Your Monthly Cell Phone Bill

[CaptainYooh]

My family uses five cell phones and one mobile card with Telus. It seems like no matter what monthly plan they make me choose every time we do something (like renew or get a new phone), my monthly bills average $100 per phone number, which I think is very expensive. What makes it feel even worth are those US commercials that advertise unlimited "everything" for $20 and $30 per month.

What is your average monthly cell phone bill and which operator are you using?

[worth]

$31.50 on Wind. Unlimited everything in Calgary.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by worth

$31.50 on Wind. Unlimited everything in Calgary.

Is this the total monthly bill amount including all taxes and fees?

[AC]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Is this the total monthly bill amount including all taxes and fees?

Yep, I have the same one. I also have $10/month to use towards extras as I brought my own phone to Wind, which I used to get voicemail added on at no cost.

Though the $30 package from Wind is actually unlimited data, unlimited talk in Alberta, and unlimited text in Canada.

[CaptainYooh]

Screw Telus, I'm switching!

Would I be able to keep my phones and phone numbers?

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Screw Telus, I'm switching!

Would I be able to keep my phones and phone numbers?

I hope you don't live in Tuscany or go there often.

I'm paying $37/month with unlimted everything including long distance with wind.

Yes you can move all your existing numbers over.

[worth]

I really don't understand why these discount carriers aren't more popular. People complain about high cell phone prices, and there are alternatives to the big three but they only make up a small fraction of subscribers. I am betting it has something to do with subsidized phones by the big three. People don't want to give their iPhone up on a 3 year contract.

I bought a nexus 4 from google outright for $250 and took it to Wind and signed up with no contract. Doesn't get more simple or cheaper than that.

I've had zero issues with Wind, only thing to keep in mind is once you are out of the wind zone, it will cost you to make calls and browse the internet. When I go skiing or something, I actually turn my phone to airplane mode. It's not a big deal once you get used to the idea.

http://www.windmobile.ca/en/pages/st...dcoverage.aspx

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by worth

I really don't understand why these discount carriers aren't more popular. People complain about high cell phone prices, and there are alternatives to the big three but they only make up a small fraction of subscribers. I am betting it has something to do with subsidized phones by the big three. People don't want to give their iPhone up on a 3 year contract.

I bought a nexus 4 from google outright for $250 and took it to Wind and signed up with no contract. Doesn't get more simple or cheaper than that.

I've had zero issues with Wind, only thing to keep in mind is once you are out of the wind zone, it will cost you to make calls and browse the internet. When I go skiing or something, I actually turn my phone to airplane mode. It's not a big deal once you get used to the idea.

http://www.windmobile.ca/en/pages/st...dcoverage.aspx

So the wind 40 dollar plan is unlimited everything, but doesn't include roaming?

Mrs Calgaryfan has koodo. She likes it, unlimited calling throughout Canada and roaming free. 2 gigs of data for 60/ month. Most telus phones work with Koodo as well, so wouldn't need new phones for the OP.

[worth]

20 cents per min in the yellow below, unlimited in the red.

Most charges you incur when you use your WIND phone from an AWAY Zone are pay-per-use.


Here are our current rates:

US/Canada Roaming - 20¢/min: When outside a WIND Zone, receive a call or make a call to anywhere in Canada or the US– no extra long-distance charges apply.
US/Canada Texting – 15¢/text: Send a text message to anywhere in Canada or the U.S. while you’re outside a WIND Zone. Receiving text messages is always free.
Data Roaming - $1/MB: Stay connected while traveling anywhere in Canada or the U.S. with one low flat rate for data.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by AC

Though the $30 package from Wind is actually unlimited data, unlimited talk in Alberta, and unlimited text in Canada.

Just to clarify on this; their "unlimited" plans are from a Wind Zone to Alberta or Canada.

Originally Posted by worth

I bought a nexus 4 from google outright for $250 and took it to Wind and signed up with no contract. Doesn't get more simple or cheaper than that.

I did the same thing for my son. So instead of a $30 plan on Bell with no data, we have a $33 plan on Wind that includes data. The $40 plan was on sale for $33. For $3 it gives us international texting, and international calling comperable to landlines.

My biggest concern was the data roaming. I know it could be easy for a teenager to not notice he is roaming. However Wind lets you disable and or all of data roaming, text roaming, or call roaming. I just disabled data. If he is outside the zone and sends a bunch of texts; that will cost me a couple of dollars. If he is outside the zone and starts watching Youtube; that could easily get to $50 at $1 per MB.

