I was in the middle of an AT&T contract when VZW did away with their unlimited data plans. I was holding off, then when they announced the Share Everything plans were starting I decided to finally jump ship. Unfortunately, the "Double your data" promo had come and gone twice before I signed up, otherwise I wouldn't be considering this current change.
I'm currently on a 2GB, 450min, with $10/1000txts plan. With my corporate discount, that's $72/mo. I also have 3 tablets active on a share data-only plan; those total $60, and share 4GB. Total pre-tax/fee bill is $132.
Phone - $32
2GB Data - $30
Txts - $10
4GB Data - $30
Tablet 1 - $10
Tablet 2 - $10
Tablet 3 - $10
Total $132
If I go with an complete Share Everything plan, my bill would be as follows, for the same amount of data:
Phone - $40
Tablet 1 - $10
Tablet 2 - $10
Tablet 3 - $10
6GB Data - $74 (after discount)
Total $134
So, $2 more, I can tether with VZW's blessing, (plus w/o needing to deal with FoxFi, rooting/hacking my phone, etc), and unlimited talk and text. Those last two mean nothing to me, as I'm used 103/450 minutes, and 483/1000 texts last month. The blessed tethering is nice though. Plus, if I go over my allocation (like this month..both data buckets went over), I can go up in 2GB/$10 increments for everything, instead of 1GB/$10 for my phone AND 2GB/$10 on the tablets.
It seems worth it now...but I was against it when I just had the phone and 1 tablet. Then my bill was $102 (same phone cost, plus $30 tablet). Going to shared data would have been $106, and I didn't see any benefit to paying the $4 more per month.
But before I switch, I want to know if there's any downsides to worry about. Anyone already switched to Share Everything, and regret it?
I have the share everything with 12 gig, 4 phones. Haven't found any downsides in the time I've had it
Sent from my SCH-I605
Seems sort of pointless to me to have a share everything plan w/ tablets on there when you can tether.
I would do the share everything in your case, but not add extra tablets and use that money for extra data.
kimdoocheol said:
Seems sort of pointless to me to have a share everything plan w/ tablets on there when you can tether.
I would do the share everything in your case, but not add extra tablets and use that money for extra data.
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The idea is that those tablets are subsdized.
adrynalyne said:
The idea is that those tablets are subsdized.
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I thought they stopped doing that?
The savings aren't as good as with the phones. Saving $200 bucks on a tablet, but having to pay extra a month when you can freely tether with your phone still makes no sense. I'd rather pay full price and then not have to deal with the contract. To each his own though.
kimdoocheol said:
I thought they stopped doing that?
The savings aren't as good as with the phones. Saving $200 bucks on a tablet, but having to pay extra a month when you can freely tether with your phone still makes no sense. I'd rather pay full price and then not have to deal with the contract. To each his own though.
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Ah, maybe they did.
I'm not current with Verizon stuff, apparently.
So I work at a Best Buy Mobile and from my experience with these new plans, you're one of the few people who, from a cost perspective, it actually isn't detrimental to switch to the new ShareEverything Plans. Way too often do I see people who's bills would go up at least $30 just to get less data but unlimited talk/text (whoop dee doo...)
The way I look at it is if you're one of the people who would employ the add a line to a family plan for an upgrade tactic, then the share plans aren't worth it since you'd have to pay an extra $30 a month for 2 years just for an extra upgrade to use vs the old $9.99 a month method.
But seeing as you're on a individual 450 talk, the add a line trick for family plans doesn't work for you. But since you go over on data plans occasionally, the switch to shareeverything is easier on the wallets when it comes to data overages (so long as you call Verizon BEFORE you go over on data). It's $10 for 2 more gigs since you're just moving up a plan tier, but its $15/gb when you go over your data plan.
The new share everything plans are really just bad for individual accounts, people with mostly basic phones on their family plans, or families who only need minimum minutes per month and only have a smart phone or two. For example on people without any discounts, on the old setups, Nationwide Talk 450 + 1000 txt + 2gig data = $80 before tax; the closest plan like that is now the ShareEverything 2GB which is $60 + smartphone access for $100 together...$20 more just unlimited talk and text? Not worth it. Same concept usually applies to people on lower family plans like the Nationwide Talk 700 or even the Nationwide Talk 1400, not always cost effective.
