Mobile Phone Check

One of the companies I have shopped for has shops available in my area. I've not worked for them for a couple of months and I see they now want you to download their app and a mobile phone check is required. Only problem is I have a dumb phone. I've thought so often about a smartphone and have even done shops just to learn all about them. My problem I can't get past the cost of the data plan. So now I am wondering if companies are starting to want this more and more does that mean it could become a tax write off?

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I use my smart phone mostly for business - so I deduct 80% of the cost. I have a lot of money making apps on the phone, use it to time shops, take pictures, navigation (very important for me), record money earned etc. The data is expensive but I make enough on my phone to cover the cost. A prepay per month plan is cheaper than a contract. I pay $45 a month with Straight Talk, and am on the look out for something cheaper.

It's definitely worth it. You can write off a portion of it for business. If you shop around, the plans can be fairly cheap. I pay $122 (including taxes/fees) for five phones (two are smart phones) through Tmobile. I have unlimited minutes, text, and data although I think I got grandfathered into some special plan as a long term customer. I write off one phone 100% for my tutoring business. I write off 50% on another for my mystery shopping business.

On a side note, I wouldn't get a smart phone simply because a company is trying to force you to check in via the phone. I am a hold out on that and refuse to do it.

Kmarkim and mnarteach, I'm getting ready to go on my own plan for the first time since before smartphones existed. The fruits of my research include the information that if you are willing to buy your own phone, AiO and Cricket both have month-to-month no contract $40-45/mo unlimited talk and text (I believe Cricket is unlimited everything and there's a charge of something like $3.99 for data over a certain amount on AiO, but whatever that number was, I couldn't imagine ever hitting it).

Thanks for the tips. I am not keen on this mobile phone check either but it seems to be trickling into the industry. I now have a place that I did a lot of interesting shops for that I no longer can do because I don't have a smart phone. I don't like being penalized for that.

If I didn't mystery shop I would not need a smartphone as I use it exclusively for mystery shopping. However, as a previous tax agent I claim 80% of the cost because I know how difficult it would be to prove that I don't use it privately at all. I am so dependent on it that I don't know how I managed without it.

I have Cricket. It is cheap and covers everything. For some reason, I don't get the reception that those with AT&T get, although it bought Cricket out and Cricket has had the same towers for a long time. My second, emergency phone, which was prepay, was AT&T. I dropped it when the cost went up. I got my Android during the mystery shop last year. I am wearing out the screen. I tried a phone only shop but I couldn't figure out how to upload the pictures. I use my camera for other things. I will try again some time when I have time to practice again. Time is something I have little of.

Radio Shack and Best Buy have been selling the pre paid ZTE Midnight pre paid smartphone in recent weeks for $20.00. Surprisingly, the camera/ video and Wi Fi all work without the phone service even being activated...

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Mobile Phone Check

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