Finally got an iphone, now how I use it to save money/etc

[mymeme]

I love my iPhone!! and so does my DH!! Yes, we pay a lot for a family plan with 4 iPhones, unlimited data, unlimited text but we think it is worth it. I would really hate to ever give it up!

meme

 

[luvthemouse71]

My phone is a full android smartphone on prepaid. Does everything the iPhone/Android contract phone does if I chose to have data. I choose to not pay for data so it only costs me $5/month. In a wifi area though, it still does everything the iPhone does.

So, no, it is not possible to get an iPhone at a reasonable rate. $100/month for 1 phone is not reasonable at all in my opinion. Add 2 or 3 more people when you are a family and it gets quite expensive.

Depends what your priorities are and how much you will use it. And I stated I pay less than $100 a month- about $75. That comes out to roughly $19 a week. I use my iPhone as an alarm clock, a flashlight, email, games, video, a drug guide, a medical dictionary, an ereader( in a pinch), a planner, a camera, travel guide, etc.

I've had Androids in the past- they're OK. But the user experience is much more seamless on an iPhone, IMHO.

I'm fully aware I'm on the Budget Board, so an iPhone may be a hard sell for many here. That's OK. But not everyone squeezes every penny until it yelps for mercy, lol. The OP was asking about money saving apps, and someone gave a opinion that I think was a little snarky and unhelpful. Giving my own opinion that's all.

 

[luvthemouse71]

Some people I guess do find them useful, but I am not one of them. I refuse to pay more for a phone than I do cable. I do have a nice tablet though that I can use with wi-fi.

Now see, I don't have cable. I really have no use for it since I watch most of my movies on my iPad or computer and I dont watch many tv shows ever since that reality TV garbage took over.

We all have different wants and needs..

 

[feezle]

I could also save a lot of money by not eating. Eating makes me happy. So does my iPhone.

< This emoticon has no reason to be in this post...but he seems happy too.

Have a nice day.

 

[zoie101]

These are the apps that DH has on his iphone:

field agent
werewards
check points
shopkicks
Old Navy snap app
viggle

He's made over $600 so far this year between werewards and field agent alone.

Wow I never realized

 

[CatNipRules]

I think the misconception is that those prepaid phones and plans are a good deal across the board. The phones are usually bare bones. Maybe good for old people and kids. I think they take advantage of the fact that some people can't get a contract because of bad credit.

My iPhone is very useful.

I don't have a bare bones phone and I'm on a pre-paid cell phone. I have an LG android phone. I only pay $45 a month and I get unlimited data, unlimited text messages and 1500 minutes of talk time a month. The best part about it is that I'm not limited to how much data I can use. Unlike the big 3 who limit the amount of data each month and charge extra for it.

Oh and I take offense to the old people comment. A lot of people don't want to get hooked into a contract and are using pre-paid phones. If you've actually checked out the phones you will see that the options have changed quite a bit over the years. Oh and the best part? If I lose or break my phone I don't have to wait until my contract is up to get a new one. I just go down to my local store and get a replacement with the warranty that I bought.

For us it's a no brainer. Pre-paid phone=money savings......

 

[Nayan]

I don't have a bare bones phone and I'm on a pre-paid cell phone. I have an LG android phone. I only pay $45 a month and I get unlimited data, unlimited text messages and 1500 minutes of talk time a month. The best part about it is that I'm not limited to how much data I can use. Unlike the big 3 who limit the amount of data each month and charge extra for it.

Oh and I take offense to the old people comment. A lot of people don't want to get hooked into a contract and are using pre-paid phones. If you've actually checked out the phones you will see that the options have changed quite a bit over the years. Oh and the best part? If I lose or break my phone I don't have to wait until my contract is up to get a new one. I just go down to my local store and get a replacement with the warranty that I bought.

For us it's a no brainer. Pre-paid phone=money savings......

Most of the newer Pre-paid phones are available with or without a plan, have wi-fi and run most all the apps. Plus there's the option of IPods and tablets which run all the apps as well. I have saved a bunch of money by not having a phone with a plan and using my other toys to run the apps. By not having a plan I have saved well over $2000 (my hubby has a phone as well which isn't on a plan either). Whatevah makes ya happy .

