Help/opinions on 1 GB per month cell phone data.

[RVTECH]

I am trying to cut expenses and I got a 'Consumer Cellular' letter for a $20 a month plan but it is only 1 GB.

Ok, realities of my cell phone usage.

I don't game. I don't regularly watch ANY streaming videos or TV other than MAYBE an occasional vid posted on a forum or somewhere else but than is VERY minimal.

When home my phone is on my Wi FI so not an issue. Bottom line is I MOSTLY only text and talk on my cell phone and send pics occasionally when texting and thats it.

Is 1 GB gonna 'get it' for me?

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[Alexx1401]

I am trying to cut expenses and I got a 'Consumer Cellular' letter for a $20 a month plan but it is only 1 GB.

Ok, realities of my cell phone usage.

I don't game. I don't regularly watch ANY streaming videos or TV other than MAYBE an occasional vid posted on a forum or somewhere else but than is VERY minimal.

When home my phone is on my Wi FI so not an issue. Bottom line is I MOSTLY only text and talk on my cell phone and send pics occasionally when texting and thats it.

Is 1 GB gonna 'get it' for me?

Assuming you now have a smart phone? You should be able to log into your account and see what kind of Mobile Data you are using now. Will give you an idea of how it will work. I have used Pure Talk for years. My plane comes with 5 Gig a month. One time I did max it out. Can't remember what it was I was doing but its only happened that one time. What do they say happens if you go over? Do they bill more or cut it off?

 

[Joe13]

I have an unlimited plan but I watch a lot of 4k por… scientific videos, yea for research and stuff.


I agree with the above, you should have some way to view your current usage. My wife and daughter have WiFi at work and home and when I'm away from home I'm working or busy so all of our data is very low.

 

[RVTECH]

Assuming you now have a smart phone? You should be able to log into your account and see what kind of Mobile Data you are using now.

OK - I see 93.37 MB used with 19 days left to go.

So if I am seeing this correctly 1 GB is equal to 1000 MB so I am at less the 10% data usage now so given the days remaining I won't even get to 1 GB.

 

[Koda]

In your phone is a page... Settings>Connections>Data Usage
If your using less than 1gb/mo then its a good deal.

IMO 1gb isnt enough for me....
For 5 dollars more a month go with their 5GB plan, that should be enough for minimal use. One thing I know you dont want to truly need to access the internet (emergency etc.) and be out of your plans use as they throttle your speed severely after you use up your plan data limit.


One thing to consider is your home location and places you visit regular... if the 3rd party cellular provider covers those areas well. They typically pay a commission to the big 3 providers to use their towers but in rural areas those towers drop 3rd party providers from5G to 4G. Years ago I switched to a similar budget provider and did not get service in several remote/rural areas especially the woods. I ended up switching back to Verizon for best coverage. I know someone with TMobile that doesnt get cell use at their job, has to walk outside.
Your cellphone needs may vary.

Wireless Coverage Map

Fast, reliable, nationwide coverage. Consumer Cellular has the same towers as the big guys. Check coverage in your area.

www.consumercellular.com

 

[ma96782]

If you are worried about the 1 GB.
Try another carrier or plan that will get you "Unlimited". Calls, text and Data. Yeah....they will usually "throttle you down" after you've reached X point of usage. But.....anyway......my plan from Metro PCS still runs me $30 a month. And, I'm actually happy enough with it. I'm not a really big data user.

Aloha, Mark

 

[albin25]

I currently (for last 6 years) have 1Gb/unlimited talk/text plan for $7 per month withTELLO.
I haven't ever run out of data, but I don't surf much if I'm not on Wi-Fi.
If I'm out doing stuff I leave my phone in my pocket cuz if the stuff Im doing is that boring… I stop doing it!
They don't require you to buy a phone from them, you can use the phone you have or one you buy from pretty much anyone.
Just got back from a drive to Texas and phone coverage all the way was 99.8%. Will call to Canada and Mexico. 5 Gb and unlimited data is also offered at similarly low cost.

