u/Sky_Master007

Been hopping carriers trying to find the sweet spot. Here's my journey so far:

Mint Mobile - decent but coverage gaps hurt

Xfinity Mobile - actually pretty solid, had a BoGo deal that got me down to $15/month. Left because the deal ended.

Visible - currently on it and honestly terrible. Drops in almost every city I visit across New England. Not just slow, basically unusable.

Boost - tried it briefly, same story.

My situation:

Travel frequently between MA, CT, and NY (a lot of I-95 and I-91 corridor driving)

iPhone 17

~15GB actual data usage monthly

Light hotspot use (maybe 5GB or less)

Need solid performance for maps, music streaming, and calls while driving

Sick of being deprioritized during congestion

Hard cap of $20/month, open to annual plans if the value is there

Month-to-month preferred but annual is fine if it makes sense

What I want: A network that actually works in New England cities and doesn't throttle or deprioritize me into the ground. Coverage and reliability matter more than price at this point, as long as it stays under $20.

Anyone running a solid setup in this region? What are you on?

Edit 1 : Switched from Xfinity because the offer expired and i was moving so had to close down the internet service.

Edit 2 : Visible Priority Plans are 30$/month. As a fresh grad that becomes difficult to manage.

A close friend of mine is dealing with a frustrating offer situation and I wanted to get some outside perspective for him.

He’s finishing his Master’s in Engineering and has a few years of full-time industry experience in manufacturing operations (think team leadership, process optimization, real cost savings on the plant floor). Not your typical fresh grad.

A mid-size company in a high cost of living area flew him out for an in-person interview at their own expense. He met with senior leadership including the CEO. Interview went great, they clearly want him.

The offer: under $40K/year, classified as a “2-year internship” during his OPT. They’d only begin his H1B process after the 2 years. To compensate, they’re offering housing, a vehicle, and fuel near the workplace.

He told them his floor was in the $80K to $90K range. HR keeps saying it’s “company policy” and that the perks already make it expensive for them.

The problem is he has significant student loans and basic living costs that make the base salary unworkable even with the perks factored in. Meanwhile, market rate for his role in that area is $100K+.

He doesn’t want to walk away because the H1B path matters, but he also doesn’t want to be locked into 2 years of being underpaid on a promise.

For anyone who’s been in a similar spot: how would you advise him to negotiate? Should he push to reclassify the role from “intern” to a proper full-time title? What other levers can he pull (benefits, earlier H1B filing, signing bonus, annual raise structure)? Is the fact that they flew him out a signal he has more leverage than they’re letting on?

Appreciate any advice.