I have the Samsung smartphone with my provider AT&T and I pay way to much a month for too little service. AT&T years ago use to have unlimited internet now there is a limit and I seem to go over every month. Even when I try to limit browsing I go over all the time. So I wanted to know what else is out there as far as getting more for my money without jeopardizing the service. Or the next best thing to AT&T. I know there are a lot of providers out there. T-Mobile, Cricket, Sprint, Verizon, etc. I have heard Cricket sucks and T-Mobile has bad service lol but this was years ago. Prepaid was my other option.

Any experience or suggestions?

 

First, use something like this http://www.rootmetrics.com/check-coverage/ or this http://www.cellreception.com/ to check which carrier offers you the best coverage (call/data) in the areas in which you are most at daily.

Second, ask around of people you trust and see what their experiences are on various carriers, and use speedtest to make sure that people just aren't talking up their butt.

Third, check out and compare the plans of the top (or more) carrier in your area to see whether you would actually be saving money or whether it would work out for you.

Fourth, be sure to double check with MVNOs and prepaid carriers/plans to see if they have even better plans/price for you. For example, if AT&T has the best coverage in your area but they suck at prices, then choose an AT&T MVNO like StraightTalk or AIO to make use of their coverage, but at lower prices.
Also, be sure to check whether said MVNO/prepaid carrier gets full access to the major carrier's network speeds and not just the lower tier.

These steps should help you decide what is best for you. Good luck.

 

What is AT&T MVNO like StraightTalk or AIO ?

 

Suggest you go to HOFO, Howardforum.com and do some reading. If you use lots of data and few voice calls, check TMobile in your area.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_mobile_virtual_network_operators

 

Because I'm a cheap bastard, I use the ultra cheap $30/month monthly4g prepaid t-mobile plan.
No additional fees (well, tax, so it's more like $33).
Unlimited data/text. Only 100 minutes/month, no way round that.
Heavy callers need not apply.
For outgoing calls you can use Vonage or something though.

T-mobile doesn't have the greatest signal, but it's better than the AT&T dead zone I live in.

 

for those that really need to make calls and couldnt care less about call quality but uses zero minutes (wifi or over data),

use something like talkatone with google voice. Works great for those times where i know i cant avoid being put on hold. Downside is i dont think I can receive calls over that same service, and quality is lacking (though i can still be understood). Upside is that I dont burn my minutes at all.

Free calling over Google Voice app for android is also in development. iOS already has this feature in GV.

 

I read earlier that Google was actively trying to break these sort of apps.
I'm not sure how far they got though.

 

in either case, still works on my Nexus 5.

 

Well I decided to switch to share mobile. It reduced my bill with unlimited talk, text and more media data. So I will see how it turns out.