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

[Jaysus]

Leaving T Mobile (100 min/5G/$35 plan) for Net10, due to poor coverage in NoVA area.

which Net10 plan are you looking at?

Right now, doing the $50/Unlimited (2.5g) plan. May move up to ($60 - 3.5g or $75 5g) depending on my usage.

ETA: Went with AT&T, due to my recent bad luck with T-Mobile.

I just switched my wife to Net 10 yesterday. She's on the unlimited calls/texts + 500 MB for $40 plan. She was using her cell for work recently, and pushing her Ting bill up over $70 a month, so it was a no-brainer at this point.

Porting was a huge pain though. Net 10 customer service was okay... at least they spoke understandable english, but they seemed generally confused and transfered me from person to person like 8 times.

I know I have asked this before, but.... that's a hard cap on the 500MB, right?

Also, how do you pay for her plans? Auto re-up on the website, do they offer a discount for that? I think CallingMart has Net10. I am pretty sure that is the plan I want to move my wife to.

 

[(HULK)]

Leaving T Mobile (100 min/5G/$35 plan) for Net10, due to poor coverage in NoVA area.

which Net10 plan are you looking at?

Right now, doing the $50/Unlimited (2.5g) plan. May move up to ($60 - 3.5g or $75 5g) depending on my usage.

ETA: Went with AT&T, due to my recent bad luck with T-Mobile.

I just switched my wife to Net 10 yesterday. She's on the unlimited calls/texts + 500 MB for $40 plan. She was using her cell for work recently, and pushing her Ting bill up over $70 a month, so it was a no-brainer at this point.

Porting was a huge pain though. Net 10 customer service was okay... at least they spoke understandable english, but they seemed generally confused and transfered me from person to person like 8 times.

I know I have asked this before, but.... that's a hard cap on the 500MB, right?

Also, how do you pay for her plans? Auto re-up on the website, do they offer a discount for that? I think CallingMart has Net10. I am pretty sure that is the plan I want to move my wife to.

Its a soft cap... throttle to 2G after 500 MB. She'll never hit that cap anyways. He busiest month at Ting was like 350 MB. It was the voice minutes that had shot way up.

I haven't set up the auto re-up yet, but I will. No discount on this plan for it, but for the $50 and up plans, I believe its $5 off each month.

 

[Jaysus]

Any cheap Net10 SIMs floating around?

 

[Mr. Ected]

Any cheap Net10 SIMs floating around?

$7 here. Overnite shipping is free for the next week.

 

[Jaysus]

Any cheap Net10 SIMs floating around?

$7 here. Overnite shipping is free for the next week.

it says I need the $50 plan to activate it (in bold and everything)... but that just does not sound right.

 

[Mr. Ected]

Any cheap Net10 SIMs floating around?

$7 here. Overnite shipping is free for the next week.

it says I need the $50 plan to activate it (in bold and everything)... but that just does not sound right.

Later it says

NET10 SIM Card will only work with an AT&T or T-mobile compatible or unlocked GSM phone. To activate your service, you will need a NET10 Unlimited 30-Day Monthly Plan for activation. Some data services may not be available with all wireless devices. Blackberrys and branded TracFone, SafeLink, NET10 or Straight Talk phones will not work with this program. In order for your phone's data services to work, you must update your APN data settings, also called the Access Point Name. SIM Card and Service Plan are not refundable.

They ask you to pay for a month of the service up front, which if you are doing pre-paid, kinda makes sense. I bet you can do any of the Plans. I was able to get to the cart without selecting a plan; not sure how that would work for activation, tho.

 

[(HULK)]

Any cheap Net10 SIMs floating around?

$7 here. Overnite shipping is free for the next week.

it says I need the $50 plan to activate it (in bold and everything)... but that just does not sound right.

Bah, I did it with the $40 plan.

FYI, if you order a bundle from Net10 themselves (a card for the first month of the plan + the sim), then the sim is free.

 

[Jaysus]

Any cheap Net10 SIMs floating around?

$7 here. Overnite shipping is free for the next week.

it says I need the $50 plan to activate it (in bold and everything)... but that just does not sound right.

