Save $ on cell service -- Ting Mobile / Solavei (+ other MVNOs) (1 Viewer)

[(HULK)]

Anything on Black Wireless in your DB Hulk? Thoughts on them?

Pretty decent if you want AT&T coverage and don't care about LTE.

You gearing up for when Android cuts off the support for the voip apps? Whats your usage like nowadays... if you're not talking WAY too much on your $30 T-Mo plan, just pay the per minute overage... especially if you're using close to the 5GBs they give you.

 

[Jaysus]

Still looking at an AT&T MVNO for my wife.

I have to start logging my VOIP minutes to see where I stand, but I think working from home for a couple weeks per month puts me in an "unlimited" type of situation.

I am *really* hoping that Hangouts comes through with an update similar to what they offer for iOS users that includes free Wi-fi calling. No idea why that is not currently an Android option

I have only exceeded 5GB once, I am closer to 3GB on most months.

 

[(HULK)]

Still looking at an AT&T MVNO for my wife.

I have to start logging my VOIP minutes to see where I stand, but I think working from home for a couple weeks per month puts me in an "unlimited" type of situation.

I am *really* hoping that Hangouts comes through with an update similar to what they offer for iOS users that includes free Wi-fi calling. No idea why that is not currently an Android option

I have only exceeded 5GB once, I am closer to 3GB on most months.

That'd be $60 on Black.

What is your wife's usage? I'll run it through my new fancy schmancy query engine.

 

[Jaysus]

No idea, but approximately eleventy billion minutes of talk and text per month and probably about 500mb data.

 

[(HULK)]

No idea, but approximately eleventy billion minutes of talk and text per month and probably about 500mb data.

anystrongcarrierpreferences?

 

[Mr. Ected]

Correct me if I am wrong, but if I bought an unlocked phone from scratch, and I go onto a new non-contract provider and I find I am not happy with the coverage, I can switch to another fairly easy. As long as it is GSM. Which means basically all but Verizon.

 

[(HULK)]

Correct me if I am wrong, but if I bought an unlocked phone from scratch, and I go onto a new non-contract provider and I find I am not happy with the coverage, I can switch to another fairly easy. As long as it is GSM. Which means basically all but Verizon.

Yes. All but Verizon and Sprint.

 

[Henry Ford]

Just got my phone bill from Ting with both my wife and I on it. Formerly $130 per month. Bill this month was under $50.

 

[the moops]

anyone try out republic wireless? can get the moto x for 299 and have unlimited everything plan for 40 bucks.

 

[(HULK)]

anyone try out republic wireless? can get the moto x for 299 and have unlimited everything plan for 40 bucks.

I have a buddy in Seattle who has that setup and he loves it.

 

[the moops]

I keep going way over on my talk minutes on my 30 dollar t mobile plan. thinking about selling my nexus 5 and going with the moto x on republic.

rumor is the moto g will be on there by the end of the month. may even go cheap and go that route. no 4g on the g so I would only be paying 25 a month.

 

[(HULK)]

No idea, but approximately eleventy billion minutes of talk and text per month and probably about 500mb data.

FYI, the cheapest for this level of service is Republic Wireless ($25). Of course, wifi first for calls, but apparently their tech is pretty decent now. Sprint when off of wifi.

On AT&T's network, several come in @ the $30 price point with unlimited calls/texts + 500MB. AirVoice Wireless, Black Wireless, H20 Wireless, Skyview Wireless, and GHz Wireless.

On T-Mobile, best one would be 35orless, which costs $35 a month (or less, lol). Most months it runs in the high $20s.

If you need Verizon's network its $39.95 @ Page Plus (and their slow CDMA 3G also).

 

[(HULK)]

I keep going way over on my talk minutes on my 30 dollar t mobile plan. thinking about selling my nexus 5 and going with the moto x on republic.

rumor is the moto g will be on there by the end of the month. may even go cheap and go that route. no 4g on the g so I would only be paying 25 a month.

Bear in mind Sprint's 3G is CDMA and about 1 MBps. Not fast.

 

[Jaysus]

No idea, but approximately eleventy billion minutes of talk and text per month and probably about 500mb data.

