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

[(HULK)]

BMarino, they probably won't offer another ETF thing until next year. They did one last year paying 1 person's ETF a day for the month of February. This year they set aside 100K to pay off ETFs of people who switched. That 100K was gone 9 minutes into the promotion. Basically, I wouldn't hang your hat on waiting for Ting to pay your ETF. I tried to get into the last ETF thing and missed, ended up switching anyways because once I did the math, it was still overwhelming that I should switch.

Tmobile's new plans are live now.

Jaysus, Tmo's $30 plan lives. It is hard as heck to find on their site now, but its still there. You've got to find the "Pay in Advance" pink banner near the bottom right of some pages, click that, then go to plans.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Can you go to settings, then data usage on the phone? That phone is on gingerbread, not sure if that version of android has that. If it does it tells you how much data you used each month.Any idea how many texts you send/receive a month? This stuff should be on your bill, but I never used virgin before so maybe it isn't.No contract with them, right?The more info you can give me, the better answers I can find. Oh, do you have Wi-Fi at home? Are a lot of your calls from home?

I don't see anything on data usage anywhere within the settings.I don't get a paper bill. And there's no statement anywhere online. I'm set up for the auto pay, but unlike other companies, there's no pdfs of statements that I can look at when I log into my account.When I look at current usage, it doesn't list anything for text messages or for data. I use both frequently. Even under the talk minutes, the usage displayed only goes back a week (even though current billing cycle goes back about three). So no idea what's going on other than their website sucks.No contract with Virgin Mobile.I do have wi-fi at home, and a lot of my calls are from here. That's why I thought Google Voice would be a good option for me, but the connection just isn't reliable. And I don't know if that's my Internet or something more with GV. So I'd be curious to see if I had the same dropped call issues trying to use my cel to make calls over wi-fi through GrooveIP.

 

[Brady Marino]

BMarino, they probably won't offer another ETF thing until next year. They did one last year paying 1 person's ETF a day for the month of February. This year they set aside 100K to pay off ETFs of people who switched. That 100K was gone 9 minutes into the promotion. Basically, I wouldn't hang your hat on waiting for Ting to pay your ETF. I tried to get into the last ETF thing and missed, ended up switching anyways because once I did the math, it was still overwhelming that I should switch.

Well, I am a couple days away from my ETF dropping 20 bucks to $180, but since I'm looking at saving about 60 bucks a month, it'll be worth it in no time. Think I'll make the switch then.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Can you go to settings, then data usage on the phone? That phone is on gingerbread, not sure if that version of android has that. If it does it tells you how much data you used each month.Any idea how many texts you send/receive a month? This stuff should be on your bill, but I never used virgin before so maybe it isn't.No contract with them, right?The more info you can give me, the better answers I can find. Oh, do you have Wi-Fi at home? Are a lot of your calls from home?

I don't see anything on data usage anywhere within the settings.I don't get a paper bill. And there's no statement anywhere online. I'm set up for the auto pay, but unlike other companies, there's no pdfs of statements that I can look at when I log into my account.When I look at current usage, it doesn't list anything for text messages or for data. I use both frequently. Even under the talk minutes, the usage displayed only goes back a week (even though current billing cycle goes back about three). So no idea what's going on other than their website sucks.No contract with Virgin Mobile.I do have wi-fi at home, and a lot of my calls are from here. That's why I thought Google Voice would be a good option for me, but the connection just isn't reliable. And I don't know if that's my Internet or something more with GV. So I'd be curious to see if I had the same dropped call issues trying to use my cel to make calls over wi-fi through GrooveIP.

Just talked to Virgin Mobile. They said they're having an issue with the website, and that's why I can't access that info. So she looked it up. So about three-quarters of the way through the month, here's my current usage:334 texts32.29 MB data

 

[Brady Marino]

To those that have migrated their SIII over to Ting, is the process pretty easy?

 

[(HULK)]

To those that have migrated their SIII over to Ting, is the process pretty easy?

I can't comment specifically on the S3, but I have brought over an officially supported phone and it was pretty painless. We brought over my wife's OLD Galaxy Epic 4G as a backup phone basically. It was pretty straight forward.If its still under contract, you may have to do something with Sprint to get them to unlock, I'm not 100% sure though. Might want to call Ting to get the full details 1-855-TING-FTW.

