- option one: stay with Sprint. there's a couple of special offers on the table that give me a decent credit towards a new phone. this is a good option if it's my phone that's the problem, not Sprint. i like my plan ($35, 300 anytime minutes, nights and weekends free, $2 a month for 30 text messages, 25 cents for each extra one.) all their plans are national, so i don't have to worry about roaming if i go somewhere out of state. however, if it's not my phone and it's Sprint, then i'm stuck for another year's contract with crappy service (my current contract is up, so i'm free to hop ship if i want to.)
- the original plan was to put me on a family plan with Jeff, who was with AT&T. however, i never got around to that, and his account got bought by Suncom. their family plans suck ($30 to add a line if it's a one year contract, which isn't that much less than i pay now.) it's region based, too, and i do occasionally leave the state, and i can't find what their roaming policy is. they are the only ones doing hiptop service in the area, but much as i kvetch about wanting a hiptop, i'm not sure i really want to pay for voice + data right now. if i can get a phone that'll send text messages, i'll be happy. =p
- the rest of my family uses Verizon. i know they get good signal in the (relatively) middle of nowhere, including my parents' house. i also know it works fine here, from Hope's visits. they have free in-network mobile-to-mobile, which means that i could talk to Hope whenever i want, regardless of the time of day. that would be very nice. they do have a pay as you go option, which might be well worth running the math on (and that i just noticed, so i haven't really looked at it yet). their cheapest plan is 39.99, which is more than i'm paying now, but includes another 150 anytime minutes. they do national service, no roaming (woot). text messaging is included, but the messages themselves are 10 cents to send, 2 to recieve. then again, i'm not really getting my $2 a month out of Sprint right now. i'd have to pay for a phone, as opposed to the credit towards a phone that i might be able to get out of Sprint.
hrms. any other great options around there that i should know about?