Dropping from ATT family plan, now super expensive

So my family is switching to possibly Sprint from ATT, but I don't really want to switch to Sprint because I'm not a fan of the 9650, and I have no problem with ATT's network. (my family is switching because my mom's calls drop all the time on ATT, because she uses crappy phones. I've never dropped a call on my BB... w/e). Problem is that if I stayed on ATT we would pay $70 a month, much more than what it was in the family plan.

I never use up minutes (last month I used 21 min) but the minimum plan is 450 minutes for $40. Is there any way to get less than that? 200mb data and 1500 texts are $15 each. It would be nice to keep it under $50 total.

So opinions: should I suck it up and go to sprint and the 9650 (blah...), or find a way to cut down the ATT bill and get a Torch? (I love that Torch)

I've been on ATT for 4 years, does anyone think I could leverage that to get a cheaper plan by saying I'm willing to stay with ATT if the plan was more affordable? I'd be getting a new 2 yr contract.

Thanks!

Short answer is no. AT&T is not going to give you a "longetivity" discount. You're one customer. There is zero incentive in it for them. Stay or move to another carrier and neither is going to matter to the carrier one bit.

Originally Posted by amazinglygraceless

Short answer is no. AT&T is not going to give you a "longetivity" discount. You're one customer. There is zero incentive in it for them. Stay or move to another carrier and neither is going to matter to the carrier one bit.

Ah ok thanks. Yeah what seems like a lot of money to me is pennies to them i guess.

$70 a month is really pretty reasonable, and I highly doubt you'll get everything you want for $50 or less on Sprint. Depending on your area, you may be sacrificing coverage, which really wouldn't be worth it. You'd also be switching to the one carrier of the big 3 with the worst BB selection.

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If I were on sprint it would be a family plan, where I believe my segment of the bill would end up being cheaper than a single plan on ATT. So unless I can get a cheaper plan on ATT, I'd have to switch to sprint because my parents wont pay for ATT's single plan.

Soon I'll be out of college and have a job and pay for my own phone... too bad I prob wont be able to afford a BB at all then lol.

and at least the 9650 has OS6 officially now...

Originally Posted by chrisryan44

If I were on sprint it would be a family plan, where I believe my segment of the bill would end up being cheaper than a single plan on ATT. So unless I can get a cheaper plan on ATT, I'd have to switch to sprint because my parents wont pay for ATT's single plan.

Soon I'll be out of college and have a job and pay for my own phone... too bad I prob wont be able to afford a BB at all then lol.

and at least the 9650 has OS6 officially now...

I see what you're saying now. If you mother is eligible for an upgrade, maybe she can try to get a better phone. Otherwise you're kinda SOL. However, since you're using so few minutes, you may want to look at T-Mobile. They have pre-paid BlackBerry plans.

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T-Mo doesnt have 3g service for me (iowa city). Otherwise a prepaid plan would be nice, thanks for trying. My mom refuses to use good phones like a blackberry because they're "too confusing." I'll look into some regular phones that are supposed to have good reception and see if I can convince her to go with those...

You really have to get off this "good phone" elitism. There are quite a few phones that blow EVERY BlackBerry out of the water.

Your mother uses what suits her. Don't be an a$$ and try to tell her, or us, otherwise.

I say stop being cheap and stay with AT&T since that's what you really want to do...$70/$75 isn't that much.

Originally Posted by Propa

I say stop being cheap and stay with AT&T since that's what you really want to do...$70/$75 isn't that much.

100% agreement :)

Posted from my phone.

Originally Posted by amazinglygraceless

100% agreement :)

Posted from my phone.

Well Sir, I do believe that is a 1st.

If you're looking to save a little money, you could always go with the 200mb data plan for $15, however even with the 450 min package for $40, unlimited messaging for individuals at $20, and the 200mb for $15 you're going to be right at $75, not including tax of course. If you want that Torch that you like, going to have to stick with ol ATT.

