The Family Phone Shuffle 2008
I'd just email this info out, but seeing as it involves most people that read this blog, I'll just post it on here instead. Yes, it even potentially involves you Dastrups if you want. Details below.
The issue:
Chad, Cambrie, Steve, Breanna, and I are all on the same AT&T family plan -- we get better prices the more people we have on a plan -- and we all get to enjoy my 15% discount for being a UVSC student. They only allow 5 people on a shared family plan at one time, which means we're at the max. Erica's phone is no more (or is soon to be no more) and she would like to join the family plan, with Chad naturally. Katie's Verizon contract ends at the beginning of January, and it would be cheaper for her to go to AT&T than to stay with Verizon, so she'd like to join the shared family plan too. That means we're going to have to split the shared plan into two shared plans.
For those of you who have been involved in the discussion on this in the past, we have a lot more options now. We called up AT&T and found out it's really not ridiculously expensive like they told Chad it was before. Yes, there's a fees involved in adding a couple of lines, which I think should be paid for by the two Groneman couples (as we're the ones adding the lines). I think there might be another fee ($30?) involved in starting an entirely new shared account, which fee could be spread out among us all, as we're all going to be wanting to continue to enjoy the price benefits of a discounted shared plan no matter how we split it. I'm open to further discussion on the topics though depending on what we decide to do with it.
So the question is, how do we split up the phone plans??
We're hoping that no matter how we split it, we can keep the discounts on both plans. I'm eligible for 2 discounts. The original plan can keep the 15% discount, and we just won't tell them that I'm the UVSC student, and I can go on to the new plan and get another 14% discount for being an IHC employee.
Option 1: Dastrups Join Forces.
I actually had a new idea this morning that involves the Dastrups and might provide a better price for everyone, including the Dastrups if they want to join in. Dastrups, I have no idea what your cel-phone situation is like. I know you use AT&T. If you're not on a family plan already with Brigham's family, and if your cell phones aren't work-provided through Brigham, what do you think about Katie and me joining forces with you in your shared plan? You'd get the lower price from having a shared family plan, a 14% discount from me being an IHC employee, and just the awesomeness of knowing that the famous Katie and Brett are on your cel-phone plan. In short, you wouldn't be paying as much as you are now for your cel-phone. The bill comes and we figure out the fair way to split up the bill, and each pay our share. And I dont think it would be fair to involve the Dastrups in the shuffling-stuff-around-fees I talked about splitting up in the paragraph above as they haven't been enjoying this family discount plan we all have been.
What that means for everyone else is that you'd keep all five of you on the original plan and get the maximum discount possible 'cause you'd have all 5 on the plan, plus my totally awesome 15% discount from UVSC.
Option 2: Region-based cell-phone plans.
Chad, Erica, Katie, and I stay on one plan, and the Californians split off on another cel-phone plan. I'd be very surprised if between the 3 Californians and their 3 schools, if there wasn't some similar 15% discount available to you through one of those. Check with AT&T or the school(s).
Option 3: Brett and Katie start new plan.
This would happen in January probably as that's when my contract ends with AT&T, and when Katie's contract ends with Verizon. At that point, Katie and I would start our own shared plan, and we'd assimilate either Cambrie and Steve, or Breanna to even out the pricing discounts as much as possible for everyone. Meanwhile, Erica has no phone and uses Chad's phone, while Chad buys a Cricket phone for 1 1/2 months.
Personally, I like option 1 the best, but that's of course dependant on if the Dastrups can or want to do something like that. Thoughts everyone?
The issue:
Chad, Cambrie, Steve, Breanna, and I are all on the same AT&T family plan -- we get better prices the more people we have on a plan -- and we all get to enjoy my 15% discount for being a UVSC student. They only allow 5 people on a shared family plan at one time, which means we're at the max. Erica's phone is no more (or is soon to be no more) and she would like to join the family plan, with Chad naturally. Katie's Verizon contract ends at the beginning of January, and it would be cheaper for her to go to AT&T than to stay with Verizon, so she'd like to join the shared family plan too. That means we're going to have to split the shared plan into two shared plans.
For those of you who have been involved in the discussion on this in the past, we have a lot more options now. We called up AT&T and found out it's really not ridiculously expensive like they told Chad it was before. Yes, there's a fees involved in adding a couple of lines, which I think should be paid for by the two Groneman couples (as we're the ones adding the lines). I think there might be another fee ($30?) involved in starting an entirely new shared account, which fee could be spread out among us all, as we're all going to be wanting to continue to enjoy the price benefits of a discounted shared plan no matter how we split it. I'm open to further discussion on the topics though depending on what we decide to do with it.
So the question is, how do we split up the phone plans??
We're hoping that no matter how we split it, we can keep the discounts on both plans. I'm eligible for 2 discounts. The original plan can keep the 15% discount, and we just won't tell them that I'm the UVSC student, and I can go on to the new plan and get another 14% discount for being an IHC employee.
Option 1: Dastrups Join Forces.
I actually had a new idea this morning that involves the Dastrups and might provide a better price for everyone, including the Dastrups if they want to join in. Dastrups, I have no idea what your cel-phone situation is like. I know you use AT&T. If you're not on a family plan already with Brigham's family, and if your cell phones aren't work-provided through Brigham, what do you think about Katie and me joining forces with you in your shared plan? You'd get the lower price from having a shared family plan, a 14% discount from me being an IHC employee, and just the awesomeness of knowing that the famous Katie and Brett are on your cel-phone plan. In short, you wouldn't be paying as much as you are now for your cel-phone. The bill comes and we figure out the fair way to split up the bill, and each pay our share. And I dont think it would be fair to involve the Dastrups in the shuffling-stuff-around-fees I talked about splitting up in the paragraph above as they haven't been enjoying this family discount plan we all have been.
What that means for everyone else is that you'd keep all five of you on the original plan and get the maximum discount possible 'cause you'd have all 5 on the plan, plus my totally awesome 15% discount from UVSC.
Option 2: Region-based cell-phone plans.
Chad, Erica, Katie, and I stay on one plan, and the Californians split off on another cel-phone plan. I'd be very surprised if between the 3 Californians and their 3 schools, if there wasn't some similar 15% discount available to you through one of those. Check with AT&T or the school(s).
Option 3: Brett and Katie start new plan.
This would happen in January probably as that's when my contract ends with AT&T, and when Katie's contract ends with Verizon. At that point, Katie and I would start our own shared plan, and we'd assimilate either Cambrie and Steve, or Breanna to even out the pricing discounts as much as possible for everyone. Meanwhile, Erica has no phone and uses Chad's phone, while Chad buys a Cricket phone for 1 1/2 months.
Personally, I like option 1 the best, but that's of course dependant on if the Dastrups can or want to do something like that. Thoughts everyone?
Comments
Katie and I don't use internet stuff and text messaging. If you guys wanted to use that, you could add that for yourselves. That's what Breanna is doing right now. But I don't think you're into that too much.
I imagine it'll be something like that, possibly a little more depending on how many people are on what plan and how many minutes we need to buy.
352 billable minutes
218 minutes if you don't include calls to/from me (which would have been free)