<p>We've got to get my son a cell phone, and are new at this. Do most students get a phone number with a Yale area code, or do they get a number with their home area code? Do you have to buy a phone through Verizon, or can you get one elsewhere? Does anyone have a particular phone they'd recommend, or for that matter, recommend avoiding? Any help would greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Also, initially he thought he'd get a Verizon plan. It looks like AT&T would run about $20 a month less, though. How happy with AT&T coverage have people been?</p>
<p>Try mobiledia.com for phone reviews. Pick a sturdy, inexpensive phone. Do not buy Verizon's insurance ($5/month and $50 deductible) -- it's cheaper to buy a replacement phone on Ebay (or you could upgrade your phone and send him your old phone).</p>
<p>Many students (like our son) at college share family plans with parents and so have non-local area codes. If you already have Verizon, you should be able to add your son to your family plan for $10 a month. Buying him a new phone and plan is expensive (if you must do this, PM for discount coupon at letstalk.com).</p>
<p>Try to avoid any additional long term commitment if you add your son to an existing plan. For practical purposes, this means getting the "basic" free phone from your carrier and perhaps a 1 year commitment on the additional line. Another option is buying a cheap compatible phone on EBay and adding it to your family plan.</p>
<p>Mobiledia has a coverage review by zip code at Cell</a> Phone Carriers - Cell Phone Service and Tower Search</p>
<p>2blue,
We have a Verizon family plan. The first 2 people are covered under the plan cost and each extra line is $10 a month plus $10 more IF you opt for unlimited texting. Her area code is the same as our home one as long distance is free with the plan. Many of her friends have Verizon, so those calls don't count against minutes. Each plan has certain people you can talk without counting against your minutes, so you should see which one would be the most beneficial for your situation. You used to only be able to buy a phone at a Verizon store, but I thought they changed that recently. I got my D a free (or very cheap) flip phone that came along with the plan. There was a 1 year commitment, a year long contract seems pretty difficult to avoid with any of the major carriers. </p>
<p>She has had very good luck with reception compared to friends, both in Ann Arbor and in Seattle this summer, we'll have to see about NH.</p>
<p>My D never had a phone in HS, but uses hers a lot now. It is very nice to be able to contact her just about any time.</p>
<p>I echo everything entomom says. We have a Verizon family plan, and both D (at Yale) and S (in high school) are on it. Neither has ever had a problem getting reception.</p>
<p>I really appreciate all your helpful responses. Right now, we don't have a family plan. I have a landline and then a cellphone for which I use pre-paid minutes. It is $15 a month. We just use it for the kids to take along when they're going somewhere, or to have in the car in case of emergencies. </p>
<p>We're on a budget and are trying to do this as inexpensively as we can. We figure for a college student, a plan with texting is a must. My son doesn't really like talking on the phone so the minimum minutes of a plan will work just fine for him. The cheapest Verizon family plan with texting is $99.99/month. The cheapest single Verizon plan with texting is $59.99/month so we'd come out ahead choosing that and continuing to pay the $15/month for my phone. It was looking like AT&T would be cheaper, but you have to pay additional fees for messaging. Also, he can't get a hometown area code with AT&T, so either he calls me or I'd have to pay long distance. With Verizon having good coverage at Yale, it sounds like it would overall be the best bet for us. (And yes, I'm working all this out by typing it here! It helps.)</p>
<p>Now on to the phone selection! I'm going to check out reviews at the mobiledia website and try to pick out something at both the Verizon website and the letstalk website, and see with the discount coupon what works out the best. Phone recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!! He did just get an iPod, so doesn't need one with a mp3 player. It would be nice if he gets a camera phone. I'm not going to visit campus and would love to get pictures from him.</p>
<p>I'll be glad when we're done with this.</p>
<p>The G-zone Boulder should be indestructible, but has so-so reception (in contrast to prior G-zone models). The EnV2 is highly regarded and has slide out keyboard, AAC/MP3 playback, and a decent camera. The LG Decoy is very slick.
The Blackberry products would all require a more expensive data plan.</p>
<p>Verizon</a> G'zOne Boulder (orange) Cell Phone reviews - CNET Reviews
LG</a> enV2 consumer QWERTY phone review - infoSync Reviews
LG</a> Decoy VX8610 review - infoSync Reviews</p>
<p>Just a note about Verizon: my family also has the share plan, and mine runs out at the end of the month. The "new every two" $100 credit towards a new phone ONLY APPLIES TO THE PRIMARY LINE. So, since I am a secondary line on the plan, I have to pay full consumer price if I want a new phone, in addition to renewing the plan for another 2 years, which is a tad ridiculous.</p>
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The "new every two" $100 credit towards a new phone ONLY APPLIES TO THE PRIMARY LINE.
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<p>That sounds very strange. I just got new phones for me and both children, all at the reduced price. We've had Verizon for a while now, and have always been able to get the discount for everyone.</p>
<p>And you're all on the family share plan?</p>
<p>And by reduced price, do you mean you got the credit for everyone? Or just the sale price?</p>
<p>Yes to the first question. Ok, I see what you mean about the credit as opposed to the sale pricing. I hadn't paid attention to that, since I always get something really cheap and basic, so my phone would have been free in any case. But my kids got theirs for the renewal sale price. Why would you have to pay full retail?</p>
<p>Huh. It could just be that the guy at Circuit City was an idiot... I'll see if they say differently at a standalone Verizon store...</p>
<p>We have a Sprint family plan, which is nice because unlimited minutes start at 7 pm and all weekend, and unlimited minutes anytime we call each other. We have never had a problem with service. There is an individual plan that is $39.99 a month; if you want to add some text messaging, add $5.00 for 300 messages a month. Our family plan is $69.99 a month with two phones. We have been pleased with the plan.</p>
<p>The new every two $50-100 credit applies to the primary line only. Secondary lines get discounted phones or $50 credit every two years, so the primary gets $100 credit every two and the secondaries get $50 every two. Depending on the phone selected, a new phone prior to discount could cost from $30 to more than $200. For practical purposes, both the primary and secondary lines should be able to get free phones of some kind every two years.</p>
<p>Thanks to you all for your help. It was greatly appreciated! He finally has a phone ordered. Those review sites were extremely helpful. I assumed all phones would have the same quality reception, but in reading reviews found that certainly is not the case. Also, we found he could add texting to the basic plan for $5 as Clarimom described. We're really happy to finally have this resolved. Thank you all again.</p>
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Secondary lines get discounted phones or $50 credit every two years, so the primary gets $100 credit every two and the secondaries get $50 every two.
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<p>I was told that I get jack-squat as far as the credit goes... where are you getting your information, so I can bring this up with the sales rep?</p>
<p>I've just been shopping at the verizon on-line store: Cell</a> Phones, Cell Phone Plans, Cell Phone Accessories - Verizon Wireless Once you sign in, you can see the plan for each of your phones. We have three phones on our family plan and all are up for renewal. There are tons of free choices and deep discounts for the primary phone but also some great deals for the secondary ones.</p>