Save $ on cell service -- Ting Mobile / Solavei (+ other MVNOs) (2 Viewers)

[pollardsvision]

I badly wanted to break free on principal, but I stuck with the Verizon overlords.

They gave me $50 unlimited talk/text and 1GB data plan ($60 for a 2GB option) and a 16GB Moto X for a penny.

Reviews seem like that's about as close to stock Android as I might find on a Verizon phone.

 

[[icon]]

Going to be upgrading to the iPhone 6 in a week when it comes out. Currently with CSpire (out of contract) with my iPhone 5. Looking to get out of CSpire in spite of the cheap pricing ($65 all in with handset insurance, taxes, 500 min talk, unlimited text and data) because they're STILL only 3G in the Memphis market with no plans for an LTE roll out on the horizon.

My Specs:

• ~300 talk on average. Max 500 is fine.

• LOTS of texts (need unlimited)

• Moderate data consumer (~1.5-2GB/mo on average. Rarely above 2GB). However once 4G I can see my consumption increasing a bit.

COVERAGE: I MUST have coverage everywhere possible (even remote areas). I travel a good bit and spend a bit of time in the woods camping/jeeping/etc and having signal is important to me. For that reason I don't think TMobile will work.

SPEED: I'm looking to finally get 4G speeds out of my phone. I'm not too worried about slight differences in speed overall (I know certain networks are faster in certain cities).

OPTIONS AS I SEE THEM?

ATT : $80/mo + Taxes/fees for Subsidized Phone (2yr contract) and 2GB plan ($15/GB overage)?
VERIZON: $60/mo + Taxes/fees for Subsidized Phone (2yr contrat) and 2GB plan ($15/GB Overage)?

I was skeptical of the verizon $60 plan including subsidized phone but I chatted with service agent and they said it did . If that's so, it seems to be a no brainer...

T-MOBILE: Large stretches of zero coverage in rural areas makes me nervous.
SPRINT: Don't know much about them?

 

[Brady Marino]

Going to be upgrading to the iPhone 6 in a week when it comes out. Currently with CSpire (out of contract) with my iPhone 5. Looking to get out of CSpire in spite of the cheap pricing ($65 all in with handset insurance, taxes, 500 min talk, unlimited text and data) because they're STILL only 3G in the Memphis market with no plans for an LTE roll out on the horizon.

My Specs:

• ~300 talk on average. Max 500 is fine.

• LOTS of texts (need unlimited)

• Moderate data consumer (~1.5-2GB/mo on average. Rarely above 2GB). However once 4G I can see my consumption increasing a bit.

COVERAGE: I MUST have coverage everywhere possible (even remote areas). I travel a good bit and spend a bit of time in the woods camping/jeeping/etc and having signal is important to me. For that reason I don't think TMobile will work.

SPEED: I'm looking to finally get 4G speeds out of my phone. I'm not too worried about slight differences in speed overall (I know certain networks are faster in certain cities).

OPTIONS AS I SEE THEM?

ATT : $80/mo + Taxes/fees for Subsidized Phone (2yr contract) and 2GB plan ($15/GB overage)?

VERIZON: $60/mo + Taxes/fees for Subsidized Phone (2yr contrat) and 2GB plan ($15/GB Overage)?

I was skeptical of the verizon $60 plan including subsidized phone but I chatted with service agent and they said it did . If that's so, it seems to be a no brainer...

T-MOBILE: Large stretches of zero coverage in rural areas makes me nervous.

SPRINT: Don't know much about them?

Look into Republic Wireless. They run on Sprint, the Moto X is solid, and I pay $40 for unlimited everything.

 

[[icon]]

Look into Republic Wireless. They run on Sprint, the Moto X is solid, and I pay $40 for unlimited everything.

Thanks but I am definitely am locked into the Apple Ecosystem (by choice) and have no interest in an Android device so that's not really an option either.

I'm also hesitant to use a piggyback provider as I'm nervous about connectivity while travelling

 

[Brady Marino]

Look into Republic Wireless. They run on Sprint, the Moto X is solid, and I pay $40 for unlimited everything.

Thanks but I am definitely am locked into the Apple Ecosystem (by choice) and have no interest in an Android device so that's not really an option either.

