I had Verizon for years, which works best in my area. My bill had been gradually creeping up to where it was about $75 per month-and I had a limited amount of minutes, no texting, no data.
I finally switched to Straight Talk's $45/mo plan (plus tax). I needed a new phone so I bought the cheapest one which was about $50. I got the one that used Verizon's towers so I have exactly the same service and coverage as I had before, just costs me less. I was even able to keep my old phone number, which was nice. Months roll around pretty fast so I buy a 3 month card each time.
The only thing I would do different is get a better phone. When I got this one I didn't text so I wasn't worried that it had tiny buttons and a small screen. Now that I'm getting more modern and have started texting some I find the tiny buttons are hard to navigate. And the small screen doesn't work well if you are browsing the internet.
I've had this cheap phone going on a year and a half and I'll have to say it's tough and I haven't had any trouble with it. If and when I break it I will get something better.
Dallas