[Q] Best No Contract Carrier for.... - General Questions and Answers

I am looking for the best no contract carrier for Nationwide Coverage 3G/4G that will fit these needs, any suggestions you have are appreciated, I will have 3 smartphones on the plan:
1). I want to root my phone with penalties
2). I want to be able to change my Rom if I want with no penalties (CM10+, Paranoid Android, Etc)
3). I need either an unlimited plan (that will throttle me if I go over 2gb or 4gb) or a plan with lots for the price
4). I need to be able to hotspot and use my tablet/laptop off my phone
5). Phones that aren't $400-$700 just because there is no contract
If anyone has any ideas I would appreciate the 411, I have looked into all the companies out there for my area (Central Indiana): at&t, t-mobile, ting, solavei, simple mobile, boost, virgin mobile, straight talk, walmart family plan, and so on. The best I can find is Ting but they don't have an unlimited plan if you go over on data it ends up being $23.00 a gig where vzw gives me extra bundle of data at $10.
Basically who has the best deal with the best options above where I don't have to worry about being cut off or throttled.

Gunstra said:
I am looking for the best no contract carrier for Nationwide Coverage 3G/4G that will fit these needs, any suggestions you have are appreciated, I will have 3 smartphones on the plan:
1). I want to root my phone with penalties
2). I want to be able to change my Rom if I want with no penalties (CM10+, Paranoid Android, Etc)
3). I need either an unlimited plan (that will throttle me if I go over 2gb or 4gb) or a plan with lots for the price
4). I need to be able to hotspot and use my tablet/laptop off my phone
5). Phones that aren't $400-$700 just because there is no contract
If anyone has any ideas I would appreciate the 411, I have looked into all the companies out there for my area (Central Indiana): at&t, t-mobile, ting, solavei, simple mobile, boost, virgin mobile, straight talk, walmart family plan, and so on. The best I can find is Ting but they don't have an unlimited plan if you go over on data it ends up being $23.00 a gig where vzw gives me extra bundle of data at $10.
Basically who has the best deal with the best options above where I don't have to worry about being cut off or throttled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm switching from Sprint to something else because I'm trying to get out of the contract locked world where the device comes from the carrier. I'm considering buying a Nexus 5 and the new version of the Nexus 7 when out, then going to the best GSM carrier I can find for month to month. I think I'm expecting too much, but hope to get most of what I want. What I'm trying to figure out is which carriers offer the best service in my area. I run Paranoid Android, so I'm not quite as attracted to the price and late/shaky adoption of the flagship devices.
If I find any info, I'll be happy to pass it along.

Related

what's the data speed you can get with t-zone?

As some guys pointed out that web2go and t-zone are still working on G2x. I am having a 5.99 t-zone data plan as well and I am out of contract already.
I am hesitating if I should
1) buy a G2x from costco with full price and keep my t-zone;
or
2) sign a new contract to take advantage of the discounted unit price.
If I go with option #1, I will probably end up paying $500+ at front. But the benefit is I gotta keep my lower rate data plan (although I understand T-mobile may or may not force upgrading the data plan to $30/mo)
If I opt for option #2, the until will only costs about $180 after tax. But the lowest 4g unlimited data plan will cost about $20 each month.
I highly doubt if I could keep the t-zone plan and buy a G2x from costco store with contract price...
A simple math may suggest option #2 money wise ( (530-180)/(20-6)=25mon > 2yrs). But I would like to hear others' opinion.
some considerations:
1) If the t-zone can only give a 2.5g internet and performs much slower than the current HSPA+ you can get from the 4g data plan, that could be a deal breaker.
2) Once t-zone is cancelled, probably we will never get it back (well, who know how long t-mobile will stand before merged by ATT?)
3) anything else worth to think about??
I was in your shoes as well... I needed a new sim card when I got my phone to be compatible with the 4G network...
I opted to get the cheaper phone price because there is no way that ATT will let us keep our tzones... if and when the merger happens, ATT will honor CONTRACTS that are currently in place and they will not accommodate our old grandfathered plans... remember how ATT phased out their unlimited data plans?
That's just me putting two and two together...
I am mainly curious what's the speed you can get from t-zone on your G2x. Could it be 3g?
tangyoulei said:
I am mainly curious what's the speed you can get from t-zone on your G2x. Could it be 3g?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
speed wise, there is no difference from the $30 data plan
You won't get to keep the T-Zones plan. You'll soon start getting the "upgrade" message when connecting to the web.
However, if you buy the phone outright, the data plan is $25/month and not $30.
I bought the G2X on Tuesday, and starting getting the upgrade message today. So, I went to the tmo store and got my wife a G2X. And I upgraded us to the family 750/unlimited text&web for $110/month. Not a bad deal.
The speed was about the same as 4G web on the main line but the latency was horrible.
Now you can forget it because the phone is flagged.

