I need advice on cell phone service plans. I currently have at&t and I loved there every 2 years upgrade plans, plus im grand fathered unlimited data. They no longer have this type of contract anymore. Now my daughter is due for her 2 year upgrade, so no 200.00 new phone deals anymore. So I want to know what everyone is using and what plan is the best nowadays?

In general, cell companies aren't subsidizing the cost of the device anymore. Meaning they aren't discount the cost of the device for a 2 year contract. What they are doing is discounting your line access fee (I.E. normal smartphone is $40 a month, they are bringing it down to $20 a month). You now are paying the full retail cost of a phone over 24 months. So in the past you paid $200 for a phone and $40 a month. Now you will be paying tax on a phone up front and $20 a months PLUS the cost of the phone. 

 

Any other questions just ask.

 

It's just another way of discounting, it pretty much all works out the same in the end if not better for the consumer price wise.

Look at Google fi. Unless you really use a lot of data.

I purchased my latest phone unlocked from Motorola. Added it to my existing plan. Love the phone since it came with zero bloatware. Moto X Pure.

. Now my daughter is due for her 2 year upgrade, so no 200.00 new phone deals anymore...

Why do you "need" a new phone after 2 years? They last for many more than 2. With Apple prices close to $1,000, you need to rethink the 2 year cycle. Do you buy a new clothes washer/dryer every 2 years? A new car every 2 years? A new TV? Sure, when it was perceived the cost was only $200 we said sure why not. Smart phones were also a new concept then, so important new features always came out. But now?

If you get decent reception in your area I highly suggest taking a look at Ringplus.net which is an NVMO for Sprint.  They offer some great rate plans, many free and periodic killer free plans.  My main phone is a Verizonwireless which has the best service and the highest prices. My wife has a Samsung Galaxy S4 that I bought new on Amazon for $85 that we have on Ring+.  I signed up during one of their many promos each month and for the price of $0.00/mo each and every month she gets 1750 minutes of calls, 1750 texts and 1.75 gigs of data.  I have an Apple 5c that I bought from a guy that got a new phone for only $50 that is in mint shape and have it on another plan all for $0.00/month with 750 minutes of calls, 2000 texts and 1.0 gigs of data each month.

My $0.02. If you like your plan, keep it. Everything out there that is not your plan is just leveraging the replacement of your device to make you leave your grandfathered plan. 

 

Now you get the phone through a 0% payment plane effectively, you pay for the phone entirely on your own, so why go through your carrier for it. 

 

So.. If you need an iphone, apple offers the same type of leasing opiton as your carrier does. Go to them. 

 

If you need android, get something like the oneplus 2 or oneplus X. They are both nice for very reasonable prices. 

 

If you need a non-smart phone, just check out amazon or B&H for something unlocked. It'll be way less than $200. 

My daughter is an apple person and she needs a plan with a good amount of data. I never heard of those other carriers you mentioned, is the service any good? I have friends who have tmobile and they are not too happy.

The best network as Howard said is Verizon. They are also by far the most expensive. If connectivity over a wide area is your goal they are the way to go. My only other experience is with T-Mobile. While cheaper their network was unsatisfactory for my needs. There were many places where my wife's T-Mobile device could not get a signal of any kind and my Verizon device worked fine.