Two phones? Weird, but still cheaper than ATT or Verizon

Hi all,

For many reasons, I left AT&T and Verizon as cell carriers.  They're the largest, and therefore their towers are better, but they are cost prohibitive, the bills fluctuate too much, and their business practices leave a lot to be desired.  I did some research, and found the following:

a) Sprint's voice is ok, but their data is not fast enough.  I couldn't get Waze to work consistently, or send texts well, or get data, in the rural areas of CT where I live. 

b) GoogleFi has some problems with voice, but their data is great!  I'm getting about twice the speed in most areas vs. Sprint.  I still have to do the tests vs. AT&T and Verizon in some spots, but I am satisfied with the speeds of data in most places. 

So.  I pay $36 a month for the sprint lines (each) with 3 note 9's and two Motorola androids (they're terrible but they mostly work), including EVERYTHING. 

I have yet to get the first GoogleFi bill, but

People	Line cost	4G LTE data
1	$20	$20 w/2GB $40 w/4GB $60w/6GB+
2	$20 + $15	$20 w/2GB $40 w/4GB $60w/6GB+
3	$20 + $15 x 2	$20 w/2GB $40 w/4GB $60w/6GB+
4	$20 + $15 x 3	$20 w/2GB $40 w/4GB $60

I have 1 line, and I haven't been restricting the data.  In fact, I even use it as a hotspot to support my sprint phone's data.  So MAX, I will pay 96 for both phones.  It will probably be less.  

In contrast, I had AT&T - Same number of lines, unlimited data (but they started throttling the data speed after 2 gigs).  Here's what they say they cost:

https://www.att.com/plans/wireless.html

So 48 per line, they say.  BUT they will add device payments for each phone, plus fees and other things, so I was paying $500 a month for 5 lines of unlimited.  I cut my bill in half (at least) and I have two note 9's for my own use.  

I admit, this is a bit weird/overkill.  But I like my flexibility.  I get good data and good voice by the phones combined, and I still pay (MAX $240 for my 6 lines with 4 note 9's, an S8 and a motorola (it still sucks)).  So far, neither google nor Sprint have been hitting me with any weird fees.  They said a number and the bill has been the same as they said.  

One Caveat: I did have a one time unlock fee for a few of the old AT&T phones.  It cost about $30 a phone at https://www.doctorsim.com/us-en/

So even with that one time fee, and a few days wait for each phone, 3*30=$90, I'm still saving a ton of money for the same or better functionality.  I get two note 9's, my fiancee gets a note 9, her son gets a note 9, her daughters get a note 9 and s8, respectively, and we still don't really use the motorola (it sucks).  

So anyway, that's why a frugal guy like me has two phones.  Hope this helps you, and I'll keep you updated if AT&T or Verizon has better speeds.  I'm not thinking they will . . . . but I'll try it and see.

Have a great day all!

~Markspark