I'm also hesitant to use a piggyback provider as I'm nervous about connectivity while travelling

I have had zero issues with Republic when it comes to connectivity. Works where it should. Unsure if CSpire is GSM (AT&T or T-Mobile). If so, look into Consumer Cellular or T-Mobile themselves.

 

[[icon]]

Look into Republic Wireless. They run on Sprint, the Moto X is solid, and I pay $40 for unlimited everything.

Thanks but I am definitely am locked into the Apple Ecosystem (by choice) and have no interest in an Android device so that's not really an option either.

I'm also hesitant to use a piggyback provider as I'm nervous about connectivity while travelling

I have had zero issues with Republic when it comes to connectivity. Works where it should.Unsure if CSpire is GSM (AT&T or T-Mobile). If so, look into Consumer Cellular or T-Mobile themselves.

As stated above, TMobile is NOGO due to significant "no coverage" zones in areas I visit occasionally.

 

[(HULK)]

Going to be upgrading to the iPhone 6 in a week when it comes out. Currently with CSpire (out of contract) with my iPhone 5. Looking to get out of CSpire in spite of the cheap pricing ($65 all in with handset insurance, taxes, 500 min talk, unlimited text and data) because they're STILL only 3G in the Memphis market with no plans for an LTE roll out on the horizon.

My Specs:

• ~300 talk on average. Max 500 is fine.

• LOTS of texts (need unlimited)

• Moderate data consumer (~1.5-2GB/mo on average. Rarely above 2GB). However once 4G I can see my consumption increasing a bit.

COVERAGE: I MUST have coverage everywhere possible (even remote areas). I travel a good bit and spend a bit of time in the woods camping/jeeping/etc and having signal is important to me. For that reason I don't think TMobile will work.

SPEED: I'm looking to finally get 4G speeds out of my phone. I'm not too worried about slight differences in speed overall (I know certain networks are faster in certain cities).

OPTIONS AS I SEE THEM?

ATT : $80/mo + Taxes/fees for Subsidized Phone (2yr contract) and 2GB plan ($15/GB overage)?

VERIZON: $60/mo + Taxes/fees for Subsidized Phone (2yr contrat) and 2GB plan ($15/GB Overage)?

I was skeptical of the verizon $60 plan including subsidized phone but I chatted with service agent and they said it did . If that's so, it seems to be a no brainer...

T-MOBILE: Large stretches of zero coverage in rural areas makes me nervous.

SPRINT: Don't know much about them?

The Verizon plan is on contract w/ a subsidy. Don't think its a permenant plan though, more a temporary promotional offer. Still, you'd lock it down for 2 years.

Since you're an iPhone person, that subsidy ends up being worth about $450. With your usage and network requirements, I can really only find plans $15 cheaper than that off contract. So, $15 * 24 = $360, which is less than the subsidized value.

In short, go ahead with Verizon imo

 

[[icon]]

Going to be upgrading to the iPhone 6 in a week when it comes out. Currently with CSpire (out of contract) with my iPhone 5. Looking to get out of CSpire in spite of the cheap pricing ($65 all in with handset insurance, taxes, 500 min talk, unlimited text and data) because they're STILL only 3G in the Memphis market with no plans for an LTE roll out on the horizon.

My Specs:

• ~300 talk on average. Max 500 is fine.

• LOTS of texts (need unlimited)

• Moderate data consumer (~1.5-2GB/mo on average. Rarely above 2GB). However once 4G I can see my consumption increasing a bit.

COVERAGE: I MUST have coverage everywhere possible (even remote areas). I travel a good bit and spend a bit of time in the woods camping/jeeping/etc and having signal is important to me. For that reason I don't think TMobile will work.

SPEED: I'm looking to finally get 4G speeds out of my phone. I'm not too worried about slight differences in speed overall (I know certain networks are faster in certain cities).

OPTIONS AS I SEE THEM?

ATT : $80/mo + Taxes/fees for Subsidized Phone (2yr contract) and 2GB plan ($15/GB overage)?

VERIZON: $60/mo + Taxes/fees for Subsidized Phone (2yr contrat) and 2GB plan ($15/GB Overage)?