Later it says

NET10 SIM Card will only work with an AT&T or T-mobile compatible or unlocked GSM phone. To activate your service, you will need a NET10 Unlimited 30-Day Monthly Plan for activation. Some data services may not be available with all wireless devices. Blackberrys and branded TracFone, SafeLink, NET10 or Straight Talk phones will not work with this program. In order for your phone's data services to work, you must update your APN data settings, also called the Access Point Name. SIM Card and Service Plan are not refundable.

They ask you to pay for a month of the service up front, which if you are doing pre-paid, kinda makes sense. I bet you can do any of the Plans. I was able to get to the cart without selecting a plan; not sure how that would work for activation, tho.

Any cheap Net10 SIMs floating around?

$7 here. Overnite shipping is free for the next week.

it says I need the $50 plan to activate it (in bold and everything)... but that just does not sound right.

Bah, I did it with the $40 plan.

FYI, if you order a bundle from Net10 themselves (a card for the first month of the plan + the sim), then the sim is free.

Excellent - thanks!

 

[BlueDredSo]

HULK, have you heard about Straight Talk's issues with receiving MMS? I just switched over from the $30/month T-Mobile plan to Straight Talk $45 Unlimiited last week and still cannot receive MMS. I've looked everywhere and my APN settings are correct as far as I know. I even called Straight Talk yesterday and they did something saying if it doesn't work within 24 hours to call back. So far it's still not working. Very frustrating. The T-Mobile plan was great besides not having enough talk minutes. I get great data coverage with Straight Talk AT&T, but if MMS doesn't work I can't stick with it.

I've heard 2 other options so far: order a new SIM card which they'll ship for free, and if that doesn't work I have to completely factory reset my phone - which I really would like to avoid.

*edit - I can send MMS, send/receive SMS, make/receive calls, data works fine...

I've heard a lot of people have this difficulty, but that it will work with the correct APN settings. Try googling your phone + Straight Talk + APN + MMS and see whats out there.

Well, I've tried absolutely every APN settings possible, still no luck. I'm in the process of factory resetting my phone to see if that does the trick. If it doesn't, maybe a new SIM card will? If THAT still doesn't work...bye-bye Straight Talk

 

[(HULK)]

HULK, have you heard about Straight Talk's issues with receiving MMS? I just switched over from the $30/month T-Mobile plan to Straight Talk $45 Unlimiited last week and still cannot receive MMS. I've looked everywhere and my APN settings are correct as far as I know. I even called Straight Talk yesterday and they did something saying if it doesn't work within 24 hours to call back. So far it's still not working. Very frustrating. The T-Mobile plan was great besides not having enough talk minutes. I get great data coverage with Straight Talk AT&T, but if MMS doesn't work I can't stick with it.

I've heard 2 other options so far: order a new SIM card which they'll ship for free, and if that doesn't work I have to completely factory reset my phone - which I really would like to avoid.

*edit - I can send MMS, send/receive SMS, make/receive calls, data works fine...

I've heard a lot of people have this difficulty, but that it will work with the correct APN settings. Try googling your phone + Straight Talk + APN + MMS and see whats out there.

Well, I've tried absolutely every APN settings possible, still no luck. I'm in the process of factory resetting my phone to see if that does the trick. If it doesn't, maybe a new SIM card will? If THAT still doesn't work...bye-bye Straight Talk

If you fail, let me know and I'll run your requirements thru my database and see what shakes out.

 

[Dragons]

Is your website ready, Hulk?

On a town related Facebook group I belong to, someone asked a question about the best cell phone service in town. They all are discussing coverage, between ATT (decent), T-Mobile (craptacular), Verizon (best) and Sprint (non-existent), but also are mentioning pricing between ATT and Verizon. It would be the perfect time to drop the MVNO suggestion.

You get referrals, I get street cred. Set us up the website.

 

[(HULK)]

Is your website ready, Hulk?

