Save $ on cell service -- Ting Mobile / Solavei (+ other MVNOs) (3 Viewers)

[(HULK)]

Anyone using Google Voice numbers on MVNOs? When do I want to port my number to Google Voice, after I activate the new plan, right?

I use it. You can't port it to the phone though, only Sprint has the "full intergration" that comes with google voice (that I know of).You can still have your voice number push calls/texts to your phone easy enough though.

 

[BoltBacker]

Unlimited everything 19 bucks a month. Looks like they are betting you use your phone mostly where wifi is. Downside only one phone works with their system now. Goes off sprint.

Anybody have any experience with these guys? I'm thinking of going this route when my Sprint contract is up in a month.

We had a thread on it last year...http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=621728&st=50... that I watched closely but in the end wasn't willing to make the switch. The fact they still consider themselves in "beta" after two years would also have me a little concerned but I hope they are ultimately successful. More competition the better and as bad as it may be it can't be any worse than most of those contracts.

 

[Wingnut]

Those looking to move to a T-Mobile MVNO, heres another option: Simple Mobile. Supposed true unlimited data at 4g speeds with their $50 plan. No Google Voice integration though.

 

[(HULK)]

Fyi, from what I can tell Republic Wireless is still in Beta and has several issues to still resolve. Also the call qualityover wifi isn't that great. If you can put up with that and don't mind using a phone with specs from 2 years ago, this is the cheapest thing out there.And about Simple Mobile, there are many reports of then throttling at 2GB and dropping you all together at 3. They claim that using the phone to stream video (YouTube) or audio (Pandora) is abuse if the system and they terminate your account.I've got a comprehensive list of over 400 plans together now, but I need to polish it fit stuff like false advertising. A lot of times unlimited doesn't actually mean unlimited.

 

[3C's]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414768,00.aspLink to the original article...comments are a must read.

 

[(HULK)]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414768,00.aspLink to the original article...comments are a must read.

Yup. They can cut you off for Pandora, which is ridiculous. what bothers me is the randomness of enforcing it, and the lack of honesty about how they run their program.

 

[(HULK)]

I know a couple of you have activated your Ting accounts. If so, post your referral link or PM it to me and I'll add it to the first post.

 

[(HULK)]

Oh, also, while I am keeping my wife on Ting for sure, I decided I'd try out the GSM phone side of the house this time out. Mostly I caved to my desire for a Nexus 4 and ordered one. I'm likely going to bring it to Solavei, so if you're currently on Solavei and want the referral, PM me your info. Thanks.

 

[Jaysus]

Oh, also, while I am keeping my wife on Ting for sure, I decided I'd try out the GSM phone side of the house this time out. Mostly I caved to my desire for a Nexus 4 and ordered one. I'm likely going to bring it to Solavei, so if you're currently on Solavei and want the referral, PM me your info. Thanks.

Solavei is the leader in my clubhouse at the moment as well..

 

[(HULK)]

Oh, also, while I am keeping my wife on Ting for sure, I decided I'd try out the GSM phone side of the house this time out. Mostly I caved to my desire for a Nexus 4 and ordered one. I'm likely going to bring it to Solavei, so if you're currently on Solavei and want the referral, PM me your info. Thanks.

Solavei is the leader in my clubhouse at the moment as well..

Really, the best thing is that it is CLEAR about it's throttling policy, unlike Straight Talk and the other Carlos Slim owned MVNOs. 4GB is plenty for me. 2GB would probably be plenty for me most months, but I'd hate to get just cut off and shut down without any idea that its coming.Whoever signs up first, let us know, since they have that $20 off a month for 3 referrals thing. I'm betting someone on this site is already on them, they might as well get my referral.

 

[Brady Marino]

Oh, also, while I am keeping my wife on Ting for sure, I decided I'd try out the GSM phone side of the house this time out. Mostly I caved to my desire for a Nexus 4 and ordered one. I'm likely going to bring it to Solavei, so if you're currently on Solavei and want the referral, PM me your info. Thanks.

Solavei is the leader in my clubhouse at the moment as well..

