I was wondering if Vz can offer me a good deal on cellular service, seeing how my parents just got the internet - phone TV in their house (I guess thats what they call the triple play, I think). As of now only 1 member of the household has a Vz cellphone, had it before they got the triple play.
My mom, wife and myself share a T Mobile family plan. Ive been with T since 2000, I like them for 2 reasons: There cheaper & SIM card convenience (I go through a lot of phones, you may have noticed!). That being said, right now we pay about $65.00 per month for 3 lines, 1500 shared anytime min, unlim N&W, unlim phone to phone (eg: line 1 to line 2) min I think, edge date for net access (I never get phone that support the 1700MHz bands, so thats why I go with edge (basically thats like dial-up internet access, but for cellular phones, speeds are awful). I only use the net for downloading emails (no attachments), weather updates, rss updates, basic web ...ect. Any rich media (Youtube, streaming music <pandora>, large file transfers... forget it.).
So like I said, I dont have much, but I dont pay much either. Ive been out of contract since around 2003 and I like it that way. I actually am using a Verizon phone right now (it supports GSM voice) so I could easily get that turned on.
The nice thing about T, at least for me, was they never forced me to upgrade my data plan to get a "real" data plan, one that would support high speeds. Perhaps they didn't because they didn't know what kind of phone I used (I call that bunk, they always know the make & model, regardless if they have it or not). Ive used iPhones and the system recognized it (it would tell me on my "MyTmobile page) but IVe also had foreign "world" phones and such and it just showed up as unrecognized.
So as of now, I would need a family plan: 4 lines (1 existing, 3 new), my mom needs nothing but basic talk, the wife just wants sms, I want internet. I have a galaxy S3 that is a Vz phone, I have a droid Bionic that I could activate for my wife and I'll buy outright the phone for my mom. Basically I am bringing all my own devices, I dont' want to sign a contract unless the deal is very good. Porting my existing number is important as its also my business phone.
That being said, since I have a tax ID, can we get some kind of business plan and save money that way?
I was afraid that was going to be the answer. (Vz looks to just be the most expensive no matter what way you slice it... it is...what it is)
FWIW Ive been with T for so long that I know retentions can offer up some deals, I was just on the phone with them yesterday getting a discrepancy adjusted.
So I guess its like this: Stay w/ T, sign contract if and ONLY IF I get a smoking good monthly deal: Data & Sms for me, sms for wife, basic phone for Moms, plenty of min all around...ect. Thats all I need, Im a pretty easy customer, just save me the Benjamins and Im sticking around.
I've heard it is possible to get a data-only device from verizon, (tablet, modem, hotspot, etc) and put its sim card into a phone. After that the phone will have access to that data-only plan.
My question is this: Can I get a jetpack from verizon, sign up for a 4gb/month plan, then take that sim card and put it into my galaxy s3? I want to do this to get rid of my phone/text plan and have data only. I've heard some reports when doing this with an ipad and galaxy nexus, the phone is left with 3g speeds only.
Has anyone tried this, or have other knowledge about whether it will or will not work?
(On a side note, I called verizon today, asked about early termination fees, and they gave me a slightly cheaper minutes plan -- 200minutes for 29.99 as opposed to 450 for 39.99. )
Thanks.
How much is a hotspot 4GB plan? With the new plans, it's showing me $50 a month.
NCRoadster said:
How much is a hotspot 4GB plan? With the new plans, it's showing me $50 a month.
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$129 is the cheapest I can find from verizon itself. However, you can always get one used elsewhere.
340 + 129 + (50 * 24) = 1669
85 * 24 = 2040
Even with the cost of the hotspot and the cancellation fee, it makes more sense to cancel phone service. Besides, now I'd have 4gb data as opposed to 2gb, as well as some extra hardware which might be useful.
cammerpants said:
$129 is the cheapest I can find from verizon itself. However, you can always get one used elsewhere.