On a town related Facebook group I belong to, someone asked a question about the best cell phone service in town. They all are discussing coverage, between ATT (decent), T-Mobile (craptacular), Verizon (best) and Sprint (non-existent), but also are mentioning pricing between ATT and Verizon. It would be the perfect time to drop the MVNO suggestion.

You get referrals, I get street cred. Set us up the website.

Getting real close. All the backend stuff is complete. Web developer is the front end now. Should be live before July is over barring an unforeseen set back. In the meantime, if you want to relay their requirements I can query my database for you.

 

[Random]

Are any of these plans 4G? We've been using page plus for 3 or 4 years, really like the service and price, but its time for new phones. We would prefer the 4G phones and dont really want to flash to 3G. Whats our options?

 

[Mr. Ected]

Are any of these plans 4G? We've been using page plus for 3 or 4 years, really like the service and price, but its time for new phones. We would prefer the 4G phones and dont really want to flash to 3G. Whats our options?

Hulk is better to answer this, but I just signed up onto Net10, and have unlimited data (first 2.5G @ 4G speed). I moved from T-Mobile where I had 4G speed (When I could get it). My leaving T-Mobile was due to poor coverage in my area. So far, coverage on Net10 is much better. Doing a drive up to Boston this week and will see how it goes.

 

[(HULK)]

Are any of these plans 4G? We've been using page plus for 3 or 4 years, really like the service and price, but its time for new phones. We would prefer the 4G phones and dont really want to flash to 3G. Whats our options?

Hulk is better to answer this, but I just signed up onto Net10, and have unlimited data (first 2.5G @ 4G speed). I moved from T-Mobile where I had 4G speed (When I could get it). My leaving T-Mobile was due to poor coverage in my area. So far, coverage on Net10 is much better. Doing a drive up to Boston this week and will see how it goes.

Depends on the plan, but plenty of MVNOs now offer LTE. I can use having it as a filter on my DB. What are your min/text/data requirements? And your zipcode?

 

[msudaisy26]

Hey Hulk, I know you are busy but you seem to be the expert here. Think you could help me out with switching? Mine and my husbands contract is up at the end of August. We use Sprint now, we have unlimited data and texts. I am not sure how much we use every month. Not sure if where you live matters, if it does we live in Michigan.

 

[(HULK)]

Hey Hulk, I know you are busy but you seem to be the expert here. Think you could help me out with switching? Mine and my husbands contract is up at the end of August. We use Sprint now, we have unlimited data and texts. I am not sure how much we use every month. Not sure if where you live matters, if it does we live in Michigan.

If you look at some past bills, you should be able to tell how many minutes, data, and texts you are using. That is key information for finding a plan that suits you properly. For example, if you only make 75 minutes of calls, paying for unlimited likely means you're paying for something you don't need.

Where you live does matter, as it impacts how well you're covered by the 4 big networks. If you're in an urban area, you're typically covered well enough by all 4, but if you're not, you may have a situation where one or two of them just don't have adequte coverage by you.

I can absolutely help. The first step is to dig up some old bills and to figure out what you actually need. Once you've got that, then we go from there.

 

[msudaisy26]

Hey Hulk, I know you are busy but you seem to be the expert here. Think you could help me out with switching? Mine and my husbands contract is up at the end of August. We use Sprint now, we have unlimited data and texts. I am not sure how much we use every month. Not sure if where you live matters, if it does we live in Michigan.

If you look at some past bills, you should be able to tell how many minutes, data, and texts you are using. That is key information for finding a plan that suits you properly. For example, if you only make 75 minutes of calls, paying for unlimited likely means you're paying for something you don't need.Where you live does matter, as it impacts how well you're covered by the 4 big networks. If you're in an urban area, you're typically covered well enough by all 4, but if you're not, you may have a situation where one or two of them just don't have adequte coverage by you.

I can absolutely help. The first step is to dig up some old bills and to figure out what you actually need. Once you've got that, then we go from there.

Thanks Hulk I will find some soon and I know we don't get good Sprint coverage, when we moved into this house we had to get a booster sent to us just so we could use our phones at home.

