Phone Service and Phone- Which Do You Like?

Big iPhone fans here.

I will jump in on the iPhone band wagon. However, my husband & I use Verizon as our carrier.

AT&T was originally the only service provider for the original iPhone, but no longer. Which carrier you choose is dependent on your area to some extent - AT&T is big in Illinios, but in Wisconsin, Verizon provides much better coverage, for example.

We love the iPhone, it is very user friendly, and the quality of available apps and the camera are great. Plus, you get free face-to-face customer service at any Apple store if you have problems, or just need help figuring things out, which is a definite plus, & one I've used many times!

I have a friend who had an iPhone, and a year ago, decided to get an Android-based smart phone. She couldn't change back fast enough! Not just because she was used to the Apple platform, but as she said, "iPhones are able to do more than Androids, and it far outweighs the few things Androids can do that iPhones can't."

As far as purchasing - they are not cheap. If you think you are getting a phone for a steal, think again - the purchase price of the phone is likely buried in the monthly service charge from the carrier. It is set up to pay for the phone in 2 years - remarkably when you are eligible for an upgrade (to a newer phone, which will perpetuate the fee).

Most plans have adjusted this so that if you do not upgrade your phone after the 2 years, you are no longer charged the "purchase" fee.

My husband & I decided to get our recent iPhones on eBay. Got good deals - iPhone 5 (one generation old) for about 1/2 the cost of the iPhone 6, no extra fees, good condition. You do need to be careful, to make sure it has a clean ESN, so that it has not been reported stolen, and the phone needs to be able to be used by your service provider. Not all phones work with all carriers. Talk to someone @ your carrier to find out what you should look for if you want to buy used, our Verizon customer service rep was very helpful, and checked out both our phones for us as soon as we got them to let us know everything was A-OK.

Enjoy your new smartphone!! T.

I have an iPhone 6, and AT&T for service. As far as I know, AT&T is the only provider where you can talk at the same time as you use other internet services (talk and surf at the same time). We bought our phones outright, but I know there are plans where you can pay monthly for the phone itself. We use our phones a lot (my husband travels constantly and streams podcasts while he's driving; I stream Pandora music all the time, and we have a teen daughter), so we got a family plan with 3 iPhones, unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 30 Gig of data. We don't use anywhere close to the 30G of data, but that was the deal they had going when we signed up, and it cost the same as 10G, so why not? In our area, AT&T has the best 4G speeds as well as coverage, but your area may be different, so it's worth asking around.

We are a huge ATT and Apple following family. We've had the IPhones since they came out and we all 3 have the new 6 now. LOVE them.

I pay about $250 a month for unlimited data, unlimited texting, all 3 phones, including international coverages (we use our phones for business and do international business as well) and we carry an insurance deal where we will not have to pay full retail if something happens to one of the phones.

Yes, we used the insurance plan more than once as daughter was growing up!!

My hubby just sold his cracked IPhone 4 on Craigslist for $100 and I am told that my IPhone 5 will fetch close to $300 since it is in perfect condition. I just need to feel confident that it is wiped clean of all data first. Then I am posting it for sale on my local area FB sale page with the original box, ear buds, charge cord and instructions. ALL still in new wrapper.

I LOVE the IPhone. I do not have to take my laptop when I travel, I can run my company from my phone. I LOVE that.

We have had iPhones for I think 4 or 5 years now. My husband got the 4 when it came out, I got the 4S when it came out. Then he got the 5 and Verizon got rid of unlimited data. So we refuse to upgrade with them anymore so we can keep our unlimited data.

My husband just got me the 5S from a yard sale site since my 4S was really falling apart. It works perfect and nothing is wrong with it - great deal!!

We use Verizon because it's the only provider that really works in our area...the rest don't have very good coverage. Otherwise, I think I'd rather have AT&T...they have better plan options right now.

i've got an i-phone, and AT&T. not thrilled with AT&T but i switched because i was furious with the bad service from verizon. well, guess what? mine's no better now. my son has verizon and loves it.
we're out in the sticks so i guess we just don't get great coverage.
khairete
S.

Hubby & I switched to iPhones a few years ago and have been pretty happy. Have AT&T and do a decent amount of traveling...usually only as far West as west Texas and up & down East Coast. Dud go to Cali once and so far only placed ever had a dropped call was in the back
of the Burke Walmart :) Been very happy with AT&T b/c hubby loathes Verizon. Have had numerous issues with them regarding extra charges in the past with cell phones & fios, never had great customer service but I guess some could say same thing about AT&T; depends on the rep you get I guess. Yes we pay for the insurance on our phones & have had to use it twice. I like the iTunes & App store better than buying stuff on android friendly devices, easier searching for me.
And its true in the other answer; never truly get a good deal b/c your're paying for the new phone every month in your bill so it may be worth checking out eBay or getting a refurbished phone.
Good Luck,
P

We use U S Cellular. It's a bit more expensive than some plans but the benefits are wonderful.

If I drop my phone I get a replacement no questions asked. I can go in and get a new phone and use my belief points at just about any time.

I've had everything from a Note 2 down to a small Razor. I like a cell with a screen where I can see my photos. I like a phone that's not so big it covers my face and chin when I'm talking on it. I like my S4 very well but it may have a thin screen because I've gone through 2 of them since February.