# What Do You Pay For Your Cell Phone Service? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 4, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204 "2011-04-04T22:37:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/1 "2011-04-04T22:37:55Z")
Just curious what everyone is paying for their cellular and data service. Ideally I’d like to get an idea what you each pay for individual plans, so if you’ve got a family plan or some other bundled services divide it up and select the option closest to the average per line. If you’ve got some really cheap or expensive plan post and let us know what the deal is. Poll coming soon. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/2 "2011-04-04T22:44:24Z")
ETA: Please include the total including all taxes and fees, not just the advertised price. If some months are dramatically higher than others due to overages or other fees/purchases take a guess at the average. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/3 "2011-04-05T00:09:31Z")
I pay just under $20 a month ($15 + taxes and fees) for 50 minutes on a Jitterbug. I don’t use it much so that’s fine with me. No data however. No camera and no texting (although that could be added). These are for calls to US and Canada. The 50 minutes expire a month later, so I usually have 100 minutes. That was what I wrote until I checked and discovered that they must have changed their policy so that minutes last for three months instead of two. My current balance is 139 minutes, which means I have used only 11 minutes in the last two months. ---
**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:** [April 5, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/4 "2011-04-05T00:14:34Z")
$8.33/month for Verizon, pre-paid. My account was grandfathered in from the old “Free-Up” plan. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/5 "2011-04-05T00:15:08Z")
So far, I spend less than $10 per month on an old iPhone. I bought a used iPhone 3G for $50 and turned ‘Cellular Data’ OFF. Then I went to ATT and bought a GoPhone SIM card for $15 on the 10 cent/minute plan and activated it. I add to it in $25 increments - 250 minutes good for 90 days. I make few calls, rarely text and limit data access to WiFi so it works out well for me. (This required no special software or ‘jailbreaking’, it just works and ATT allows it.) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/6 "2011-04-05T00:31:09Z")
700 minutes = $60 Unlimited data = $30 VZ Navigator GPS = $10 Visual Voice Mial = $3 Loss/damage insurance = $8 ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/7 "2011-04-05T00:36:07Z")
I have an Android smartphone on a prepaid plan. Every two months or so, I buy a 1GB “data bundle” which costs ZAR300; 500MB/month is more than sufficient, since I’m on wifi most of the time. I spend at most R50 a month on calls, which means that my average monthly spend comes in below R200, or about $30 US. ---
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/8 "2011-04-05T00:39:29Z")
450 minutes (free incoming calls, nights and weekends starting at 7) Unlimited messaging 5 GB data (includes GPS navigation) $69.99 a month. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/9 "2011-04-05T00:45:46Z")
Hallgirl 1, Hallboy and I share a plan with AT&T. Hallgirl1 and I both have iPhones with unlimited texting and data (I use the internet on my iPhone a LOT). Hallboy has a plain old phone with texting (no internet). We share minutes and have so many rollover minutes it’s outrageous. (All of our family and friends are apparently AT&T customers so we rarely even get anywhere near close to using our minutes.) Our plan for all three phones is $160 a month. That includes taxes and fees. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/10 "2011-04-05T01:10:28Z")
$25/month + $2.50 sales tax, Virgin Mobile smartphone. Unlimited internet, unlimited text, 300 minutes. If I use more minutes, I’ll go up to the $40, 1200 minute plan. Previously, I used 300 minutes per month on a prepaid TMobile account for 9.5 cents/minute (10 cents per minute, put purchased at [callingmart.com](http://callingmart.com) at a discount), so I’m paying less per month now, but getting unlimited internet and texting. My daughter is finishing out a TMobile contract for $49/month + $15-$20 taxes for unlimited texting, no internet, and 500 minutes talk. She’ll switch to Virgin Mobile as soon as they fix their Optimus internet problem they’ve been promising for 3 weeks. Other daughter: $30/month + $3 sales tax Virgin Mobile Blackberry plan, same plan as mine except an extra $5 for Blackberry network. Husband: 9.5 cents per minute TMobile prepaid, probably uses 100 minutes a month or less. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/11 "2011-04-05T02:04:54Z")
Wow, how do you get these lower prices? I was just quoted $95 per month for a 4G, unlimited by Verizon. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/12 "2011-04-05T02:18:20Z")
[Page Plus.](http://pagepluscellular.com) Resells the Verizon network. I add $10 online every other month or so. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/13 "2011-04-05T02:44:17Z")
My job is tech support over the phone. I talk on the phone 8+ hours a day _for my job_. Off-hours, I don’t want to be on the phone. I have a cheapo phone and it is on my 70+ year old parent’s account for $10 a month, because I use it all of about 40 minutes a month, mostly to them and my sisters. No reason for me to own a smart phone. That kind of bill would be about $2 per minute of use. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/14 "2011-04-05T12:11:22Z")
Basic phone that I rarely turn on (use it mostly when I’m meeting someone). I have a pay-as-you-go plan with Tracfone that costs $100/year for more minutes than I need. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/15 "2011-04-05T12:24:04Z")
Smartphone but no data plan. ## 300 minutes $40 300 messages $5 Taxes/fees $10 $55/month ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/16 "2011-04-05T13:02:10Z")
Unfortunately, your poll only goes down to $40/mo, I’d have chosen \<$10 if you had it. Plain Jane Tracfone. Set up a plan to maintain the service @ $6/mo, and occasionally add minutes when I need to. When I add minutes, it automatically extends the service, so my “monthly” charge doesn’t pick up again until the new expiration date. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/17 "2011-04-05T13:11:35Z")
I’m another one with under $40 a month. Lately, I’ve been having issues with people who own smartphones and don’t remember/realize that not everyone else does. Encountered yet another person yesterday who was irate I was not responding to text messages. Sorry, my phone does not have that capability. Seriously, it took me 15 minutes to convince this person that really, no, I have zero text capability. Send me a text it falls into a communication black hole. I thought I was the only one left with a dumb phone, but looking at the poll it seems there’s still quite a few of us. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/18 "2011-04-05T13:15:54Z")
I thought we were paying extortionate fees in Australia but my smartphone plan is under $30. Mind you I don’t use it much. ---
**Author:** ![BigDadWolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@BigDadWolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigDadWolf)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/19 "2011-04-05T13:27:06Z")
I pay $154 per month for 3 smartphones (wife and two teens) with unlimited data and texting and 1,500 anytime minutes - not fantastic but I’m happy with it since I don’t need to worry about overages on texts and data which can be an issue with 2 teenagers. (My own phone is provided by my employer). ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204/20 "2011-04-05T13:32:36Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m another one with under $40 a month. > > Lately, I’ve been having issues with people who own smartphones and don’t remember/realize that not everyone else does. Encountered yet another person yesterday who was irate I was not responding to text messages. Sorry, my phone does not have that capability. Seriously, it took me 15 minutes to convince this person that really, no, I have zero text capability. Send me a text it falls into a communication black hole. > > I thought I was the only one left with a dumb phone, but looking at the poll it seems there’s still quite a few of us. I don’t have a smart phone, but I can get and send texts. Smart phones are i-phones and the like, correct? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-your-cell-phone-service/577204.md?page=2)