Walmart Family Mobile – Best Wireless for International Calling

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When it comes to smart phones I’m a relative ‘newbie’ to the scene.  I only got my first smart phone a little over a year ago, and admittedly I became hooked rather fast on it.  I had an ‘okay’ phone, nothing fancy but got kind of starry eyed with the whole iPhone thing and then last December plunged into a prepaid deal where I bought the 4S up front out of pocket and then subscribed to the prepaid service.  I don’t have a contract…but my phone will only work with their service.  So it might as well be a contract, right?!  In my defense where we used to live before moving to the DFW area, we didn’t have many options for non-contract Unlimited Plans.

Now though we live in a city where we can take advantage of the Walmart Family Mobile plan, and in fact we already have!

My husband has a Galaxy S3 on it, and is completely satisfied with this non-contract post paid service.  The variety of smart phones that you can use with it (yes including my previously coveted iPhone 4S model and the newer 5) is really any phone that works on T-Mobile’s network or any unlocked GSM phone.  You can buy the phones new at Walmart, or you can bring your own.  How’s that for a range of devices?  If you want to see some of the other phones that you can purchase for the Walmart Family Mobile plan then click the photo below and check out my Google+ album of my entire shopping experience.

So as part of a #cbias campaign, I headed to our local Walmart and purchased a T-Mobile Concord smart phone.  It’s similar in nature to the first smart phone I owned, a basic 3G device but for the purchase price of $79.88 on rollback a pretty reliable and nifty little handset for the price point.

This phone by the way, would make a perfect smart phone for a tween or teen for back to school.  Our 17 year old daughter will be using this particular handset when I’m not using it.  You can click on the photo below and check out the Live SoFab digital magazine for more back to school ideas.  Walmart Family Mobile is featured in it, so you can learn more about it in addition to other products and services.

As a comparison of two non-contract plans, the current one I’m using allows me 300 monthly talk minutes, unlimited texting and unlimited data.  However, my data connection isn’t reliable, it’s spotty in certain places and the reality is I can’t even roam with my phone.  If my provider’s towers aren’t accessible, I can’t call or text with my phone.  I pay $30 plus taxes and fees a month.

Walmart Family Mobile gives my husband unlimited talk minutes, unlimited texting and unlimited data.  His data hasn’t been spotty yet, if he wants to he can roam and the cost…$39.88 a month plus taxes and fees.  How’s that for a cheap wireless plan?

Yep I think even though mine is less expensive I’m getting gypped.  I’m seriously gimped.  I’d gladly pony up the extra $9.88 a month for the service he’s getting.

But do you know what one of the biggest appeals to me right now is with the Walmart Family Mobile Plan.  Their “Extras Pack”.  You can buy prepaid cards to add to your account that allows you to call or roam internationally.  With all my family living in Canada…that’s a HUGE perk.

When we went up there for my brother’s wedding, I couldn’t use my phone, because it doesn’t roam north of the border.  And when my family comes to visit me here in Texas and I need to call their phones, my current plan costs twice as much as the Walmart Family Mobile plan, PLUS uses my monthly minutes!

But with my Concord phone and the Family Mobile Plan, I can now dial those Canadian numbers without worrying about what the bill will look like when we’re done talking or without wondering whether I’ll use up my monthly minute allotment.  And when we go visit next year for my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary and my niece’s wedding, I can actually use my phone to contact people or call someone back here in Texas if I have to.

If for no other reason, I love this plan (and I have plenty of other reasons; one of which is their Online account management and information at myfamilymobile.com) because I only add as much money to the account for international usage as I need, and there is no expiry date on the money you add as long as the account is active.  It doesn’t increase my standard monthly bill, and I can still keep in touch with my loved ones from the Great White North affordably.

If I know we’ll be traveling to Canada I can just go to Walmart buy an Extras Pack and top the account up for that trip.  Roaming will only cost me 69₵ a minute to call, and I can’t even do that on my current plan.  Or if I know my sister is visiting and we’ll be texting back and worth while they’re here, same thing, 20₵ a text or 5₵ a minute to call her phone and that will only come out of my Extras Pack.

We already know that #FamilyMobileSaves us money from a regular contract plan, I’ll let you know in a month from now if it has saved us money by calling internationally too.

Does your cell phone plan allow for international calling and/or roaming?  If it does, is it expensive?  Do you use that feature?