It seems like all the smartphone plans are about $70/month?

[NewJeffCT]

Is this correct? I looked at Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile & Sprint and it seems to get phone and unlimited emails/internet, the going rate starts at $70/month.

The only way to get cheaper might be through a corporate discount.

Is there a way to get one cheaper? Did I miss anything?

[MiddleFingerMom]

1. Verizon Wireless...

.
...will run you $39.99 for their "entry-level" 450 minute single line plan. Add a
mandatory $29.99 for a smartphone and you're taling $70+tax. Add anywhere from $5-$20
for 250 to unlimited texting. Insurance, GPS, and other features will add to that.
.
Some of the small companies are starting to come out with REALLY cheap plans (including
some contract-free prepaid plans). Check with others who have had some history with
those companies before you're dazzled by the savings, though.
.

[NewJeffCT]

2. Same with Sprint, AT&T & T-Mobile

I think T-Mobile gives you 500 minutes, while you can rollover the AT&T minutes.

[XemaSab]

8. We have a prepaid plan and it's great

I think it's 30 bucks for 300 minutes, which is about 2 months worth of phone calls for us.

[rcrush]

3. At&T is the biggest rip off

Especially with an Iphone. They have extra expensive plans for txt and data if you use an iphone. Mine ran me almost $100 a month.

[Midlodemocrat]

4. Mine is $60.

[NewJeffCT]

5. is that a family plan discount or something?

You and the horde of Midlets?

My wife gets a blackberry through work, but it's Verizon.

[Midlodemocrat]

6. We have five phones through Sprint, including three blackberrys

that cost us $150 a month and then I have an iPhone that runs about $60-$62 a month.

[NewJeffCT]

7. that sounds like a pretty good deal

I'll have to go into my local AT&T store & demand the same deal!

[kath]

9. Don't forget with all these phone, computer, etc plans, the advertised charge is just the tip of the

iceberg - then there's state tax, local tax, tax-on-the-tax tax, user fee, universal access fee, connectivity charge, phase-of-the-moon fee, people-named-Dave surcharge and on and on and on and on...

[Narraback]

10. Check for employer discounts up to 25% off...

Sprint has such programs.

[NewJeffCT]

11. my employer is only 8%

and, I think it's phone only, not data. My old company was 13% and Verizon still has me registered under that company, but I think it's also phone only and not data.

[retread]

12. At the risk of sounding like a luddite, why? Unless one's livelihood depends on it,

why would anyone want to be in constant contact 24/7/365? And that is just voice contact, add email, text, etc. and you become perpetually plugged in.

I just retired/left a job that required all the above and I came to see myself as one who was attempting to swim through my alloted time on this planet with a millstone around my neck.

I would never voluntarily submit to that kind of "connectivity" again!

That said, if you have to plug in give Credo a look -- http://www.credomobile.com/

[Locrian]

13. nuts

"why would anyone want to be in constant contact 24/7/365? And that is just voice contact, add email, text, etc. and you become perpetually plugged in."

Glad Im not the only one who finds it nuts to pay close to $1000 a year for the "privilege".

I guess if you have the money, or "need" (?) it for work....

[NewJeffCT]

14. well, it's a lot easier to check work email with a blackberry

than it is to fire up the laptop, connect to the system via Citrix and then check email.

[retread]

15. Ask yourself, "How much of my work email is critical for me to see after work hours"? If

your job requires critical contact to the corporate mothership 24 hours a day then 1. Why won't they provide a crackberry? and most important 2. You should be duly compensated.

[NewJeffCT]

18. In this economy

One is often lucky to just have a job, and if you don't have something like a blackberry, you risk missing out on possibly important information when you're dealing with offices in Europe (5-6 hours ahead), the west coast (3 hours behind) and Asia (11-13 hours ahead)

[Skittles]

16. I have no freaking clue why people feel the need to be constantly plugged in

my guess: they WAY overestimate their sense of importance

[NewJeffCT]

19. Not really

however, as I said above, if you're not plugged in, you're often not able to keep current when you're dealing with offices in mutliple time zones.

[Skittles]

20. LOLOL

I DEAL WITH MULTIPLE TIME ZONES ALL THE TIME - I deal with multiple mainframe systems in all US time zones and GMT, plus virtual coworkers in India, Brazil, Egypt, Argentina, Spain, Panama, etc.........those time zones are all in my head

[NewJeffCT]

21. and my work situation is exactly analgous to yours as well

My options outside of normal working hours are:
1) Go into the office & wait for the reports/information I need, possibly wasting a lot of time because somebody is not on schedule, which happens all too frequently.
2) Fire up my laptop at home, stay at home & check on it every once in a while to see when my reports are completed.
3) Have a blackberry or similar so I can check to see if everybody is on time & on schedule, and then either fire up the laptop at home or go into the office. Then, at least I know when I have work to do instead of sitting around waiting for it. I can go out to run errands instead of hovering the office or my laptop at home.

[MattNC]

17. Amen

I need a new phone badly but all the phones that don't require data plans aren't too impressive.