[Q] Help choosing phone and provider, please?

I have a MyTouch 4G on T-Mobile. In a year or less the AT&T buyout of T-Mobile may happen and.... I have to decide what's next for me.
1. I'm happy with the MyTouch and my T-Mo plan but I have no contract and therefore no protection at all against whatever changes may result from the buyout.
2. Physical or on-screen keyboard is fine, no preference.
3. I need VERY little voice time, less than 100 minutes a month for the last 10 years so the 200 minute senior plans from AT&T or VZW are fine for me.
4. I need LOTS of data so price is a consideration.
5. I MUST have UMA or WiFi calling to cover all the places I need my phone but I think that's impossible, I doubt AT&T will add that and I know VZW won't.
6. The choice is between VZW and AT&T, don't want to go into reasons for that. I have a lot of very bad experiences with AT&T and a lot of good experience with VZW, offsetting that is that my current phone(s) are GSM.
So.... should I try to live with AT&T or get a new phone and go with VZW? Price will be exactly the same either way but I'll need to sell some phones and get a new one (eBay or Craig's List, no contract!)
And, if the recommendation is VZW what CDMA phone is close to the MyTouch 4G in performance and features?
Any suggestions much appreciated, thanks!
Anybody?
10 Characters
I'm not really sure what verizon phone is the closest to what you have right now, but they do have a few good smartphone options. I will say that if you're planning on switching, you should do so before the 7th because there will be no more unlimited data on new plans after that.
I've been on sprint for awhile now mainly because the pricing. The evo 4g is comparable to the mytouch 4g. The evo 3d just came out for sprint recently which is a beast of a phone but I'm not upgrading just yet. Explore all your options and visit androidcentral, they have many reviews of android phones from all carriers. I'd suggest looking over there to get some more input
Sent from Erik Estrada
the merger has not happened yet and it will be at least 8 months till it goes down and then prob at least half a year till everything gets switched. People are worried but it takes time to get thing swiched over. You might even get a cheap trade off phone when that happens. There is nothing cheaper than TMO and you seem to be happy with it. Why not just stick with it till the merger happens.
Pick up a Sensation or a G2X and stay on Tmo as long as you can.
But if you really want to switch then I would pick verizon (unfortunetely there are not phones on vzn that I really care for right now but you cant go wrong with the network availability and speed but super high prices).
As mentioned you should consider sprint, closest to tmobile in prices and decent network with 1 nice phone which is the evo 3D.
gluck.
Thanks for the answers!
First, I have no contract nor will I, I'll stick with T-Mo as long as possible but it's never too soon to start searching Craig's List or Ebay for a phone if I do go to VZW. Question is, if I port my number now, will I still have unlimited data next month or the month after on a month to month deal?
Pricing, Sprint is the most expensive option by far, both VZW and AT&T offer senior plans which I had when I was with VZW before, Sprint has nothing similar. BTW, T-Mo only saves me $5/mo over VZW. I get more minutes I can't use/don't want with T-Mo but who cares?
Coverage: I switched to T-Mo because they had coverage where I need it, VZW doesn't (I know, that's the reverse of most people's experience!) but w/o UMA/WiFi calling I'll be back to no coverage in most places where I need it regardless of who I chose.
(T-Mo used to offer an unlimited data only plan with per minute voice, that was the best for me but it's no longer available.)
technology moves pretty fast these days.. i would ride out your t mobile plan until the merger gets closer then look into plans and phones. As one person stated verizon is dumping unlimited plans after the 7th so maybe thats a deciding factor for you.
Thanks
TheIceCreamMan said:
technology moves pretty fast these days..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree but I'm usually happy with a phone that's a little behind the curve.
i would ride out your t mobile plan until the merger gets closer then look into plans and phones. As one person stated verizon is dumping unlimited plans after the 7th so maybe thats a deciding factor for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked at plans and phones today, VZW still has the Old Fart's plan for $30/mo so that's fine, the data is a worry. I can get the unlimited plan today but w/o a contract will I get to keep it next month?
With the 65 Plus plan for $30 and the data plan for $30 I'd be paying only $5/mo more than T-Mobile but with no UMA/WiFi calling which is a major problem and the reason I'm staying with T-Mo as long as possible!
The change from unlimited data is a good reason to switch today but with no guarantee that I can keep the unlimited plan I'm scared to change!
I don't know how unlimited data works without a contract, you'd have to ask Verizon. As for wifi calling, why not just use Google voice?
On a scale of 1 to 10 I rate UMA as a 10, WiFi Calling as about a 6, Google Voice as a 0. It's just not an acceptable alternative but it is an alternative I suppose...
I would suggest not to try AT&T - pretty poor network .. Also, they dont seem to have an unlimited data plan.
I agree with that but I suspect that AT&T will remain T-Mobile for some time after the buyout, as in honoring my current plan and maybe continuing to offer UMA/WiFi calling. I expect everything will continue unchanged for some weeks, maybe months? I'll switch when I have to unless something unexpected happens.
I'm able to switch any time, I have an old VZW BB, an 8330, so I can port my number over right now if I need to....
4G network T-Mobile
At this rate, when people test 6G we started erecting 4G network is OK
I have a month to month deal with Verizon. Coverage is good here in Western PA, much better than AT&T. Very happy to still have unlimited data!
I have had sprint for a short time, but it has been really good.
arunprakashl said:
I would suggest not to try AT&T - pretty poor network .. Also, they dont seem to have an unlimited data plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlimited data seems to be as extinct as dinosaurs, those who have it will be allowed to keep it (for who knows how long?) but new customers can't get it.
I have an unlimited plan with T-Mo but I'm sure that'll be going away, the question is how long will it last after the buyout? I'm guessing I'm OK for at least a month but then????
For most customers, the lowest limit offered by most companies is more than adequate.
With AT&T for awhile now. Not too impressed with coverage or service. I wouldn't recommend them at this point. Would have stayed T-mobile but their coverage was worse where I need to go. If T-mobile works for you, why change. When AT&T merged with Cingular, it didn't affect customer of either company until they signed up for new contracts, which sounds like it won't be you.
I don't know if it is a precursor to what's coming but a new T-mobile device from Huawei is being tested by the FCC with T-mobile and AT&T HSPA+ bands. Max speed @ 42mbps. Engadget has a small article on it.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using the power of the dark side.

