anyone use prepaid cell platinumtel before?

I found this site today and it is only $40 a month for unlimited everything, from my research they appear to ride on Tmobiles towers.

Anyone have any first hand experience with them? I really would like to drop att and save myself a few dollars.

Yes PlatinumTel (PT) is a combination of Tmo first and AT&T in other areas and those other areas may be voice/text only.
$40 is unlimited, though talk and text are truly unlimited but data is fast for the first 250mb and then throttled to slow for the remainder of the month. 250mb is tons for a non-smartphone but less than a half month for someone who just reads GRM, sends a few pictures and watches maybe 4 videos on a smartphone. $50 gets you 2gb of data (plenty for the average smartphone user.)
https://www.platinumtel.com/plans

For $45 ($5 less than the PT $50), you can get the same from StraightTalk -a brand of TracPhone only sold at WalMart.
https://www.straighttalk.com/secure/ServicePlans
Buy just a SIM and you can continue to use your exisitng AT&T handset.
http://www.straighttalksim.com/

If money were no object...:
For your area, what contract cellular company do you wish you were with?
Do you like your current handset and plan to keep it?
If you replace it, are you open to the idea of buying a used handset?

How many minutes would you really talk? Text much?
Are you the type that wants a smartphone? Would you use the smartphone data function a lot?

Answer and I will point out some choices.

In many ways, Prepaid is self service wireless. The Customer service is less and there are no shinny big stores but man, that stuff is expensive and if you will forgo it, you can save half or better.

I have an iphone 3gs with att right now and I got it unlocked so i would like to save myself a few bucks. I hardly use my phone i have the 2 gig plan but only use about 200mb a month and maybe 200 minutes and a few hundred sms.

I just need something so i can make phone calls when i need to and it would be nice to have the internet so i can check email or websites when i am looking for something. 75% of the time i am using wifi so I really don't care too much about data.

PT sounds perfect for you at $40, but...
For a mere $5 more, the Straight Talk (ST) plan will allow you to specify a AT&T/iPhone style micro sim. I do not think that PT does micro sims (required in a iPhone.) In addition, by choosing a AT&T micro sim from ST you are more likely to pull AT&T service first and Tmo service second. As I mentioned above, the PT service is Tmo first and AT&T second.

In short, go w/ the $45 ST plan specifying an AT&T SIM.
I have never had an iphone3G so verify that it is a micro sim.

Walmart?

ewww...

4cylndrfury wrote: Walmart? ewww...

Very true, and if that is not enough evil for you, doing this will support the Richest Man in the World Carlos Slim and his company Am'erica M'ovil

3GSs have regular "mini"-Sims, not the newer nano-Sims like the iPhone 5 etc.

The main issue with currently using one on the T-Mobile network is that 3G will not work as they're using slightly different frequencies than both AT&T and the rest of the world. That said, I have used my 3GS with T-Mobile and it mostly just worked, but data was very slow.

Personally, I am not a big fan of Walmart, but I would go Straighttalk with a 3GS. In fact, I'm still toying with that particular idea...

In reply to BoxheadTim:
As a "free agent" who is not tied to the contract, move your number over to one company one month and over the other company for the other month. No penalties or fees (aside from the price of the unique sim) which is reusable if you choose to go back.

BoxheadTim:

So will I get 3g speeds on my iphone 3gs with Straighttalk?

In reply to jonnyd330:

IIRC Straighttalk uses AT&Ts network, so yes, that should give you 3G speeds.

Yes. Expect at least 1gb fast then throttled back. More than you'll need.