From Tracie: The Best Wireless Father's Day Gift

Sunday, June 02, 2013

The Best Wireless Father's Day Gift

#FamilyMobileSaves #cbias #shop
Thomas needs a cell phone. He wants a smart phone with all the bells and whistles (and apps - lots of apps). I want a phone that works, a plan that won't lock us into a contract, and a price that won't scare me every month. It is important to find an unlimited plan, because I know Thomas will not take the time to track the minutes or data he is using each month, and we do not want to get hit with a huge bill.

We have been comparison shopping cell phone plans for a long time. I would get excited about an advertised price, but then find out there were extra charges to have a smart phone, or the smart phones they supported were not the ones we wanted. It was an overwhelming and frustrating search.

With Father's Day approaching, I started looking again. Thomas really does need a cell phone, and this would be a perfect time to get him something both useful and fun. I decided to try Walmart Family Mobile - an unlimited plan with no contract, and at $40 a month, a price that did not make me want to curl up in a ball and cry. It is the lowest price rate plan I have seen that meets every item on our list of needs.

Family Mobile Cheap Wireless Plan At Walmart

$40 a month for unlimited talk, text, and web.
Thomas will be able to use apps, listen to music while he rides the bus, check the weather to decide which direction he needs to head for work in order to avoid rain (a must when you are a tree surgeon in Orlando), text, and talk on the phone. It is going to be the best Father's Day gift ever.

Plus, customers will be able to get in touch with him during the day without calling me. I will be able to call him when I need to ask him to stop by the post office or pick something up on the way home. (Does this mean his Father's Day gift is a present for me, too? Maybe. I am okay with that.) And he will be able to take picture of his tree work without having to take my camera with him to work each day.

I received a MyTouch phone in the mail (Isn't it pretty?), and took it with me to Walmart to activate the phone and service.
TMobile MyTouch Cell Phone

I expected it to be a long trip with a lot of paperwork and waiting, but it wasn't long at all. I purchased the Starter Kit, and only had to sign two pieces of paper. There was no credit check, and they did not ask for my social security number. They only wanted my name and a phone number.

Family Mobile Starter Kit $25

With Family Mobile, you have the ability to manage your account online, including the initial phone activation. I wanted to make sure the phone was activated and the SIM card was installed correctly before I left the store, because I had never changed a SIM card. Jennifer (my new best friend) helped me get it set up. It only took a few minutes. She also showed me how to install the SD card I purchased for extra music storage on the phone.

Activating Family Mobile Phone with Jessica at Walmart
For more pictures of my trip, check out my #FamilyMobileSaves Google+ album.
In a month, I'm going to give you an update on what Thomas thought of his gift, and how we feel about the service.

I should admit one thing:
I have already tested the phone, and I might just be in love.

Deciding it would be bad to keep Thomas' Father's Day gift for myself, I checked into the price for adding a second phone. It would be $35 a month to add an extra line if I decide to get my own smart phone in the future. After talking to a lot of friends about their cell phone bills, and looking at prices for myself, I discovered that $75 a month for two smart phones with unlimited service is a really good deal. Maybe I should start dropping hints about a Labor Day present.

Labor Day could totally be a present holiday, right? I think so.

37 comments:

  1. Labor Day is a great present-giving holiday. And? It's my birthday (well, September 1 is), so could tell Thomas that you should get a gift for my birthday. :)

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  2. Don't steal his new phone (lol) - hopefully you can get one next!

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    1. I am pretty sure I will. We have been so pleased with the phone service, and the price is so affordable, it will be worth it.

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  3. That is an AWESOME deal! I am definitely going to look into that as I need to consider a smart phone someday soon. :)-Ashley

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    1. Awesome!! They are very quickly addictive, those smart phones...or so I've been told ;-)

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  4. That is a nice price - I'll be interested to see what you think of the service after using it for a month or so too.

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    1. I'll definitely update next month, but so far, it has been really great.

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  5. That is an amazing deal! I had heard about this previously, but never heard from someone who actually used it. I'll have to look into this a bit more in the near future!

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    1. Awesome! I hope it works out for you. We have been really pleased with the service.

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  6. What a great deal - I wonder if they do anything like this over here I shall have to go hunting Thank you :) x

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    1. I would love to hear if you find something similar in the UK!

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  7. I seriously can't believe that they are SO affordable and easy! I don't even want to think about how ridiculous our phone bill is! Great to know it's quick and easy!

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    1. It is unbelievable...but true! We have been very pleased.

      Quick and easy is always good.

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  8. What a bloody great deal, I would love a new phone as mine is just giving me a headache more and more often

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    1. They have several different phones available. We are loving the MyTouch.

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  9. How long have you been part of Social Fabric? I have my first shoppertunity coming up next week! =)

    How did I not know that Thomas was a tree surgeon! Maybe I should hire you guys to come to Oklahoma to operate on our sweet gum tree! Hate that thing!

    Labor Day is totally a gift-able occasion! Good luck!

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    1. He is a tree surgeon. If we were closer, he would definitely help you with your sweet gum tree.

      I can't wait to see your shop. Social Fabric is a great group.

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  10. I never knew anything about this! I'm glad I know now I may have to check it out instead of paying my $130/mo. Good luck with the new phone, hope it works out great!

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    1. We are still loving it! The service is good, and the phone is, too. That $130 a month is a killer.

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  11. And now I know what I'm doing when my current contract is up. What a good deal! Also, what about July 4th as a gift holiday? It is the country's birthday, after all.

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    1. Awesome!! You will be so happy you switched (and your pocketbook will be happy too!)

      We should get presents for the country's birthday. Brilliant! :)

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  12. Sounds like a great deal! Love my smart phone - I have become very attached to it! :)

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    1. Thomas has become very attached to his, too! :)

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  13. The Walmart Family Plan sounds like the perfect solution for my family! With everyone always on the go, but usually not in the same direction, and two teens on smart phones - our bill is outrageous! There are so many better ways we could use extra money in our family budget! I love how easy it was for you to get set up - would work great with my busy schedule. I'm looking forward to reading more about your experience :)

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    1. I can't even imagine having to pay for four phones smart phones every month. Ouch. This could make a huge difference for y'all!

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  14. I really wish I had seen this before we re-signed our 2 year contract! Definitely next time! This is so much more affordable!

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    1. Oh no!! Maybe they would let you out of your contract? (probably wishful thinking)

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  15. I got rid of our contract a while ago...this sounds like a great deal!

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    1. Awesome! It is definitely worth checking out.

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  16. Your experience with this was good and thanks for sharing. Often we only hear about the bad service experience. I just added another phone to our plan and did the whole thing at Best Buy. The process went well (so far). It's interesting to me that the dedicated Verizon stores can't offer the deals that third party places do. Just seems odd.

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    1. I don't understand that either. I think maybe the cellular providers are still thinking like phone companies, but those third party places are being creative with their prices and services. I definitely had a much better experience with the Family Mobile set up at WalMart than I did the last time I went to a dedicated cellular store.

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  17. Such a good deal! I love no-contract phones. I don't know why people pay those high monthly fees that the contract phones have.

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    1. Right? Those contract bills are so very high.

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  18. My father is a tech savvy so I bought him a new phone. He loves it.

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  19. Haha! You took a pic with the sales clerk? Awesome. Happy belated Father's Day to Thomas (or should I say you?)

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  20. Totally agree that we should Labor Day gifts (especially since it's approaching soon!). Sounds like a great phone plan that I will be checking out as soon as my dang contract ends! Thanks for sharing!

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