Update: Saving for the Holidays with Walmart Family Mobile's Unlimited Plans

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. All opinions are my own.

Last month, I tested out the Walmart Family Mobile service, which offers cheap, unlimited wireless plans. Initially, I was attracted to this campaign because I was none too pleased with having to pay $60 a month for unlimited service, though when you move and want to remain in contact with family, that's what you have to do. So, here was a way for me to keep in contact with said family while spending a little less on my monthly wireless bill.

In my last post, I gave a brief review of the Walmart Family Mobile service, and how it compared to my existing service from Virgin Mobile. What I like about this plan, which runs through T-Mobile, is that my calls are no longer dropped, and I seem to have decent coverage wherever I go.

One concern I had was that I would blow through the monthly allotment of 3G data, especially since I run more apps on the Concord than before, though I haven't even come close to using the full 5GB. If you stream music and videos, though, you might be more likely to hit your monthly allotment.

Before, when I didn't have a smartphone, I didn't have any expectations of my phone when it came to using the internet or checking email. Now that it's easier to do those things on this phone, I find myself more aggravated with the slowness of the old Android OS and the limited memory capacity of the Concord. I feel that Virgin Mobile is still superior in terms of quality of phones offered, even if the plan costs more per month. I'm especially infuriated by the lackluster performance of my phone in stores, when I need to look up a product online to compare prices, or check if it's in stock. I'm not sure if this is because of the phone or the service, or a combination of both.

In areas with strong service, though, everything runs smoothly and I can quickly bounce between apps, such as this past weekend when I was tracking runners, updating Facebook, and looking up directions on my phone. Since I'll be traveling back home next week, I can see how well my phone handles busy airports.

Also, the picture quality is nothing to brag about. While the Concord takes fine pictures in bright daylight, nighttime pictures aren't very great, and there is no flash. This isn't so much a problem as it is a nuisance.

Like Virgin Mobile, managing your account online is simple. I have bill notifications set to update me of upcoming payments via text and email. You have the option of setting up automatic payments, if you prefer.

Overall, I am semi-pleased with my experience with Walmart Family Mobile, and I will most likely continue using the service despite the disappointing phone quality. It has come in handy a little more this holiday season than my old phone has, and although it'll take me longer to save up to a better phone, I might just stick it out until then.

If you remember, in my previous post I had also talked about how I would use some of the money I was saving for Christmas cookies. Well, it's already started! I've been stocking up on containers, and have already gotten cookie decorating supplies. Those cat cookies obviously aren't for Christmas, but they are an example of what I make every year around the holidays. They're a project, though I can't wait until I really delve into holiday baking!