# How much is your monthly cell phone bill? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901 "2013-10-10T18:11:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/1 "2013-10-10T18:11:44Z")
Just curious how much people are paying for their service. For me, I pay around $149 a month. This is for two lines with unlimited data and limited phone minutes that we have never had a problem keeping. This doesn’t include insurance which used to run $7 per phone but we use a third party for that now. I live just outside of a big east coast city. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/2 "2013-10-10T18:19:54Z")
Mine is almost $200 (AT&T). I have 4 lines, 3 of which are smart phones and we have to pay for a data usage plan. We have unlimited texting. ---
**Author:** ![NVME702-redux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a183cd/32.png) [@NVME702-redux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NVME702-redux)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/3 "2013-10-10T18:23:54Z")
I pay around $450 a month for six lines, all smart phones, unlimited and including insurance since four lines are utilized by teens and phones are not cheap. I’ve been with Sprint for 12 years and for the most part, they do right by me. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/4 "2013-10-10T18:25:42Z")
Flat fee, $35/month. I make a lot of real estate calls, rarely text, but only run into extra fees when I am far from my home area at conventions. Land lines are cheaper and have far better fidelity and reliability, so I use mobile phones only when portability matters. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/5 "2013-10-10T18:29:12Z")
Around $200 for three smart phones. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/6 "2013-10-10T18:31:13Z")
Wife and I pay about $95/mo combined for our two “feature phones.” ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/7 "2013-10-10T18:31:50Z")
Yall are suckers. I’m paying $20.00 a month for unlimited text, talk, and data. The smartphone cost me $200 up front, but now it is on sale for $100. It uses your home network when available, and the Sprint Network with 3G when it’s not. I get excellent service, and though the phone has a few quirks, it will do 99% of what your smartphone will do. I’m just kidding about the suckers part - I know everyone has their own situations that come up and what is right for them - but ask yourself; am I paying too much? I live in a ~20k people Southeast Coast City, and get service in the middle of the woods also. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/8 "2013-10-10T18:33:15Z")
$32 every month for my smartphone About $15 every other month for my husband’s tracfone (he doesn’t use it much) ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/9 "2013-10-10T18:36:05Z")
I’m part of a group plan for iphone. My share is $46 a month. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/10 "2013-10-10T18:40:06Z")
My Verizon prepaid no-feature-plain-old-cellphone is $100/year. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/11 "2013-10-10T18:41:46Z")
I’m in the UK, and I pay approx $33 a month for unlimited texts, 3000 minutes and 2GB of data (the last two may as well be unlimited given my usage pattern). The phone, an HTC One X+, was free on a 24-month contract. ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Vegetable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Space\_Vegetable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Vegetable)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/12 "2013-10-10T18:45:05Z")
I’m paying $20 every three months for a feature phone from Virgin Mobile that I don’t use very much. Until this year it was $15 every three months. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/13 "2013-10-10T18:57:46Z")
$30/month, unlimited T/T/D and use a SIP account. It’s the closest I could get to a reliable data-only plan over 4G LTE. ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/14 "2013-10-10T19:01:12Z")
About $160 for two smart phones (iPhone and Razr Maxx?? - that’s the one with the extra long life battery?) with unlimited talk & text and I think 4GB of data a month. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/15 "2013-10-10T19:10:04Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#): > > Yall are suckers. > > I’m paying $20.00 a month for unlimited text, talk, and data. The smartphone cost me $200 up front, but now it is on sale for $100. It uses your home network when available, and the Sprint Network with 3G when it’s not. I get excellent service, and though the phone has a few quirks, it will do 99% of what your smartphone will do. Which carrier gives you unlimited everything for only $20.00 a month? I’m with Straight Talk. $45.00 a month for unlimited talk, text, and data. About $49.00 with all the taxes and fees. I’m using the same iPhone I used with AT&T. They gave me an AT&T compatible SIM card, but if you have an unlocked iPhone, you also have the choice of using T-Mobile’s network. And despite some negative reviews, I’ve been with Straight Talk since January and have had no problems with them. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/16 "2013-10-10T19:11:23Z")
About $130/mo for one smart phone, one feature phone and our Home Phone Connect. We share 700 minutes and never go over; a 2Gb of data plan that only I use and never get close to hitting, and she has unlimited texting on her feature phone ($10) while I have 500 texts ($5). We also qualify for a 17% discount through my company. In a couple of years our kids will probably end up with phones, so that cost will increase as necessary. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/17 "2013-10-10T19:16:14Z")
> [@Space\_Vegetable](#): > > I’m paying $20 every three months for a feature phone from Virgin Mobile that I don’t use very much. Until this year it was $15 every three months. I have this - but they’re trying very hard to kick people off of this plan. I’m currently looking for something similar from a less hostile phone company. ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/18 "2013-10-10T19:26:53Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Which carrier gives you unlimited everything for only $20.00 a month? > > I’m with Straight Talk. $45.00 a month for unlimited talk, text, and data. About $49.00 with all the taxes and fees. I’m using the same iPhone I used with AT&T. They gave me an AT&T compatible SIM card, but if you have an unlocked iPhone, you also have the choice of using T-Mobile’s network. And despite some negative reviews, I’ve been with Straight Talk since January and have had no problems with them. I used to be on Straighttalk, but the service could be shaky at times, and the data was worthless. I use Republic wireless. Unless you are at home, it is the same as having a phone with the Sprint network, except when you ARE at home you use home wireless which is MUCH faster. When I switched the phone was $200, and so I paid $200 upfront to move the bill from $45 a month to $20. So, I recoup my conversion costs in 8 months. In other words, if the company shits the bed 8 months from now I’m only right back where I started, no worse. Every month it lasts after 8 months will be a net $25 in my pocket. And I doubt it will fold, if anything it is growing. Yes, you are currently stuck using their phone, but it is a fine phone. It really is. ESPECIALLY if you are used to Straight Talks’ basic phone. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/19 "2013-10-10T19:27:50Z")
$30/month IPhone pre-paid ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901/20 "2013-10-10T19:52:25Z")
$35 a month Virgin Mobile – unlimited internet and text, and 300 minutes a month (about 280 more than I need). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-your-monthly-cell-phone-bill/670901.md?page=2)