For the last four years (or more) I’ve just been using a Tracfone for wireless. I’m normally the type of person that only turned their cell phone on when I needed to call someone or when I was meeting someone. It worked great for years and I averaged about $10/month for a cell phone bill.
Now I find that I’m using my cell phone more. It’s getting to the point where I’m spending about $30/month on it. This is getting into the neighborhood where I could get an actual cell phone plan. Add to this that I’m also thinking that I can finally drop my home phone and long distance, which will save me at least another $30/month. Last, my live-in girlfriend (of 4 years) also has prepaid wireless (through Virgin Mobile). It’s definitely cheaper than Tracfone, but the coverage here sucks. I’m thinking of getting a plan with two phones, so she can do away with that too.
We live in western Wisconsin, not far from the Mississippi River. The nearest somewhat large town is LaCrosse (pop. 50K). It’s a beautiful area (especially this time of year), but it probably lags a few years behind the big cities in regards to available services. As near as I can tell, my options for wireless providers are US Cellular, Alltel, and Sprint.
So, it’s time for a quick summary. I need a wireless provider in western Wisconsin. I want a plan with two phones. I would like to keep the monthly bill at somewhere around $60. I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles. What I need is a provider where I will have coverage when I’m out on the river on a jetski or biking on some trails or whatever.
Sprint’s plan seems to work the best for me. They have free nights (after 9:00pm) and weekends. They also have plans with no roaming fees. The two phone plan for $60 is 550 minutes. I think we can easily make that work, especially with the free nights and weekends. What worries me is that they seem to be at the bottom of most peoples’ lists regarding service. I also worry about that “free roaming” thing really being free. Their PCS network is only along the interstate here, so I expect to be roaming a lot with them.
Alltel also has a plan for $60. It’s 700 minutes, but free nights and weekends costs extra. (does that even make sense?) Their coverage area is generous, but they do have roaming fees. Most likely that will only come into play when we take a vacation. I believe they have a thing where you can pay an extra $10 for a month and then roam for free, so maybe the roaming thing wouldn’t be a problem.
US Cellular comes in at $55 for 1000 minutes. Nights and weekends are an addtional $10 (with Sharetalk). Their coverage area is not as good for me as Alltel’s. We seem to be right near the edge of their map, so I could see myself roaming occasionally without anything really special going on. Their phone selection also seems to be the weakest and the most expensive.
I have friends with both US Cellular and Alltel, who have renewed contracts with them, so they must be happy. I really don’t know anyone with Sprint. So, I ask you, SDMB, what are your recommendations for a cellular service provider?