Really, the best thing is that it is CLEAR about it's throttling policy, unlike Straight Talk and the other Carlos Slim owned MVNOs. 4GB is plenty for me. 2GB would probably be plenty for me most months, but I'd hate to get just cut off and shut down without any idea that its coming.Whoever signs up first, let us know, since they have that $20 off a month for 3 referrals thing. I'm betting someone on this site is already on them, they might as well get my referral.

Wish my Galaxy SIII was GSM now. I like what I'm reading from Solavei.

 

[(HULK)]

For anyone interested, my spreadsheet tracking plans for US providers now has over 400 plans in it! I'm doubling back now to get more clarity of things like what "unlimited" really means on each carrier (often it doesn't mean unlimited at all!) and other such things. Hopefully I'm done with this project by next week. When that happens, I'm thinking of starting a different thread where I just help put people in the best plan for them. Could help me sort out how to best make an algorythm later.

 

[rail]

I'm paying about $155/month for two phones. Will need some time to dig through these options and figure them out. /needs 12-year-old explanation

 

[Evilgrin 72]

I know a couple of you have activated your Ting accounts. If so, post your referral link or PM it to me and I'll add it to the first post.

I bought a phone but it isn't scheduled to arrive until Wednesday. I'm guessing you get a referral link when you sign up for service?

 

[siffoin]

For anyone interested, my spreadsheet tracking plans for US providers now has over 400 plans in it! I'm doubling back now to get more clarity of things like what "unlimited" really means on each carrier (often it doesn't mean unlimited at all!) and other such things. Hopefully I'm done with this project by next week. When that happens, I'm thinking of starting a different thread where I just help put people in the best plan for them. Could help me sort out how to best make an algorythm later.

You should make a blog for it.

 

[(HULK)]

For anyone interested, my spreadsheet tracking plans for US providers now has over 400 plans in it! I'm doubling back now to get more clarity of things like what "unlimited" really means on each carrier (often it doesn't mean unlimited at all!) and other such things. Hopefully I'm done with this project by next week. When that happens, I'm thinking of starting a different thread where I just help put people in the best plan for them. Could help me sort out how to best make an algorythm later.

My contract is up in 3 weeks and I'll be switching to one of these. Republic is currently the leader in the clubhouse, but in a perfect world I'd go to a GSM phone. I just like the fact that they're ridiculously cheap. So yeah, I'm interested.

Do yourself a favor and google some reviews of Republic. There are some sacrafices to be made if you go with them (poorer call quality, calls getting dropped when you move from wifi range to cellular (doesn't automatically switch), only 1 phone choice, software bugs, etc). If you can live with that though, nothing is cheaper, nothing is even close.

 

[(HULK)]

I'm paying about $155/month for two phones. Will need some time to dig through these options and figure them out. /needs 12-year-old explanation

I'm sure we can do better for you. Give us some more info. How many minutes/texts/MBs of data are you using with each phone? This info should be on your bill. Also, which networks work in your area.Do this, and I'll have an answer for you even an 11 year old could comprehend.

 

[(HULK)]

I know a couple of you have activated your Ting accounts. If so, post your referral link or PM it to me and I'll add it to the first post.

I bought a phone but it isn't scheduled to arrive until Wednesday. I'm guessing you get a referral link when you sign up for service?

Yes, once you activate it, then you'll have a link generated. Should be under the "referrals" tab in your account.

 

[(HULK)]

For anyone interested, my spreadsheet tracking plans for US providers now has over 400 plans in it! I'm doubling back now to get more clarity of things like what "unlimited" really means on each carrier (often it doesn't mean unlimited at all!) and other such things. Hopefully I'm done with this project by next week. When that happens, I'm thinking of starting a different thread where I just help put people in the best plan for them. Could help me sort out how to best make an algorythm later.

You should make a blog for it.

If I can keep motivated, I'm going to write an algorythm and build a website to automatically find the best plan for people. Probably have a blog section as well, maybe to write about individuals with tricky situations or something.

 

[Jaysus]

Hulk, here's about where I am at. Contract is up, need two lines.Me: over 3GB per month, less than 500 mins per month, less than 1k textsWife: ~150kb per month, over 2k minutes per month, over 2k texts (WTH?)I am thinking 2 unlimited plans of some sort...

