Cellphone provider recs? (house, pros and cons, living in)

[Alltheusernamesaretaken]

I currently have a pay-as-you-go plan but when we move to the area (from out of state) we plan to just have cells, not a landline (we've already weighed the pros and cons of that).

I don't use my phone to talk on and on, but might while catching up w/ a friend from time to time. Otherwise, it would just be for standard use, calls of only a few minutes or so at a time.

Can you rec a plan that's not crazy-expensive but is reliable in the NoVa area? Thank you so much!

[Bigfoot424]

Don't know which one is cheaper but Verizon is consistently rated the best in coverage and customer service when it comes to cell service.

[CaliTerp07]

I've been really happy with Sprint. They're waaaaay cheaper than verizon or AT&T, I've gotten service everywhere I've needed it (including on the metro), and haven't had any issues.

MyRatePlan.com - Unbiased Comparison Shopping for Services

That site will compare verizon, at&t, t-mobile, and sprint to determine what the best deal is for you. (Hover over the results to see the "actual" cost. While some companies seem to have cheaper rate plans, I needed a data plan that would have added $20+/month to their base price. Sprint included it for me). A big thing for me to consider is that I didn't need hardly any minutes, as calls to my husband (also sprint) are free, and calls home to my family on the west coast always take place after 7 pm or on the weekends, when it's free minutes as well. I end up only using 100-200ish minutes a month.

Also, check to see if your company has any discounts. I get anywhere from 10-30% off the bill at the various carriers because of who I work for.

[mlv311]

I've had AT&T, Sprint and Verizon and have found Verizon to be the best because of coverage. When we moved here, we were living in temporary quarters and I couldn't even use my cell phone with the former provider indoors. I had to go outside. I've never had that problem with Verizon no matter where I am. I don't use my cell often so I have the lowest plan and a discount through my husband's employment.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by mlv311

I've had AT&T, Sprint and Verizon and have found Verizon to be the best because of coverage. When we moved here, we were living in temporary quarters and I couldn't even use my cell phone with the former provider indoors. I had to go outside. I've never had that problem with Verizon no matter where I am. I don't use my cell often so I have the lowest plan and a discount through my husband's employment.

Sprint's roaming network is Verizon, so if you have free roaming (most rate plans do, nowadays), you'll be able to pick up Verizon's network.

OP, I suggest you wait until you're settled in your house to switch over. All the networks have trial periods where you can cancel your contract without any issues (usually a couple days). It might be worth it to try whatever provider you end up going with to make sure your house has good coverage.

[ChristineVA]

I use AT&T. At the time I signed up for the plan many years ago, they ran $10.00 a month cheaper than Verizon. I don't know if that's the case anymore. I have no complaints. The service has been great. My kids have problems with reception in the house but I don't. Go figure? They have Samsung phones and I have LG. We all have the same service.

[dkf747]

T-Mobile is the cheapest, and they're coverage is decent enough.

[Alltheusernamesaretaken]

Thank you all so much for all your replies! I have a lot of homework to do. Yes, I am going to wait until we are settled but now at least I have lots of good info. Thanks again!