 

[(HULK)]

Hey Hulk, I know you are busy but you seem to be the expert here. Think you could help me out with switching? Mine and my husbands contract is up at the end of August. We use Sprint now, we have unlimited data and texts. I am not sure how much we use every month. Not sure if where you live matters, if it does we live in Michigan.

If you look at some past bills, you should be able to tell how many minutes, data, and texts you are using. That is key information for finding a plan that suits you properly. For example, if you only make 75 minutes of calls, paying for unlimited likely means you're paying for something you don't need.Where you live does matter, as it impacts how well you're covered by the 4 big networks. If you're in an urban area, you're typically covered well enough by all 4, but if you're not, you may have a situation where one or two of them just don't have adequte coverage by you.

I can absolutely help. The first step is to dig up some old bills and to figure out what you actually need. Once you've got that, then we go from there.

Thanks Hulk I will find some soon and I know we don't get good Sprint coverage, when we moved into this house we had to get a booster sent to us just so we could use our phones at home.

But its okay w/ the booster?

Do you know if your neighbors have good coverage with any of AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile?

 

[Random]

Are any of these plans 4G? We've been using page plus for 3 or 4 years, really like the service and price, but its time for new phones. We would prefer the 4G phones and dont really want to flash to 3G. Whats our options?

Hulk is better to answer this, but I just signed up onto Net10, and have unlimited data (first 2.5G @ 4G speed). I moved from T-Mobile where I had 4G speed (When I could get it). My leaving T-Mobile was due to poor coverage in my area. So far, coverage on Net10 is much better. Doing a drive up to Boston this week and will see how it goes.

Depends on the plan, but plenty of MVNOs now offer LTE. I can use having it as a filter on my DB. What are your min/text/data requirements? And your zipcode?

Appreciate that. We currently have the page plus $29.95 plan. It includes 1200 minutes, 3000 txts, and 500mb data. Those limits are fine. We dont mind paying a little more for unlimited data and LTE. 45302.

I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do in this thread. I had no idea there was a database. Cool!

 

[(HULK)]

Are any of these plans 4G? We've been using page plus for 3 or 4 years, really like the service and price, but its time for new phones. We would prefer the 4G phones and dont really want to flash to 3G. Whats our options?

Hulk is better to answer this, but I just signed up onto Net10, and have unlimited data (first 2.5G @ 4G speed). I moved from T-Mobile where I had 4G speed (When I could get it). My leaving T-Mobile was due to poor coverage in my area. So far, coverage on Net10 is much better. Doing a drive up to Boston this week and will see how it goes.

Depends on the plan, but plenty of MVNOs now offer LTE. I can use having it as a filter on my DB. What are your min/text/data requirements? And your zipcode?

Appreciate that. We currently have the page plus $29.95 plan. It includes 1200 minutes, 3000 txts, and 500mb data. Those limits are fine. We dont mind paying a little more for unlimited data and LTE. 45302.

I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do in this thread. I had no idea there was a database. Cool!

So, you're kinda midway between Ft. Wayne, Dayton, and Columbus? I have reports for all 3 of those cities. Basically coverage looks pretty decent. Sprint may be the weakest, but everything looks like it is at least okay.

You said "we". 2 phones? Each on that plan individually?

Looks like it would be cheaper to roll together. MetroPCS (T-Mobile coverage) would get you both on unlimited calls/texts + 500 MB of LTE per line for $70.

Oh, and if you don't want to spring for LTE, your existing plan is the correct plan.

 

[Random]

Thanks Hulk! Yes, two of us. We each pay 30/month, so 70/month total doesn't sound bad for LTE.

Side question. Where are you guys buying your phones? I'm cool with sticking with Android (HTC One, or Galaxy S?) but I think the wife is looking at iPhone. Not interested in paying 500 each for a phone, in the past we have just gone eBay.

 

[(HULK)]

Thanks Hulk! Yes, two of us. We each pay 30/month, so 70/month total doesn't sound bad for LTE.

Side question. Where are you guys buying your phones? I'm cool with sticking with Android (HTC One, or Galaxy S?) but I think the wife is looking at iPhone. Not interested in paying 500 each for a phone, in the past we have just gone eBay.

