Phone Deals for Summer 2010

The competition is heating up in the cell phone market and Boost Mobile offers unlimited everything - talk, text, web, voicemail, long distance, national coverage and walkie talkie - for just $50 a month!  Boost Mobile even has a nice Android phone from Motorola but the price is hidden and says "only available at stores". I also saw they offer a Blackberry smartphone on a 3G network at $60 a month.  I was thinking to myself why aren't more people switching over to these deals?  It could be that Boost Mobile runs off Nextel's network but my husband's job uses Nextel and it works fine except when he travels to certain locations and there is no Nextel coverage but Verizon is just about everywhere.  However, if you aren't going to be traveling to small, rural areas this isn't going to be a problem.

Then there is Walmart's new cell deal with Straight Talk.  They are offering a $30 a month "All You Need" plan that gives you a 1000 talk and text and a $45 a month unlimited - talk, text, web.  Straight Talk is owned by TracFone and runs of Verizon's network but some reviews I've read online indicate poor phone quality. 

For prepaid cell plans, you can get TracFone for a year service with 400 minutes for $99.99 - that equates to about $8 a month for an emergency cell phone to carry with you.  They have a $9.99 prepaid phone available that comes with the double minutes for life card.  That means that whenever you add minutes they double automatically.  I'm pretty sure this is what I'm going to go with for my emergency cell to have with me in case of a car accident or car breakdown, etc. *UPDATE - You can get a TracFone emergency cell for just $80 - Read this post on how.

Then there is also Net10, which offers a year at $180 and the airtime cards equate to 10 cents a minute.

For VoiP phones, you can't beat Magic Jack and I've blogged on it back in 2007 here.  It runs through your broadband internet connection but unlike Skype, you can use your own phone that hooks conveniently into the Magic Jack.  It is unlimited long distance and comes with voicemail for just $19.95 a year, although you have to pay $20 for the device the first time you buy it so the first year is $39.95.  That is about $1.67 a month for unlimited phone service.  You just can't beat that and that comes with your own phone number and the whole shebang - caller id, etc.  Clark Howard has used it on 4 continents and still touts it as the most awesome phone service.  My husband has not wanted to let go of our land-line with Comcast so we have yet to try the Magic Jack ourselves but do have a friend who has used it for a few years and says it works fine.  However, if your computer is off - your phone won't ring and that is something a lot of people don't like about it but hey - for $20 a year - why complain?

Also, if you have a home security system you will need a land-line other than Magic Jack and that is one of the reasons we have not used it.  Magic Jack does offer the free 911 service of which other VoiP services do not.

Magic Jack has already given us a peak of the new Femtocell they plan to release.  Femtocell is basically your own cell phone tower for your home!  You will be able to run your cell phone, even your old one that has no service - off of Magic Jack.  That means your "locked" cell phones you have that have no service can be used AND iPhones.  That is sure to cause a stir with AT&T. That means if you have a limited minutes plan on your cell phone, you can use Magic Jack when you are at home and save your minutes for when you are out.  I saw mention somewhere, you will also be able to use Magic Jack when your computer is off.   The best part - the cost will not increase, it will be the same $20 a year. 

I came across Ooma yesterday and don't know too much about it but it seems like a great deal.  Ooma is free home phone service (unlimited US) for life after you buy the unit at currently $249.99.  That is a one time price for free phone through your high speed internet connection.  However, for $250, you could get 13 years of Magic Jack service and maybe by then Ooma won't be around or will have changed it plans - who knows.  I'm not sure how you can guarantee "for life" on a phone plan but it is still cheaper than a land-line.

Then of course there is Skype but the one thing I don't like about Skype is that it doesn't offer 911 emergency service.  For someone who has a cell phone this is probably not a big deal but for us it is.  Skype is free if you use it do video calls online to other Skype users but if you get a phone number and use it to make calls to non-Skype users - landlines and mobiles, it will cost you but only a small fee.  Currently the unlimited US & Canada calling plan runs $2.99 a month.  If you want a phone number that costs $60 a year.  So with the unlimited plan AND phone number you will be paying $96 a year or $8 a month. With Skype you have to use a headset or buy a Skype phone - that is just too many extras to deal with when you get the same service with Magic Jack for cheaper and can use your own phone.