Plus, even if you did a Sprint Unlimited Mobile plan which has unlimited mobile to mobile talk minutes (to any mobile device on any carrier), unlimited messaging and data, you're still going to be paying $60-$70, and IMO Sprint's service sucks big time. I say stick with ATT, get the Torch, and work an extra hour or two to pay for the difference.

Originally Posted by chrisryan44

...... My mom refuses to use good phones like a blackberry because they're "too confusing.".......

What about an iPhone? My inlaws went to iPhones from their dumb AT&T phones and I LOLed at first. But they have been loving it and find them easy to use. I even have my FIL using Slacker and apps like that.


If you can find the right angle to "sell" the iPhone to your Mom, then you can just stay with AT&T!


This said from a BB lover who knows no one phone is right for everone.

Check with your Employer- many have discounts with ATT of up to 20% through their "Premier" program.

Could the dropped call issue be something other than phone quality? Like maybe the fact that you only make 20 minutes of calls a month... :rolleyes:

check with your college because you get discounts from being a college student too and once you have that discount on the account it's there no matter if you aren't in college or not.

I ended up getting a Torch, thanks for the help guys.

@jlb21 my mom wont pay for the data plan on an iphone, she honestly will never use the data anyways.

@TheScionicMan I have no problems with call quality on my Blackberry, it never drops any of my 20 min a month calls lol. My mom has the problem, she probly uses a couple hundred min a month and complains that her calls drop all the time, on her free piece of crap LG phone.

Originally Posted by blueyestm

check with your college because you get discounts from being a college student too and once you have that discount on the account it's there no matter if you aren't in college or not.

sweet I'll look into that! I've gotten a ton of engineering software for free thats worth thousands from promotions like that lol. thanks

All you need to do is find out the "FAN" code for the school or any business, here is a fan code list I've found...

PSA: AT&T Wireless Members... 25% plan-discount codes..

Att IS TRASH LOL.

Sprint is getting a 4g Torch in January or February as well as the Storm 3.

Return the ATT torch while u still can.

9650 seems to me to be a great BB and IMO, ATT is a total ripoff especially for family plans. I say make the switch to Sprint and the 9650.

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I would have made the switch myself...9650 is a good phone, os6 official now and have other sweet offerings as well...

ATT sucks around here...had them once....never again. Sprint always treated me good.

Overall still happy with T-Mobile still.

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Originally Posted by chrisryan44

My mom has the problem, she probly uses a couple hundred min a month and complains that her calls drop all the time, on her free piece of crap LG phone.

Last I checked, LG feature phones weren't crap. In fact, as far as feature phones are concerned, LG is right up there with Nokia as far as reliability and durability.

When considering minutes and plans, also rememeber that with Sprint ANY MOBILE on ANY NETWORK in the US (and maybe Canada) is free. In a family data share plan your cost would be about $15.000 a month (Im using the cost I would pay on my account for 3rd and fourth lines, your parents plan may be different). If your 21 minutes a month are to mobile number, then you arent using any minutes. However I can't imagine a college student only using the phone 21 minutes a month. Im guessing you used it alot more to call friend on AT&T's network. Those would still be free.

That's both good and bad. When I switched from T-Mo, we took the 1500 minute Family data share plan becasue were weren't sure how we would be affected with the any mobile any time. After two months We decided we could switch to the 700 minutes shared plan, only to find out Sprint discontinued that plan. Now we are paying for a whole lot of minutes we don't come close to using, but on the other hand, we dont have to worry much about minutes. better than 98% of the people we talk to are on mobile phones. The land lines are pretty much just work and the doctors/ dentist/ etc.

This is my second time around for Sprint, and I can honestly say they are light years better today than they were the first time (2001-2002). I have been with all major wirelss companies, and AT&T was by far the worst.

The 9650 is not a bad phone. I came to it from a 9700 on T-MO. Loved the 9700, like the 9650 even better, especially with OS6. IT s slightly bigger than the 9700, so it fits better in my hand. Operationally, it works as good or better than the 9700.