I bought myself a Nexus 4 about 18 months ago from Google Play. Nexus 5 is a very good phone available on there.

I bought my wife an unlocked Galaxy S4 on Ebay during a deal of the day type thing for $349. This was about 3 weeks ago.

Unfortunately, you're not going to find a cheap unlocked iPhone. Thats pretty much a unicorn. See if you can talk her into a Galaxy S4.

 

[Random]

So being on pageplus, we would have to get the S4 flashed (I dont even know what flashing is)? Basically we'd have to send it off to make it work on pageplus?

 

[(HULK)]

So being on pageplus, we would have to get the S4 flashed (I dont even know what flashing is)? Basically we'd have to send it off to make it work on pageplus?

That deal was for the GSM verison, I don't know if similar deals were available for the Verizon version.

Plus, if you do stick with PagePlus, there is no real reason to upgrade to LTE compatible phones, as PagePlus doesn't support it. Instead, I'd recommend the Moto G. I think thats only like $179 and its pretty decent.

 

[Random]

So being on pageplus, we would have to get the S4 flashed (I dont even know what flashing is)? Basically we'd have to send it off to make it work on pageplus?

That deal was for the GSM verison, I don't know if similar deals were available for the Verizon version.

Plus, if you do stick with PagePlus, there is no real reason to upgrade to LTE compatible phones, as PagePlus doesn't support it. Instead, I'd recommend the Moto G. I think thats only like $179 and its pretty decent.

We currently use the HTC Incredible 2.

 

[(HULK)]

So being on pageplus, we would have to get the S4 flashed (I dont even know what flashing is)? Basically we'd have to send it off to make it work on pageplus?

That deal was for the GSM verison, I don't know if similar deals were available for the Verizon version.

Plus, if you do stick with PagePlus, there is no real reason to upgrade to LTE compatible phones, as PagePlus doesn't support it. Instead, I'd recommend the Moto G. I think thats only like $179 and its pretty decent.

We currently use the HTC Incredible 2.

Yeah, the Moto G would be an upgrade. If you decide to stay off of LTE, I recommend it.

If you decide to switch to someone else w/ LTE, then get an LTE capabable phone, unlocked of course. Off hand, I'd say the following are all good values: Moto X ($349), Galaxy S4 ($349), Nexus 5 ($349), One+ One ($299), Moto G LTE ($229).

 

[Mr. Ected]

In the last several months, in an effort to switch away from the large $$$ I was paying to Verizon after 2 year contract and some extra time because I didn't want to give up my truly unlimited data plan, I switched to pre-paid. I bought an unlocked iPhone 5s (Apple fanatic) from Apple and went with T-Mobile on their $30 unlimited/unlimited/unlimited (5G @ 4G speed). I then added their hotspot for $15. Great plan if you have good T-Mobile reception; I don't. My neighborhood was spotty and when I went on a train ride to Chicago from DC, there were areas where I lost reception completely, same problem north to GB.

Did it for 2 months, after working with their support to see about correcting problems when I signed up and activated my phone. Not much better, so I switched to Net10 (AT&T side). For $50 ($45 auto-refill) Unlimited/Unlimited/Unlimited (2.5G @ 4G). So far after 2 or 3 weeks, it has been great. Not once have I lost service; I have gone down to 3G a couple times on a trip to MA, but that is not unexpected.

One silly question, if I am using data in an area where I am getting only 3G service, if I have not used up my monthly 4G allowance, does that count against the allowance? May be nitpicking, but...

Hulk your help has been wonderful, sorry to be a PITA sometimes with the tons of questions. When you have your site up, and if you have ads on it, I will plug the heck out of it!

 

[Hawks64]

Hey Hulk....is there a cheap provider out there for the 60148 zip that can use an old Verizon iPhone? Looking to get a phone for my kids to use when they are at practices and what not but VZW want's 40/mth for a basic phone. low minutes low data. would only be used for iMessage data with the occasional texting.

