Cellphone Service... who's the best?

[pacopete4]

So, I have AT&T right now and I pay $170 for four lines of service and get 15GB total to use with unlimited text and call.

 

Has anyone ever done their prepaid services? I totaled it up and it would save like $35-$40 a month but it comes with the fact that you don't get #1 priority on their cellphone towers. How big of an issue is this? I live on the outskirts of Iowa City so it's not like I am in the boonies but I definitely am not in a large metropolitan area that you don't really have to worry about cell service. I also like to travel so that worries me. I head up to my hometown in northern Wisconsin and already have issues with cell service so I would hate for it to get worse.

 

Just looking to see if anyone has any answers for some of this. Thanks!

[FVBrewerFan]

I think generally speaking, Verizon has the best coverage, most 4G, etc. I had Verizon for years and rarely had an issue getting service even in very rural areas. And that was years ago when that was far from automatic.

 

But I jumped on a Sprint promotion that has saved me $50/mo per line. I was nervous, but that's $100/mo for my two lines so I took the chance. I must say, I really haven't noticed a difference in service. (Obviously, Iowa City may/ may not be a different experience.)

[madbad2000]

Cell service isn't really an issue in 99% of the US. All carriers have a strong network and partnerships to cover most gaps. There are dead zones to worry about, but again that is small. I had Cingular/AT&T for years and did not notice any issues and that included significant travel around the US during my military service. I switched to Verizon because that was what my wife's family runs through. I have considered T-Mobile a few times, but with only 2 lines at the moment there is not enough difference to change providers. I like how aggressive T-Mobile has been in increasing their coverage and reliability while providing one set rate per month that includes all fees. If I was starting out fresh, that would be my first stop. While I have not had many issues with Verizon, the customer service has been subpar during those few times when I needed assistance. I have also looked into prepaid, but I require reliability too much for work and personal life.

[homer]

Cell service in northern wisconsin is the outlier. It's basically Verizon, ATT or crap. I had Sprint and had terrible reception up there. I switched to Republic several months ago and will probably have the same issue - although I love Republic.