Consumer Cellular review with Images: I called Consumer Cellular today to cancel service that I got for an elderly neighbor until her home phone was finally fixed by Verizon. Consumer Cellular review with Images: I called Consumer Cellular today to cancel service that I got for an elderly neighbor until her home phone was finally fixed.
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Editor's Note: This review has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it no longer ranks as a top 10 product. The original review is below, but check out our current top 10 about Cell Phone Providers here. You'd be forgiven for not having heard of Consumer Cellular. An AARP partner, the company doesn't advertise itself far beyond its target demographic, which is made up of AARP members and families of older, retired individuals. Its prices are competitive, and thanks to AT&T's network, its coverage and data speeds are both quite solid. Yet Consumer Cellular doesn't offer the same experience you get at the best cell phone providers, which is why – at least for most people – we recommend carriers higher on our lineup. Next to the cheap, unlimited talk and text options offered by all the best cell phone plans across its competition, Consumer Cellular's limited-talk, limited-text options are affordable but disappointing. The company breaks those plans into two halves – voice minutes and text/data allocations – which you pay for separately. Minutes are available in six different tiers, ranging from zero minutes for just $10 a month (useful if you almost never call, with overages billed per minute) to unlimited minutes for $50. Text and data bundles are likewise tiered but in connected allocations. Thus, you can buy 300 texts and 30MB of data per month for $2.50 or unlimited texts and 3GB of data for $30. Toshiba hard drive. You can't, however, buy very few text messages and a lot of data. When you compare Consumer Cellular's cell phone plans with what's on offer at other cell phone companies, it performs decently enough: You can expect 3GB of data and 750 talk minutes for about $50 or 1,500 minutes for $60 total. Heavy chatters will miss the ubiquity of cheap, unlimited talk and text plans. Given that it operates on AT&T's nationwide network, Consumer Cellular sports some of the best cell phone service you can get. It's not quite as widespread as Verizon offers, nor as fast as what T-Mobile can provide, but AT&T's network finds a nice balance between speed and coverage, and Consumer Cellular reaps the benefits. The downside is in data allocations: Due to the nature of its deal with AT&T, its customers can’t use more than 4GB of data at high speeds, and 6GB of data total, per month. That’s not a big problem if you’re only buying service for yourself, but if you want to add lines to your plan for $10 each and share the minutes and data, you’ll have to watch your usage. The company also falls flat in device selection. The only flagship devices available are Apple iPhones; every Android phone on offer is either dated or midtier. Given that Consumer Cellular's superb EasyPay monthly payment system makes buying expensive flagship phones easy, the lack of Android diversity is almost maddening. Consumer Cellular is a perfectly capable cell phone provider, offering great customer service and decent rates to its customers. But it's a company that's very focused on a specific audience, and users outside that audience will find their desires – for phone variety, lots of data, and quality-of-life features such as unlimited talk and text – all but ignored. If you can take advantage of its AARP member discounts, Consumer Cellular is worth a look; otherwise, it's not very compelling.
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Editor’s Note: This product has been removed from our side-by-side comparison because it is no longer available. You can still read our original review below, but Top Ten Reviews is no longer updating this product’s information. Unless you're a member of the AARP and get discounts on Consumer Cellular's prepaid cell phone plans through the organization, you probably haven't heard of Consumer Cellular. The network offers some of the best entry-level rates on cellular service we've seen. It boasts access to the excellent AT&T nationwide network and has won repeated accolades for its customer service and satisfaction. However, the company's odd plan structure is its biggest downfall. Consumer Cellular separates its plans into two categories: voice in one, and text and data in the other. Plans of various allocations are available in each category. Voice plans start at $10 for zero minutes (useful if you're adding a new phone to an existing line and want to share in its minutes), and minutes increase the more you pay: $15 for 200 minutes, $20 for 1,500 minutes, and $30 for unlimited minutes. Text and data plans work similarly: It costs $2.50 for 300 texts and 30MB of data, $5 for 2,000 texts and 200MB of data, all the way up to $40 for unlimited texts and a 5GB data plan. In virtually every case, Consumer Cellular's text allocations are generous, but its data allocations feel stingy. Breaking apart voice and data plans gives customers some welcome versatility, but keeping texts and data packaged together can make it feel like you're paying for services you don't really need. It's an odd dichotomy. If you do indeed want huge voice and text allocations, you'll have a pay a pretty penny for them. There aren't any unlimited plans, and paying $30 for 3GB of data, not including voice minutes, is rather steep compared to similarly priced plans offered by MetroPCS and Boost Mobile. Conversely, you don't have any daily or pay-as-you-go options for data or texts to pick from, which would be ideal if you only rarely use your phone. A benefit Consumer Cellular offers its customers is the EasyPay payment plan. While most providers of no-contract cell phone plans require you to pay the full retail price of a phone upfront, Consumer Cellular offers flagship smartphones to prepaid customers with an initial upfront cost, followed by monthly payments much like you'd find at a contract carrier. For example, you can get a new Apple iPhone 7 for $50, followed by 24 additional payments of $25. You'll need to have your credit approved, but it's a great option for iPhone fans. Android fans who want flagship phones from HTC or Samsung will be disappointed, though. This provider only carries the outdated Samsung Galaxy S7. Consumer Cellular has several solid mid-tier choices, including the excellent Moto G, but you'll have to buy new; there aren't any refurbished options. Between its partnership with the organization and its marketing to seniors, Consumer Cellular is designed for AARP members. Discounted phone service is always welcome, and if you have the option, these are some of the best prepaid plans for the price. For most of us, though, Consumer Cellular just isn't as good as other providers. Yes, it offers excellent customer service and great coverage thanks to AT&T's network, but you can get both from other companies, along with a wider phone selection, daily and pay-as-you-go plans, and even unlimited tiers.
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