 

[(HULK)]

Can you go to settings, then data usage on the phone? That phone is on gingerbread, not sure if that version of android has that. If it does it tells you how much data you used each month.Any idea how many texts you send/receive a month? This stuff should be on your bill, but I never used virgin before so maybe it isn't.No contract with them, right?The more info you can give me, the better answers I can find. Oh, do you have Wi-Fi at home? Are a lot of your calls from home?

I don't see anything on data usage anywhere within the settings.I don't get a paper bill. And there's no statement anywhere online. I'm set up for the auto pay, but unlike other companies, there's no pdfs of statements that I can look at when I log into my account.When I look at current usage, it doesn't list anything for text messages or for data. I use both frequently. Even under the talk minutes, the usage displayed only goes back a week (even though current billing cycle goes back about three). So no idea what's going on other than their website sucks.No contract with Virgin Mobile.I do have wi-fi at home, and a lot of my calls are from here. That's why I thought Google Voice would be a good option for me, but the connection just isn't reliable. And I don't know if that's my Internet or something more with GV. So I'd be curious to see if I had the same dropped call issues trying to use my cel to make calls over wi-fi through GrooveIP.

Just talked to Virgin Mobile. They said they're having an issue with the website, and that's why I can't access that info. So she looked it up. So about three-quarters of the way through the month, here's my current usage:334 texts32.29 MB data

Okay, I'm just going to make some assumptions then. Wife 300 mins, you 1200 mins. We'll say 500 texts each, and <100MBs combined.

 

[Brady Marino]

Yeah, I'm switching.

Talked to a very friendly AND UNDERSTANDABLE customer service rep from Ting. No machines, it just went straight to a person who was very helpful with my questions. One thing I like is that, if I need to move into a new area code, it's not a pain in the ### to get a new number. In fact, it's free.

As soon as my ETF drops 20 bucks in a few days, I'm gone.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Can you go to settings, then data usage on the phone? That phone is on gingerbread, not sure if that version of android has that. If it does it tells you how much data you used each month.Any idea how many texts you send/receive a month? This stuff should be on your bill, but I never used virgin before so maybe it isn't.No contract with them, right?The more info you can give me, the better answers I can find. Oh, do you have Wi-Fi at home? Are a lot of your calls from home?

I don't see anything on data usage anywhere within the settings.I don't get a paper bill. And there's no statement anywhere online. I'm set up for the auto pay, but unlike other companies, there's no pdfs of statements that I can look at when I log into my account.When I look at current usage, it doesn't list anything for text messages or for data. I use both frequently. Even under the talk minutes, the usage displayed only goes back a week (even though current billing cycle goes back about three). So no idea what's going on other than their website sucks.No contract with Virgin Mobile.I do have wi-fi at home, and a lot of my calls are from here. That's why I thought Google Voice would be a good option for me, but the connection just isn't reliable. And I don't know if that's my Internet or something more with GV. So I'd be curious to see if I had the same dropped call issues trying to use my cel to make calls over wi-fi through GrooveIP.

Just talked to Virgin Mobile. They said they're having an issue with the website, and that's why I can't access that info. So she looked it up. So about three-quarters of the way through the month, here's my current usage:334 texts32.29 MB data

Okay, I'm just going to make some assumptions then. Wife 300 mins, you 1200 mins. We'll say 500 texts each, and <100MBs combined.

Yes, but really my main goal here would be to get more talk time. Although I have now installed GrooveIP Lite. So we'll see how that goes. And I couldn't believe how low that 32 MB of usage was. I thought just checking for email alone 24 hours a day would use up way more than that?? Plus the constant updating apps too.

 

[(HULK)]

BeTheMatch,

Your best bet is Ting. I looked at you and your wife as individuals and also on a family plan, and Ting is the cheapest option for you guys.

2 phones ($12) + 2000 minutes ($35) + 1000 texts ($5) + 100 MB ($3) would run you $55 + tax for you both. Pretty decent drop from $80 a month, and now you have 500 more minutes between you both.

You *may* be able to bring your existing phones too. The LG Optimus Elite is on the device White List, meaning it works on their network. However, the BYOD device program is for Sprint phones, not Virign phones. Its the same network and I imagine it would work, but I don't want to promise something that may not be possible. The device, while on the whitelist, isn't officially supported. Moving the phones over would probably take some effort, but I'm sure Ting will help you through it (1-855-TING-FTW). You may want to poke around their site some starting here: BYOD overview

If/when you do officially sign up, use any one of the Ting links in the first post for a $25 service credit.