FYI, the cheapest for this level of service is Republic Wireless ($25). Of course, wifi first for calls, but apparently their tech is pretty decent now. Sprint when off of wifi.

On AT&T's network, several come in @ the $30 price point with unlimited calls/texts + 500MB. AirVoice Wireless, Black Wireless, H20 Wireless, Skyview Wireless, and GHz Wireless.

On T-Mobile, best one would be 35orless, which costs $35 a month (or less, lol). Most months it runs in the high $20s.

If you need Verizon's network its $39.95 @ Page Plus (and their slow CDMA 3G also).

Thanks, I'd really like to get my wife on an AT&T MVNO, but I am fine with which ever is the cheapest.

P.S. 35orless confused me when I was checking them out a little while ago.

ETA: any hard data caps on the AT&T MVNOs listed above?

 

[(HULK)]

No idea, but approximately eleventy billion minutes of talk and text per month and probably about 500mb data.

FYI, the cheapest for this level of service is Republic Wireless ($25). Of course, wifi first for calls, but apparently their tech is pretty decent now. Sprint when off of wifi.

On AT&T's network, several come in @ the $30 price point with unlimited calls/texts + 500MB. AirVoice Wireless, Black Wireless, H20 Wireless, Skyview Wireless, and GHz Wireless.

On T-Mobile, best one would be 35orless, which costs $35 a month (or less, lol). Most months it runs in the high $20s.

If you need Verizon's network its $39.95 @ Page Plus (and their slow CDMA 3G also).

Thanks, I'd really like to get my wife on an AT&T MVNO, but I am fine with which ever is the cheapest.

P.S. 35orless confused me when I was checking them out a little while ago.

ETA: any hard data caps on the AT&T MVNOs listed above?

-35orless is a simple premise. Its $35 for their plan, and then for every X ammount of people that switch to them each month, the price drops by $Y. So, it ends up costing less each month as people join.

-All of them either shut down at the cap or charge you for more data. They're not "unlimited" 2G.

 

[Knocks]

Slight hijack...

Very igonrant to all the talk in here, other than I want to lower my costs. We have 3 devices on our Sprint plan, all dumb phones, and one IPad. We access the web through DSL (ATT).

I am considering losing the ATT DSL in favor of going smart phones and adding the IPad as an additional device. Is that doable or am I off the rail. My wife and I do txt and talk on the phones but I think its not at any crazy wild levels, avg around 10 texts per day? Any opinion.

 

[Jaysus]

What the hell Airvoice?

To prevent fraudulent activity on the $30 plan, you will receive 250 MB of data at the time that you add your refill card. Once you complete your 250 MB of data, you must contact customer service at 1-888-944-2355 to apply the other 250 MB to your account

 

[(HULK)]

What the hell Airvoice?

To prevent fraudulent activity on the $30 plan, you will receive 250 MB of data at the time that you add your refill card. Once you complete your 250 MB of data, you must contact customer service at 1-888-944-2355 to apply the other 250 MB to your account

Oof. Skip em and go to the next one.

 

[(HULK)]

Slight hijack...

Very igonrant to all the talk in here, other than I want to lower my costs. We have 3 devices on our Sprint plan, all dumb phones, and one IPad. We access the web through DSL (ATT).

I am considering losing the ATT DSL in favor of going smart phones and adding the IPad as an additional device. Is that doable or am I off the rail. My wife and I do txt and talk on the phones but I think its not at any crazy wild levels, avg around 10 texts per day? Any opinion.

Okay, if you're getting your data via dsl/wifi, then that is probably cheaper than getting everyone smartphones and getting data individually. FYI, you can get smartphones with little to no data on the plan and use the DSL/wifi for data and that would probably be cheapest.

I guess, lets start w/ the basics. What are you paying Sprint and what are you paying for DSL? Also, rough estimates of the minutes and texts used each month (for each user, ie you, wife, the other one), and what kind of data usage you think you'd use on your phone?

 

[Mr. Ected]

Ever heard of Lycamobile? Saw a reference when looking at 35orLess.

Do I have 35orLess understood correctly? For budgeting purposes, you expect $35 + extras per month and the $35 portion can fall a bit depending on users? So you plan on the high total and get pleased when the amount is lower? The amount right now is ~$29, if the month ended today, is that what you would pay for March?

