Pros: Great solution for consumers that can pinpoint their usage and needs. No surprises. Great international rates, CHECK IT OUT. Wont miss your two year contract if you dont need that extra unused capacity like .... coverage in MARS.
Cons: Some areas have coverage blackout. Limited models.Cheap brand perception .. but, my friends dont pay my bills!!!
Summary: NEEDS: I need two phones. One with unlimited web browsing and talk, the other for occasional calls.
I WAS PAYING: $ 125.00 month minimum and frequently more, for peak and extra minutes nonsense, for two lines with 700 mins talk and one line with unlimited browsing.
NOW: I am paying $ 50.00 to MetroPCS for unlimited web and talk on one line and $ 9.99 a month to TRACFONE for 50 mins a month for the standby line with rollover. SO after six months I have 250 minutes on my TRACFONE and it keeps growing with rollover. Also, I am saving on my international calls with MetropCS, 2 cents a min to Europe and 8 cents a min to Asia.
BOTTOM LINE: My total bill has gone down from over $ 250 a month to $ 60 a month for domestic and $ 90 a month if I include the international calls. A savings of over $ 160 a month or almost
$ 2000 a year, thats almost $ 2900 in gross pay before taxes.
PREREQUISITE: Make sure you have good coverage in your area. Most of my calls are in a 50 mile radius and Metro PCS covers every inch of it. When I am not talking I am on the web having a ball. When roaming, and I lose Metro PCS coverage I use the TRACFONE. When I am in my calling area I save a bundle on the international calls.
OPINION: I was paying for excess capacity and bells and whistles that I did not really need. The coverage map with my earlier carrier looked impressive but I never really called anybody in Cucamoonga or Tuskegee. Also, the fancy brands looked cool but thats where it ended, I never really used all its features. And whats the point in paying through the nose for two years when the novelty of a sexy phone died off in a few weeks.
ADVICE: So folks identify your NEEDS carefully first. Where and when your calls are mostly made.
How many minutes? Talk or text? Then have a backup for roaming like the TRACFONE. Put that two grand in the bank. Time we start spending wisely in these hard times.