 

[(HULK)]

Yeah, definitely see if GrooveIP helps you out. If you could use it frequently and drop your calls to <1000 minutes, Ting would get $17 cheaper.

And yeah, email push doesn't use that much data really. I only update my apps over wifi anyways, so that helps on that front.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Appreciate all the help, Hulk.

 

[Brady Marino]

To those that have migrated their SIII over to Ting, is the process pretty easy?

Yes. Very.

Cool. The guy from Ting told me it's all handled online.

 

[(HULK)]

Yeah, I'm switching.Talked to a very friendly AND UNDERSTANDABLE customer service rep from Ting. No machines, it just went straight to a person who was very helpful with my questions. One thing I like is that, if I need to move into a new area code, it's not a pain in the ### to get a new number. In fact, it's free.As soon as my ETF drops 20 bucks in a few days, I'm gone.

I'm still wondering how they do this. They have enough customer service reps that they just pick up the phone right away, they all are clearly american and speak flawless english, and they charge a LOW rate for their users. Its like magic imo.

 

[Brady Marino]

Looks like my lower ETF fee is in effect now. Switching today.

 

[Brady Marino]

Looks like my lower ETF fee is in effect now. Switching today.

:(Services will be in effect until April 9th even though I cancelled today. I'll just make sure it's on my calendar, though.

 

[Brady Marino]

To those that have migrated their SIII over to Ting, is the process pretty easy?

Yes. Very.

Cool. The guy from Ting told me it's all handled online.

Yup - takes about 5 hours, you put in all the information online, then they send you an email with a couple simple programming steps for your phone, and you're up and running

Makes sense.As far as the referral links go, do I use the last link on the 1st page or can I play favorites?

 

[Brady Marino]

Looks like my lower ETF fee is in effect now. Switching today.

:(Services will be in effect until April 9th even though I cancelled today. I'll just make sure it's on my calendar, though.

We switched on the last day of service. My old phone worked until it didn't, then my new phone worked. Pretty seamless.

When I tried putting my ESN in to the Ting device converter, it told me the device was still in use. Oh well, no biggie. I'll just live without a phone for a couple hours on Saturday the 9th.

 

[(HULK)]

To those that have migrated their SIII over to Ting, is the process pretty easy?

Yes. Very.

Cool. The guy from Ting told me it's all handled online.

Yup - takes about 5 hours, you put in all the information online, then they send you an email with a couple simple programming steps for your phone, and you're up and running

Makes sense.As far as the referral links go, do I use the last link on the 1st page or can I play favorites?

I played favorites and went with EG72. Figured it was the least I could do after icing him a couple years ago.

Most people are playing favorites imo. Myself, EG, and proninja are the only ones who I'm aware of that have gotten the credit thus far. So, pick someone new, or hey, pick me! Up to you really.

 

[(HULK)]

To those that have migrated their SIII over to Ting, is the process pretty easy?

Yes. Very.

Cool. The guy from Ting told me it's all handled online.

Yup - takes about 5 hours, you put in all the information online, then they send you an email with a couple simple programming steps for your phone, and you're up and running

Makes sense.As far as the referral links go, do I use the last link on the 1st page or can I play favorites?

I played favorites and went with EG72. Figured it was the least I could do after icing him a couple years ago.

Most people are playing favorites imo. Myself, EG, and proninja are the only ones who I'm aware of that have gotten the credit thus far. So, pick someone new, or hey, pick me! Up to you really.

I haven't actually had someone pick me yet, but there are plenty of people who are in line before me.

Siffion said he used yours. You might want to check your dashboard/referral tracking page in your account. If nothing is there, PM him and get his information, call, and they'll end up crediting you the $25.

 

[Brady Marino]

FWIW, when I switch, I'll use siffion's.

 

[siffoin]

To those that have migrated their SIII over to Ting, is the process pretty easy?

Yes. Very.

Cool. The guy from Ting told me it's all handled online.

Yup - takes about 5 hours, you put in all the information online, then they send you an email with a couple simple programming steps for your phone, and you're up and running

Makes sense.As far as the referral links go, do I use the last link on the 1st page or can I play favorites?

