Spiralfive

I think most everyone could agree that cell phones are expensive, even the cheaper plans. Or, with the “Big 4″ at least (Verizon, ATT, T-Mobile, Sprint). However, over the past few years some very good deals have come up from smaller companies/subsidiaries of the larger companies that deserve some attention. In my search for a better priced cell phone, here’s some of the lesser known deals I found….

• Page Plus – Probably the best overall deal for most people. Allows you to bring your own Verizon phone (Clear ESN Only) and some Sprint phones. Uses the Verizon prepaid network. 1200 minutes with 1200 texts plus 50 MB of data is just $30 per month. Unlimited talk and text is $45 per month with 20 MB of data. Unfortunately, no unlimited data and quite a few smartphones are not allowed on their network. Before ordering from PP, however, I would recommend looking on the Howard Forum and Wiki for more information from users, since PP doesn’t provide much themselves.
• Virgin Mobile – If only Virgin Mobile had better coverage, I’d be using them right now. Starting at just $25 per month, you get 300 minutes with unlimited web, texting, and email. You even get 3G coverage if it’s available where you are (and the phone supports it). VM also offers a Blackberry 8530 for $249 (no contract) with service for it starting at $35 (standard plan prices + $10 for BIS). VM uses Sprints home network (It’s actually owned by Sprint now), which is not very big. If you do live in VM’s network and don’t roam very often, VM would be my first choice.
• Simple Mobile – Simple Mobile offers unlimited talk and text from just $40 per month. Unlimited everything is just $60. SM is based off T-Mobile’s home network service, so if T-Mobile To Go works in your area, chances are SM will also work. Also, unlike the services listed above, Simple Mobile is GSM (versus CDMA). So, if you already have an unlocked GSM phone, you can just pop a SM SIM card in it and go.

I also recently found Mingo Wireless, but have not done any research on it to report (aside from knowing that it uses the Sprint network, like Virgin). If you’re looking to lower your phone bill each month, I think all of these are work a look. I didn’t mention the major carriers because I think everyone can pretty much find and compare those themselves. If you’re only looking for service from a major provider, BillShrink has a wonderful tool to help you compare the big 4 on price, features, and even coverage.

For some reason, it feels like I’ve already written this article. Probably because I did so much research before I tried it myself. For those that are legit new Att DSL customers, any DSL package can be had for just $15/mo for one year with no commitment required. The 6 meg service is $19/mo, but otherwise the same. I already had DSL service from Att, but got them to setup a new account and apply the promo. Worth a try to lower your bill. Use it with the $10 router posted below. (Important to note: most other promos will not work with this, including the DSL modem rebates.)

Verizon has the Westell 7501 wireless-G gateway for $10 right now with free shipping. While now exactly the most high-end router out there, it’s hard to argue with the price (especially since most routers cost at least $30, for low end). A user has a guide on how to install Lemonade on this router to use the USB port for a print server, media server, and NAS. I ordered one for myself this morning to replace my WRT54G (v6, no dd-wrt/etc) router and Netgear print server. I’m also going to add a 2 GB flash drive to make transferring small files easier between computers.