340 + 129 + (50 * 24) = 1669
85 * 24 = 2040
Even with the cost of the hotspot and the cancellation fee, it makes more sense to cancel phone service. Besides, now I'd have 4gb data as opposed to 2gb, as well as some extra hardware which might be useful.
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Looks like I misunderstood.
50 is the cheapest for 4gb hot spot plans. The prepaid plans are less generous -- 60 for 3gb/month.
Looks like for this to be cost effective, I'd have to sign a new contract--something I'm not excited about. Maybe a customer service rep could give me a better rate if I had my own hot spot. I'm less excited about this than I was. Although, at least with the contract price you can get the hot spot for "free".
I'm assuming you would end up using voip to make calls right? How much data would that end up using? Would it be cost effective that way?
Brian Gove said:
I'm assuming you would end up using voip to make calls right? How much data would that end up using? Would it be cost effective that way?
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Not a whole lot, I imagine. I don't have any hard figures, but I do know that I make most of my calls at home or school--where I have wifi. Figuring that in, I'd think my data usage going to voip would be trivial.
I thought I'd provide an update.
I now have a 5GB/month plan for $50. I have no voice or text on my gs3 except what is done over IP--this basically means that voice and text is free when on wifi, and nearly free when on 4g. Calls only take 1.2MB / minute--which of course only matters when I am away from home or school.
Here is a rough outline of the process:
1. Purchase used 4g hotspot on ebay: $70
2. Activate and sign up for data plan for it: $50/month + 1 time activation and fees (35+15)
3. Take sim card from hotspot and put into phone. Cut it to correct size if necessary. It was with me.
4. Check Verizon website to make sure that phone now shows up with a 5gb data-only plan.
5. Transfer number from phone to google voice: $20
This step also automatically cancels the phone contract all at once: $340
6. Download and purchase GrooveIP: $4.99
6. Make sure that wifi stays connected when screen is off. The Galaxy S3 has some problems with this. I eventually settled on a program called "REGPON Wifi Keep Alive" from the play store.
7. Make sure everything is configured properly. I used another number to repeatedly call the phone and make sure that it would ring at various intervals of sleeping.
Voila--a 5gb data-only plan on a galaxy s3 with "free" unlimited voice and text.
I may save only a few hundred dollars over the course of the contract that I cancelled, but now I have a hotspot (just have to return sim to it to use it) and much more mobile data.It's also neat seeing on myverizon that I have this phone and am eligible for an upgrade.
sounds like the trouble and effort outweigh the monetary savings.
thats just an opinion though.
glad youre happy with what you got from VZW
ddurandSGS3 said:
sounds like the trouble and effort outweigh the monetary savings.
thats just an opinion though.
glad youre happy with what you got from VZW
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Yeah, I probably wouldn't have done it if it were only for the financial savings.
Probably breaks down something like this:
1/3 b/c cost saving
1/3 b/c better (more capable) plan
1/3 b/c principle of the matter and the fun of making it work.
It used to irk me every single month to see that overpriced/underused/unchangable* plan on my bill.
*in the ways I wanted
I have been a loyal Sprint customer for ten years now (please don't judge). At one point, I was even on SERO and my wife convinced me to switch to a family plan (once again, please don't judge). Anyway, here I am today out of contract with 2 smartphones (Evo and Epic 4G), 1500 anytime minutes, an Airave (since Sprint doesn't work in my home), terrible 4G service (in Central Florida) and a $155/month bill all after a 22% discount. I'm ready to make a drastic change.
After looking at Sprint's website, combined my wife and I use a monthly average of 1200 minutes (about 1000 of them are mobile-2-mobile), 3000 text messages, and about 1.9GB data. We are pretty equal on data on texts, but I use about 300-400 minutes and she uses the rest (her phone doubles as a work phone).