 

[(HULK)]

Hulk, here's about where I am at. Contract is up, need two lines.Me: over 3GB per month, less than 500 mins per month, less than 1k textsWife: ~150kb per month, over 2k minutes per month, over 2k texts (WTH?)I am thinking 2 unlimited plans of some sort...

Holy heck with over 2k texts!Well, assuming there are no coverage issues, and assuming you want phones that are relatively the lastest and greatest I'd think about doing this:Wife: GOSmart Mobile (on Tmobile's network) - $35 unlimited talk and text, unlimited 2G internet (not sure if 2g is a dealbreaker for her or not)You 3G only: GOSmart Mobile - $45 unlimited talk and text, 5 GB of 3G data (no HSPA+ for them, just 3G)You 4G on Sprint's Network - Voyager Mobile unlimited everything for $39 (but I hear they have extra fees that push it to more like $46 a month)You 4G on Tmobile's Network - Solavei, $49 a month unlimited talk/text, 4GB of data at HSPA+42 speeds, unlimited at 3G speeds beyond 4GBs.There are about 3 options at $45 for unlimited talk/text/data (like Straight Talk), but they're all owned by the same parent company and all reportedly throttle or boot you from the network at random usage, usually around 2GBs used in a month or 100MB in a day. Their terms of service prohit things like Pandora/Youtube so they boot you for voilation of the terms. Some people never get hit with this though, it just depends on where you are and how congested that network is really. If I was you, I would skip that hassel and just spend the extra $4 for Solavei.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I moved from Sprint to Virgin Mobile this week and cut my bill almost in half. And Virgin uses Sprint's system.

I have a Virgin phone with unlimited text and data + 300 minutes a month talk time and it's only $35 a month.

 

[Jaysus]

Yeah, i want HSPA+ Solavei is the one I was looking at for me, it looked like they have (or had) two lines for $85/month if you sign up for prepay, so I was considering that for the wife too.The GoSmart and 2g may work just fine for her though. Thanks for sharing the details of your leg work!

 

[3C's]

Hulk, here's about where I am at. Contract is up, need two lines.Me: over 3GB per month, less than 500 mins per month, less than 1k textsWife: ~150kb per month, over 2k minutes per month, over 2k texts (WTH?)I am thinking 2 unlimited plans of some sort...

Holy heck with over 2k texts!

Gave my daughter my "old" phone last month. Got it back from her so I could root it (emoji's are a must have). She had that many texts just to her boyfriend.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

I moved from Sprint to Virgin Mobile this week and cut my bill almost in half. And Virgin uses Sprint's system.

I have a Virgin phone with unlimited text and data + 300 minutes a month talk time and it's only $35 a month.

I almost went this route a year or two ago when my kid brother did. The deal-breaker for me is that their phones were awful. Still the case or do they actually have new phones these days? My brother's phone was horrible, and he paid more for it than I did for my Evo 4G (state of the art at the time)

 

[(HULK)]

Yeah, i want HSPA+ Solavei is the one I was looking at for me, it looked like they have (or had) two lines for $85/month if you sign up for prepay, so I was considering that for the wife too.The GoSmart and 2g may work just fine for her though. Thanks for sharing the details of your leg work!

What is this info on the prepay/multiline thing? I don't see it on their site.Theoretically, if you have 4 lines, you can get it down to $44 a line by having three of them sign up under the 1st phone.

 

[(HULK)]

I moved from Sprint to Virgin Mobile this week and cut my bill almost in half. And Virgin uses Sprint's system.

I have a Virgin phone with unlimited text and data + 300 minutes a month talk time and it's only $35 a month.

I almost went this route a year or two ago when my kid brother did. The deal-breaker for me is that their phones were awful. Still the case or do they actually have new phones these days? My brother's phone was horrible, and he paid more for it than I did for my Evo 4G (state of the art at the time)

They have crummy feature phones and some mid range phones now too. Nothing high end though.

 

[Jaysus]

Solavei is the one I was looking at for me, it looked like they have (or had) two lines for $85/month if you sign up for prepay, so I was considering that for the wife too.

What is this info on the prepay/multiline thing? I don't see it on their site.

