Consumer Cellular? any experience, advice, opinions

[uglymike]

I'm trying to save a couple bucks on my cell phone bill. I use my old flip phone to send/receive phone calls, that's it. No text, camera, internet, etc. Just send/receive calls. I'm presently with Viero, paying more than $50 a month. Any Consumer Cellular customers on GTA?

[Firewalker]

I'm trying to save a couple bucks on my cell phone bill. I use my old flip phone to send/receive phone calls, that's it. No text, camera, internet, etc. Just send/receive calls. I'm presently with Viero, paying more than $50 a month. Any Consumer Cellular customers on GTA?

Sorry Mike, Mint users here. $15 mo.

[lefeyelu]

Tracphone + $11 per month - using a $30 lg smartphone works for me..........

[anti-squirrel]

$50/month for basic flip-phone?

YIEKS!!!!   Gotta say, I paid less with unlimited data, text, and calls on TMobile 3 years ago with a top-of-the-line OnePlus phone.  You're WAYYYYYY over-paying.

[huntr]

I'm trying to save a couple bucks on my cell phone bill. I use my old flip phone to send/receive phone calls, that's it. No text, camera, internet, etc. Just send/receive calls. I'm presently with Viero, paying more than $50 a month. Any Consumer Cellular customers on GTA?

We've been with them for about 5 years. No issues at all.No billing problems, no connectivity problems. You've obviously looked at the rates, so no need to point that out.

[lizzie]

I haven't used Consumer Cellular, but there are some plans out there (Tracfone for one) that you can get, complete with a smart phone and basic calling/ texting/ data plans for about half what you are now paying.

[rdtricks]

I use PureTalk and pay $20.00/mth.  Service has been the same as my old AT&T plan.  Will you be able to utilize the flip-phone once all carriers transition to 5G networks??

[Nod]

I've been using Ting for the last 4 years. Base price is $9/mo. any phone. Go to their web site to get all the details. They have great cutomer service.

[tennx]

Not an endorsement…and from reading other post cheaper plans out there….having said that I got AT&T prepaid….no contract…auto pay…...unlimited talk,text,data …$30 monthly….good luck on your choice…

[Oldgringo]

Check Straight Talk from Walmart.

[egd]

I've been with Consumer Cellular for 2-3 years now. I like it. Uses AT&T network, unlimited talk, text, and a bunch of data-way more than I'll ever use. My bill for two lines is $55 per month. One thing They do have that many others do not is EXCELLENT customer service. You can call them and get actual help for setting up a phone or anything else. They also have a wide range of reasonably priced phones.

[mikeyb]

No Consumer Cellular experience but have Tracfone prepaid.

Currently have a new(not refurb) MotoE6 32GB $0 (free upgrade from an old/outdated/refurb ZTE).
Monthly plan is unlimited Talk and Text with 8GB "hotspot-able" data for $40 (+ ~$5 taxes/fees).
I dropped ALL other wired connections (cable TV/Internet, landline phone, and DSL Internet) and use the 8GB data as a hotspot for my home PC to take care of all my surfing, bill-pay, and email needs.
My needs are just UNDER the 8GB/month cap so this is the absolute lowest cost way to get all my connection needs in one simple package.

If you stream anything more than 1-2 movies a month (I don't), this plan is NOT for you.

edit: When I can do any Tracfone upgrades/changes electronically (no other humans involved) the process is usually smooth/fast/easy! IF that fails and I need to contact a customer service person, my results are 50/50 good/bad. Not that they don't try, but the interaction is usually long and difficult (language/accent barriers). Always successful... but not always a good experience.

[mobilemail]

I use RedPocket Mobile. My wife and I have unlocked smartphones. Our plan is 10gB/month data, unlimited talk and text - that is 10gB each, not shared. We pay a total of $52 a month for both of us.. We’ve been using this almost three years, and it has been very good for us.

[Simonjello]

T-Mobile user here: For unlimited chat/text/data I am paying ~$40/month.
No complaints, coverage in CA (especially in the LA area) is good. It may not be as good in less populated areas.

[uglymike]

Thanks for all the replies folks, I obviously have some research to do. A flip phone is all I need, I don't do pics, internet, text, etc. Reliability and reception out here in the Sandhills are my priorities.

[Lt. Dan]

Check Straight Talk from Walmart.

Same here!

[Sqrl Klr]

Mike that's what I'm paying with VZ for 15gb of data a month with unlimited calls n texts for my smartphone. Way too high just for your needs.

Greg I can't recommend straight talk after my poor mother spending over an hour and a half with their customer service trying to get her phone activated all for not as they put her on hold then hung up. Now she has to return it to walkmart and try to activate another phone with another company. Walkmart's customer service has been garbage with her as well.

[mikeyb]

Thanks for all the replies folks, I obviously have some research to do. A flip phone is all I need, I don't do pics, internet, text, etc. Reliability and reception out here in the Sandhills are my priorities.

I used to have a "simple" phone. It was good and all I really needed. My talk time usage was only about 90 minutes a month and when necessary I could receive text messages and (slowly) type brief responses. I'd buy a 1 year card with talk/text bucket for <$120 and that was it for the entire year. IMO <$10/month was a pretty good deal.

Sadly those old simple phones became useless as the networks upgraded and I was forced to trade up to newer phone versions compatible with the new networks. The newer flip phones became LESS SIMPLE to use with their new tiny displays and custom operating systems. Basically a difficult interface crippled smart phone.

When I RELUCTANTLY upgraded to my first smart phone (Tracfone w/android os) it took a little time to learn, but it quickly became much easier to use than the equivalent flip phones and I could do so much more with it.

I'm not as ATTACHED 24/7 as most folks are to their smart phones, but I do find it very much more useful than just a phone. NEVER thought I'd use a cell phone for email, grocery shopping, bill-pay, surfing, MAPS, alarm clock, camera, video, music-player, and home PC internet access.  It's even capable of backing up a big chunk of my home PC's data! Now it would be difficult for me to NOT have a smartphone.

To my surprise even my mid 80's parents are learning how to use (and appreciate the features) of current smart phones.

Good luck finding a "simple" phone.

[egd]

As mikeyb says, you might be surprised how much you start using features of a better phone. I used to think texting was stupid: just pick up the phone and call for God's sake. But now I find that it is handy a lot of the time.
I'm not a big user of all the features, but it's nice to have them on those times when they are handy. Checking the weather radar when you're doing something outdoors and need to see if you can get it done is a very useful feature for example.

[mobilemail]

The other advantage of text is that you can often send and receive messages when the signal strength, quality or user load won't support a voice call. Or you don't want to make noise hunting.