 

[the moops]

yes. from my reading the most you would pay is 35 a month for unlimited talk/text/data. the more people that sign up the lower the monthly cost is

 

[(HULK)]

Lycamobile has been in the US for a few months. They've been in Europe for years. I don't know anyone with firsthand experience with them though.

 

[Mr. Ected]

What are the ballpark taxes for something like the $35orLess? If you did the $35 + 25 for data (Unlimited + 2.5g of tethering incl). Just trying to budget.

 

[(HULK)]

What are the ballpark taxes for something like the $35orLess? If you did the $35 + 25 for data (Unlimited + 2.5g of tethering incl). Just trying to budget.

Depends on where you live. What are you taxes with your current provider. They'd be about the same.

 

[kardplayer]

anyone try out republic wireless? can get the moto x for 299 and have unlimited everything plan for 40 bucks.

We've been on republic for over a year - me, mrs., mom... we all like it.

 

[Mr. Ected]

What are the ballpark taxes for something like the $35orLess? If you did the $35 + 25 for data (Unlimited + 2.5g of tethering incl). Just trying to budget.

Depends on where you live. What are you taxes with your current provider. They'd be about the same.

Sent an email to 35orLess about this and was shocked at the response time. First answer came within 30 minutes and second response came 4 minutes. WOW!

Here is their response to taxes on their $35 + 25 for data (Unlimited + 2.5g of tethering incl) plan:

Right now on the initial buy all fees and surcharges are included. The rebill we charge surcharge, fees, 911 USAC, etc. Right now those fees come in around $2.50 (since live plan is a variable it's not exact). At the moment, I don't have what the change in fees will be the 4G LTE uplift on the rebill. (These plans were just added) I think what we are going to do this month is leave the fees the same (if it costs more we will just pay the extra charges) and get with proper agency and see what changes if any need to be made.

My second question was about state taxes/fees.

No, Until the online tax law changes since we have no operations in the state of VA- no sales tax.

Makes for a nice little bit of savings too!

I was pleasantly surprised by their response time. Nice selling point! Makes me feel more comfortable to maybe move there.

 

[(HULK)]

What are the ballpark taxes for something like the $35orLess? If you did the $35 + 25 for data (Unlimited + 2.5g of tethering incl). Just trying to budget.

Depends on where you live. What are you taxes with your current provider. They'd be about the same.

Sent an email to 35orLess about this and was shocked at the response time. First answer came within 30 minutes and second response came 4 minutes. WOW!

Here is their response to taxes on their $35 + 25 for data (Unlimited + 2.5g of tethering incl) plan:

Right now on the initial buy all fees and surcharges are included. The rebill we charge surcharge, fees, 911 USAC, etc. Right now those fees come in around $2.50 (since live plan is a variable it's not exact). At the moment, I don't have what the change in fees will be the 4G LTE uplift on the rebill. (These plans were just added) I think what we are going to do this month is leave the fees the same (if it costs more we will just pay the extra charges) and get with proper agency and see what changes if any need to be made.

My second question was about state taxes/fees.

No, Until the online tax law changes since we have no operations in the state of VA- no sales tax.

Makes for a nice little bit of savings too!

I was pleasantly surprised by their response time. Nice selling point! Makes me feel more comfortable to maybe move there.

Bolded makes them seem like a company that is putting the customer first. Good. Give them a whirl, if it doesn't work out, you can always find another provider.

 

[Corporation]

Hey trying to help my sister in law. She is in Orange Beach AL 36561. She and her husband currently use Verizon and have 2 smartphones and something she calls a jetpack for her home internet. I think her bill is north of $200. She says T Mobile is awful in her area but not sure about ATT and Sprint. She would like to get a new phone as well but I'm not sure that is a necessity.

What is her most economical route? I think they have a 6GB bucket on the phones and maybe 10 on the jetpack. Perhaps tether the phones when they need to use the home computer? I can ask her for more details if needed. Thanks!

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I have been the one fighting with Verizon for a couple of years but my wife loves the coverage (and it is better). They continue to increase prices, add contract time when the rep says the change won't add contract time, etc. My wife refused to change.

