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Saw the thread in the general forum mentioning that ATT may have been switching a few people's data plans to a more expensive one. Something that I noticed when I switched to my TP2 from my XV6800 (Titan) when I changed phones using the over-the-phone activation method. I used to have a 23.XX data plan (it was 20% off from the regular plan) but when I checked out the features on my account on the Verizon website, it was bumped back to the 29.99 Data plan. Anyone else notice a bump in their data plan prices?
you should see if your 20% is still being applied
football0552 said:
you should see if your 20% is still being applied
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I checked the website after I activated to TP2, my data plan discount was removed. I called Verizon customer service and asked why, but the only excuse I got was that my new TP2 is more of a data hog than my XV6800, which really isn't true because my old titan used as much data as my TP2.
I too looked at the website and I was coming from a BlackBerry Storm.
From what I can tell the discount will only apply if I choose the "Unlimited Data Plan" that includes tethering access for $45 before discount. My plan cycle ends on the 12th so I will see very soon if the discount is really there or not. If not I may go back to the Storm for a while, probably only until the hardspl is done and there is an amazing custom wm6.5 rom to use on this phone to justify paying more for the same data.
The discount USED to apply to both data plan options (for smartphones), they where both 20% off, looks like now they're only willing to discount the tethering option, which you can do yourself by looking for the internet sharing program in the windows directory.
This is still showing on my verizon services:
Promotion details
19% ACCESS DISCOUNT
20% - FEATURE DISCOUNT (which is the $29.99 "unlimited" smartphone data plan)
papeluv said:
This is still showing on my verizon services:
Promotion details
19% ACCESS DISCOUNT
20% - FEATURE DISCOUNT (which is the $29.99 "unlimited" smartphone data plan)
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is this on your CURRENT plan, found on verizon's add/remove services page, or from your bill?
It is that way on my bill too. However, i see 29.99 price in features list for other lines that do not already have that plan.
I wonder if it is an issue with the site or if they actually removed the discount from new activations.
AstarteSV said:
is this on your CURRENT plan, found on verizon's add/remove services page, or from your bill?
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That was a copy and paste from the verizon services page. Not from the bill.
Still got mine...
I get a 19% discount because of where I work and I'm still getting the discount on my and my wifes data plan. We both have the TP2 and the $29.99 smartphone and email plan.
Mine was upped
I had $29.99( $24.xx discounted) plan.. they changed it to $44.99 ($35.99 discounted). when i moved it back to 29.99 online they no longer showed my 20% feature discount.
Same here. As of 10/12, convienent that its the same day my 30 days was up for my TP2, my line no longer shows the 20% feature discount.
I called Verizon and they said that I was actually never entitled to the 20% off features on secondary lines when it was them who offered it to me. She said that they have an offline corporate team that just goes through accounts with corporate discounts to confirm their eligibility for discounts. So they're systematically checking accounts and removing the discounts.
How can any of you stand for this? I have 2 Email and Smartphone plans, so that's an automatic $15+tax hike a month.
I'm definitely going to write the BBB about this one. The discount was OFFERED to me, was on my account for 8 months, then gets removed without any notification. Not only that, if I go online, add and remove the phone, the 20% feature shows up again and confirms when activating a eligible phone. I did this while I was on the phone with the rep and she just said that its going to be removed by the end of the day.
I should just add, that this seems to be happening on secondary lines with monthly charges of $39.99 or less and is according to their contract. But that just seems like bait and switch to me, get all this people to add the plan, then remove the discount and see if they notice.
I've been a customer for nearly 10 years, my bill is $250 a month. I only get an 8% discount through my corporation. I recently removed my blackberry and got the Touch pro 2. The date plan was 29.99 for the blackberry and with the 8% it was $27.59/month (8.0% off)
When I added the touch pro 2, the data plan was 29.99 with no discount. I called and the representative says she shows it still has the discount but I told her the website doesn't show it. She said it may take a day to update, its been a week and its still 29.99.
This company is starting to piss me off after 10 years. They removed me from my VIP discount because my primary line was dropped and the other line that was moved to primary "wasn't the primary for 6 months when open enrollment in February was open for VIP discounts"
i've been on tmobile's 200mb req smartphone web for $15 for a while and i realized it isnt enough. i went over many times. i cant afford the extra $15 a month for the unlimited smartphone 4g web. currently, i have a g2x on gingerbread 2.3.3, but before, i had a nokia 5800 on tmobile's $10 unlimited web plan.
is there any way i can get that $10 unlimited web plan on my g2x?
(i had to sacrifice the $10 unlimited from my nokia when i got the $200 upgrade price for the g2x)
thanks in advance for any answers.
Tmo rep here. If you would have updated your data plan recently to the no overage 200MB plan you would have been able to get unlimited with just reduced speeds after the 200MB. However, they just recently changed those plans back to overage after 200MB so now the minimum plan you can get without overages is 2GB.
If you are on a grandfathered contract right now, check to see if the Classic plans may be cheaper because the 2GB no overage data plan is only $20.
But in short, no you can't get the $10 unlimited plan back that you had (technically at least). You can always try having the retentions department do it (those guys can do anything).
right now, i have a $59.99 even more plan + 1 line (750 minutes)
i checked there was a $59.99 Classic 1000 plan.
so if i do sign up for that, i could get some type of "no overage" plan for $20?