Hmm... I am not finding it now either, I wonder if it was one of the other plans I've checked out recently. I have only looked at a handful of them, so it should be easy for me to find again. I'll take a look.

 

[bosoxs45]

 

[Uwe Blab]

I moved from Sprint to Virgin Mobile this week and cut my bill almost in half. And Virgin uses Sprint's system.

I have a Virgin phone with unlimited text and data + 300 minutes a month talk time and it's only $35 a month.

I almost went this route a year or two ago when my kid brother did. The deal-breaker for me is that their phones were awful. Still the case or do they actually have new phones these days? My brother's phone was horrible, and he paid more for it than I did for my Evo 4G (state of the art at the time)

They have crummy feature phones and some mid range phones now too. Nothing high end though.

They have IPhones I thought, right?

 

[(HULK)]

I moved from Sprint to Virgin Mobile this week and cut my bill almost in half. And Virgin uses Sprint's system.

I have a Virgin phone with unlimited text and data + 300 minutes a month talk time and it's only $35 a month.

I almost went this route a year or two ago when my kid brother did. The deal-breaker for me is that their phones were awful. Still the case or do they actually have new phones these days? My brother's phone was horrible, and he paid more for it than I did for my Evo 4G (state of the art at the time)

They have crummy feature phones and some mid range phones now too. Nothing high end though.

They have IPhones I thought, right?

Just to the 4s, they don't have the 5.They'll have flagship phones that are a year old typically. Also have the Galaxy SII which was a pretty solid phone.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Hulk ~ is there anything on the US Cellular network? My wife and I are extremely light users, but pay about 140 per month. We like the network though. It seems to be the best by far in our area.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I moved from Sprint to Virgin Mobile this week and cut my bill almost in half. And Virgin uses Sprint's system.

I have a Virgin phone with unlimited text and data + 300 minutes a month talk time and it's only $35 a month.

I almost went this route a year or two ago when my kid brother did. The deal-breaker for me is that their phones were awful. Still the case or do they actually have new phones these days? My brother's phone was horrible, and he paid more for it than I did for my Evo 4G (state of the art at the time)

I am a noob to this stuff, but my phone is pretty sweet. No complaints so far.

 

[(HULK)]

Hulk ~ is there anything on the US Cellular network? My wife and I are extremely light users, but pay about 140 per month. We like the network though. It seems to be the best by far in our area.

No resellers of US Cellular, sorry. They have their own pre-paid program though. Unlimited calls/texts + 1GB data for $50. Kinda on the pricey side for prepaid. If you're covered by Sprint, Ting is probably a great fit for you as light users.You should check your coverage out. Towers go up and down all of the time, might be another carrier can provide equal or better coverage.Enter your Zipcode here to see which carriers are best for that zip code

 

[(HULK)]

Well, my Nexus 4 shipped this morning. I'm going to need to order my Solavei sim card today. I still don't have a referral from someone, so if anyone has one, please PM it to me or post it here. I'll probably be getting a few referrals at some point, so this could be some free money for you imo.ETA: Nevermind, took the plunge already. The uberhelpful guy who runs Androidandme.com got my referral for Solavei.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Well, my Nexus 4 shipped this morning. I'm going to need to order my Solavei sim card today. I still don't have a referral from someone, so if anyone has one, please PM it to me or post it here. I'll probably be getting a few referrals at some point, so this could be some free money for you imo.

My phone is out for delivery today, so I'll be porting my number over tonight, should have a link tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Jaysus]

Just ordered a Nexus 4... which is the phone I want, but I am pretty sure that I am going to give it to my wife, and just take my Evo to Ting for now. Need to figure out what SIM to order for my wife, and when to port our numbers to Google Voice.

 

[Jaysus]

For anyone interested, my spreadsheet tracking plans for US providers now has over 400 plans in it!

Does your spreadsheet have the type of SIM cards that MVNOs use? Unless I am missing something, it looks like I will have to cut a GoSmart card to fit the Nexus 4

 

[Jaysus]

Solavei is the one I was looking at for me, it looked like they have (or had) two lines for $85/month if you sign up for prepay, so I was considering that for the wife too.

What is this info on the prepay/multiline thing? I don't see it on their site.

