Best cell phone plan for pilots

BrettInLJ said:
I switched from T-Mobile to Verizon when getting the new iPhone specifically for coverage reasons. In major cities T-Mobile worked fine, but in between and in some smaller towns there was little coverage. Plus coverage indoors was pretty poor. I still would prefer T-Mobile from a company and plan point of view, but almost being stranded in Arcata, CA unable to call FSS to file an IFR flight plan because of a missing payphone made the decision for me.

Now for international, T-Mobile was definitely better.
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Was going to say the same thing. T-Mobile is great in big US cities and in most places internationally, but in smaller US cities coverage can be weak. Since you're doing 135 I'm guessing you'll be spending a fair amount of time in places like Paducah, Pueblo, Pocatello, and Preque Isle ... Something to consider.

I have no international plan, and it's really only an issue going to and from the hotel. Almost every airport I've been to outside of the US has very good free wifi, and most of the hotels American crews stay at have good wifi. If you'll need to be able to speak to your company on your cell phone at any given time T-Monile might once again be a decent bet.

PS - welcome back!
 
I switched to T mobile from Verizon about a year ago and have no complaints. With verizon my bill was fluctuating $200-300 over my base plan. The highest fluctuation I have gotten with T-Mobile is $10 over the base plan.
 
I've been both a Verizon and T-Mobile customer for quite some time. Verizon has by far better domestic coverage. T-Mobile is great in large and medium sized cities but varies wildly in small towns (say less than 15,000 people) and out in the sticks. For example, I can have three bars of 4G LTE in Clines Corners, NM (basically just a gas station/gift shop). In my hometown (also in NM) of nearly 8000 people, I'm lucky if I get 1 bar of...anything.

As far as LTE speeds go, T-Mobile seems much faster. So much so that when T-Mobile's LTE went live in ABQ, I dumped my Verizon Hotspot and added a second line to my T-Mobile account. With Verizon's LTE, I had to buffer videos that were 480i or greater. With T-Mobile, I rarely had to buffer 1080i videos.

I became a Verizon customer again for my iPad (bought for EFB purposes) solely for the coverage. My only regret so far is that setting up my online account has been nothing short of a nightmare. I have to choose an ultra-complicated password and once I've chosen an "acceptable" password, the system then tells me that there is "no record" of that password. Then they send me a temporary password via US Mail.
 
Tmobile for value for sure...that being said...I drove from PHX to MSP and a good portion of the route along I-40,I-70 and I-35 I did not have any service,just to give you some geographical coverage ideas. Works great in major cities though.


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I did some number crunching, and it actually won't make much sense for me to switch. The only time we blow out data is when my wife travels internationally, and her newspaper pays us back for the data add-ons, so that's good.

Domestically, the price is about the same for the 4 lines we carry (two phones, two iPads) so the only real advantage would be unlimited data.

Hmm. Mulling it over. Depends on what it might take to break our AT&T contracts....
 
killbilly said:
I did some number crunching, and it actually won't make much sense for me to switch. The only time we blow out data is when my wife travels internationally, and her newspaper pays us back for the data add-ons, so that's good.

Domestically, the price is about the same for the 4 lines we carry (two phones, two iPads) so the only real advantage would be unlimited data.

Hmm. Mulling it over. Depends on what it might take to break our AT&T contracts....
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Shop the carriers against each other.
 
Google Fi.

I went to Ireland and Germany a few weeks ago and data was the same price as it is here in the US, text messages are free, and voice calls are 20 cents/minute. It also worked seamlessly, no special configurations or SIM cards needed or anything like that. Just turn it on and go. Google only bills you for the data you use and refunds you for what you don't use of your baseline. My bill is typically around $40/month if I use 2 GB of data. There's also no contracts so if you hate it or want to go somewhere else, you just quit.
 
jrh said:
I haven't posted here in several years because I'd pretty much sworn off professional flying as too chaotic of a career for my taste.

Well, the pilot shortage has sucked me back in. I'll be starting training on Monday for a local Part 135 operation flying Citation V jets.

That means I'm leaving my current job which has provided me with a cell phone for the past four years.

I literally know nothing about who has the best deals/network coverage nowadays. With the charter company I'll be all over the lower 48, with occasional trips to Canada/Mexico/Caribbean. I don't use much data...I'd say 2 GB/month with my current habits of reading the news, using Google Maps, browsing Facebook, and Googling random stuff. I have a Verizon iPhone 4S, but could upgrade to something different if there is a good deal available.

My top priority is coverage while traveling. For the device, I don't mind keeping the 4S, or I'd upgrade to something more modern if it's still cheap and has an awesome battery life and small form factor. The iPhone SE is intriguing.

What do you recommend?
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I have T-Mobile and about 2 years ago I began to travel all around the country (for what ended up being the better part of a year) for my Part 91 aerial survey flying job.

After extensive comparison against my co-worker's reception levels- all across the continental U.S., I can say without hesitation that T-Mobile has THE worst coverage across the continental U.S.

However, I have never had a problem with T-Mobile phone reception in any major city/town. The data coverage is another story, where I would rarely get data coverage outside of a major city/town and frequently get data dead zones within those major cities and towns.

I am sticking with T-Mobile because they give me a great deal and I rarely need rural/backwoods coverage. However, if you want robust coverage across the ENTIRE CONUS, go with AT&T or perhaps Verizon (although VZW has a history of ripping customers off- do some quick searches on the web).

My 3 cents


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BEEF SUPREME said:
Throw in an Atlantic crossing and that T-mobile phone isn't so great. That's all I'm saying. I've got one since it does work so well from a wifi hotspot in North America. International isn't just Canada and Mexico...
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Coverage in pretty much all of Europe is pretty much universal for T-mobile, at 3g or LTE. And it is, well, free. Also, the wifi is irrelevant in Europe with T-mobile - you already have free unlimited data, so there is no need for it. Use skype if you don't want to pay as much for voice calls, or google voice, or something like that.
 
killbilly said:
@jrh

Good to see you!

Still have the 140?
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Thanks!

Yes, although it's been in long term storage for the past five years.

Life priorities changed a few years ago. I ended up buying a house, got married, turned the first house into a rental, and bought another house which has been a fixer upper. Time and money has been split in too many different directions to fly. I want to get the 140 going again within the next few years though.
 
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