[conroy22]

My phone contract I've had with Rogers since 2005 (I kept renewing it to get a new phone...finally got sick of doing that) is finally up October 11th, so I'm in the process of trying to find a new phone plan/carrier.

I want the new gold iPhone because I love the compatibility of all my Apple products, but of course those are now backordered. Went to Rogers and Bell today (Telus was lined up out the door) and their plans are all basically START at $85. Absolutely friggin ridiculous. Plus activation fees, plus service fees....man do I despise phone companies.

I would go with Koodo, but they only have a 16gb iPhone, and I want the 32gb. As a student, I can't afford to pay $900 for an unlocked iPhone and bring it to them to set up a plan with. Wind I don't think even has iPhones to offer.

I wish I lived in the US, where a phone plan costs $20-$30/month....not one that starts at $85 then ends up being over $100/month

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by conroy22

I wish I lived in the US, where a phone plan costs $20-$30/month....not one that starts at $85 then ends up being over $100/month

There's no plan in the States that will give you a subsidized high-end smartphone for $30/month.

And with Rogers, if you go through Retentions you should be able to get subsidized smartphone with a minimum $60/month plan.

[conroy22]

Originally Posted by accord1999

There's no plan in the States that will give you a subsidized high-end smartphone for $30/month.

And with Rogers, if you go through Retentions you should be able to get subsidized smartphone with a minimum $60/month plan.

Do they usually call you when they see your contract is coming to an end? I haven't heard a word from Rogers and my contract is up in 20 days. The gold iPhone is now out of stock so I want to make sure I can get one in 20 days, or sometime right after, so I need a phone company to order one in for me....but Rogers has never been helpful to me what so ever in the past, my phones have broken and they won't fix them, I never get any student deals or promotional deals, nothing. I have the worst luck when it comes to getting anything out of them.

[accord1999]

They might call you, but usually those offers are the standard plans. I would recommend calling Retentions directly. Check the giant Redflagdeals thread on the subject and check with the most recent postings to see what's being offered:

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/roger...-plans-933329/

And even without Retentions, the new minimums are $70/month for the Big 3 to get a fully subsidized iPhone 5S (though those plans are limited in data) on a new activation. Anybody saying it's $85 are trying to upsell you.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by worth

I really don't understand why these discount carriers aren't more popular. People complain about high cell phone prices, and there are alternatives to the big three but they only make up a small fraction of subscribers. I am betting it has something to do with subsidized phones by the big three. People don't want to give their iPhone up on a 3 year contract.

I bought a nexus 4 from google outright for $250 and took it to Wind and signed up with no contract. Doesn't get more simple or cheaper than that.

I've had zero issues with Wind, only thing to keep in mind is once you are out of the wind zone, it will cost you to make calls and browse the internet. When I go skiing or something, I actually turn my phone to airplane mode. It's not a big deal once you get used to the idea.

http://www.windmobile.ca/en/pages/st...dcoverage.aspx

They're not more popular because most people aren't like you. Most people need to call long distance: relatives, friends etc. Most people want to use their cell phone when they travel.

If you are glued to a metropolitan area and don't have important people outside of it then it's definitely a great deal.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by accord1999

There's no plan in the States that will give you a subsidized high-end smartphone for $30/month.

And with Rogers, if you go through Retentions you should be able to get subsidized smartphone with a minimum $60/month plan.

With Verizon we have 4 lines, $30 each. 4 2GB per month data plans, $30 each and I get a 20% discount.

Smarter people than myself don't get their kids cell phones until they can pay the bill themselves.

[Deegee]

$0

I don't have a cell phone.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by worth

20 cents per min in the yellow below, unlimited in the red.

Sounds like it could get expensive for people who vacation / ski / camp extensively in BC and the Rockies.

The base price sounds good though. The best I've gotten from Telus so far is $145 a month for 2 iPhones ( one subsidized), an iPad, 4GB of shared data and unlimited everything else

[TurnedTheCorner]

Something like $42 a month from Wind, more if I text the US or roam. I rarely leave the city though.

[jayswin]

About $120 a month with Telus, but had to get everything because of work. Unlimited local and long distance, unlimited texting and I believe 2 GB data. The best part is, work doesn't for it, yeah me!!!!