 

[dangerranger60]

I currently have a 1 gb plan. The only time I go over is when the Grands use my phone. and when I do go over they only slow my connection. the biggest data draw I use is Google maps and address locations. DR

 

[2ndtimer]

We have been Consumer Cellular customers for years. We use the 5 gb plan and rarely use it all. The only exception is when we are traveling and using GPS constantly. The nice part of Consumer Cellular is that if you do go over, they simply upgrade you to the next level for that month. (You do have to remember to switch back to your regular data before the next billing cycle).
But if you have Wi-Fi at home and rarely travel, the 1 gig plan could work for you.

 

[The Heretic]

I am trying to cut expenses and I got a 'Consumer Cellular' letter for a $20 a month plan but it is only 1 GB.

Ok, realities of my cell phone usage.

I don't game. I don't regularly watch ANY streaming videos or TV other than MAYBE an occasional vid posted on a forum or somewhere else but than is VERY minimal.

When home my phone is on my Wi FI so not an issue. Bottom line is I MOSTLY only text and talk on my cell phone and send pics occasionally when texting and thats it.

Is 1 GB gonna 'get it' for me?

It was enough for me, most of the time. My use case is the same as yours.

I had the T-Mobile prepaid 1GB plan for $10/mo. (~$13 after fees). Most of the time that was adequate although I would sometimes get pretty near the limit when I spent time web surfing while waiting in a dr's office and/or I had to use Google maps. So I recently bumped it up to the 5GB plan to give myself a bit of room if I need it - $15/mo before fees. I rarely go over 1GB.

 

[RVTECH]

Thanks all for the help!

I'm thinkin' I could use 1 GB with NO ISSUES but I'll probably take a look at that 5GB T-Mobile plan for $15 a month.

 

[Mayberry59]

Last month I used 75gb of wifi and 255 mb of mobile data. I use the smartphone for everything, rarely turn on the laptop.

 

[DirectDrive]

We were on Big Cellular (T-Moble) for a long time (55+ Unlimited $30 ea) and it was good.
There was some ugliness with added charges as I recall.
Then we got a wild hair to try an MVNO (Visible Unlimited $25 ea) for some savings.
Visible uses Verizon infrastructure and coverage for us in our orbit was not great.
Visible is a good way to get on the Verizon network if you like Verizon.

So fast forward to two months ago and we jumped on Mint Mobile due to a sale that they were running.
Mint is an MVNO that uses T-Mobile infrastructure.
It's $15 ea per month for Unlimited and we are back to having good T-Mobile coverage.

I think with Consumer Cellular you pay more to cover their overhead costs for their Customer Care humans.
I've never spoken to anyone at Visible or Mint Mobile and don't know if I even could.
We're using newer phones with eSIM capability and that makes it convenient because you're up and running in minutes, not waiting for a SIM card to come in the mail.

Try the 1 GB plan and see how it goes.

 

[The Heretic]

Last month I used 75gb of wifi and 255 mb of mobile data. I use the smartphone for everything, rarely turn on the laptop.

I use my laptop for almost everything, including texting (99% of which is to my daughter). I "fat finger" the little phone virtual keyboard too much for it to be truly useful, plus the screen of my laptop is a LOT more readable.

Maybe someday VR glasses/et. al. will be useful enough for me that I can use them instead of a laptop (or TV) or phone for that matter.

 

[Hotdog 7]

I switched from AT&T to Mint Mobile about 5 years ago and have been very happy with the service so far. The catch is that to save the most money, you have to pay for 3 months, 6 months, or a year of service up front. I pay for their 15gb/mo plan on a yearly basis and it costs me $20/mo ($240/yr). This is their current pricing on 5gb plans:



I've used Mint all up and down the west coast, Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and New York and haven't had any issues. I did use their international plan when I traveled to Europe and had some connectivity issues in Belgium and the UK but that was mostly in rural areas. In big cities it worked just fine.

 

[wombatz]

US Mobile. Pay annually, $96 per year comes to $8 per month.

2GB per month. You can pick your favorite backbone, Verizon, TMobile or AT&T.