Get four phone lines and 40GB for $120 per month
From the Cheapskate: T-Mobile has resurrected its 10Gigs4All plan, arguably the best option for families. Here's why I'm making the move. Plus: a price break on iCracked repairs!
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Last February, I wrote about why I ditched T-Mobile and switched to Cricket Wireless. Today I'm going back.
Make no mistake, Cricket's been fine -- though it bugs me that iPhone users don't have the option to get a personal hotspot. In fact, I'd already moved Mrs. Cheapskate to Cricket as well, and was getting ready to do likewise with my two teenage cheapskates.
Today, however, and for a limited time, T-Mo's resurrected its 10Gigs4All plan, which offers 10GB of LTE data for each family member and a fourth line free, which will bring my monthly bill to a very reasonable $120. That works out to $30 per person, a price that includes unlimited calls and texting, plus way more data than any of us will use.
Right now I'm paying $35 per line at Cricket and getting less data. T-Mobile's plan includes a personal hotspot and a bunch of perks that include no-extra-charge calling and data in Canada and Mexico, unlimited texting on planes (with in-flight Wi-Fi service Gogo) and unlimited music streaming (using Rhapsody, Spotify or whatever) with no impact on your data.
Obviously the $120 monthly rate doesn't include taxes and fees, and there may be activation charges -- I haven't gotten that far yet. However, assuming you're bringing your own phones (as I am), you can dodge the $15-a-phone SIM card charge by ordering T-Mobile's Prepaid 3-in-1 SIM Starter Kit for just 99 cents shipped. That's after you apply the coupon code SIM99 at checkout. This deal ends today, though I've seen it repeated several times before.
I'm not saying this is the ideal option for every family of four, merely that it appears to be ideal for mine. And the best part of it all is that I'm not locked into anything. So if AT&T or an MVNO makes me a better offer, I can easily switch. Such is the beauty of the unlocked phone and no-contract service plan.
If you're already on a T-Mobile family plan, hit the comments and let me (and your fellow cheeps) know if it's all it's cracked up to be. And if you've found a better option for a family of four, by all means share that as well!
Bonus deal: Here's a deal I hope you won't need. This week only, iPhone repair service iCracked is offering $12 off any on-demand repair when you use coupon code CD2015. I had the opportunity to test-drive iCracked last year, and chronicled the experience for CNET. Whether you're staring at a busted screen or desperately need a new battery, this option is definitely cheaper than a new phone. Oh, and they can repair some non-Apple products too.
Bonus deal 2: Game time! The Humble Capcom Bundle offers up to nine action games, depending on the tier you choose. And many of them are horror-themed, making them a perfect fit for the Halloween season. The $1 tier has some good stuff, but it's worth beating the average (currently $8.31) to get the middle tier, which includes the top-rated Devil May Cry and Resident Evil 5, which would cost you $50 all by themselves. As always, some proceeds go to charity as well.