So, I have a real problem. I've been with Sprint for 10 years as of this August. I have perfect payment history and a credit rating above 780. I currently own the HTC Hero, which has been a good little phone, but I want to upgrade. I have the $150 credit to get a new phone, but that's where the issues begin to crop up.
My current contract expires Feb. 19, 2012. Because of successful negotiations in the past with Sprint's Executive Services, I pay $36 and change after taxes and fees for the following:
Plan details
Everything Data 450 $69.99
450 Anytime Minutes Included
Nationwide Long Distance Included
America - Roaming Included
Unlimited Any Mobile, Anytime
Unlimited SMS Text Messaging
Unlimited Picture Mail
Unlimited Data Usage
GPS Navigation
Sprint Data Essentials Pack
Nights: M-TH 7pm-7am Wknd: F 7pm-M 7am
Caller ID
Call Waiting
Three-Way Calling
Voicemail
Add-on services for:
Sprint Navigation
$0.00
Cellular Call Detail
$0.00
Unlimited Nights&Weekends-7pm
$0.00
Premium Data $0 add-on charge
$0.00
300 bonus Anytime Minutes per month
$0.00
Unlimited Any Mobile, Anytime
$0.00
Data Usage
$0.00
Picture Mail
$0.00
I don't use a whole lot of minutes (mostly mobile-to-mobile), don't use a whole lot of data (never more than 2GB/mo), and my max texts are typically around 3500/mo.
I want to upgrade my phone, and I'm considering the SGS2. I have been in contact with Executive Services recently, and the lowdown is that if I want to get a new phone, I will have to pay $200 for the phone. Then, since I was grandfathered in, I'll have to pay the premium data fee of $10/mo. But, I will also have to renew my contract and I will lose the extra $20/mo service credit that is currently offsetting the price of my service. I will retain my corporate discount of 27%, but, all told, after taxes and fees, simply upgrading my phone for $200 will actually increase the price of my service to about $65-70/mo after taxes and fees. This is nearly doubling the price of my service, and without a free phone to boot.
This is nearly the price of similar competing Verizon and AT&T service plans (after my corp discounts there), but Sprint doesn't offer 4G in my area (Albuquerque, NM), and their 3G service is spotty, at best.
Why should I stay with Sprint? Are there better options?
If your bill is going to go up anyway you might want to consider going with a carrier that offers GSM phones (t-mobile, AT&T). That way if you manage to wangle the price of your contract down over the years and face a similar situation as you're in now you can just go out and buy any GSM phone, unlock it (if necessary), stick your current SIM card in and voila, you have a new phone, but you get to keep your existing (cheap) contract.
I joined t-mobile about 2 months ago on a monthly rolling contract, I wanted to change my phone so I just bought a Samsung Exhibit 2 outright from Amazon and stuck my current SIM card in. No hassle.
That's sage advice. Thank you!
How much of a difference from $65-70/mo am I looking at from other cellular providers for the same level of service? Just a cursory check finds $0.01 Verizon phone deals through Amazon, and similar monthly recurring charges for 450 anytime, unlimited text, and 4GB data, after corporate discounts.
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.
Wow, I probably should have done more research on this. Just got my first bill.
So for anyone else researching, the total cost (on AT&T) for an S3 watch over 3 years is $1068. And it's actually 21.50/month don't get fooled by the fake $10/mo quote.
$249 purchase price
$45 "activation" (lol)
$10/mo device fee
$1/mo "service fee"
$10.50 taxes/fees/mo (yes, you read that right that's over a 100% tax you're paying)
Over 3 years that adds up to $1068. My guess is only about 25% of people will still be wearing their S3 after 3 years.
It's kind of a rip-off, I probably wouldn't have bought if I'd thought about it a bit more. Caveat emptor. The big problem is the over 100% monthly fees and taxes.
$10 sounds reasonable, $20+ doesn't really and I would have probably balked. My own fault, I guess, but make sure you know this.
EDIT: OK, as I was fuming about this I checked my order email and due to corporate discount they were supposed to waive the $45 activation fee. They didn't, I assume because they are scumbags and just wait to see if you notice the incorrect charge and call. I called and they took it off, so that's.. umm.. nice I guess?
Ha yes. Same kind of experience. ATT rep told me it would be 10 bucks too and I would just share data off my unlimited plan for my phone. I signed up for the pre order of the watch at 349 out right so it was not on contract. Due to pre-order the $40 service activation was supposed to be waived. Got my bill sure enough it was on there. I chat with an AT&T rep over IM on their site. I did get the fee waived but still what a pain in the butt it raised my bill over $50 not 10. Will have to see what it is next month
Having taxes and fees that double the monthly bill does seem excessive... But, if you view the S3 as essentially a phone, its reasonable to expect to pay $20-30/mo for it's plan. If it's just a companion device for your smartphone, then fork over the extra $100 to buy it outright and cancel the plan.
The biggest complaint I have with regard to this watch is the eSIM, which restricts the carriers it can be used with, eliminating the possibility of using on an inexpensive MVNO plan.
Yeah. So, buy the bluetooth, non-LTE version and save about $768 over that same time frame.
Sent telepathically