I was skeptical of the verizon $60 plan including subsidized phone but I chatted with service agent and they said it did . If that's so, it seems to be a no brainer...

T-MOBILE: Large stretches of zero coverage in rural areas makes me nervous.

SPRINT: Don't know much about them?

The Verizon plan is on contract w/ a subsidy. Don't think its a permenant plan though, more a temporary promotional offer. Still, you'd lock it down for 2 years.

Since you're an iPhone person, that subsidy ends up being worth about $450. With your usage and network requirements, I can really only find plans $15 cheaper than that off contract. So, $15 * 24 = $360, which is less than the subsidized value.

In short, go ahead with Verizon imo

Thanks GB... you're the best.

 

[pollardsvision]

So, Verizon offered that plan to you icon, as a new customer? "Loyalty Plan" my ###.

If Verizon is going to be offering $50-60 plans to new customers, that's going to make the decision to go with an MVNO or ATT/TMo/Sprint really difficult for anyone that spends any amount of time outside of a major city. Especially iPhone people.

 

[[icon]]

I just found that plan on their website by browsing. I chatted with support and they confirmed it includes a phone subsidy (ie get iPhone 6 for $199 instead of $649, with 2 year contract). I asked about end date and they said there's not set date for it to end right now.

Essentially it looks like a promo where they're giving their $75 2GB plan for the $60 1GB plan price.

THere was a link to the FAQ where existing customers can change over:

Current customers can change an existing line of service to one of our single line plans by:

• Visiting one of our retail stores
• Calling Customer Service at 1-800-922-0204

 

[flapgreen]

That $60 plan looks sweet. Would be cheaper for my wife and I to do that than a typical family plan and still get Moto X for nothing.

Or One X

 

[Mystery Achiever]

So, Verizon offered that plan to you icon, as a new customer? "Loyalty Plan" my ###.

DId they offer you the plan very recently (i.e. since introducing this new "Single Line Plan")? I was offered the $60 Loyalty Plan a few months ago, but decided to wait and see if I wanted the iphone 6 instead of Moto X. I was hoping that, since that $60 plan is now generally available,there would be something lower priced now offered in loyalty plans.

 

[pollardsvision]

So, Verizon offered that plan to you icon, as a new customer? "Loyalty Plan" my ###.

DId they offer you the plan very recently (i.e. since introducing this new "Single Line Plan")? I was offered the $60 Loyalty Plan a few months ago, but decided to wait and see if I wanted the iphone 6 instead of Moto X. I was hoping that, since that $60 plan is now generally available,there would be something lower priced now offered in loyalty plans.

This morning.

A little lower would be nice but I really couldn't turn down a plan priced like a prepaid plan but with a subsidized phone.

 

[Mr. Ected]

So, Verizon offered that plan to you icon, as a new customer? "Loyalty Plan" my ###.

DId they offer you the plan very recently (i.e. since introducing this new "Single Line Plan")? I was offered the $60 Loyalty Plan a few months ago, but decided to wait and see if I wanted the iphone 6 instead of Moto X. I was hoping that, since that $60 plan is now generally available,there would be something lower priced now offered in loyalty plans.

This morning.

A little lower would be nice but I really couldn't turn down a plan priced like a prepaid plan but with a subsidized phone.

What do you think taxes and fees would be for this?

 

[flapgreen]

I'm sort of of waiting to see what the X+1 is subsidized. I was going to leave Verizon but if the wife and I can get 2 contracts for a total of 120, it seems like an easy decision.

 

[flapgreen]

One M8 is only 150. May just go with that.

 

[[icon]]

So, Verizon offered that plan to you icon, as a new customer? "Loyalty Plan" my ###.

DId they offer you the plan very recently (i.e. since introducing this new "Single Line Plan")? I was offered the $60 Loyalty Plan a few months ago, but decided to wait and see if I wanted the iphone 6 instead of Moto X. I was hoping that, since that $60 plan is now generally available,there would be something lower priced now offered in loyalty plans.

This morning.

A little lower would be nice but I really couldn't turn down a plan priced like a prepaid plan but with a subsidized phone.

What do you think taxes and fees would be for this?