ETA the iPhone is the 4s

 

[(HULK)]

In the last several months, in an effort to switch away from the large $$$ I was paying to Verizon after 2 year contract and some extra time because I didn't want to give up my truly unlimited data plan, I switched to pre-paid. I bought an unlocked iPhone 5s (Apple fanatic) from Apple and went with T-Mobile on their $30 unlimited/unlimited/unlimited (5G @ 4G speed). I then added their hotspot for $15. Great plan if you have good T-Mobile reception; I don't. My neighborhood was spotty and when I went on a train ride to Chicago from DC, there were areas where I lost reception completely, same problem north to GB.

Did it for 2 months, after working with their support to see about correcting problems when I signed up and activated my phone. Not much better, so I switched to Net10 (AT&T side). For $50 ($45 auto-refill) Unlimited/Unlimited/Unlimited (2.5G @ 4G). So far after 2 or 3 weeks, it has been great. Not once have I lost service; I have gone down to 3G a couple times on a trip to MA, but that is not unexpected.

One silly question, if I am using data in an area where I am getting only 3G service, if I have not used up my monthly 4G allowance, does that count against the allowance? May be nitpicking, but...

Hulk your help has been wonderful, sorry to be a PITA sometimes with the tons of questions. When you have your site up, and if you have ads on it, I will plug the heck out of it!

I'm not 100% sure, but I think 3G data counts against the cap. Once you hit the cap, you're kicked to 2G anyways.

Site should be up before summer is over. Its been over a year trying to get it together, but working with a very limited budget and limited spare time, what can I expect. It will be monetized, but not through ads. Anyone who clicks through and ends up buying a plan somewhere should result in a small kickback for the site. I'm confident it will be the best calculator for this out there, but it is taking 4ever imo

 

[(HULK)]

Hey Hulk....is there a cheap provider out there for the 60148 zip that can use an old Verizon iPhone? Looking to get a phone for my kids to use when they are at practices and what not but VZW want's 40/mth for a basic phone. low minutes low data. would only be used for iMessage data with the occasional texting.

ETA the iPhone is the 4s

Unfortunately I managed to bug my DB, so I can't search this for you now. Offhand, I'm not sure you can use a Verizon iPhone anywhere other than Verizon. You *may* be able to activate it on Page Plus, but you'd need to call them to find out for sure. They do have some low usage plans that might fit.

 

[Hawks64]

Hey Hulk....is there a cheap provider out there for the 60148 zip that can use an old Verizon iPhone? Looking to get a phone for my kids to use when they are at practices and what not but VZW want's 40/mth for a basic phone. low minutes low data. would only be used for iMessage data with the occasional texting.

ETA the iPhone is the 4s

Unfortunately I managed to bug my DB, so I can't search this for you now. Offhand, I'm not sure you can use a Verizon iPhone anywhere other than Verizon. You *may* be able to activate it on Page Plus, but you'd need to call them to find out for sure. They do have some low usage plans that might fit.

of course I wouldn't be able to.....Thanks for pointing me at Page Plus. I'll look into it.

 

[rick6668]

Hey Hulk....is there a cheap provider out there for the 60148 zip that can use an old Verizon iPhone? Looking to get a phone for my kids to use when they are at practices and what not but VZW want's 40/mth for a basic phone. low minutes low data. would only be used for iMessage data with the occasional texting.

ETA the iPhone is the 4s

Unfortunately I managed to bug my DB, so I can't search this for you now. Offhand, I'm not sure you can use a Verizon iPhone anywhere other than Verizon. You *may* be able to activate it on Page Plus, but you'd need to call them to find out for sure. They do have some low usage plans that might fit.

of course I wouldn't be able to.....Thanks for pointing me at Page Plus. I'll look into it.

Seriously consider selling your phone and getting a sprint iphone 4s that will work on Ting. The cost for low minutes/low data with one phone will be like ~$12.

 

[(HULK)]

Bad news for anyone holding onto a Verizon "unlimited" plan. You're about to get throttled: http://www.droid-life.com/2014/07/25/verizon-makes-it-official-throttling-comes-to-unlimited-4g-lte-customers-in-october/

 

[Jaysus]

UPDATE: I ordered a $0.99 Net 10 SIM card today... but my order seems to not have been processed :( I think I am going to roll with their $40 plan for my wife going forward.

