[Villages Kahuna]

I still have both my cell phone as well as Mrs. Kahuna on the same Verizon Wireless cell phone family plan that we had up north. We have the same Illinois phone numbers too, a minor inconvenience. We have the same plan that we've had for many years, the monthly charges being 'grandfathered' as the plan is no longer available. We get 750 "national" minutes per month shared between both phones plus unlimited web-surfing and text messages within that same 750 minutes. Verizon has even made an exception and will issue us new '352' phone numbers and we can stay on the same grandfathered plan. Our cost for this, all taxes included, is about $63 a month.

I have been intrigued by the iPhone and I would have to switch to AT&T, of course. But the best deal I can find with AT&T is $60 a month plus taxes for 450 minutes on the iPhone and another $30 a month plus taxes for a plan with 200 minutes for my wife. They would be separate plans--AT&T doesn't have a 'family' plan unless you have two iPhones. I figure my monthly out-of-pocket including taxes would be somewhere in the range of $110-115. I could get a free phone for my wife, but I'd have to pay $200-300 for the iPhone.

I'm not so put off by having to buy the iPhone--it's a terrific device and well worth it. But I am a little taken aback by the fact that my monthly out-of-pocket cell phone bill for two lines/phones would almost double.

Does the all-in monthly cost of around $110-115 for two lines from AT&T, including unlimited internet and long distance, sound right?(Remember, AT&T bundles unlimited internet access, text messaging and e-mail along with unlimited long distance calling for this price. The other companies charge you ala carte for this stuff.)

Any of the currently available family plans from either Verizon or AT&T would be more expensive than my grandfathered plan from Verizon. And none would permit any use of the internet, if our phone(s) were capable. So if I simply wanted to stay "basic", sticking with my old Verizon plan is a no-brainer. But if I want to proceed to the 21st century and get an iPhone, it looks like $110-115 a month is the tariff.

Have I just been spoiled by the low rate that I've been enjoying--and could continue to enjoy--because I've been grandfathered into an old plan for so many years? What do you think?