She questioned why the bill went from $215 to $280 since we had only added an ipad since the initial amount. Well after an hour and a half and much frustration and escalation, she was mistreated and got nowhere. I now have a strong ally to dump this mother####ing Verizon as soon as possible (we have varying contract date limitations.

ATT is probably the only consideration with Sprint a way distant third based on coverage in our area. Verizon has us and they know it. Butt - ####'em anyway.

 

[(HULK)]

Hey trying to help my sister in law. She is in Orange Beach AL 36561. She and her husband currently use Verizon and have 2 smartphones and something she calls a jetpack for her home internet. I think her bill is north of $200. She says T Mobile is awful in her area but not sure about ATT and Sprint. She would like to get a new phone as well but I'm not sure that is a necessity.

What is her most economical route? I think they have a 6GB bucket on the phones and maybe 10 on the jetpack. Perhaps tether the phones when they need to use the home computer? I can ask her for more details if needed. Thanks!

I had to look it up, the Jetpack is a mifi hotspot. The way their plans are now, if they kept just the jetpack and had 10 GB on it, it'd cost them $80 a month. If this is being used for their home internet, it is ridiculously expensive. It would only make sense to have something like this if they needed the portability aspect. Otherwise, they should almost certainly switch to cable internet via whoever is in their area and get a wifi router. It would cost 1/2 as much, be unlimited, and be faster.

For example, if they switched their home internet to Comcast (just internet), they could get unlimited 50 MBps (easily twice as fast as Verizon's LTE) for $60 a month. If they already have cable or whatever and bundle, it gets cheaper. The Jetpack doesn't make a lot of sense. Furthermore, with cable internet + wifi, they can use wifi when at home and drastically cut usage for data on their smartphones, enabling them to find cheaper plans.

As for coverage, what I'm seeing is that for Orange Beach, Verizon is the best, followed by Sprint, then T-Mo, with AT&T in last. Looking at RootMetric's data, in nearby Mobile, both AT&T and Verizon rate as excellent, Sprint as good, and T-Mobile only as fair. The same holds true for Pensicola. My guess is that they'd be fine with anything on Verizon, Sprint, and probably AT&T. T-Mobile is probably iffy and should be avoided.

If you can let me know how many minutes and texts each phone uses (and data each individual line uses), I can run a query and see what I can figure out for them. Let me know.

 

[(HULK)]

I have been the one fighting with Verizon for a couple of years but my wife loves the coverage (and it is better). They continue to increase prices, add contract time when the rep says the change won't add contract time, etc. My wife refused to change.

She questioned why the bill went from $215 to $280 since we had only added an ipad since the initial amount. Well after an hour and a half and much frustration and escalation, she was mistreated and got nowhere. I now have a strong ally to dump this mother####ing Verizon as soon as possible (we have varying contract date limitations.

ATT is probably the only consideration with Sprint a way distant third based on coverage in our area. Verizon has us and they know it. Butt - ####'em anyway.

Zipcode, mins/text/data used on each device, and I'll help you figure it out.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I have been the one fighting with Verizon for a couple of years but my wife loves the coverage (and it is better). They continue to increase prices, add contract time when the rep says the change won't add contract time, etc. My wife refused to change.

She questioned why the bill went from $215 to $280 since we had only added an ipad since the initial amount. Well after an hour and a half and much frustration and escalation, she was mistreated and got nowhere. I now have a strong ally to dump this mother####ing Verizon as soon as possible (we have varying contract date limitations.

ATT is probably the only consideration with Sprint a way distant third based on coverage in our area. Verizon has us and they know it. Butt - ####'em anyway.

Zipcode, mins/text/data used on each device, and I'll help you figure it out.

Thanks - will PM you.

 

[Paulymaggs]

Hey Hulk

Any insight into why Ting continues to stick with Sprint as their backbone?

For those that don't know, Sprint phones are damn near worthless in the aftermarket (no sim cards, alot of work needed to deactivate so the new owner can activate, etc).

Service wise it's not bad in the Southern/SE US, but definitely not worth the headache that comes with their device policies.

I think Ting's a great company held back by this horrendous decision to not venture out of the Sprint backbone.

 

[the moops]

Getting an ATT Moto X and using it on T-Mobile is a bad idea, right? Reading that unless you are in an area that T-Mobile has upgraded, you will have some issues.

