Affinity Cellular Cell Phone Review 2024

The Buying Experience With Affinity Cellular

Affinity Cellular phones and plans are available for purchase online. The process is straightforward and takes only a few minutes.

1. Visit Affinity Cellular’s website.
2. Choose how many lines you’d like. The more lines you choose, the more you save per line. If you want more than three lines, however, you’ll have to call Affinity’s customer-service line.
3. Select your monthly plan.
4. Type in your ZIP code to confirm coverage in your area.
5. Select the phone or phones you want to purchase, or indicate that you want to bring your own phone.
6. Review the price and your purchase.
7. Provide your payment and shipping information.
8. Check out.

Phones and SIM cards ship for free. Activation is free too. Affinity even automatically applies any relevant promo codes at checkout, so you know you’re getting the best price available. That takes out a lot of the frustrating guesswork that often accompanies phone purchases.

Since Affinity phones are only sold online, you won’t get to test the phone or see it in person before you buy it. You get 30 days upon receipt, however, to decide if the phone is right for you or if you’d rather exchange it. The only caveat is that you won't receive a full refund if you’ve used more than 30 minutes, 30 texts, or 30 MB of data.

Customer Service

Affinity offers customer support via email or telephone. Similar companies, such as Consumer Cellular, also offer a live online chat feature, which I would’ve liked to see with Affinity Cellular.

I reached out to Affinity Cellular’s customer-service team via email to ask some questions about pricing. Affinity offers multiline discounts for up to five lines, but it only publishes pricing for up to three lines online. In my email, I asked about pricing for four and five lines. The response was prompt, but it wasn’t very helpful. Instead of answering my question, they just asked me questions. When I tried to respond again, I was unable to because Affinity had deemed my question resolved.

Expert Insights

From Taylor Shuman, Senior Tech Expert

High-quality customer service is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a phone carrier. There will inevitably be issues or questions when you sign up for a new phone plan, so it’s important that someone is there to answer all of your questions and provide expert advice.

I decided to give Affinity’s customer-service team a call. Within 40 seconds, I was speaking with a very polite representative. Unfortunately, she was unable to answer my question about the multiline discount. Instead, she took my contact information so a supervisor could call me back. Since the website advises calling in for that information, I was a little disappointed that the customer-service team wasn’t able to give me an answer promptly.

I never got a call back from the supervisor, which was frustrating. Most older adults only need one or two lines, so that wasn’t an immediate disqualifier. If, however, you’re planning to share your data with a larger group, I’d suggest a different carrier, like AT&T or Verizon.

Choosing a Cell Phone

Affinity Cellular offers the option to bring your own phone or buy a new one. You can choose among a small selection of flip phones and smartphone models. If you want to bring your own phone, check with Affinity Cellular before purchasing to make sure it’s compatible.

Not all the phones the company sells are new. Many are indicated on Affinity’s website as CPO (certified preowned), which brings down your cost. New, recently released iPhone models are also available. When we looked at Affinity’s website, we saw iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 Pro Max for sale at various price points.

A few of our favorite phones for seniors from Affinity are listed below.

Apple iPhone 15 (128 GB)

Apple iPhone 15

iPhones are a great choice for older adults, and the iPhone 15 is no exception. The smartphone is one of Apple’s most recent models, and it may be expensive for many budgets. If you have your heart set on the latest and greatest tech, however, you can buy the phone from Affinity for $789 or pay in installments of $21.92 a month for 36 months (plus an up-front activation fee). The payment plan is offered with 0% interest, and no credit check or application is required.

Our favorite features for seniors: 

• 6.1-inch display screen
• 48MP (megapixel) main camera
• 12MP selfie camera
• Face ID sensor for easy unlocking
• Fast rechargeable battery

ZTE 233 Cymbal Flip Phone

Home screen on the ZTE 233 Cymbal flip phone.

Affinity sent me the ZTE 233 Cymbal flip phone to test. It’s a simple flip phone with a large screen, sizable buttons, and easy-to-learn navigation. There’s no up-front cost for the phone. You’ll pay $1.99 per month for every month of use.

The no-frills flip phone is great for seniors on a budget who just want to text and make phone calls. If internet browsing and checking email is what you want, I recommend considering an iPhone or one of Affinity Cellular’s other internet-enabled phones.

If you’re still not sure what phone you want, check out our list of the best cell phones for seniors for more information on our top picks.

Unboxing

The first thing I noticed when opening the box was the empty SIM card holder. Affinity already had the SIM card installed, which is great for older adults with limited dexterity or vision difficulties. The box also contained the flip phone, charging cord, wall charging block, and a nifty instruction manual that explained how to use the phone.

I pressed the red “End Call/Power” button to turn on the phone. I was happy to see the phone arrived fully charged and ready to go. Within seconds, I could start testing the phone’s features.

Testing the Phone’s Features

Flip phones are typically called “dumb phones” because of their limited features, so I was surprised that the Cymbal flip phone can actually do a lot. Notable features include:

• Front screen: Displays time, battery life, and cell service.
• Rear-facing camera: The 2-megapixel camera quality is nothing to brag about, but the pictures turned out all right. A camera button on the keypad makes opening the camera app a breeze.
• Radio: Plug in wired headphones and enjoy listening to the radio. I gave NPR a listen, and the broadcast was crystal clear.
• Calendar
• Alarm
• Music: Connect the phone to your computer to put your favorite MP3s on it.
• Sound recorder
• Texts: You can send only regular texts, and you can’t send and receive picture messages (MMS).
• Talkback: When activated, the device gives spoken feedback to help blind and low-vision users. A voice will describe what you select, type, and activate. I gave the feature a try and was impressed by how detailed it was.

Easily check the time on the phone’s front screen.