I played favorites and went with EG72. Figured it was the least I could do after icing him a couple years ago.

Most people are playing favorites imo. Myself, EG, and proninja are the only ones who I'm aware of that have gotten the credit thus far. So, pick someone new, or hey, pick me! Up to you really.

I haven't actually had someone pick me yet, but there are plenty of people who are in line before me.

Siffion said he used yours. You might want to check your dashboard/referral tracking page in your account. If nothing is there, PM him and get his information, call, and they'll end up crediting you the $25.

Yes. Proninja, I used yours which was at the bottom of the list. It showed me as getting a credit, and you the referral. If there is some way for me to double check on my end I'll happily do that.Brady...thanks.

 

[(HULK)]

Yes. Very.

Cool. The guy from Ting told me it's all handled online.

Yup - takes about 5 hours, you put in all the information online, then they send you an email with a couple simple programming steps for your phone, and you're up and running

Makes sense.As far as the referral links go, do I use the last link on the 1st page or can I play favorites?

I played favorites and went with EG72. Figured it was the least I could do after icing him a couple years ago.

Most people are playing favorites imo. Myself, EG, and proninja are the only ones who I'm aware of that have gotten the credit thus far. So, pick someone new, or hey, pick me! Up to you really.

I haven't actually had someone pick me yet, but there are plenty of people who are in line before me.

Siffion said he used yours. You might want to check your dashboard/referral tracking page in your account. If nothing is there, PM him and get his information, call, and they'll end up crediting you the $25.

Yes. Proninja, I used yours which was at the bottom of the list. It showed me as getting a credit, and you the referral. If there is some way for me to double check on my end I'll happily do that.Brady...thanks.

Oh, awesome! I thought it was $75 your first time, and I thought that $25 referral credit was there from when I signed up. Thanks

That $75 deal was just a promo that ended 3/15.You should've either got a $25 discount on a phone purchase or a $25 service credit when you signed up (assuming you used one of the links). Additionally, you should have a $25 credit from Siffion. So, you should have $50 total. If you're only showing $25 in credits... check your referral tab in your account first and see if there is a 1 there. If there is, then you missed the $25 sign up credit somehow. And if its a 0, then they missed Siffion signing up under you.

 

[Fishboy]

To those that have migrated their SIII over to Ting, is the process pretty easy?

Yes. Very.

Cool. The guy from Ting told me it's all handled online.

Yup - takes about 5 hours, you put in all the information online, then they send you an email with a couple simple programming steps for your phone, and you're up and running

Makes sense.As far as the referral links go, do I use the last link on the 1st page or can I play favorites?

If it matters any, I may be able to PM pictures of co-worker. I'm sure she won't mind.

 

[Bucks]

Here's another t-mobile MVNO to watch. Saw this thread on SD: Lycamobile. Looks like a good low utilization pay as you go option for those with an unlocked GSM phone. Just 2c/min, 4c/Text, 6c/MB, no monthly fees or minimums.

 

[Abraham]

Gs3 for 440 on 1sale today.

 

[themeanmachine]

No referrals for us yet.

But the Ting plan we got for my wife has been awesome. Her first month's bill was $14.52, compared to the $44 or so she was paying with Verizon.

 

[(HULK)]

Here's another t-mobile MVNO to watch. Saw this thread on SD: Lycamobile. Looks like a good low utilization pay as you go option for those with an unlocked GSM phone. Just 2c/min, 4c/Text, 6c/MB, no monthly fees or minimums.

Yup, they just launched in the us this week. Some decent plans. No roaming though.

 

[(HULK)]

Those new Tmobile plans are actually pretty solid for families. Especially if you call/text a lot but use 500MBs or less of data.

 

[Brady Marino]

Had to back out on cancelling Sprint because I can't afford the ETF at the moment. Thanks car repairs.

In a few months, it'll be down to $100, so I may wait until then.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

That $75 deal was just a promo that ended 3/15.You should've either got a $25 discount on a phone purchase or a $25 service credit when you signed up (assuming you used one of the links). Additionally, you should have a $25 credit from Siffion. So, you should have $50 total. If you're only showing $25 in credits... check your referral tab in your account first and see if there is a 1 there. If there is, then you missed the $25 sign up credit somehow. And if its a 0, then they missed Siffion signing up under you.