I have been going back and forth with either renewing Sprint, signing my life away to Verizon, or going prepaid. The benefit of going with Verizon is that I also get a 17% discount (work) off their service. However, that only covers the data plan (stupid). So, I could fork over about $138+tax and move to unlimited everything with 4GB of shared data. My wife likes this idea because we don't have to worry about roaming and Verizon has decent service in Central Florida (as well as other places that we travel). Plus, she can get an iPhone 5 (but she may change her mind if navigation doesn't improve). Since we have a newborn though she is constantly taking pictures with her phone and sending them to family so I thought an iPhone 5 would be decent for that.
I like the idea of buying a couple of Galaxy Nexus's and going with two Straight Talk lines. We have been on Android devices for so long I hate to give them up especially after seeing Jelly Bean in action. Plus to me an iPhone is just like my iPad just pocket sized...why do I need two? However, if we travel to an area where there is no service the phone doesn't Roam, it just stops working. She is in sales and unfortunately has to work at times such as Christmas where we will be in an area where T-Mobile and/or AT&T don't work but Verizon does.
I thought about even putting her on Straight Talk and me on TMo $30 using the VOIP (since I work from home I don't see myself going over 100 cellular minutes a month if I'm careful).
Now, I've been reading about Solavei ($50/mnth) which allows roaming but I'm not to keen on MLMs. (I've seen MLMs break a few friends). However, since you don't have to participate in them this could be an option.
So, the question is, what would you do? Is the Galaxy Nexus worth the $350 on a prepaid vs. buying an iPhone 5 and getting locked for another 2 years? The money isn't really the issue (since we are already budgeted for the $155 per month but it would be nice to save some $$). How often do you find yourself Roaming on Straight Talk or TMo? How is the VOIP? What about Solavei (I read a forum about it and it sounds enticing, but once again MLMs bug the hell out of me).
I guess I'm not looking for some straight answers, but maybe someone to help me straighten out my thoughts. I really appreciate any feedback.
Thanks for reading.
This post will be divided into several posts for the sake of reading cimplicity.
Contents
Contents
Introduction
AT&T breakdown
T-Mobile and Verizon breakdowns
Conclusion
Alternatives for $$$-savvy consumers
Since AT&T announced their NEXT program (and Verizon subsequently their Edge program), I've wanted to do a comparison, but long hours at work have gotten in the way.
Last week, T-Mobile announced their JUMP program (just upgrade my phone), which allows two upgrades in a 12-month period. Since then, AT&T and Verizon have followed suit in announcing their own plans that allow a 12-month upgrade path. So, which is cheaper and how do they compare?
On the surface, AT&T and Verizon have designed their plans to look cheaper. They're actually more expensive as you now pay a double-subsidy. For this comparison, I'm going to use the 16GB iPhone 5 (the best selling phone in the US), and I'm going to compare plans that offer unlimited talk, text, and approximately 2GB of data on an individual line.
AT&T: There are two plans which meet the criteria. We'll be comparing 3 plans (one alternative)
Voice/Data/Messaging - unlimited talk is $69.99, text is $30, and 3GB data is $30, bringing this to a total of $129.99/month. There was no 2GB option, and using the $20/300mb option would incur too many overages. Alternatively, you could use the 450 minute plan + rollover minutes for $30 less per month.
Mobile Share - $45 for smartphone unlim talk/txt, $40 for 1GB of data, and $15 for a 1GB overage brings us to $100/mo.
T-Mobile: T-Mobile has one plan
$60/mo for unlim talk/txt, 2.5GB of high-speed data (unlimited thereafter, no overages).
Verizon: Only one plan, and it meets our criteria exactly.
Unlimited talk/txt on a smartphone for $40, plus $60 for 2GB of data, $100mo total.
AT&T has two plans that I wanted to focus on, with one alternative plan with lower minutes. The alternative isn't an apples to apples comparison, but it's not AT&T's fault that Verizon and T-Mobile don't offer more flexibility with their minutes.
Under AT&T's next program, you pay $0 down when you get a new phone, but you pay the full cost of the phone over 20 months. This would be a great deal on its own if they would remove the subsidy from the calling plan, but they don't. You still pay the phone subsidy, and then you pay for the phone. The perk here is that after 12 months (paying for 60% of the phone), you can trade in your phone for another $0 upgrade.