unlock question

so my friend is wanting to jump from at&t so here is my question. if he unlocks the phone will he be able to move to virgin mobile, to my knowledge the answer is no because virgin mobile does not use sim cards. but i would like so incite on this from people that know more then i do about these companies.
No
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App
virgin mobile is CDMA so no .... you can use Straight talk, T-Mobile, AT&T prepaid but out of any if I wasnt using at&t i would use straight talk
unlimited talk text and web 45 bucks a month
http://www.straighttalk.com/ServicePlans
....
thank you for the conformation.
SuicideMyk said:
virgin mobile is CDMA so no .... you can use Straight talk, T-Mobile, AT&T prepaid but out of any if I wasnt using at&t i would use straight talk
unlimited talk text and web 45 bucks a month
http://www.straighttalk.com/ServicePlans
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey suicide - so I have been thinking about going this route with my phone. It would save me about 100$ a month, but I haven't because I have had varying answers when looking for whether or not web is unlimited or whether it will work. Do you have any insight here to clarify on the unlimited web?
Edit: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1100085&page=2
Still sounds nifty
always gotta read the fine print
7. STRAIGHT TALK UNLIMITED PLANS CANNOT BE USED FOR: (1) access to the Internet, intranets, or other data networks except as the device’s native applications and capabilities permit, or (2) any applications that tether your device to a laptop or personal computer other than for the use of Wireless Sync. I
for unlimited talk and text it's a good deal but their definition of "unlimited data" is useless
T-Mobile pre paid $50 unlimited plan
11. * Data Plans and Other Features. You will be charged for data usage on a pay per use basis unless you are required to maintain a data plan (“Data Plan”) as part of your Service, or as otherwise provided by your Rate Plan or prepaid data pass. Permissible and Prohibited Uses: Your Data Plan is intended for Web browsing, messaging, and similar activities on your Device and not on any other equipment. Unless explicitly permitted by your Data Plan, other uses, including for example, using your Device as a modem or tethering your Device to a personal computer or other hardware, are not permitted.
AT&T Go Phone $50 unlimited plan
**Smartphone users: You may use your smartphone on all GoPhone plans. A data package is required to use any data services on your device. Pay-per-use data is not available on smartphones.
***
$5 for 10 MB
$15 for 100 MB
$25 for 500 MB
basically $75 bucks a month
Do you use this?
I am gonna do a little more research and see which would be better, ST or T-Mobile. I guess ST is atnt for pre-paid? If t mobiles allows data (web surfing) I definitely would be interested in that a little more. That thread I linked mentioned having to drop 200$ on a new Nokia. That hurts there.
dyliho said:
Do you use this?
I am gonna do a little more research and see which would be better, ST or T-Mobile. I guess ST is atnt for pre-paid? If t mobiles allows data (web surfing) I definitely would be interested in that a little more. That thread I linked mentioned having to drop 200$ on a new Nokia. That hurts there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no Im stuck in a AT&T contract, I pay about 90 bucks a month for unlimited talk/text and 250mb of data..... majority of my data I use is wifi thats why i went with the smaller data package
seems like out of the three if you want the data T-Mobile would be the way...
as far as dropping 200 bucks on a nokia I have no clue Im pretty sure you can find someone selling a sim card if that's the case
T-Mobile Sim Card Prepaid Kit
With This 10 minutes ($3.34) Pre Paid Kit, you will Get everything you want in a wireless plan without an annual contract, credit check, or a monthly bill! Buy a Prepaid phone kit now. Activation Card will work on any T-Mobile and Unlocked GSM cell phone (t-zones not available on all devices.) Initial 10 minutes talk time, expires 90 days after activation
http://www.amazon.com/T-Mobile-Sim-...4WFM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313702671&sr=8-2
Actually my talk with ATT wound up far better than I ever ever expected and they totally hooked me the heck up. So for now, I stay. Thanks though - it'll help some friends who have phones but can't get a contract.

Worth switching from Verizon?