Hmm... I am not finding it now either, I wonder if it was one of the other plans I've checked out recently. I have only looked at a handful of them, so it should be easy for me to find again. I'll take a look.

UPDATE: It was Net10

 

[Christo]

I moved from Sprint to Virgin Mobile this week and cut my bill almost in half. And Virgin uses Sprint's system.

I have a Virgin phone with unlimited text and data + 300 minutes a month talk time and it's only $35 a month.

I almost went this route a year or two ago when my kid brother did. The deal-breaker for me is that their phones were awful. Still the case or do they actually have new phones these days? My brother's phone was horrible, and he paid more for it than I did for my Evo 4G (state of the art at the time)

I have a Samsung Galaxy S2. I look at phones like computers. I'll take the top of the line from a year or two ago and be perfectly happy with the cost savings.

 

[(HULK)]

For anyone interested, my spreadsheet tracking plans for US providers now has over 400 plans in it!

Does your spreadsheet have the type of SIM cards that MVNOs use? Unless I am missing something, it looks like I will have to cut a GoSmart card to fit the Nexus 4

The Nexus 4 uses a micro SIM. No info on who sells which type, I was under the impression that they all sold both, but maybe not.

 

[(HULK)]

Just ordered a Nexus 4... which is the phone I want, but I am pretty sure that I am going to give it to my wife, and just take my Evo to Ting for now. Need to figure out what SIM to order for my wife, and when to port our numbers to Google Voice.

If you go to Ting, make sure you use wifi as much as possible. I remember you saying you use about 3GB of data a month, that would be pricey on Ting. Ting is probably the best option for light to mid users of data and minutes, but if you're a heavy user, it'll get pricey. Thats the way "pay for what you use" works imo The port to google voice (which i did like 3 years ago and vaguely remember) takes some time, like a day or so. What I would do is wait until you get your new phone up and running, then port your old number to Google, then once the port is complete, register your new phone # on your GV account online and begin forwarding calls.

 

[(HULK)]

Solavei is the one I was looking at for me, it looked like they have (or had) two lines for $85/month if you sign up for prepay, so I was considering that for the wife too.

What is this info on the prepay/multiline thing? I don't see it on their site.

Hmm... I am not finding it now either, I wonder if it was one of the other plans I've checked out recently. I have only looked at a handful of them, so it should be easy for me to find again. I'll take a look.

UPDATE: It was Net10

Just found this about Net10

Effective March 1, 2013, your NET10 Wireless Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP™) AT&T-compatible SIM will be limited to 1.5GB of high speed data usage per 30 day period on the Unlimited plan. Any redemption made prior to March 1st will not be affected by this policy.The NET10 30-Day Unlimited Airtime Card that you add to your phone will indicate unlimited data; however with an ATT compatible SIM (A- dark blue or B- light blue) you will only receive 1.5GB of data for that 30 day period. You can choose the T-Mobile (TMO) compatible SIM (C-pink) that was included in your package if you prefer to receive Unlimited* 4GƗ data. Please visit our website for instructions on determining if you have TMO compatible service in your area, activating the TMO SIM and transferring your telephone number.In the event that you cannot locate your TMO SIM, NET10 Wireless will provide a onetime free replacement TMO SIM in TMO compatible areas. Please go to net10data.com or call888-805-5895Please visit our net10data.com site to learn how you can save data usage by accessing Wi-Fi sites and closing applications not in use that consume data.*Tethering is prohibited. Other restrictions and limitations apply. See Terms and Conditions of Service

So, if you do that, go with the Tmobile SIM.

 

[(HULK)]

I moved from Sprint to Virgin Mobile this week and cut my bill almost in half. And Virgin uses Sprint's system.

I have a Virgin phone with unlimited text and data + 300 minutes a month talk time and it's only $35 a month.

I almost went this route a year or two ago when my kid brother did. The deal-breaker for me is that their phones were awful. Still the case or do they actually have new phones these days? My brother's phone was horrible, and he paid more for it than I did for my Evo 4G (state of the art at the time)

I have a Samsung Galaxy S2. I look at phones like computers. I'll take the top of the line from a year or two ago and be perfectly happy with the cost savings.