Using our iPhone 5 16GB example, you pay $0 down and an additional $32.50/month on your bill. Here's how the AT&T plans compare over 12 months with this method.
Voice, Messaging, and Data (unlimited minutes):
$0 down, $32.50/mo for the phone ($390)
$69.99/mo for voice ($839.88)
$30/mo for unlimited text ($360)
$30/mo for 3GB data ($360)
$162.49/mo
Grand total of $1,949.88 over 12 months with an initial phone and one subsequent upgrade
ALTERNATIVE - Voice, Messaging, and Data (450 minutes):
$0 down, $32.50/mo for the phone ($390)
$39.99/mo for voice ($479.88)
$30/mo for unlimited text ($360)
$30/mo for 3GB data ($360)
$132.49/mo
Grand total of $1,589.88 over 12 months with an initial phone and one subsequent upgrade
Mobile Share:
$0 down, $32.50/mo for the phone ($390)
$45/mo for unlimited voice and text ($540)
$40/mo for 1GB data ($480)
$15/mo for 1GB data overage ($180)
$132.50/mo
Grand total of $1,590 over 12 months with an initial phone and one subsequent upgrade
T-Mobile and Verizon each have one plan that truly fits into this comparison, so I'm combining them into one post. One again, we'll be using the 16GB iPhone 5 for this comparison.
T-Mobile separates the subsidy from the plan, which means that you'll be paying less for the monthly service plan, and you'll pay the full price of the phone, up-front or through a 24 month 0% financing program. As part of JUMP, you can upgrade twice at any time within a 12-month period by simply trading in your phone and paying the down payment for the new phone. Participation in this program requires a $10 monthly fee that includes their otherwise $8 insurance program.
T-Mobile Simple Choice Individual Plan:
$145.99 down, $20/mo for the phone (385.99)
$10/mo for JUMP participation ($120)
$50/mo for unlimited talk/text, 500MB high-speed data ($600)
$10/mo for additional 2GB high-speed data ($120)
$90/mo
$145.99 down for next similar upgrade
Grand total of $1,225.99 over 12 months with an initial phone and one subsequent upgrade
Verizon's Edge program is close to AT&T's in similarity, in that you're paying a double-subsidy. However, unlike AT&T, who requires at least 12 months and 60% paid off before your upgrade, Verizon requires 6 months and 50%. Their phone payments are spread over 24 months instead of 20. It seems (unsure) that you can actually pay your choice of $0 down, or the normal subsidy rate, which would get you the upgrade at 6 months as opposed to 12. We'll go with $0 and 12 months for this example.
Verizon Share Everything Plan:
$0 down, $27.08/$27.08 fluctuating per month for the phone ($325)
$40/mo for unlimited talk and text ($480)
$60/mo for 2GB of data ($720)
$127.08/$127.09 fluctuating monthly total
Grand total of $1,525 over 12 months with an initial phone and one subsequent upgrade
So, as a conclusion, here's the 12-month ranking from cheapest to most expensive.
T-Mobile Simple Choice Plan - $1,225.99
Verizon Share Everything Plan - $1,525
AT&T Voice, Messaging, and Data Plan (450 Minutes) - $1,589.88
AT&T Mobile Share Plan - $1,590
AT&T Voice, Messaging, and Data Plan (unlimited Minutes) - $1,949.88
Across the board, AT&T seems the worst, but to be fair, they give the most flexibility. They do not have a NEXT compatibile plan that offers unlimited talk and text with 2GB of data. So, I had to fudge their plans to give more data, or fewer minutes. Verizon and T-Mobile offer plans that fit the criteria almost exactly (2.5GB on TMO's plan), which is why they came out "ahead".
