WirelessAdvisor.com

JackofAllTrades · 03-14-2002, 11:20 AM

I need advice and I'm relatively new to wireless technology. OK...totally new.

I want to get a phone for my mom and one for myself. Ideally, Mom would be able to share minutes with me, but the available plans are confusing me. She and I are both on budgets, but hers is a fixed income. So primarily, she wants a phone for emergencies, and voice mail. She would prefer to pay no more than $20/ month and I would gladly pay additional fees for her. In my case I want a phone for busy months, but only about every third month.

In once scenario, Mom and I share minutes (USCellular), but I subtract her monthly payment from my own total and get a higher grade plan (more minutes and N/W). In another scenario (ATTWS)we have separate plans. In this case, I'm thinking about getting Mom a real basic phone plan and also a higher minutes plan for myself. Is this impracticle? Would the wireless companies rip me to shreds on fees if I went this route?

I noticed that ATTWS is very costly for relatively few shared minutes, yet ATTWS has the phone I prefer. And USCellular is not coming in the ballpark with the phone I would prefer, but is closer in the minutes shared plans. Which route should I go?

Any comments or suggestions? Thanks in advance.

BillRadio · 03-14-2002, 11:45 AM

If you are truly looking for the cheapest service, see:
Consumer Cellular
These people offer AT&T service, with smaller plans than AT&T:
-$9.95/mo. No minutes included, .35 per minute, Local
-$14.95 30 Minutes included, plus VM, Caller ID, etc, Local

Shared plans are a little expensive. Instead, the 2 of you can have your own plan for $20 or less, each, as long as you don't need too many minutes.

Consumer Cellular will give you a "free" phone (motorola 2397), but will charge you $30 to activate it & $8 to ship it. Find a cheaper TDMA phone and they will activate it for free.

It's an alternative to the carrier's cheap plans, which they are trying to get away from.

-Bill Radio

Dukedog · 03-14-2002, 12:41 PM

What carriers are in your local area? if, cingular is in your area look at their family plans, they also have a plan for $19.99 which gives you 50 mins anytime and 350 nights & weekend and nationwide long distance.

JackofAllTrades · 03-14-2002, 8:21 PM

Currently, my provider choices are narrowed to ATTWS and USCellular. I went into their stores today and USCellular was not impressive in the least.

dobby10 · 03-14-2002, 8:41 PM

I would go with ATTWS....they are much more nationwide then US Cellular.

TNDan21 · 03-14-2002, 9:41 PM

I'd hafta agree with Dobby if those are the only 2 choices in your area you can always get 2 separate plans with AT&T. Any help here Kevin? You're the one that knows all about AT&T.

JackofAllTrades · 03-16-2002, 6:25 AM

I should be clear...those are not my ONLY two choices. But they are the two choices with enough home area coverage to be practical. Most of the others are very limited to a few miles of the highways, even around town. At this point I want to go with ATTWS more, so that is probably my first choice. Thanks for the input. I love this website.

Kenny · 03-16-2002, 10:14 AM

AT&T has a $19.99 plan with a very minimal number of minutes (I think 50 or 100 minutes) and it does not include voice-mail (have to pay extra for that).

The better bet would be the $29.99 plan which offers:
- 250 peak minutes
- 1000 N/W minutes (1 yr contract) or 2000 N/W minutes (2 yr contract)
- Free Nokia 5165 phone

This'll give you more freedom to talk a bit (especially in the evenings) and not be worried about paying hefty overusage minute charges.

But that plan is an individual plan. Here is the family plan...$59.99:
- 2 phones on one shared account
- 500 anytime shared minutes
- 1000 weekend minutes
- Unlimited calling between the family share members

This could be a great plan if your mom uses the phone very little per month and which then gives you a good bundle of minutes to use. But it also gives you and your mom the freedom to talk to each other whenever you want without worrying about the clock ticking away on your minutes.

carerep · 03-16-2002, 9:09 PM

You may want to consider this: Att has 19.99 plan with 60 any time min but has 250 n/we promo/free v-mail/free LD.You can have 2 of the 3 listed promos. You may even want to consider Pre-Paid for Mom.

In this case, The Shared Advantage is not for ya'll..

If your needs are local go Dig Adv /Home Calling Area will be Wash, Ore. and south to Sacramento/also a portion of Idaho.Everything you need to know is on their website/attws.com

There is a link on the site to ATTWS Customer Advantage/You should read this ...

30 days buyers remorse on any new activatioin

JackofAllTrades · 03-17-2002, 9:07 AM

I talked with Mom and she said the $19.95 minutes plan did not interest her due to the extra $ for voice mail and the low minutes (60). However, she now is interested in the individual plan for digital advantage (250/1000 anytime/n&w) because of the additional time and the voice mail feature. Go figure. She wants wireless (and its associated independence), only now she wants it without a joint account. Apparently the cost is less of an issue than she previously thought. Like the good son I am (LOL), I took her a phone yesterday.

...So, I have to say that discussion was very helpful, but now the point is moot. Thanks to everyone who participated.

MasterOfNone

03-14-2002, 11:20 AM	#1 (permalink)
JackofAllTrades Posting up a storm! Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Shared Plans from H#!!, and SE Washington I need advice and I'm relatively new to wireless technology. OK...totally new. I want to get a phone for my mom and one for myself. Ideally, Mom would be able to share minutes with me, but the available plans are confusing me. She and I are both on budgets, but hers is a fixed income. So primarily, she wants a phone for emergencies, and voice mail. She would prefer to pay no more than $20/ month and I would gladly pay additional fees for her. In my case I want a phone for busy months, but only about every third month. In once scenario, Mom and I share minutes (USCellular), but I subtract her monthly payment from my own total and get a higher grade plan (more minutes and N/W). In another scenario (ATTWS)we have separate plans. In this case, I'm thinking about getting Mom a real basic phone plan and also a higher minutes plan for myself. Is this impracticle? Would the wireless companies rip me to shreds on fees if I went this route? I noticed that ATTWS is very costly for relatively few shared minutes, yet ATTWS has the phone I prefer. And USCellular is not coming in the ballpark with the phone I would prefer, but is closer in the minutes shared plans. Which route should I go? Any comments or suggestions? Thanks in advance.

