Mint Mobile Cell Phone

[John T Smith]

My wife has been 'grumbling' about the cost of Verizon for at least a year... I decided to make an offer to turn grumbling into CHANGING
.
I did a search, and Mint Mobile was at the top... including Clark Howard giving a 'best of' award and it having a Trustpilot rating of 4.7 stars out of five with almost 7k ratings
.
My offer was I would buy her a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G cell phone (and a SIM card for Mint) and she could pay for the plan after testing the new phone (Merry Xmas and Happy B'Day !!!)
.
The phone arrived 8-15 and I used the Samsung Smart Switch program to transfer EVERYTHING from her old phone... including her ring tone
.
She tested the S20 for a day and REALLY liked the better speed (faster processor) and sharper screen
.
So today 8-16, after a few stumbles with getting the number released by Verizon, her new cell is using her old number... the old cell is now a paperweight
.
She has a bigger/faster phone with the same cell coverage... for less than half the $ at Verizon
.
I bought the UNLOCKED version that can be used with any of several carriers... so it came without a SIM card
.
Mint said to go to Target or Best Buy to buy a Mint SIM
.
I checked online, then called two different Target stores to verify before driving to the store... both places said they had ZERO in stock due to shoplifters
.
I wound up going to a Best Buy... if you didn't know, all BB stores have an 'attendant' at the door, and sometimes an actual security guard, to stop theft
.
It is really sad how bad things are today with rampant theft from stores

[Leslie Moak Murray]

Thanks for this, since I have also been grumbling about my Verizon bill. Agree re the rampant theft lately.

[John T Smith]

She is now paying $20 per month for unlimited talk and text and 10Gig of data -vs- $75 at Verizon

Mint is prepaid, so she paid $60 for 3 months of service

[Nancy OShea]

It is really sad how bad things are today with rampant theft from stores

By @John T Smith

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Where I live, small electronics are behind lock & key. So is premium liquor & wine. 😱

Glad your wife is happy with her new phone/carrier.  How's she doing since her knee surgery?

[John T Smith]

She can now SLOWLY do the stairs to the 2nd floor... holding on to the handrail

She can SLOWLY walk in the yard, wearing kneepads in case she trips/falls again

She can drive, but had knee pain from lots of stop/go driving and using her leg

All in all, doing well... thanks for asking

[John T Smith]

Looking ahead...

I seldom use a cell phone, it mostly sits on my desk OFF until I leave the house... so way back in 2012 I bought a TracFone flip phone

In 2014 I upgraded to an Android smart phone, and in 2015 bought an LG model L41C when the phone I bought in 2014 died (can't remember the brand)

My current phone does everything I need, so I plan to keep it until it dies

EXCEPT

Verizon bought TracFone last year and a news report says "Your current Tracfone Service Plan will remain available for use on VoLTE-ready phones at least until Nov. 23, 2024"

Without, of course, saying anything about possible price increases for the service

What I do in the future is now going to depend on what Verizon does to TracFone customers

If I don't like what Verizon does, I will switch to Mint

[Peru Bob]

My wife and I have Net10 flip phones.  I didn't know that Verizon bought TracFone, which owned Net10.

We don't have 100% coverage in our rural area, but it did improve when we switched from 3G phones to 4G phones, which Net10 provided free of charge (including shipping).

We don't use our phones for internet and only pay about $20.00 per month for each phone service, which hasn't increased since we signed up with Net10 about 10 years ago. 

I'm glad your wife is managing.  Is she expected to recover fully, given enough time?

Is she seeing a physical therapist?

[John T Smith]

Yes physical therapist, and lots of 'do at home' exercises

Her kneecap is healing well, according to her most recent Xray, but nobody will tell her that she will be 100% again... I guess there is no way they can know

As far as cell phones, I upgraded to an Android smartphone to be able to have a few apps... such as Home Depot gives a discount for current/ex military, so I start the app before going to checkout to scan the barcode on my phone

As well as (for now) the Alaska Air app on my phone to do airport/plane check in when I fly to Reno next month... did the same thing last year when I drove to Seattle to go on a cruise to Alaska... no more cruises, and my trip to Reno will probably be my last trip anywhere, but having an entire trip on a phone works well