Looking at the Moto X for the wife. We are on T-Mobile $30 unlimited text/data 100 min talk (we both are), but she uses over 100 minutes of talk, and only like 100 MB of data (if that). Probably better off going with some ATT plan from one of the ones you listed above? Airvoice, Black, H2O, etc. Any opinions on which one of those to look at?

 

[(HULK)]

Hey Hulk

Any insight into why Ting continues to stick with Sprint as their backbone?

For those that don't know, Sprint phones are damn near worthless in the aftermarket (no sim cards, alot of work needed to deactivate so the new owner can activate, etc).

Service wise it's not bad in the Southern/SE US, but definitely not worth the headache that comes with their device policies.

I think Ting's a great company held back by this horrendous decision to not venture out of the Sprint backbone.

noidea.

 

[(HULK)]

Getting an ATT Moto X and using it on T-Mobile is a bad idea, right? Reading that unless you are in an area that T-Mobile has upgraded, you will have some issues.

Looking at the Moto X for the wife. We are on T-Mobile $30 unlimited text/data 100 min talk (we both are), but she uses over 100 minutes of talk, and only like 100 MB of data (if that). Probably better off going with some ATT plan from one of the ones you listed above? Airvoice, Black, H2O, etc. Any opinions on which one of those to look at?

I think T-Mobile finished their network upgrade so it shouldn't make a difference anymore. Need to double check that though.If she only uses 100 mb there are as ton of inexpensive at&t options

 

[chauncey]

Hulk, I've had N4 on T-Mobile $70 prepaid for year now, no complaints. Just moved and new house doesn't like T-Mobile so thinking of switching to Verizon. Are their mvnos any good and is the moto x close enough to the nexus in performance that I won't mind switching? Any word on Verizon and N5?

Feel free to tell my lazy ### to Google it if you want.

 

[(HULK)]

Hulk, I've had N4 on T-Mobile $70 prepaid for year now, no complaints. Just moved and new house doesn't like T-Mobile so thinking of switching to Verizon. Are their mvnos any good and is the moto x close enough to the nexus in performance that I won't mind switching? Any word on Verizon and N5?

Feel free to tell my lazy ### to Google it if you want.

n5 will never be on Verizon. Moto X is a good phone from what I hear.What it's your new zip code?

 

[Mr. Ected]

Hulk - Any thoughts on this article?

This is why Verizon gets away with charging customers more money

Verizon has been the one carrier that’s most resisted the T-Mobile-led wireless pricing wars of the past few months and now we can see why. RootMetrics has posted the results of its massive study of wireless voice, SMS and data quality and has found that Verizon is besting its rivals for overall quality in 35 of 50 states and its tied for first place with AT&T in 10 more. This means that Verizon came in either first place or was tied for first place for overall performance in 45 out of 50 states in the U.S.


Nationwide, RootMetrics found that Verizon had the best overall reliability, the best data performance, the best call quality and the best text message performance. The one area where Verizon lagged behind rival AT&T was in terms of average data speeds, although its score was so close to AT&T’s that it could have easily won there as well.

What becomes really clear when looking at RootMetrics’ study, though, is that there’s an enormous gap in network quality between the twin titans of Verizon and AT&T and the smaller players such as Sprint and T-Mobile. According to RootMetrics, John Legere’s scrappy “Uncarrier” has the worst reliability, the worst data performance, the worst call performance and the worst text performance. In fact, the only area where T-Mobile didn’t finish in last place was in wireless data speeds, where it handily beat Sprint’s infamously slow 4G network.

RootMetrics’s huge study is remarkably comprehensive: Not only did the firm go to all 50 states to test wireless services but it also “visited 6,300 indoor locations, and collected more than 4.6 million test samples” as well. The firm’s full press release follows below.

RootMetrics Issues First-ever National RootScore® Report On Consumer Experience of Mobile Carrier Performance

Extensive Performance Study Shows a Tight Race Between Verizon, AT&T in the U.S.

RootMetrics, an independent mobile analytics firm, announced today its National RootScore® Report, a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive report on consumer experience of mobile performance across the United States. While visiting all 50 states, RootMetrics drove nearly 220,000 miles, visited 6,300 indoor locations, and collected more than 4.6 million test samples. The new report provides a statistical characterization of nationwide mobile performance and is, quite simply, the most thorough mobile performance study ever undertaken.