 

[MineMail]

I use iPhone/iPad apps on my iPod Touch with no problem. It was a one-time investment that costs me nothing each month. I do have a non-iPhone cell that was a bargain - phone was free (being discontinued), it creates a hotspot for other devices (such a the iPod) and Verizon threw in a free data plan. Great deal and I get the best of both worlds.

 

[pigletto]

I don't have a bare bones phone and I'm on a pre-paid cell phone. I have an LG android phone. I only pay $45 a month and I get unlimited data, unlimited text messages and 1500 minutes of talk time a month. The best part about it is that I'm not limited to how much data I can use. Unlike the big 3 who limit the amount of data each month and charge extra for it.

Oh and I take offense to the old people comment. A lot of people don't want to get hooked into a contract and are using pre-paid phones. If you've actually checked out the phones you will see that the options have changed quite a bit over the years. Oh and the best part? If I lose or break my phone I don't have to wait until my contract is up to get a new one. I just go down to my local store and get a replacement with the warranty that I bought.

For us it's a no brainer. Pre-paid phone=money savings......

DD's Iphone has less data (there are no unlimited data plans in Canada) but she has never in 2 years gone over her data allowance or her minutes and her texting is unlimited and her plan is $55.00 per month. So really, for 10 dollars a month more and being able to use her phone for absolutely everything I don't really consider it that expensive. She also has a full replacement warranty as well.

 

[hsmamato2]

wow...old people...that hurts..... the plain truth is you can't do the iphone thing for 'cheap' but I do understand the 'want'..... my dh has one for work and it is lovely..... however the one we pay for is sort of a dumb smartphone on a prepaid plan for 30 bucks per month.
apps,games,etc we play on other devices,we use our phone to....talk to people.(shocking,I know) or,(gasp) texting! (even tho I'm old,I grasp the concept......
So to OP,enjoy your i-phone,it's very cool. It's also cool to use it to save bit of $$$ here and there.....

 

[mjantz]

I use ShopKick, CheckPoints & Field Agent on a regular basis. I have WeReward but it's not doing much so I think I'm going to delete it. Field Agent is hit or miss. Of the 3 I prefer ShopKick. I give my phone to my DD while we are in the car & she 'gets me stars'.
I just downloaded Viggle & found out that GigWalk is in my area now too.

 

[luvthemouse71]

They have come out with slightly better phones for pre-paid, that's true. But speaking as someone who has gone the Android route and the iPhone route, I find the iPhone to be slightly better. I think you still can't deny that most of the phones on pre-paid are a step up from a Jitterbug phone.
http://www.greatcall.com/Jitterbug/
And if you want one of the pre-paid smartphones( a decent one) you're looking at close to $200. I'm using Virgin Mobile as an example. I got my first iPhone for $99(a 3g) and my latest one for $199(a 4S). A few months back, they were offering the 3GS for free with a contract, and the iPhone 4 for $99.

The problem for many seems to be the contract..traditionally, prepaid has been good for the old, the very young and those with poor credit, because they don't do a credit check.

That's fine if you are happy with your prepaid phone and plan. The OP and others here are happy with our iPhones. It's all good.


Oh, and another vote for Shopkick. I used to have Shopsavvy, but deleted because I didn't use it much.

 

[marie1203]

OP there is great advice in the first few post before it went off topic . By the way DH and I pay $90 a month for both smartphones and soon will be iPhones (our contract renew in a few months). We have unlimited data, unlimited texting, unlimited calling, free roaming and I use to have international calling but I found a cheaper way to call. Sorry but there is not pre-paid phone that offers all that for the price we pay. I don't' feel $45 a month is excessive. DH uses his phone for work and uses quite a bit of texting and calls. I do too because we don't have a home phone. So just because people have an iPhone doesn't mean they are paying hundreds of dollars a month. Plus with apps you can get some of the money back making the same price or even cheaper to have.

 

[crazelion]

Actually, it is entirely possible to get an iPhone at a reasonable rate. I pay less than a $100 a month for mine, with data and everything.

I think the misconception is that those prepaid phones and plans are a good deal across the board. The phones are usually bare bones. Maybe good for old people and kids. I think they take advantage of the fact that some people can't get a contract because of bad credit.

My iPhone is very useful.

I have cricket samsung vitaly the does not have serivice at all. I strictly use a wi-fi phone when I out in about. I have groovelite and google voice number and receive calls for free. Best thing is bought the phone for 29.99 dollars at Best Buy. Did I mention rooted the phone too.