I think it varies regionally but on my $50 Cspire plan the taxes and fees are about $7... guessing they'd be in that neighborhood for a $60 plan with Verizon... figure $7.50 or $8.00/mo in taxes and fees?

Handset insurance appears to be $8-10 per month depending on level of coverage. Given my history with phones, it's a no brainer.

Would presumably put me at about $76-78 all in for the $2GB plan with iPhone 6, handset insurance, and taxes included. I'm paying $65/mo with Cspire now for inferior 3G service so it's a no brainer IMO.

 

[Mystery Achiever]

A little lower would be nice but I really couldn't turn down a plan priced like a prepaid plan but with a subsidized phone.

What do you think taxes and fees would be for this?

pv- It is definitely doable, esp. if getting a decent phone subsidy, I was just hoping they would offer something lower since this is no longer really a loyalty plan. I can also just keep by little $20 ($24 with taxes/fees) voice plan and add 2G data @ 29.99 to make basically a $50 plan..

Mr E- I previously calculated the $60 plan would go to 68-70 (just my best guess). Will vary some by your local taxes.

 

[Mr. Ected]

What do you think about Hotspotting with this Verizon plan? Found this is a no-go with Net10, and just got an iPad mini (wifi only).

 

[[icon]]

What do you think about Hotspotting with this Verizon plan? Found this is a no-go with Net10, and just got an iPad mini (wifi only).

I AM curious about their policy on this...

 

[[icon]]

What do you think about Hotspotting with this Verizon plan? Found this is a no-go with Net10, and just got an iPad mini (wifi only).

I AM curious about their policy on this...

Confirmed: 4G Wifi Hotspot is INCLUDED free with this plan. Even better!

Your RealTime session ID is RT2267082769.

You are now chatting with 'Amber R.'

Amber R.: Hello, welcome to Verizon Wireless sales chat! My name is Amber R., may I have your name, please?

You: I was curious about if wifi hotspot was included in the 2GB Single Line Plan

Amber R.: You have that FREE yes.

You: Excellent. So you just activate the Wifi Hotspot within the phone and as long as you're within your data cap you're good to go?

Amber R.: That's right!!

 

[pollardsvision]

A little lower would be nice but I really couldn't turn down a plan priced like a prepaid plan but with a subsidized phone.

What do you think taxes and fees would be for this?

pv- It is definitely doable, esp. if getting a decent phone subsidy, I was just hoping they would offer something lower since this is no longer really a loyalty plan. I can also just keep by little $20 ($24 with taxes/fees) voice plan and add 2G data @ 29.99 to make basically a $50 plan..Mr E- I previously calculated the $60 plan would go to 68-70 (just my best guess). Will vary some by your local taxes.

Sounds about right. Though I did go with the $50 plan with just the 1GB.

 

[jpeace121]

Hulk,

I'm new to the world of MVNOs, but we're trying to tighten our belt. Currently on Verizon family plan, two lines, pay $150/mo (that includes a 15% discount) that gives us unlimited minutes, messages, and 4GB of data. In a typical month, we actually use about 500 minutes, 300 texts, and data varies, usually b/w 2-3GB per month. I travel a lot in rural areas, so Verizon's coverage is something I count on. I use the majority of our data, and I think I could get it down to under 2GB total for hte both of us. She has an iPhone 4 and would like the 5 or 6, I am android and am happy with my s4 but may upgrade depending on my options. We'd like to be able to port our numbers if possible.

What would our best options be? TIA.

 

[pollardsvision]

jpeace, if you depend on the Verizon service, it sounds like your first step would be to call Verizon, tell them you are thinking about leaving, and see what they can do.

The Verizon MNVO options aren't as as exciting as they are for the other 3.

If you could find some way to see if you could get by using AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint towers, that would open up a lot more options.

Verizon MNVO's for what you want are going come in around $50-55 per phone from what I've seen.

 

[jpeace121]

Thanks. I think AT&T could work, I'd also be willing to consider Sprint. If it saves us enough, I can adapt to anything. I'm fine with wifi for phone calls. Only concern would be a breakdown out in the sticks.

We're still under contract with Verizon, calls so far haven't produced anything.

jpeace, if you depend on the Verizon service, it sounds like your first step would be to call Verizon, tell them you are thinking about leaving, and see what they can do.