“There’s a staggering amount of marketing noise out there, making it very easy for consumers to get lost,” said Bill Moore, CEO of RootMetrics. “In such a confusing landscape, consumers are in need of clear, unbiased information. And, that’s exactly what we’re providing with our RootScore Report program. We give depth and transparency to how consumers really experience networks to help people make the most informed decisions about their mobile services.”

The national report provides a full breakdown of how each network performed across data, call, and text testing, as well as which network was the most reliable and which was fastest overall. The company’s suite of National, State, Metro and Airport RootScore Reports provides the most holistic, nation-to-neighborhood view of mobile network performance available.

National Report Findings

It’s a tight race between Verizon and AT&T, with the other two networks trailing by a wide margin. Verizon won the Overall Performance RootScore award, which includes reliability and speed assessments across call, data, and text testing. A good Overall RootScore means good overall coverage and a good consumer experience.

National RootScore overall performance rankings:
1 – Verizon (RootScore: 89.7)
2 – AT&T (RootScore: 86.2)
3 – Sprint (RootScore: 68.2)
4 – T-Mobile (RootScore: 64.3)

Good coverage is a combination of reliability and speed. To give consumers a view of these key coverage elements, each RootScore Report also includes a Reliability Index and a Speed index. Based on a combination of results from data, call, and text tests, the Reliability Index evaluates network access and consistency, while the Speed Index evaluates time to task completion across data and text results.

Across the U.S., Verizon ranked highest in network reliability, while AT&T edged ahead of Verizon in network speed.

Reliability Index rankings:
1 – Verizon (Reliability Score: 89.8)
2 – AT&T (Reliability Score: 84.9)
3 – Sprint (Reliability Score: 65.2)
4 – T-Mobile (Reliability Score: 57.1)

Speed Index rankings:
1 – AT&T (Speed Score: 88.7)
2 – Verizon (Speed Score: 88.5)
3 – T-Mobile (Speed Score: 74.3)
4 – Sprint (Speed Score: 65.8)

Data RootScore rankings:
1 – Verizon (RootScore: 87.3)
2 – AT&T (RootScore: 83.9)
3 – Sprint (RootScore: 51.2)
4 – T-Mobile (RootScore: 48.7)

Call RootScore rankings:
1 – Verizon (RootScore: 91.1)
2 – AT&T (RootScore: 86.6)
3 – Sprint (RootScore: 79.6)
4 – T-Mobile (RootScore: 74.1)

Text RootScore rankings:
1 – Verizon (RootScore: 94.7)
2 – AT&T (RootScore: 94.3)
3 – Sprint (RootScore: 92.8)
4 – T-Mobile (RootScore: 90.1)

Looking at the network reliability and speed indices in conjunction with the other RootScore categories offers the most comprehensive look at a typical mobile experience.

For more visit: http://rootmetrics.com/rsr/summary/usa.

Just curious about what that means for MVNOs.

ETA: Cleaned up article

 

[(HULK)]

For one, it's scores are indexed against each other. So, it may make it seem like a network is worse than it really is.

For two, Verizon has the best overall coverage, but coverage only really matters where you are. Personally, I don't give at all about how they have coverage in the boonies of west Virginia and T-Mobile doesn't.

Some people in some areas really have no choice but Verizon. But most people live in population centers, and The truth is all 4 have decent enough coverage in pretty much all population centers at this point.

Ultimately, it comes down to where a person lives, works, and commutes. If you're only covered by Verizon you're stuck with them and basically paying monopoly prices. If you live in a city, you're burning money if you're with Verizon.

 

[(HULK)]

FYI, iPhone 5 coming to Ting next week?

 

[the moops]

hey hulk. thanks for all your work in here. am I missing something though? sprint has pretty spotty coverage inany places right? why aren't the 30 dollar att prepaid or the 35 or less on T-Mobile viewed as better deals for most people than Ting or Solavei?

 

[the moops]

OK. that makes sense. but what about all the 30 a month on ATT ones that Hulk listed on the previous page?