Pre-paid phones is not for old or young kids. It for everyone that wants to save money.

I have ATT for voice service and been out contract for years. Until they let post paid customers have smart phone with out data plan then I will not change to a smartphone. I will keep a feature phone.

The next phone I am planning on getting is unlocked Nokia Asha 311 feature phone that does the same thing as smartphones does now.

 

[crazelion]

Depends what your priorities are and how much you will use it. And I stated I pay less than $100 a month- about $75. That comes out to roughly $19 a week. I use my iPhone as an alarm clock, a flashlight, email, games, video, a drug guide, a medical dictionary, an ereader( in a pinch), a planner, a camera, travel guide, etc.

I've had Androids in the past- they're OK. But the user experience is much more seamless on an iPhone, IMHO.

I'm fully aware I'm on the Budget Board, so an iPhone may be a hard sell for many here. That's OK. But not everyone squeezes every penny until it yelps for mercy, lol. The OP was asking about money saving apps, and someone gave a opinion that I think was a little snarky and unhelpful. Giving my own opinion that's all.

I do all those things with my android phone too.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Here is how I am saving money with my iPhone.

I was using an HTC Evo on Sprint and the bill was about $70/month for unlimited everything. (I signed up for the plan when it was about $50/month when my husband had an employee discount...then they stopped offering it to me.)

I just bought a used iPhone 3GS on eBay for about $130 that works on the AT&T network. Yes, I know that there is an iPhone 4 and 4S, but I am not a techy person at all and basically just want the phone for a few fun apps, email, texting and calls. I am now going to purchase the $45/mo pay-as-you-go SIM card from StraightTalk that included unlimited talk, text and internet.

So...my monthly bill will be dropping by $25.00. I should recoup the cost of the phone in several months, then from there, it will just be a savings compared to being on my contract.

 

[mrodgers]

I do all those things with my android phone too.

I do all those on my $100 prepaid android at $5/month also aside from the data. That would make it another $10/month and I'm not that addicted to the phone to be on it while I'm driving down the road, so I save that $10.

 

[Phatoomch]

So, no, it is not possible to get an iPhone at a reasonable rate.

We have 5 phones on our account - all have updated to Iphones. We waited for our upgrade and paid 99cents each. When unlimited data was first offered 3 yrs ago I grabbed it as I knew, with the fast moving smartphones, that wouldn't last forever. I was right to as we all got 'grandfathered in' & have unlimited data with no max download/no tiers - any new lines/data plans have to be tiered. I can watch netflix all day and I still pay a flat data rate.

5 Iphones @ 99cents each, all unlimited data with no max/min, $198 per month very month no matter what. I would say that was very reasonable.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

We have 5 phones on our account - all have updated to Iphones. We waited for our upgrade and paid 99cents each. When unlimited data was first offered 3 yrs ago I grabbed it as I knew, with the fast moving smartphones, that wouldn't last forever. I was right to as we all got 'grandfathered in' & have unlimited data with no max download/no tiers - any new lines/data plans have to be tiered. I can watch netflix all day and I still pay a flat data rate.

5 Iphones @ 99cents each, all unlimited data with no max/min, $198 per month very month no matter what. I would say that was very reasonable.

I agree that is a reasonable bill for 5 iPhones.

We have unlimited data from AT&T for two of our smart phones because we were also grandfathered in. I can't ever cancel those plans!

 

[crazelion]

Here is how I am saving money with my iPhone.

I was using an HTC Evo on Sprint and the bill was about $70/month for unlimited everything. (I signed up for the plan when it was about $50/month when my husband had an employee discount...then they stopped offering it to me.)

I just bought a used iPhone 3GS on eBay for about $130 that works on the AT&T network. Yes, I know that there is an iPhone 4 and 4S, but I am not a techy person at all and basically just want the phone for a few fun apps, email, texting and calls. I am now going to purchase the $45/mo pay-as-you-go SIM card from StraightTalk that included unlimited talk, text and internet.

So...my monthly bill will be dropping by $25.00. I should recoup the cost of the phone in several months, then from there, it will just be a savings compared to being on my contract.

Before buy pay the45 dollars. I would do BYOD sim card for 15 bucks from straight talk sim card pick from the att sim card or t-mobile sim card.