Making Test Calls

I gave my mom a call with the ZTE 233 Cymbal flip phone. She didn’t answer at first, so I left a voicemail. I had trouble hearing her when she finally picked up, so I turned up the volume all the way. It was still hard to hear her, and I even had my hearing aids in!

My mom had trouble hearing me on her end, too, unless I bent the phone at an angle toward my face. That wasn’t too comfortable because the phone stays put only in a fully open or fully closed position. Later she let me know the voicemail I left was very hard to hear and understand.

Since that test call didn’t go well, I did a second one a bit later. I gave my husband a call. I could hear him clearly, but he said my side was quiet and muffled, so he couldn’t understand me.

It’s hard to know for sure whether it’s the cell phone itself or the service in my area that caused the issues. I had four out of five bars of service at my house, which, in my experience, is more than enough to make and receive calls clearly.

Sarah’s mom using the ZTE 233 Cymbal flip phone.

Nationwide Coverage

Affinity Cellular relies on Verizon’s 4G LTE and 5G wireless network, which covers 98 percent of U.S. households. Use the wireless coverage map on Affinity’s website to check coverage for your ZIP code. Large cities have the best coverage, but Verizon reaches most rural areas too. The spottiest coverage areas include parts of Nevada, Maine, New Mexico, and Texas.

Contracts and Warranty

Contracts

There aren’t any contracts with Affinity. Plans are month to month, so you can end your service at any time. Just keep in mind that the free flip phone Affinity provides in the Affinity Wireless Flip Phone Bundle must be returned if you cancel your service. Affinity also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is on par with other providers such as Consumer Cellular. If you’re not happy with the phone or service, simply return the phone within 30 days to receive a refund.

Warranty

Affinity Cellular phones come with a lifetime warranty as long as the defect is from normal use. If you drop your phone, scratch the screen, or experience water damage, it’s not covered. Replacement phones aren’t guaranteed to be new and may have physical imperfections. Customers must pay the activation fee, shipping, and handling for replacement phones.

You can also purchase an extended service plan for additional coverage. Monthly pricing ranges from $1.49 to $9.99, depending on the phone’s value. The plan provides coverage if your phone cracks, shatters, or has water damage. It doesn’t cover lost or stolen phones. Affinity Cellular will repair or replace your phone after you pay a small deductible. The protection plan may not be cost-effective for Affinity’s cheaper phones, but it may be worthwhile if you purchase a pricey smartphone.

Affinity Cellular Phone Plans at a Glance

Affinity Cellular offers plans with and without data. You can choose from six plan options, many of which come with discounts for the first three months of service.

Affinity Cellular Plan Details

There isn’t an Affinity Cellular plan designated as a “senior plan.” Instead you can choose from the options outlined above. Below we’ll take a look at some of the plans we feel work best for older adults.

No Data Plan With Unlimited Talk and Text: Best for Basic Cell Phone Users

Plan Features

One of Affinity’s two no-data plans, this plan includes unlimited talk and text. Since it doesn’t include data, you can’t send or receive picture messages (MMS). We like the unlimited talk and text option for seniors who don’t have a landline or who want to use their phone without worrying about overages or running out of minutes.

Cost

The plan costs $15 per month per line. That’s on par with unlimited-talk-and-text plans from other providers such as Consumer Cellular, Snapfon, and Lively. It’s also the same per-month price you could pay for a plan from Mint Mobile with unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 5 GB of data. Companies like Mint Mobile are prepaid, however, meaning you’d need to pay for multiple months of service up front. Affinity Cellular is postpaid, so you receive a bill for a month of service at a time. It can be helpful if your monthly budget is tight.

Expert Insights

From Taylor Shuman, Senior Tech Expert

Affinity Cellular’s no-data plan is a very affordable option for seniors who don’t have a phone with an internet connection. For instance, a few of my older relatives like to keep things simple with flip phones that don’t have internet access, so they never use data. There’s no need to pay for data you won’t use!

3 GB Shared Data Plan With Unlimited Talk and Text: Best for Smartphone Users

Plan Features

Affinity Cellular’s 3 GB shared data plan comes with unlimited talk and text and 3 GB of shared data. That’s more than enough data for browsing the web, checking email, and using Google maps. If you plan to stream videos or music using data, you’d be better off with the 10 GB, 15 GB, or unlimited data plan. If you want the multiline discount for this plan, all users share 3 GB of data.

Cost

Affinity Cellular charges $20 for a single line on this plan. It’s postpaid, so you receive a bill each month. That’s fairly rare, and it’s helpful when you’re budgeting. Close competitors that also use Verizon’s network charge more for similar plan benefits. Lively’s unlimited talk, text, and 3GB data plan, for example, costs $29.99 per month. With Affinity, you get the same service for $5 less each month.

New customers can save even more by bundling this plan with an iPhone 7 — pay just $114.99 for an Apple iPhone 7 (32GB) plus five months of this plan. That’s an excellent deal for seniors who want to use a smartphone. You will need to pay the $114.99 up front though.

Affinity Cellular vs. the Competition

Before signing up for a phone plan, it’s important to compare all your options. Below is a closer look at how Affinity Cellular stacks up to the competition.

The Bottom Line on Affinity Cellular

Affinity Cellular’s phone plans range from $12.99 per month to $50 per month, giving seniors options no matter their budget. Some plans are pricier than those from other providers, but you can’t beat Affinity Cellular’s phone and service bundles. They offer the best bang for your buck, whether you want a smartphone or a simple flip phone.

Affinity Cellular’s customer service is fairly limited and customer reviews highlight its inconsistency, which is an important drawback to consider. It may take a little extra effort if you need help with your phone or plan. Fortunately, Affinity offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can always get your money back if you’re truly unsatisfied with your phone, the plan, or the service.