I've got one, so they missed it when I signed up. Which means they didn't get EG72 either probably.

They didn't, but I appreciate the thought anyway, GB. You're the second person that has attempted to use me as a referral and I still have $0 in credits on my account. I really don't care, though - the month-to-month savings is more than enough, thanks again to HULK for bringing this to my attention.

 

[(HULK)]

Had to back out on cancelling Sprint because I can't afford the ETF at the moment. Thanks car repairs.

In a few months, it'll be down to $100, so I may wait until then.

Thats how they trap you. Really high switching costs. You have to pay them to leave. You also might have to buy new phones, at unsubsidized prices. Makes the cost of switching painfully high. Still, the carriers are so damn greedy that even factoring these things in it still is cheaper to switch. It just takes some liquidity to make it happen. GL.

 

[(HULK)]

I'd like to talk unlocked phones.

I use a Nexus 4, which is relatively cheap ($299 and $349) and has great specs. You can buy it straight from google unlocked.

The iphone, its much pricier, but you can get it unlocked directly from Apple.

Having an unlocked phone is a pretty key component to the prepaid world. Its not required per se, but it gives you a ton of freedom to switch carriers if something isn't working out. I know Facebook is supposedly coming out with a phone next week. I know the Motorola X Phone is due out soon and will supposedly be unlocked and also priced pretty low. Amazon may put out a phone, and if they do, I expect it to be unlocked. There are apparently also a slew of Chinese phones you can get unlocked, but I don't know a lot about them.

I do think if there are a couple of companies putting out unlocked phones at decent price points (like Google is with Nexus), then the carriers might be in even bigger trouble than they are right now.

 

[rascal]

No referrals for us yet.

Same here.

 

[saintfool]

flat rate data plan through DooDad.

$0.30/MB

 

[(HULK)]

flat rate data plan through DooDad.

$0.30/MB

Thats pretty pricey. It works out to $300 a gigabyte.

 

[saintfool]

flat rate data plan through DooDad.

$0.30/MB

Thats pretty pricey. It works out to $300 a gigabyte.

i guess their market is for the world traveler?

 

[(HULK)]

flat rate data plan through DooDad.

$0.30/MB

Thats pretty pricey. It works out to $300 a gigabyte.

i guess their market is for the world traveler?

Probably cheaper to just get SIMs in the host country.

 

[(HULK)]

https://ting.com/blog/imagining-the-ting-iphone-plan/

Ting breaks down what the iPhone5 will cost on their service for the "average" user. Say its coming "soon".

I also ran the numbers for the iPhone5 on Solavei and it actually is the cheapest: $649 for the phone + 24 months X $49 = $1,825. Thats for unlimited talk/text and 4GB of data a month.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Someone should write a country song called "It's kind of tough being stuck on Verizon."

 

[(HULK)]

Someone should write a country song called "It's kind of tough being stuck on Verizon."

Just pay the fee to leave. I paid off Sprint to get out. It sucks, but it actually would've cost more to stay there waiting out the ETF while paying their high rates than just biting the bullet and switching immediately.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I have five lines and they're all a bit staggered.

 

[(HULK)]

I have five lines and they're all a bit staggered.

oof.

If you cancel a line of Service, or if we cancel it for good cause, during its contract term, you'll have to pay an Early Termination Fee. If your contract term results from your purchase of an Advanced Device, your Early Termination Fee will be $350 minus $10 for each full month of your contract term that you complete. (For a complete list of Advanced Devices, check verizonwireless.com/advanceddevices.) Otherwise, your Early Termination Fee will be $175 minus $5 for each full month of your contract term that you complete. Cancellations will become effective on the last day of that month's billing cycle, and you are responsible for all charges incurred until then.

So, even if your contract is in month 23, its still $120 to cancel that line. Maybe just wait and switch people off one by one?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

End dates
Line 1 - 07/02/2013
Line 2 - 05/12/2013
Line 3 - Now
Line 4 - 10/15/2014
Line 5 - 06/21/2013

Hmmm... Maybe not so bad after July. Line 4 isn't an "advanced device" so that'd only be less than $150. And I'm guessing things will only get better between now and July on the service front.

 

[(HULK)]

End dates
Line 1 - 07/02/2013
Line 2 - 05/12/2013
Line 3 - Now
Line 4 - 10/15/2014
Line 5 - 06/21/2013

Hmmm... Maybe not so bad after July. Line 4 isn't an "advanced device" so that'd only be less than $150. And I'm guessing things will only get better between now and July on the service front.

