Best cell phone provider LA

January 4, 2018 6:18 AM

Which is the best / cheapest cell phone provider in LA - and the cheapest way to get a good terminal?

I am moving to LA in a couple of weeks from the UK - and I was wondering which is the best provider (or cheapest) - and the one with best coverage (I guess in LA there shouldn't be any problems)? I have been told T-Mobile is quite good. What about the best one to have international calls included?

Also, I would like to get an iphone 8 or similar - what is the best way to get it - get a 24months contract with the cell phone company, or just buy it unlocked - in which case, where?

Also, any idea if getting 2 lines / phones makes it cheaper (i.e. need one for myself and one for my wife).

Thanks!

posted by raiguabe to Technology (16 answers total)

I do not know the best but I can tell you to steer away from Verizon. I lived in LA over the summer and service absolutely sucked.
posted by bkeene12 at 6:35 AM on January 4, 2018

Goggle Project Fi. I have used it for years, and it works really well and it's cheap. Overseas calls are dirt cheap.
posted by Ferrari328 at 6:46 AM on January 4, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks. Any ideas about T-Mobile?
posted by raiguabe at 7:21 AM on January 4, 2018

I think most people do international calls via Skype or whatsapp nowadays.
posted by k8t at 7:36 AM on January 4, 2018

I can't speak to T-Mobile's LA coverage, but if you're looking at T-Mobile, you might also consider Republic Wireless, which uses Sprint and T-Mobile networks, but defaults to wi-fi calling. $15/mo. for voice coverage plus $5/GB/mo for data. I've been pretty happy with them so far and it's almost half what I was paying for T-Mobile.
posted by clockwork at 7:38 AM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

Also, I would like to get an iphone 8 or similar - what is the best way to get it - get a 24months contract with the cell phone company, or just buy it unlocked - in which case, where?

Most companies have done away with subsidies for phones, so you don't need to sign a contract. Buy unlocked directly from Apple if you want an iPhone. They have some payment plans available, but you might not qualify if you don't have any US credit history.
posted by soelo at 7:50 AM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

I’m happy with T-mobile’s coverage. Contracts really aren’t a thing anymore. What companies are doing is offering financing plans on phones rather than having you sign a contract. You can do this with one of the mobile providers or with Apple directly. For Apple, at least, the loan is essentially interest-free (though it does require that you include AppleCare Plus in the financing).

I like T-mobile because I travel internationally a lot and it include international roaming for sms and data.

No one really makes international calls anymore; that’s what Skype is for.

In fact, I don’t think most of the world even sends texts. That’s what WhatsApp is for.
posted by mr_roboto at 7:53 AM on January 4, 2018

I have T-Mobile and like it just fine (although I don't live in LA, I can't imagine the experience is much different there). Their unlimited plans run $70 (all-in, taxes included) for one line, and $60 for two (so, a small but significant discount). Like mentioned above, your best bet is probably just buying an iPhone from Apple.
posted by General Malaise at 7:55 AM on January 4, 2018

Los Angeles has the same phone service as the rest of the United States and LA is going to have good coverage on any cell phone provider. I use Boost Mobile and I pay $30 per month for unlimited talk, text and data (although data speed is throttled once you hit their limit, which I've never hit -- I think it's 2GB or 3GB). Boost Mobile uses Sprint's network. I strongly considered Project Fi, but I found the phone selection too limiting -- you can only use certain phones capable of switching networks easily because Project Fi uses a combo a Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular, and wifi hot spots. If you use an iPhone, I used to use Virgin Mobile USA, which is also very cheap and uses Sprint's network -- very similar to Boost, but I don't use an iPhone and they switched to all-iPhone so I left.

If you want a phone that works in the UK when you go back home, that's something you should think about because all carriers don't offer international calling, and many of them aren't cheap. If you expect to go to the UK a lot, I'd consider Project Fi.
posted by AppleTurnover at 8:14 AM on January 4, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks for the comments.
Looks like the easiest thing is to buy directly from Apple.
For other telephone -- i.e. Samsung Galaxy S8, etc. -- where is the cheapest place to buy from? Amazon, best buy?

Regarding international calls, I do them often in the car as I have family and friends in Spain.
I am quite busy in the office, so I usually call them during my commute. I did it as international calls while living in the UK and the quality was spot on - however calls using the internet -- i.e. whatsapp -- was not good - but may have been because internet connection is not that good in the UK (crossing some unpopulated areas) compared to LA.
posted by raiguabe at 8:19 AM on January 4, 2018

Keep in mind that calling internationally is not the same as roaming internationally. I was referring to roaming internationally in my above comment -- I wasn't clear. I think just about every standard plan will allow you to call people in other countries (some more affordable than others, however), but not every plan/provider will allow you to use your phone in other countries because of different network types. So again, if you plan to travel in Europe, you're going to want to check on that.
posted by AppleTurnover at 8:24 AM on January 4, 2018

I live in Los Angeles and use T-Mobile and I'm satisfied with it. It's a joy on international trips. I was less thrilled with the coverage in non-urban areas in the Midwest and New England. And I wasn't able to use data in Montreal for some reason, which made me cranky.
posted by roger ackroyd at 8:25 AM on January 4, 2018

I have T-Mobile now and am happy with it. Plus they will give you a free wireless router if you ask for it (I think they are still doing this, anyway).

I found that Verizon had slightly better coverage here, but on the whole, they are overpriced. My dad is still with them, but it's only because he travels through remote areas of the West for work and they're the best provider for that kind of coverage.

Sprint is the one I would for sure avoid; I don't know anyone who's stuck with Sprint long-term. It seems like the call drops half the time I'm talking to someone who uses Sprint.
posted by desert outpost at 9:39 AM on January 4, 2018

T-Mobile coverage is only so so in LA - places in the hills or griffith park I had ATT coverage I definitely do not with T-Mobile.

It's significantly cheaper so I put up with it. If you're not in the hills a lot you probably won't notice.
posted by jbenben at 12:04 PM on January 4, 2018

Personally I like T-Mobile in LA. I had AT&T before and coverage is better in my area with T-Mobile, though I think Verizon is still considered the gold standard for coverage here. The more lines you get, the less expensive it is per line, and it is considerably less than AT&T or Verizon. I don't have experience with their "stateside international calling" package but it does exist. When I travel, it's great--my iPhone works and unlimited data & texting are free. The data can be slow but it sure beats having to buy an international roaming package like I used to do on AT&T.
posted by karbonokapi at 3:37 PM on January 4, 2018

Response by poster: Interestingly, I have just found on Bestbuy that getting a Samsung Galaxy S8 with Verizon comes with a $200 discount -- from the comments seems like Verizon is slightly better than T-Mobile, so even if it is a bit more expensive, it is probably worth saving $200 with the phone.
After looking at several reviews, does not seem like a big difference between iphone 8 plus and Galaxy S8+, so I may go with the S8+ then!

Thanks!
posted by raiguabe at 8:31 AM on January 5, 2018