By Clark Howard
Three of the nation's Big 4 cellphone carriers have announced rate cuts, and they represent the most historic pricing drop in almost 20 years! Here's your guide to saving money on wireless service.
Huge new rate cuts from 3 of the Big 4
- T-Mobile changed the market for the big guys with its Uncarrier strategy. Now they've expanded their family plan to support up to 10 people. You sign up no contract and pay a real price for a phone.
UPDATE: T-Mobile cut prices again, effective Aug. 27. It is a simple change this time around. A family plan can now include 10 lines, as I reported last week. But the price has dropped and the deal's been simplified. The first line is $50 per month. The second line is $30 per month. Lines 3 through 10 are $10 per month. And each line comes with unlimited talk, text and 2.5 GB of data through 2015.
Remember, T-Mobile will pay termination fees for you if you leave any contract carrier and come to them. If you're an individual, T-Mobile charges $80 per month for its unlimited data plan.
- Sprint has a new offer at a jaw-dropping low price: You can have up to 10 people on your plan for a flat $100 with the Sprint Family Share Pack. That includes unlimited talk, text, and 20GB of data to share among the 10 lines. (There's also an additional 2GB included per line to avoid any overages!)
Like T-Mobile, Sprint will also pay your early termination fees if you leave another carrier.
Although this is a limited-time offer, the Sprint Family Share Pack is hands down the best offer for family plans as of now. Current Sprint family plan customers who want to get this amazing deal must meet one of these conditions:
1. One Sprint Easy Pay phone transaction on your account.
2. One line is upgrade eligible on your account.
3. By adding a new line of service to these plans on your account.
For individuals, the company also has new lower-priced plans too. $60 per month will get you unlimited talk and text with unlimited data.
- Verizon has just announced a rate cut for Edge customers. What they used to charge $110 for will now be discounted to $60 a month. That includes unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of data.
While this certainly isn't the best deal for single individuals, it's worth noting becasue Verizon has historically been reluctant to discount. If you're looking for the best and cheapest deal for individuals with unlimited everything, check out this $25 a month option from a smaller player in the wireless world.
- Finally, AT&T and Verizon no longer offer unlimited data.
As with most discounts, you have to ask for these to get them; if you don't ask, you don't get! And if you're intent on staying with any of the Big 4, take a look at WhistleOut.com. The site makes it easy for you to find the best plan to meet your needs with a free comparison shopping tool.