The Verizon MNVO options aren't as as exciting as they are for the other 3.
If you could find some way to see if you could get by using AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint towers, that would open up a lot more options.

Verizon MNVO's for what you want are going come in around $50-55 per phone from what I've seen.

 

[pollardsvision]

Thanks. I think AT&T could work, I'd also be willing to consider Sprint. If it saves us enough, I can adapt to anything. I'm fine with wifi for phone calls. Only concern would be a breakdown out in the sticks.

We're still under contract with Verizon, calls so far haven't produced anything.

jpeace, if you depend on the Verizon service, it sounds like your first step would be to call Verizon, tell them you are thinking about leaving, and see what they can do.

The Verizon MNVO options aren't as as exciting as they are for the other 3.

If you could find some way to see if you could get by using AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint towers, that would open up a lot more options.

Verizon MNVO's for what you want are going come in around $50-55 per phone from what I've seen.

Gotcha. Yeah, Hulk's the man. He'll spit you out a few plans to check out.

 

[Plorfu]

Which carrier/phone should I target if I don't want my dong pics leaked to the internet?

 

[flapgreen]

Which carrier/phone should I target if I don't want my dong pics leaked to the internet?

Not iPhone

 

[pollardsvision]

Which carrier/phone should I target if I don't want my dong pics leaked to the internet?

Not iPhone

When I secure pics of myself power washing Kate Upton's back porch, it won't matter what phone I have because I'll be emailing them directly to the hackers

 

[[icon]]

Which carrier/phone should I target if I don't want my dong pics leaked to the internet?

Not iPhone

Issue wasn't iCloud security being hacked... it was celebs having crappy easy to guess passwords via brute force attack. Apple has since tightened up the log in process to freeze accounts after X login attempts to better protect folks in the future.

 

[rick6668]

Thanks. I think AT&T could work, I'd also be willing to consider Sprint. If it saves us enough, I can adapt to anything. I'm fine with wifi for phone calls. Only concern would be a breakdown out in the sticks.

We're still under contract with Verizon, calls so far haven't produced anything.

jpeace, if you depend on the Verizon service, it sounds like your first step would be to call Verizon, tell them you are thinking about leaving, and see what they can do.

The Verizon MNVO options aren't as as exciting as they are for the other 3.

If you could find some way to see if you could get by using AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint towers, that would open up a lot more options.

Verizon MNVO's for what you want are going come in around $50-55 per phone from what I've seen.

One thing I do know with Ting is that if you do not have service for sprint, you roam onto Verizon for voice and text for no additional fee.

For Data, there is no roaming. I can verify this pretty well as I took a road trip through New England (Vermont, NH, Maine, Mass, RI) and there were quite a few places where my sprint was unavailable, but I always roaming for voice and text.

 

[(HULK)]

Hulk,

I'm new to the world of MVNOs, but we're trying to tighten our belt. Currently on Verizon family plan, two lines, pay $150/mo (that includes a 15% discount) that gives us unlimited minutes, messages, and 4GB of data. In a typical month, we actually use about 500 minutes, 300 texts, and data varies, usually b/w 2-3GB per month. I travel a lot in rural areas, so Verizon's coverage is something I count on. I use the majority of our data, and I think I could get it down to under 2GB total for hte both of us. She has an iPhone 4 and would like the 5 or 6, I am android and am happy with my s4 but may upgrade depending on my options. We'd like to be able to port our numbers if possible.

What would our best options be? TIA.

You guys are a fit for Consumer Cellular. It's AT&T's coverage w/ free roaming, that should cover you nearly almost as well as Verizon does now. You'd need to purchase new phones, your Verizon ones won't work. Porting your number is no problem and their customer service is the BEST in the industry, they'll walk you through it.

$60 plan for 2 phones sharing 600 minutes, 1500 texts, and 2.5 GB of data (LTE). No subsides on your phone (or contracts), but w/ $90 monthly savings, you'll make that up in no time flat.

ETA: If you wanted to try Sprint's coverage, Ting could do something similar for $55 a month. But AT&T's network trumps Sprint's in most places, probably worth the extra $5 for you guys.

 

[[icon]]

Hulk is the "Beautiful Mind" for Mobile service.

