[mishman]

So this thread and wanting to see if I could get a better deal prompted me to look at switching from Verizon to T-Mobile. I did a far amount of research and talked to two different reps on the phone (25-40 mins). Also checked back with Verizon to see if they could come close to matching the T-Mobile offer in terms of credit towards upgrading to new phones (two lines for seniors). Even though we are 25+ year customers with Verizon, they won't offer anywhere near the same deals as those enticing other customers to switch to Verizon. I checked out there coverage by joining their network (I have an iPhone 13 which has eSim which allows me to get on the T-Mobile network - you have to down load their app to do this but it was easy) and found signal strength to be comparable to Verizon in my neighborhood near Kona (off Neck Rd).
In the end from a financial standpoint, the deal with T-Mobile was a no brainer. I got major credit for upgrading our paid off phones (much more than Verizon offered), $400 credit applied to my $100/month bill for G05G Plus plan (for two lines), free AAA for one year ($60), free Netflix and Apple TV for as long as I keep the plan (roughly $20/month total) and be able to upgrade my phone every two years. Since we are already AAA members and subscribe to Netlix and Apple TV, this equals $320 real savings in year one and $240/year in savings (Netflix and Apple TV) every year thereafter. There is also the possibility down the road of getting T-Mobile home internet at 5G for $30/month once bandwidth opens to more customers which would be a $35/month savings over what I am paying Spectrum with higher speeds on 5G. So we are taking the plunge. Wish me luck!