 

[rick6668]

Bad news for anyone holding onto a Verizon "unlimited" plan. You're about to get throttled: http://www.droid-life.com/2014/07/25/verizon-makes-it-official-throttling-comes-to-unlimited-4g-lte-customers-in-october/

So glad I sold mine.

 

[(HULK)]

UPDATE: I ordered a $0.99 Net 10 SIM card today... but my order seems to not have been processed :( I think I am going to roll with their $40 plan for my wife going forward.

Exactly what my wife is currently on. Set up was a bit of a pain, but once she was setup, its been good since.

 

[Jaysus]

UPDATE: I ordered a $0.99 Net 10 SIM card today... but my order seems to not have been processed :( I think I am going to roll with their $40 plan for my wife going forward.

Exactly what my wife is currently on. Set up was a bit of a pain, but once she was setup, its been good since.

I am being cheap and ordered the SIM through CallingMart... it looks like they just cut a regular sized SIM, but for 99 cents and free shipping I will take it.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Can't believe I never saw this thread before. Have been thinking a lot lately about triming back the cell bill, so this is perfect to look through. I think are bill is currently something stupid like $220/month through US Cellular.

1. My wife upgraded her phone a year ago to the Galaxy S4, I am currently rocking the the S2. I believe she has her old S3 lying around - Can I use that somehow?

2. If so, how do I clear/reset that phone?

 

[(HULK)]

Can't believe I never saw this thread before. Have been thinking a lot lately about triming back the cell bill, so this is perfect to look through. I think are bill is currently something stupid like $220/month through US Cellular.

1. My wife upgraded her phone a year ago to the Galaxy S4, I am currently rocking the the S2. I believe she has her old S3 lying around - Can I use that somehow?

2. If so, how do I clear/reset that phone?

oof, $220? When is your contact up? How many minutes, texts, and data so you actually use?I don't think US Cellular phones work on other carriers unfortunately. Good news is you can buy new phones and still be spending less, by a lot

 

[Jaysus]

UPDATE: I ordered a $0.99 Net 10 SIM card today... but my order seems to not have been processed :( I think I am going to roll with their $40 plan for my wife going forward.

Whoa, it showed up today, that was quick. 99 cents shipped is a nice price

 

[saintfool]

just an update here - i switched over from solavei officially to pageplus about 2 weeks ago. i rolling with the droid razr maxx and it's just okay. while i love the battery life - crazy good really - it's a little buggy with it being flashed over. i'm running android 4.1.2. and it's a little laggy. i had to disable a lot of the bloatware. otherwise, it's good for me with reliably good call quality and whatnot.

i saw that it looks like we'll be able to unlock any phone pretty soon (thank you, Obama!). would that mean i could upgrade to a more current version of android on P+?

 

[(HULK)]

just an update here - i switched over from solavei officially to pageplus about 2 weeks ago. i rolling with the droid razr maxx and it's just okay. while i love the battery life - crazy good really - it's a little buggy with it being flashed over. i'm running android 4.1.2. and it's a little laggy. i had to disable a lot of the bloatware. otherwise, it's good for me with reliably good call quality and whatnot.

i saw that it looks like we'll be able to unlock any phone pretty soon (thank you, Obama!). would that mean i could upgrade to a more current version of android on P+?

I keep reading that Verizon is about to end the ability for people to flash phones to their MVNOs. Not sure if this will impact those that have already moved over. But I would say the prognosis isn't good for doing an upgrade.

 

[saintfool]

just an update here - i switched over from solavei officially to pageplus about 2 weeks ago. i rolling with the droid razr maxx and it's just okay. while i love the battery life - crazy good really - it's a little buggy with it being flashed over. i'm running android 4.1.2. and it's a little laggy. i had to disable a lot of the bloatware. otherwise, it's good for me with reliably good call quality and whatnot.

i saw that it looks like we'll be able to unlock any phone pretty soon (thank you, Obama!). would that mean i could upgrade to a more current version of android on P+?

