How much is your cell phone bill?

[dmontngrey]

Can you elaborate on what kind of phone and/or features you are looking for?

I want constant internet access at my fingertips. I coupon shop - to the extreme. It's much like a part time job for me. There are so many things I'd like access to while I'm out shopping. It's certainly a WANT though. I'm improvising in the meantime - I pasted some info into a spreadsheet to use as my own coupon database on my netbook. Not perfect, but it works for now. Since I'm very much in the preliminary "want" stages, I really haven't put any thought into what I'd want for a phone. It's just too expensive through Verizon and I'm not too thrilled with the idea of changing companies.

[skydivingchic]

Verizon
2 phones, $100/month including taxes and fees
1400 minutes
No texting or smartphones or anything like that.
We do not have a landline, so this is our only phone bill. DBF has his own business and this is his business phone as well.

[The Debt Classroom]

We pay roughly $165/month with T-Mobile
2 lines on a FamilyTime plan which includes 700 Whenever minutes; Unlimited weekend/weeknight/mobile-to-mobile minutes
Unlimited Family texting
Each line has an unlimited web plan ($25 each!!) and "Premium Protection Bundle" (basically just insurance on the phone).

Which reminds me, I need to cancel that "protection bundle" because to replace our phones would cost $130 anyways, we could find a better deal on craigslist! So there's $12/month saved!

I was also wondering, does the web plan (I always thought it was a "data" plan) include texting or anything? Because I don't want to be double-paying for any of the services. Probably something I should ask T-Mobile, huh? lol

[disneysteve]

I want constant internet access at my fingertips. I coupon shop - to the extreme. It's much like a part time job for me.

There are a number of coupon apps on the iPhone that allow you to pull up coupons on the screen and redeem them. You don't need a paper coupon. The cashier scans the screen or punches in the code on the screen. It is not only grocery coupons but also the type that are in the Coupon Clipper magazine that comes to your house that has coupons for restaurants, salons, auto service places, retail stores and more. Many times we've decided on the spur of the moment to go out to eat and I realized we had a coupon for the restaurant back at home. Now, I've always got the coupons with me. Plus, you can pull up coupons based on your geographic location so if you are away from your home neighborhood, you can find coupons for local merchants wherever you happen to be.

[nck4857]

SPRINT:

2 Lines
1500 shared minutes (7pm nights/weekends)
Unlimited Mobile to Mobile calling to any cell phone in US
Unlimited Data (web,tv included)
Unlimited Text
Unlimited Navigation
Insurance
Discount through my job..


$113.69/month

[dfeucht]

Family Plan Verizon

5 lines - 1400 min unlimited text
1 with Enterprised Data service (required for work emails)
1 with normal data service

With Discount $213

The 1400 min family plan allows for unlimited calls to 10 additional phone numbers outside of the Verizon family and nights and weekends. with that in place we rarely use more than 300-500 minutes (the 700 min plan doesn't include the extra ten numbers and I believe we would exceed that level).

The five lines are my wife and I, bot in-laws and my dad. I strongly suggest people find family or close friends and combine accounts and go this route for cell phone service - definite savings. throw out the texting (which I really should stop) and you can cut the rate $30 - so 5 lines 1400 minute talk - no text, no data is $120 plus taxes/fees - $24/line without a discount.

I sounds like a schill, but I think it works well.

[dfeucht]

By the way I only quoted Verizon because that's what I have and it offers the best coverage for me and my family, but I think these deals are similar with all the major carriers (looks confirmed with what others are posting here).

[kork13]

Basic AT&T plan, 1 phone. 450 anytime minutes, something like 5000 night/weekend minutes. Also have 200 texts (about a year ago I finally started texting enough to make a small texting plan worth it).

In all, it's about $45/month, after a 18% (-ish) employer discount. Sadly, the discount only just covers all of the other random charges (taxes, fees, etc) tacked on to my cell phone bill.....

[jaine]

One phone on AT&T, no data package, but do have 200 text messages per month. Lowest minutes they offer, and I've never come close to going over. Right around $39/month I think.

I have the same plan with AT&T ... with taxes and fees and the occasional pay-per-MB foray into gmail, my bill is usually between $55-$65/month total.

[FrugalTexan75]

One person
AT&T
450 minutes anytime/5000 minutes friends and family/free nights and weekends
200 texts/month
Data plan (iPhone)
former employer discount

$79.xx (varies)

The main person I talk to who isn't an AT&T customer is my dad, but we mainly talk on the weekends. So, I very rarely use more than 200 or so minutes a month. A few times I have actually gotten into my rollover minutes - for example, when I'm on hold with a company. But I have TONS of rollover, so I don't worry about that.

Before I got the iPhone, I very rarely ever texted. Then for awhile I was going WAY over the 200/month texts, so went up to the 1500/mo plan. (This was mainly due to texting a lot with the manager at the gym I used to work at. Once I quit there, my texting went WAY down.)

[nmboone]

Mine is $45 on At&t for 400 minutes a month. I also get 400 text messages free a month through my alumni discount. I'm finding that most employers and schools do have cell discounts, so definitely follow Steve's advice about the discount. Just as a side note, my parents get a Safelink tracphone for free with free minutes every month. Otherwise they probably would not be able to afford one, so that's great!

[disneysteve]

Before I got the iPhone, I very rarely ever texted.

Same here. It is SO much easier to text on the iPhone than it was on my flip phone where you had to hit the "3" three times to get an "F" to appear. I virtually never texted. Now, I do it fairly regularly. We have the unlimited texting plan (we do have a teenager after all) which is $30/month for all 5 of us which is a pretty good deal, plus it keeps us from using up all of our calling minutes.

[atomicrc11]

My work phone is paid for by work and is a Verizon Blackberry. At home, my spouse has a T-Mobile Blackberry with MyFaves, 300 minutes of talk time, 400 text messages and unlimited data.

Total is $65.xx per month. We have the internet locked in at $20/month, 400 texts for $5/month and the MyFaves which gives unlimited minutes to 5 numbers you choose. If we signed up now the internet is $25/month, 400 texts is $10/month and myFaves is no longer available on T-Mobile. So unless something goes seriously wrong, we're keeping this plan. Also, we got the Blackberry Curve for $9.99 at Costco with no mail in rebates. Definitely worth the price of membership for all the deals we get there.

[dmontngrey]

There are a number of coupon apps on the iPhone that allow you to pull up coupons on the screen and redeem them. You don't need a paper coupon. The cashier scans the screen or punches in the code on the screen. It is not only grocery coupons but also the type that are in the Coupon Clipper magazine that comes to your house that has coupons for restaurants, salons, auto service places, retail stores and more. Many times we've decided on the spur of the moment to go out to eat and I realized we had a coupon for the restaurant back at home. Now, I've always got the coupons with me. Plus, you can pull up coupons based on your geographic location so if you are away from your home neighborhood, you can find coupons for local merchants wherever you happen to be.

You're not helping...

I know I could swing the added cost, I just can't justify it. It's the principle. You can bet when the time comes, I'll be getting the service before DH does!

[disneysteve]

You're not helping...

Sorry.

The $30/month fee was what was stopping me from getting one. Since getting my phone, I've found a number of apps that have actually saved me money and quite a few that save me time (and time is money). Also, as I posted in another thread, I actually got a professional app that is earning me $150/month so that way more than makes up for the cost of having the phone, but that isn't something available to others.