Today we want to talk about Consumer Cellular, a very interesting prepaid wireless carrier geared primarily for low-income families and senior citizens. What’s interesting is that it separates its cell phoneplans into two blocks. The first block caters to those needing only voice services, while the second block bundles texts and data together. It’s perfect if you need to send over 10,000 texts per month.
Standout Features
•Shared Minutes, Texts and Data
•Incredibly Budget-Friendly Rates
•Great Cell Phone Plans For Seniors
•Monthly Cell Phone Plans
First we want to talk about Consumer Cellular’s voice options:
•150 Minutes | $15.00
•350 Minutes | $20.00
•750 Minutes | $30.00
•1500 Minutes | $40.00
•2000 Minutes | $50.00
•4000 Minutes | $60.00
Those are extraordinarily budget-friendly rates. Note however that the minutes listed are anytime minutes. Unfortunately, Consumer Cellular does not provide free nights and weekends. However, all the minutes in whichever plan you choose are automatically shared between all the phones on the plan. The neat thing is that adding an additional line only costs $10 extra per month.
Let’s move on to the text and data options:
•100 Texts / 10MB Data | $2.50
•500 Texts / 50MB Data | $5.00
•1000 Texts / 100MB Data | $10.00
•4000 Texts / 400MB | $20.00
•10000 Texts / 1GB Data | $30.00
Here’s the kicker — texts are data are also shared among phones. This means you don’t have to pay $30.00 for a single phone. You just pay $30.00 in addition to $10.00 extra per month for each added line.
Unfortunately, none of these phone plans cater to the international crowd. You must pay standard international rates, which can run from as little as $0.10 a minute up to $10.00 per minute.
Usage-Based Plans
Consumer Cellular does not technically have any usage-based plans. However, there is one monthly plan known as the ‘Anywhere Casual.’ It’s kind of a usage-based plan in that you pay $10 a month, after which every minute you talk on the phone adds an additional $0.25 to your final bill.
Features
This is perhaps where Consumer Cellular Shines up and beyond all its competitors. Every plan automatically comes with caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting, 3-way conference calling, and voicemail. Plus, senior citizens who are members of AARP are entitled to significant AARP cell phone plans discounts.
Fees
If you purchase a phone through Consumer Cellular, you don’t need to pay any activation fee. There are in fact no fees associated with their service, save for those that result from making 411 or international calls.
Phone Selection
Consumer Cellular accepts a variety of phones, including phones used previously with AT&T’s network and phones of the unlocked GSM variety. Note that your phone must contain a SIM card. Keep in mind also that you are not charged any activation fees for using your own phone.
If you choose to purchase directly through Consumer Cellular, you’ll have to settle with a somewhat lackluster list of choices. Most of the devices are basic, non-smartphone flips. Some of the better options include the LG 930, the Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate, and the Huawei 8652. There’s also a phone designed specifically for senior citizens. It’s known as the Doro PhoneEasy 618.
Help & Support
Contact options for this brand are somewhat limited. You can either dial their 888 lines or use their ‘smart form’ to locate a suitable answer. In case you can’t find one, you can then email the company.
Summary
Consumer Cellular is a rather fascinating company. It’s not a very well recognized brand, and its phone plans differ quite a bit from standard ones, but it does an exceptionally good job catering to those on a limited budget. It’s also the best brand on the market for senior citizens, assuming of course that grandpa and grandma aren’t socialites!