Still truckin' with my VZW GNex, but it is certainly pretty long in the tooth. Assuming that there is no way (esp since Nexus 5 lacks Band 13) to shoehorn Nexus 5 into working with VZW, is this enough of a reason to switch carriers and lose unlimited data? I'm very torn. I actually don't use a ton ton of data, but it's really nice when I travel or am in a place that requires you pay for their hotspot.
timmyc99 said:
Still truckin' with my VZW GNex, but it is certainly pretty long in the tooth. Assuming that there is no way (esp since Nexus 5 lacks Band 13) to shoehorn Nexus 5 into working with VZW, is this enough of a reason to switch carriers and lose unlimited data? I'm very torn. I actually don't use a ton ton of data, but it's really nice when I travel or am in a place that requires you pay for their hotspot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dropped Verizon with a grandfathered unlimited plan when the Nexus 4 came out. First went to Solavei and got their $50 bucks a month for unlimited everything, then realized I could go even cheaper with T-Mobile's $30 for unlimited data (up to 5gb before throttling), unlimited text and 100 minutes calling. I have never regretted it and will never go to a monthly contract plan again as long as I can pre-paid so cheap (and no taxes on top of it...). Well worth it. I pay less than 1/3 of what I was paying Verizon and get enough of everything I need.
timmyc99 said:
Still truckin' with my VZW GNex, but it is certainly pretty long in the tooth. Assuming that there is no way (esp since Nexus 5 lacks Band 13) to shoehorn Nexus 5 into working with VZW, is this enough of a reason to switch carriers and lose unlimited data? I'm very torn. I actually don't use a ton ton of data, but it's really nice when I travel or am in a place that requires you pay for their hotspot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had Verizon as well forever with unlimited data. I've actually wanted to leave for some time now but haven't had any phone come out that I wanted to leave for. Verizon's prices are just ridiculous for what it offers. With people being off contract on Verizon or them offering their upgrade, their plans don't get cheaper as they should. You're getting a subsidized phone, so you're paying for the phone in your plan. But if the phone is paid off or an additional fee on top of the plan then it's completely pointless for it to be so high.
I'm quite excited to be saving quite a lot every month by switching to T-mobile. My bill is going to be getting cut almost in half for three lines. On top of that, the few times I leave the country I won't need to worry about getting $50 of data in 30 seconds as through Verizon.
Also, the Unlimited Data everyone loves on Verizon is quite pointless, unless you use tethering from your device every day as a primary internet source.
So really it's going to be different for everyone, but for myself everywhere that I go on a regular basis has same T-mobile coverage as Verizon. So for me it was a no brainer. Another bonus is if you work for any larger corporation you can get company discounts as well, and T-mobile handles theirs much better. I currently have a 20% off on my Verizon plan but it only applies to the main account # and not the rest. So it ends up saving like $6/month. Whereas the T-mobile ones are off the entire plan minus taxes and fees.
I left Verizon for an N4 so I surely would leave for an N5!
Aio wireless, $55 for 2GB unlimited text and talk and if you use more data then that they have a 7GB plan for $70. Both prices include tax and fee's already! They use AT&T's network so depending where you live, in most places you will be good to go!
