Other No Phone Dilemma

[yellowtonkatoy]

I’ve had issues with all the major carriers and have finally cancelled my service, traded in my iPhone, and no longer own a smartphone of any make. For the last 3 1/2 months, I’ve been using an Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular service as my primary device on a Verizon plan, but recently found out that it’s not receiving all incoming calls and texts as I thought it was. Yes, I need to replace my iPhone with a new model, but first I need to find the right carrier. I’m looking for an alternative to the “big four,” but I don’t want a prepaid plan. Any suggestions?

 

[rugmankc]

What are your issues???

I have had no issues, excellent reception, and great customer service with Verizon. Unlimited Plan. My S4 with cellular has been flawless.

 

[eyoungren]

I’m looking for an alternative to the “big four,” but I don’t want a prepaid plan. Any suggestions?

Unless you happen to live in an area that has a regional carrier then any company recommended is likely to be an MVNO that uses one or more of the 'big four' carrier networks.

So, trying to avoid the 'big four' it doesn't automatically follow that you avoid using their network.

 

[yellowtonkatoy]

What are your issues???

I have had no issues, excellent reception, and great customer service with Verizon. Unlimited Plan. My S4 with cellular has been flawless.

The issues I’m having aren’t physical, but entirely to do with what the big four carriers are offering for the money. Several, if not all, the big four require 2 or more lines in order to get any kind of financial break, and the only deals available on the newest iPhones, other than a trade-in deal, are buy-one-get-one deals. For someone like me who’s the sole owner/operator of a small business, I only need/want one phone and a single line of service. I’m single, and don’t have a spouse or children to give extra phones to, so these BOGO deals aren’t designed to suit people like me.

 

[ftaok]

Do you or your business have Comcast cable? If so, you can look into Xfinity mobile. Good prices, uses the Verizon Network. I think they're offering a $200 gift card.

 

[Steve121178]

The issues I’m having aren’t physical, but entirely to do with what the big four carriers are offering for the money. Several, if not all, the big four require 2 or more lines in order to get any kind of financial break, and the only deals available on the newest iPhones, other than a trade-in deal, are buy-one-get-one deals. For someone like me who’s the sole owner/operator of a small business, I only need/want one phone and a single line of service. I’m single, and don’t have a spouse or children to give extra phones to, so these BOGO deals aren’t designed to suit people like me.

The entire world seems to find a deal that suits them so I don't understand why you can't. It's clearly a case of you refusing to pay the going rate. So stop being so stingy and either find a deal that's acceptable or carry on without a smartphone.

 

[Harthag]

Hard for people to give suggestions without knowing what area you are in and how much data you typically consume. Also maybe wrong forum to ask.

You should check out www.howardforums.com.

It’s my go-to site when I’m curious about carriers and cellular industry news. The forums can get very technical but it’s a great site / community. You can search there for a potential regional carrier that suits your needs and get plenty of input from people.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I thought the cellular Apple Watch couldn’t be used as an entirely stand alone device, ie with its own number. I thought it needed to be linked to a parent iPhone.

 

[TheKDub]

The issues I’m having aren’t physical, but entirely to do with what the big four carriers are offering for the money. Several, if not all, the big four require 2 or more lines in order to get any kind of financial break, and the only deals available on the newest iPhones, other than a trade-in deal, are buy-one-get-one deals. For someone like me who’s the sole owner/operator of a small business, I only need/want one phone and a single line of service. I’m single, and don’t have a spouse or children to give extra phones to, so these BOGO deals aren’t designed to suit people like me.

Yeah, I'm on Xfinity Mobile (requires Comcast internet to qualify FYI). As the other poster said, it uses the Verizon network and I haven't had any issues using the phone countrywide. The pricing is competitive and I think it addresses your issues about targeting single lines of service, since I don't see any family plans on it. Just $12/gig or $45 unlimited (throttled after 20GBs, which is clearly stated on their website), unlimited talk and text per line.