 

[(HULK)]

hey hulk. thanks for all your work in here. am I missing something though? sprint has pretty spotty coverage inany places right? why aren't the 30 dollar att prepaid or the 35 or less on T-Mobile viewed as better deals for most people than Ting or Solavei?

Maybe I should update the thread title? There are lots of good deals, not just those 2. And frankly Solavei isn't the deal it used to be. Really this about finding the best fit for your personal needs, that what this thread eventually morphed too. Tying is a pretty common fit still though.Will take title change suggestions.

BTW, my website to automate this is getting very close to launch. I have a working database and query engine, interface wireframe will be done in the next few days... All that's left is to make it pretty and a few behind the scenes nit noids.

 

[(HULK)]

OK. that makes sense. but what about all the 30 a month on ATT ones that Hulk listed on the previous page?

Here's the thing. Coverage is really a local experience. Which deal is best is entirely subjective and based on how you're using your phone. I rated this thread over a year ago when I first found Ting. It's really morphed a lot since then. Part of me is hesitant to change the title though, not sure what to call it. And I miss subtitles.

 

[Mr. Ected]

FYI, iPhone 5 coming to Ting next week

Hey Hulk,

With this quote from Ting:

As of Tuesday afternoon next week (March 11, 2014), a compatible* iPhone 5 will be able to activate on Ting. We’ll be communicating all the gory details at that time. For right now, we only mention it so that if you’re thinking of coming to Ting and you’ve got your eye on an iPhone 4 or 4S, you’re aware that there will soon be other options. Forewarned is four-armed, as the saying almost goes.

and their definition of 'compatible' as 'an inactive, used Sprint device that hasn’t been reported as lost, stolen or coming from a Sprint account in arrears.' Would an unlocked new sim-free phone from Apple work?

I like Ting, they would drop almost $20/month from 35orless with the tethering/high data option ($60) and something makes me think Sprint is a better option than T-Mobile. Is that correct?

 

[(HULK)]

FYI, iPhone 5 coming to Ting next week

Hey Hulk,

With this quote from Ting:

As of Tuesday afternoon next week (March 11, 2014), a compatible* iPhone 5 will be able to activate on Ting. Well be communicating all the gory details at that time. For right now, we only mention it so that if youre thinking of coming to Ting and youve got your eye on an iPhone 4 or 4S, youre aware that there will soon be other options. Forewarned is four-armed, as the saying almost goes.

and their definition of 'compatible' as 'an inactive, used Sprint device that hasnt been reported as lost, stolen or coming from a Sprint account in arrears.' Would an unlocked new sim-free phone from Apple work?

I like Ting, they would drop almost $20/month from 35orless with the tethering/high data option ($60) and something makes me think Sprint is a better option than T-Mobile. Is that correct?

I think so, but call them to be sure. FYI, they pick up when you call them, no automated robots.Whether Sprint or T-Mobile is better depends entirely where you live. Check out Root Metrics, Open Signal, or the FCC's new app to get a picture of your local coverage.

 

[Polish Hammer]

For AT&T coverage, what are the MVNO options? Ideally looking for unlimited texts, a reasonable number of minutes, and about 500 MB of data should be plenty (per user). Wife and I currently have a GS3 and N5 and like the coverage/speed we have now. LTE coverage would be a plus.

 

[the moops]

hulk posted them on the last page. there are quite a few that are 30 a month for exactly what you are looking at. unlimited text and talk, 500 mb data

h20 wireless was one of them. ctrl-f that on the previous page and you should find his post.

 

[(HULK)]

No idea, but approximately eleventy billion minutes of talk and text per month and probably about 500mb data.

FYI, the cheapest for this level of service is Republic Wireless ($25). Of course, wifi first for calls, but apparently their tech is pretty decent now. Sprint when off of wifi.

On AT&T's network, several come in @ the $30 price point with unlimited calls/texts + 500MB. AirVoice Wireless, Black Wireless, H20 Wireless, Skyview Wireless, and GHz Wireless.

On T-Mobile, best one would be 35orless, which costs $35 a month (or less, lol). Most months it runs in the high $20s.

If you need Verizon's network its $39.95 @ Page Plus (and their slow CDMA 3G also).

bump for polish hammer. None of them have LTE though. It's hspa+21, so it's about 6mbps real world download speed