interesting. I wonder if you can load your iTunes library to the Pre. Like if I want to watch a video from the iTunes store or a PodCast.

 

[jgens]

Hmm...interesting. I wonder if you can load your iTunes library to the Pre. Like if I want to watch a video from the iTunes store or a PodCast.

Yes, currently the Pre can download your iTunes library.