In my opinion, grandfathered unlimited data is not worth being stuck on an overpriced, non-customer centered carrier like Verizon. They will never change their ways unless people stop letting them get away with their completely unfriendly policies and leave them. I recommend going the pre-paid route. Look at T-Mobile if their network is strong where you are, or AT&T's Go Phone $60 plan. Leave contracts behind! Fight the system!
timmyc99 said:
Still truckin' with my VZW GNex, but it is certainly pretty long in the tooth. Assuming that there is no way (esp since Nexus 5 lacks Band 13) to shoehorn Nexus 5 into working with VZW, is this enough of a reason to switch carriers and lose unlimited data? I'm very torn. I actually don't use a ton ton of data, but it's really nice when I travel or am in a place that requires you pay for their hotspot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered the Nexus 5 and I've been with Verizon a long time, have an unlimited data plan too. I'm in NYC Metro and the network speed is poor, mostly between 1-5mbps.
I'm paying $130/mo (unlimited talk and data, 250 test) using around 3g per month. Even at 5g per month, I'd still do far better with a prepaid account. If Verizon was getting the Nexus 5, I' probably would have just stayed with them. I'm planning on getting a T-Mobile $60 2.5gb plan, no contract.
Only you can decide if it is worth switching.
timmyc99 said:
Still truckin' with my VZW GNex, but it is certainly pretty long in the tooth. Assuming that there is no way (esp since Nexus 5 lacks Band 13) to shoehorn Nexus 5 into working with VZW, is this enough of a reason to switch carriers and lose unlimited data? I'm very torn. I actually don't use a ton ton of data, but it's really nice when I travel or am in a place that requires you pay for their hotspot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was amazed to find the $30 unlimited data/txt plan on T-Mobile and just activated it today! I've always been wanting a plan like this because I hardly ever use any minutes but have always been paying for them regardless. I'm getting 22mbps down and 5mbps up where I live on T-Mobile for $30/month I'm counting down the days until I can port my # (gnex contract is up in Dec) and kill Verizon for good!
it really depends on your coverage in your area. In my area AT&T doesn't get service in my house and T-Mobile gets none if I go 30 minutes down the road. So I'm trying out the $60 T-Mobile plan right now to see if I should leave my Moto X at Verizon. So far all good, LTE is comparable to the Verizon speeds I got

Would you switch to the Nexus 5?

I still have almost a year left on contract with Verizon. I love the S3, esp with custom AOSP roms.
Would it be worth it to make the following switch -
- sell my unlimited data line to someone else
- buy a Nexus 5, and use a prepaid carrier
- sell my S3
I've realized I don't use as much data as I thought I would, and it might save me some money, get me out of contract, and get a better phone.
T-Mobile probably will be your best bet if you want to save some $$$. I know they are rolling out LTE and it's available in a good amount of markets. Best bet would be to check out their coverage map, and if they do have LTE search for speed tests in your area. T-Mobile still has unlimited data with no throttling and their overall phone service is decent. If I didnt' have unlimited data and a hefty discount on my VZW account that's what I would do. You might find the cost of T-Mobile comparable vs some prepaid plans. That or you could always do Straight Talk if you're not too concerned about faster speeds or having unlimited.
There is a sticky thread for upgrading and other device discussions

Categories

Resources