Yup, looks like July 3rd is the date to liberate yourself.

Did I run an analysis for you yet?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

End dates
Line 1 - 07/02/2013
Line 2 - 05/12/2013
Line 3 - Now
Line 4 - 10/15/2014
Line 5 - 06/21/2013

Hmmm... Maybe not so bad after July. Line 4 isn't an "advanced device" so that'd only be less than $150. And I'm guessing things will only get better between now and July on the service front.

Yup, looks like July 3rd is the date to liberate yourself.

Did I run an analysis for you yet?

Yep, I've got it saved. Thanks!

 

[(HULK)]

Wanted to let all of you Google Voice users know about an app I found.

When I was with Sprint, they have "full google voice" integration and they are the only ones who have that. The main difference, and biggest annoyance for me, is that when I send a text from my phone, it sends it from my phone's number, not my google voice number. On Sprint, this is a non-issue, everywhere else it is.

The other day I found an app, Messaging + Google Voice that solves the issue. You use it to complete replace the stock messaging app. Its $4.99 and takes about 2 minutes to set up, but now all of my texts are sent from my google voice number. This solves a lot of confusion for me, when I'd text someone from my Message app instead of GVoice.

Beyond that, its also very useful if your on a plan with low texting limits or a plan like Ting where you can pay less if you text less. You can set up the app to send texts over wifi and data only, hence not using the SMS function at all. Could save you Ting converts a few $ if you switch over to the app.

 

[Brady Marino]

Wanted to let all of you Google Voice users know about an app I found.

When I was with Sprint, they have "full google voice" integration and they are the only ones who have that. The main difference, and biggest annoyance for me, is that when I send a text from my phone, it sends it from my phone's number, not my google voice number. On Sprint, this is a non-issue, everywhere else it is.

The other day I found an app, Messaging + Google Voice that solves the issue. You use it to complete replace the stock messaging app. Its $4.99 and takes about 2 minutes to set up, but now all of my texts are sent from my google voice number. This solves a lot of confusion for me, when I'd text someone from my Message app instead of GVoice.

Beyond that, its also very useful if your on a plan with low texting limits or a plan like Ting where you can pay less if you text less. You can set up the app to send texts over wifi and data only, hence not using the SMS function at all. Could save you Ting converts a few $ if you switch over to the app.

Finally found a localish number, so I'll give this app a shot. Won't save me any money, but it'll be good for a test run before I switch to Ting.

 

[(HULK)]

proninja, on 08 Apr 2013 - 11:44, said:

(HULK), on 08 Apr 2013 - 11:36, said:

Wanted to let all of you Google Voice users know about an app I found.

When I was with Sprint, they have "full google voice" integration and they are the only ones who have that. The main difference, and biggest annoyance for me, is that when I send a text from my phone, it sends it from my phone's number, not my google voice number. On Sprint, this is a non-issue, everywhere else it is.

The other day I found an app, Messaging + Google Voice that solves the issue. You use it to complete replace the stock messaging app. Its $4.99 and takes about 2 minutes to set up, but now all of my texts are sent from my google voice number. This solves a lot of confusion for me, when I'd text someone from my Message app instead of GVoice.

Beyond that, its also very useful if your on a plan with low texting limits or a plan like Ting where you can pay less if you text less. You can set up the app to send texts over wifi and data only, hence not using the SMS function at all. Could save you Ting converts a few $ if you switch over to the app.

Does it send over sms if wifi isn't available? If so that sounds awesome.

I believe that is the default.ETA: I didn't actually set it up to send over wifi/data only as I have unlimited texting. If you do this, I think you do it outside of the app, maybe in the phone's settings itself or the google voice settings. The app is being used to avoid SMS fees, I saw many people mention that, but I didn't look at that aspect hard because I didn't need that function.

 

[The Dude]

Hey, Hulk, if you don't mind, can we do this one more time as my V contracts are up

$62 Verizon 700 talk, unlimited text

$17 dumb phone

$17 dumb phone

$51 iphone

$147

700 is plenty minutes; data requirements is small; need unlimited text as son is away at school - for same reason would want at least 1 smart phone ( iphone or similar quality)

Thanks