You can alter all of these plans to some degree. For T-Mobile, reducing the total cost by $120 ($10/mo) brings your data down to 500Mb of high-speed. I'm currently using this, and they are VERY generous with their post-500MB throttling. I've had no problems with basic tasks and web browsing, and even Pandora works with rarely a hiccup (while driving, no less). Or, you can go $120 in the other direction for truly unlimited data, and still come out cheaper than the plans from other carriers.
But for some, T-Mobile isn't an option. Verizon and AT&T are about the same in price between their Mobile Share and Share Everything Plans. Verizon's EDGE program requires a lower monthly fee for the phone to participate, so they will always be cheaper than AT&T in this regard. However, AT&T still offers their older plans, listed as Voice, Messaging, and Data. You can reduce the minutes as low as 450 + rollover, switch to pay as you go texting if you're not a big texter, and/or go down to 300Mb of data. Doing so will STILL cost more than T-Mobile's offering (unless you literally never send/receive a single text message outside of messaging apps). But, it will beat anything that Verizon offers.
So, what are the alternatives if you want to upgrade more quickly, but save some money? For AT&T and Verizon, the option is simple. Buy their phone on contract on subsidy, and when it's time to upgrade, sell the phone and buy a new one full price.
For Verizon, this is more costly when compared to AT&T, as CDMA phones have much lower resale value. For example, let's say that you bought the Galaxy S3 when it came out for $199.99, and now you want to upgrade to the Galaxy S4 ($649.99). Used SGS3s on Verizon are currently trading around the $200 mark. So, you'd sell it for about what you paid for it, bringing your 12-month cost to $1,849 after the cost of your new phone. The next year, though, you're upgrade would be at subsidy price, bringing your second year cost down to $1,200. You'd average an annual price of approximately $1,525, or, exactly what Verizon offers without having to go through the hassle of finding a buyer for your phone. So in this case, Verizon's plan is a fair deal. If you're an iPhone user, you'll get more money on your resale, making it worthwhile to sell and upgrade on your own.
For AT&T, you have the option of using branded handsets and unlocked handsets that have higher resale. You could sell an AT&T branded SGS3 for about $300. When you upgrade, you could opt for a lower-priced Nexus handset for $350. Alternatively, you can use AT&T's excellent new prepaid plan, which is $60/mo for unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of data. This brings them roughly on par with T-Mobile, except that you have to pay full price for the handset, and you have to sell it on its own. If you like T-Mobiles costs, don't mind paying up front, but need better nationwide coverage, this is the best plan out right now (among the big 4 carriers).
With T-Mobile, there's not much flexibility, but you're already at the bottom in price. As mentioned in the Conclusion post, you can move the annual cost $120 in either direction based on your high-speed data needs. You could forego the $10/mo JUMP program and just resell your old handset, buying a new phone either full-priced or financed through T-Mobile. Or, you could switch from their Simple Choice to their prepaid plan. They cost exactly the same on paper, but there is a cost difference. Simple Choice supports corporate discounts, while prepaid does not. Simple Choice carries the usual unfees, IE, fake taxes and fake regulatory charges, whereas prepaid only charges the sales tax associated with the seller (you can buy online refills from many sites with no sales tax). Our $80 Simple Choice 2-line plan costs $80 on paper, but after a 15% corporate discount and numerous unfees, it's $87.22. To get the same from prepaid, it's $80/mo flat from some places, or $87.60/mo with local sales tax. Prepaid doesn't carry the option of financing the phone, so it should only be considered if you always buy outright, and you have no eligible corporate discounts.
Good write up. Note, also, that in "changing the rules", I imagine that we might see cries of price-fixing, as there doesn't seem to be a viable way to shop a phone's price.
Sprint's upgrade program will be called OFF-THE in order to complete the sentence: JUMP OFF-THE NEXT EDGE
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 4 Beta
PAPB0007 said:
Sprint's upgrade program will be called OFF-THE in order to complete the sentence: JUMP OFF-THE NEXT EDGE
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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If only I knew more people in real life who would appreciate this humor.