I keep reading that Verizon is about to end the ability for people to flash phones to their MVNOs. Not sure if this will impact those that have already moved over. But I would say the prognosis isn't good for doing an upgrade.

i'm seeing more phones that are improving their battery issues. G3 and Flex, for example, have batteries that are on par with the Maxx.

ETA - just saw a promo for the G3 on VZW. $100 for the piece with 2 yr agreement at BestBuy.

 

[(HULK)]

just an update here - i switched over from solavei officially to pageplus about 2 weeks ago. i rolling with the droid razr maxx and it's just okay. while i love the battery life - crazy good really - it's a little buggy with it being flashed over. i'm running android 4.1.2. and it's a little laggy. i had to disable a lot of the bloatware. otherwise, it's good for me with reliably good call quality and whatnot.

i saw that it looks like we'll be able to unlock any phone pretty soon (thank you, Obama!). would that mean i could upgrade to a more current version of android on P+?

I keep reading that Verizon is about to end the ability for people to flash phones to their MVNOs. Not sure if this will impact those that have already moved over. But I would say the prognosis isn't good for doing an upgrade.

i'm seeing more phones that are improving their battery issues. G3 and Flex, for example, have batteries that are on par with the Maxx.

ETA - just saw a promo for the G3 on VZW. $100 for the piece with 2 yr agreement at BestBuy.

I forget, are you forced by coverage issues to go with Verizon? They're far and away the most expensive and I wouldn't recommend going with them and especially not signing a contract with them.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Can't believe I never saw this thread before. Have been thinking a lot lately about triming back the cell bill, so this is perfect to look through. I think are bill is currently something stupid like $220/month through US Cellular.

1. My wife upgraded her phone a year ago to the Galaxy S4, I am currently rocking the the S2. I believe she has her old S3 lying around - Can I use that somehow?

2. If so, how do I clear/reset that phone?

oof, $220? When is your contact up? How many minutes, texts, and data so you actually use?I don't think US Cellular phones work on other carriers unfortunately. Good news is you can buy new phones and still be spending less, by a lot

So the Galaxys that we have wouldn't be "one carrier fits all?"

 

[(HULK)]

Can't believe I never saw this thread before. Have been thinking a lot lately about triming back the cell bill, so this is perfect to look through. I think are bill is currently something stupid like $220/month through US Cellular.

1. My wife upgraded her phone a year ago to the Galaxy S4, I am currently rocking the the S2. I believe she has her old S3 lying around - Can I use that somehow?

2. If so, how do I clear/reset that phone?

oof, $220? When is your contact up? How many minutes, texts, and data so you actually use?I don't think US Cellular phones work on other carriers unfortunately. Good news is you can buy new phones and still be spending less, by a lot

So the Galaxys that we have wouldn't be "one carrier fits all?"

You'd have to check the model and see what antennas it has and if it accepts SIM cards, but unless its a world phone version, its pretty likely it will only work on US Cellular.

 

[SacramentoBob]

Currently using StraightTalk on my Nexus 5. Decent so far, but they can be kind of weird. My first month I went over 2GB because I didn't have internet after my move and was using my phone as a hotspot often. This month, I'm at about 500MB for data and they sent me a text a week ago saying I was being throttled for excessive usage. Have been having lots of issues with Google Maps since then. According to OpenSignal, AT&T and Verizon should be about equal in this area.

Guess I'll wait to see what next month brings. My usage this month is 500MB data, 306 minutes, 900 SMS with 5 days to go.

 

[saintfool]

i'm not sticking with the Droid Razro Maxx. i don't know if it is because it's running an old android version or what but it seems laggy and temperamental. i'm going with a G2 (comparable battery life, so i don't lose that part) to see if there is any improvement. i'm sticking with Pageplus because this is already using VZW. i'll see if i can switch it over but i might hav to flash it, i guess..

 

[Jaysus]

It's official, my wife is on Net10 now... and holy wow, the AT&T coverage blows T-Mobile away at my house. If she had enough room on her phone to install the SpeedTest app, I would prove it