Thats a great phone imo.A lot of these MVNOs suffer from that stigma though. Because once upon a time, the major carriers had the iPhone, the Droid, the Evo, and the MVNOs had only feature phones or maybe an odd blackberry. But the technology has moved forwards a ton since then, and now the phones that are a year edge behind the bleeding edge of technology are still really functional and good smartphones.

 

[Jaysus]

For anyone interested, my spreadsheet tracking plans for US providers now has over 400 plans in it!

Does your spreadsheet have the type of SIM cards that MVNOs use? Unless I am missing something, it looks like I will have to cut a GoSmart card to fit the Nexus 4

The Nexus 4 uses a micro SIM. No info on who sells which type, I was under the impression that they all sold both, but maybe not.

Straight Talk and GoSmart both only offer the standard size SIM card; I have to assume others using the T-Mobile network are in the same boat.

 

[Jaysus]

If you go to Ting, make sure you use wifi as much as possible. I remember you saying you use about 3GB of data a month, that would be pricey on Ting. Ting is probably the best option for light to mid users of data and minutes, but if you're a heavy user, it'll get pricey. Thats the way "pay for what you use" works imo The port to google voice (which i did like 3 years ago and vaguely remember) takes some time, like a day or so. What I would do is wait until you get your new phone up and running, then port your old number to Google, then once the port is complete, register your new phone # on your GV account online and begin forwarding calls.

Oh yeah, I would have to change the way I do things if I go to Ting. But I also think it would just be temporary so I did not have to buy another phone right now. My Evo is rooted and tweaked so that it still runs nice and smooth One big data hitter that I forgot about is G+ instant upload... I have it set up so that photos and videos can upload over a mobile network. I'd have to switch that to WiFi only.I could pin more of my Google Music albums instead of always streaming as well.also, I do not think I am that serious about Net10 - but would def go with T-Mobile since the Nexus 4 can take advantage of the HSAP42 speeds.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Does Ting offer equipment protection in their plans? I usually don't take it (wife forced me to on my most recent phone), but after dropping $637.50 on a phone, the $8/mo. I pay with Sprint for full protection against breaking your phone suddenly seems worthwhile.

 

[(HULK)]

If you go to Ting, make sure you use wifi as much as possible. I remember you saying you use about 3GB of data a month, that would be pricey on Ting. Ting is probably the best option for light to mid users of data and minutes, but if you're a heavy user, it'll get pricey. Thats the way "pay for what you use" works imo The port to google voice (which i did like 3 years ago and vaguely remember) takes some time, like a day or so. What I would do is wait until you get your new phone up and running, then port your old number to Google, then once the port is complete, register your new phone # on your GV account online and begin forwarding calls.

Oh yeah, I would have to change the way I do things if I go to Ting. But I also think it would just be temporary so I did not have to buy another phone right now. My Evo is rooted and tweaked so that it still runs nice and smooth One big data hitter that I forgot about is G+ instant upload... I have it set up so that photos and videos can upload over a mobile network. I'd have to switch that to WiFi only.I could pin more of my Google Music albums instead of always streaming as well.also, I do not think I am that serious about Net10 - but would def go with T-Mobile since the Nexus 4 can take advantage of the HSAP42 speeds.

I use Google+ photo upload... I've had it set to wifi only forever, just because its faster. You don't even notice it really. Probably save you a few MBs.

 

[(HULK)]

Does Ting offer equipment protection in their plans? I usually don't take it (wife forced me to on my most recent phone), but after dropping $637.50 on a phone, the $8/mo. I pay with Sprint for full protection against breaking your phone suddenly seems worthwhile.

Not that I'm aware of. There is 3rd party insurance available out there, and from what I understand it is better than the carrier's in house insurance usually. No experience with it though. I'll just gamble.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Does Ting offer equipment protection in their plans? I usually don't take it (wife forced me to on my most recent phone), but after dropping $637.50 on a phone, the $8/mo. I pay with Sprint for full protection against breaking your phone suddenly seems worthwhile.

Not that I'm aware of. There is 3rd party insurance available out there, and from what I understand it is better than the carrier's in house insurance usually. No experience with it though. I'll just gamble.

Asked this in the S3 thread, but is the Otterbox the accepted industry leader in equipment protection?