Originally Posted by Bob

That's good to know.

It's a shame that they're wank up in Maine though. Marginally better than Verizon mind, who don't even exist where we'd end up.

Then again, large chunks of the state is just a black hole

Originally Posted by Steerpike

This article provides more details ... AT&T relaunches Cricket as nationwide brand with new smartphones, plans, and LTE | Android Central

And another ...
AT&T targets T-Mobile

I can't find it in a quick scan of these articles; are they giving Cricket users access to ATT's roaming partner deals? That is often the 'gotcha' on these discount carriers - they often have full access to the 'core network' they ride on, but don't get the free roaming deals that ATT have worked out for their 'own' (contract based) customers.

There's also no guarantee that you get 'full' access to the host network's full capabilities; I did read in one article that the data rates are capped for Cricket users (relative to ATT users) - not that I would care.

What I'm looking for is a 'smartphone' plan that lets me 'pay as you go' for data, with a zero minimum. No such thing exists, as far as I can tell (and I've looked hard). My g/f NEVER uses data outside the home ... period. She wants a low-cost 'data on demand' type plan that would reflect no usage in many months. There just isn't such a plan for now and may never be ... so I'll probably just add her as a 'shared data' user on my plan.

Originally Posted by Psyman

You might look at the T-Mobile pay as you go plans with sim cards. Me and the G/F switched to them recently. We pay 10c a minute for calls in/out and 10c per text in/out. If you buy a smartphone you can add a package of data (an "on demand pass" for a day/week/month for example) for a certain cost - don't remember what they are as we don't use data, but seemed handy for if we ever did. I think if you use a smart phone at home the calls may go through your wifi for free, but not certain on that yet.

Originally Posted by Steerpike

Thanks! I will look into that as it may be a winner for her. She hates using any phone in general, and currently spends about $100/year on her 'pay as you go'-type voice plan - less than $10/mo. She laughs at me with my $150/mo cell phone bill! But then, she craves an iPhone ... and will gladly pay $600 to buy one .. but balks at the monthly commitment (and for that I have to commend her!).

The only real issue here is ... T-Mobile! I've ended up with Verizon DESPITE hating them as a company, and as a technology (CDMA) ... but they work in all the geographic areas I need, something I could not get previously from Sprint, T-Mo, or ATT. Maybe times are-a-changin' ...