 

[Mr.Pack]

Hey Hulk,

I went to the T-Mobile store to check out that Nexus 5. That is one beautiful GUI.

Unless you drop it on the driveway the first week you have it.

 

[jpeace121]

Any advice on the best way to not get ripped off purchasing an AT&T or unlocked GSM phone? Their android offerings are limited. Thanks again.

 

[(HULK)]

Any advice on the best way to not get ripped off purchasing an AT&T or unlocked GSM phone? Their android offerings are limited. Thanks again.

Don't buy it from them.

Ebay, Amazon, the phone manufacturer, via Google Play all solid bets.

Probably a new Nexus out next week imo.

 

[No. 16]

If anyone wants to try out Tmobile you can test drive it for a week for free. Just have a credit card they can have on file in case you break it.

 

[[icon]]

Talked to a friend who's used TMobile locally for years. She confirmed she frequently hits "NO SIGNAL" areas... even in spots that aren't very rural and would expect to have coverage. That's disappointing and has me completely ruling them out.

 

[Otis]

Talked to a friend who's used TMobile locally for years. She confirmed she frequently hits "NO SIGNAL" areas... even in spots that aren't very rural and would expect to have coverage. That's disappointing and has me completely ruling them out.

The coverage seems less expansive, but they also have coverage in places where ATT and Verizon frequently fail me. I was at the beach the other day, where I historically never had service, and I had full bar LTE going on Tmo. Pretty sweet.

 

[[icon]]

Talked to a friend who's used TMobile locally for years. She confirmed she frequently hits "NO SIGNAL" areas... even in spots that aren't very rural and would expect to have coverage. That's disappointing and has me completely ruling them out.

The coverage seems less expansive, but they also have coverage in places where ATT and Verizon frequently fail me. I was at the beach the other day, where I historically never had service, and I had full bar LTE going on Tmo. Pretty sweet.

must be an area by area thing.

FYI the Open SIgnal App is awesome for determining what the average up and down speeds / reliability / etc are for all the major networks in your area... plus it tracks time without signal...etc. Has nice coverage maps and such too. Not bad for free. I've used it for a couple days to check out coverage in areas around town that I frequent and it's definitely a two horse race here (ATT/VZW).

 

[Jaysus]

YAY!

 

[(HULK)]

YAY!

?

 

[Jaysus]

YAY!

?

oops, I did forget the link, didn't I?

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2014/09/call-me-maybe-introducing-free-voice.html

 

[(HULK)]

:boner:

 

[the moops]

Is that just through hangouts and you dont even need google voice?

 

[(HULK)]

Voice and Hangouts integrated with the update. Texting from Google voice via hangouts is now possible. I don't have the update, but I'm hoping this will enable group texting and MMS with my Google voice number, which was previously impossible.

 

[pollardsvision]

Is that just through hangouts and you dont even need google voice?

I thought so, but it doesn't seem to be yet. Hangouts Dialer says Hangouts update is needed (don't see 2.3 available and I updated this morning). If it is through GH alone, there must be as some other update coming.

 

[No. 16]

YAY!

?

oops, I did forget the link, didn't I? http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2014/09/call-me-maybe-introducing-free-voice.html

Wow. With this T-Mobile $30 plan for those in metropolitan areas is money.

Unlimited text and 5Gb unthrottled LTE data for $30. Streaming from Spotify and Pandora doesn't count against data.

 

[Jaysus]

Voice and Hangouts integrated with the update. Texting from Google voice via hangouts is now possible. I don't have the update, but I'm hoping this will enable group texting and MMS with my Google voice number, which was previously impossible.

MMS support is still lacking

My initial Hangouts MMS testing:

I can now send, by way of a google link, MMS messages to a single number (VZW confirmed - and presumably AT&T)

I can receive MMS from a T-Mobile user (and presumably Sprint)

I can not receive MMS messages from a Verizon User (and presumably AT&T)

I can not send or receive group texts (MMS)

The "Can Nots" listed above are kind of a big deal that I was REALLY hoping would be included in this update.

 

[the moops]

My Hangouts MMS is working just fine.

Have sent and received group messages to ATT and Sprint iPhone users.