03-14-2002, 11:45 AM	#2 (permalink)
BillRadio Wireless Consultant Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Denver Posts: 1,387 Phone(s): Motorola, Nokia Provider(s): Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Images: 1	If you are truly looking for the cheapest service, see: Consumer Cellular These people offer AT&T service, with smaller plans than AT&T: -$9.95/mo. No minutes included, .35 per minute, Local -$14.95 30 Minutes included, plus VM, Caller ID, etc, Local Shared plans are a little expensive. Instead, the 2 of you can have your own plan for $20 or less, each, as long as you don't need too many minutes. Consumer Cellular will give you a "free" phone (motorola 2397), but will charge you $30 to activate it & $8 to ship it. Find a cheaper TDMA phone and they will activate it for free. It's an alternative to the carrier's cheap plans, which they are trying to get away from. -Bill Radio __________________ Cellular Reviews & Ratings. www.MountainWireless.com

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads for: Shared Plans from H#!!, and SE Washington
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Good Shared Plans in Silicon Valley ?	dogbroiler	Western US Wireless Forum	0	11-05-2004 1:38 AM
SprintPCS & shared plans	karmannghia	Western US Wireless Forum	5	12-05-2003 6:48 PM
Shared 1000 MTM gone from VZW's ACFS Plans at select markets ??	Letitride	Northeastern US Wireless Forum	3	11-25-2003 10:08 PM
Best Service and Shared Plans in Pittsburgh?	slapusilly69	Northeastern US Wireless Forum	5	05-26-2003 2:14 PM
A question about Verizon shared plans	bassman	GENERAL Wireless Discussion	0	08-20-2002 11:51 AM

03-14-2002, 12:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
Dukedog Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 571 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	What carriers are in your local area? if, cingular is in your area look at their family plans, they also have a plan for $19.99 which gives you 50 mins anytime and 350 nights & weekend and nationwide long distance.

03-14-2002, 8:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
JackofAllTrades Posting up a storm! Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Currently, my provider choices are narrowed to ATTWS and USCellular. I went into their stores today and USCellular was not impressive in the least.

03-14-2002, 8:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
dobby10 Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 273 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I would go with ATTWS....they are much more nationwide then US Cellular.

03-14-2002, 9:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
TNDan21 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Kingsport, TN Posts: 5,964 Phone(s): LG enV2, Samsung t219 Provider(s): Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile Devices: iPod Nano Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 6 Posts	I'd hafta agree with Dobby if those are the only 2 choices in your area you can always get 2 separate plans with AT&T. Any help here Kevin? You're the one that knows all about AT&T.

03-16-2002, 6:25 AM	#7 (permalink)
JackofAllTrades Posting up a storm! Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I should be clear...those are not my ONLY two choices. But they are the two choices with enough home area coverage to be practical. Most of the others are very limited to a few miles of the highways, even around town. At this point I want to go with ATTWS more, so that is probably my first choice. Thanks for the input. I love this website.

03-16-2002, 10:14 AM	#8 (permalink)
Kenny Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 585 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	AT&T has a $19.99 plan with a very minimal number of minutes (I think 50 or 100 minutes) and it does not include voice-mail (have to pay extra for that). The better bet would be the $29.99 plan which offers: - 250 peak minutes - 1000 N/W minutes (1 yr contract) or 2000 N/W minutes (2 yr contract) - Free Nokia 5165 phone This'll give you more freedom to talk a bit (especially in the evenings) and not be worried about paying hefty overusage minute charges. But that plan is an individual plan. Here is the family plan...$59.99: - 2 phones on one shared account - 500 anytime shared minutes - 1000 weekend minutes - Unlimited calling between the family share members This could be a great plan if your mom uses the phone very little per month and which then gives you a good bundle of minutes to use. But it also gives you and your mom the freedom to talk to each other whenever you want without worrying about the clock ticking away on your minutes.

03-16-2002, 9:09 PM	#9 (permalink)
carerep Fresh Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 22 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	You may want to consider this: Att has 19.99 plan with 60 any time min but has 250 n/we promo/free v-mail/free LD.You can have 2 of the 3 listed promos. You may even want to consider Pre-Paid for Mom. In this case, The Shared Advantage is not for ya'll.. If your needs are local go Dig Adv /Home Calling Area will be Wash, Ore. and south to Sacramento/also a portion of Idaho.Everything you need to know is on their website/attws.com There is a link on the site to ATTWS Customer Advantage/You should read this ... 30 days buyers remorse on any new activatioin

03-17-2002, 9:07 AM	#10 (permalink)
JackofAllTrades Posting up a storm! Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I talked with Mom and she said the $19.95 minutes plan did not interest her due to the extra $ for voice mail and the low minutes (60). However, she now is interested in the individual plan for digital advantage (250/1000 anytime/n&w) because of the additional time and the voice mail feature. Go figure. She wants wireless (and its associated independence), only now she wants it without a joint account. Apparently the cost is less of an issue than she previously thought. Like the good son I am (LOL), I took her a phone yesterday. ...So, I have to say that discussion was very helpful, but now the point is moot. Thanks to everyone who participated. MasterOfNone

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

WirelessAdvisor.com

Clearing the static since 1998.

WirelessAdvisor.com