Do keep this in mind, since you do get a hotspot feature included in the new plans, you don't need to buy cellular tablets as much anymore, thereby saving $130 or more when you buy the tablet. So that could be $10 less a month for each tablet you don't need to hook onto your verizon plan.
As a side note, why is your discount only $6? Most corporate discounts with Verizon are at least 15% Most of the ones I see are 20-22% ...Just saying
adrynalyne said:
The idea is that those tablets are subsdized.
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As said above, 3 tablets. One person's is an iPad, which wouldn't have been subsidized anyway, and was purchased off Craigslist, furthering the argument. The other 2 are Xooms, and in fact did get a subsidized price on them. Both were refurbished, on sale, and ended up at $200 and 250 with 2 year contract.
kimdoocheol said:
Seems sort of pointless to me to have a share everything plan w/ tablets on there when you can tether.
I would do the share everything in your case, but not add extra tablets and use that money for extra data.
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You obviously haven't had a 3G/4G tablet for the last year. It's spoiled me, and I can't go back. I have done that previously, tethering WiFi devices to my phone. Also, only one of them is mine, the other two are carried by 2 other folks. At best I'd be saving $10, and it's worth it to me to have it connected. Plus, as mentioned above, 2 of 3 are under contract.
reloaded89 said:
So I work at a Best Buy Mobile and from my experience with these new plans, you're one of the few people who, from a cost perspective, it actually isn't detrimental to switch to the new ShareEverything Plans. Way too often do I see people who's bills would go up at least $30 just to get less data but unlimited talk/text (whoop dee doo...)
The way I look at it is if you're one of the people who would employ the add a line to a family plan for an upgrade tactic, then the share plans aren't worth it since you'd have to pay an extra $30 a month for 2 years just for an extra upgrade to use vs the old $9.99 a month method.
But seeing as you're on a individual 450 talk, the add a line trick for family plans doesn't work for you. But since you go over on data plans occasionally, the switch to shareeverything is easier on the wallets when it comes to data overages (so long as you call Verizon BEFORE you go over on data). It's $10 for 2 more gigs since you're just moving up a plan tier, but its $15/gb when you go over your data plan.
The new share everything plans are really just bad for individual accounts, people with mostly basic phones on their family plans, or families who only need minimum minutes per month and only have a smart phone or two. For example on people without any discounts, on the old setups, Nationwide Talk 450 + 1000 txt + 2gig data = $80 before tax; the closest plan like that is now the ShareEverything 2GB which is $60 + smartphone access for $100 together...$20 more just unlimited talk and text? Not worth it. Same concept usually applies to people on lower family plans like the Nationwide Talk 700 or even the Nationwide Talk 1400, not always cost effective.
Do keep this in mind, since you do get a hotspot feature included in the new plans, you don't need to buy cellular tablets as much anymore, thereby saving $130 or more when you buy the tablet. So that could be $10 less a month for each tablet you don't need to hook onto your verizon plan.
As a side note, why is your discount only $6? Most corporate discounts with Verizon are at least 15% Most of the ones I see are 20-22% ...Just saying
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Multiple points/questions to respond to. You're correct, originally, it made no sense. That's why I signed up when I did, so I wouldn't get forced into the new plans when I finally got around to dropping AT&T, as it would cost me more for no benefit to me. I did the add-a-line to upgrade on AT&T, but won't be doing it again even if I could.
You don't have to call before you go over your allowance. You just need to call before the next cycle starts; I did this for last month's overages. Cycle end 2/6, called 2/5.
I'd still probably buy cellular tablets, especially if (like iPads) that's the only way to get a real GPS chip. The Nexus 7 seems to be the exception, with the WiFi model having GPS. I've unlocked hotspot on every phone and been using it for years, and having it included will certainly be nice.
The discount on VZW is for certain aspects only, plus, one of us mis-calculated . Yes, mine is 20%. With a basic plan, it applies to the minutes portion ($40*20%=$8, so $32)...possibly the data too, if you have the 5GB/$50 plan. With the Share Everything, it instead applies to the shared Data/Voice/Text chunk, and not the device cost. So, 6GB is $80*20%=$16, or $64 (not $74). Add device costs (40+10+10+10) is $134, which is the number I noted. Surprised no one called me out on that basic arithmetic fail instead.
Related
As much as I would like to get the Atrix, I would not want to be paying a whole lot more monthly. I'm eligible for an upgrade, and I currently have a blackberry pearl. This is the breakdown of my current monthly phone expenses.
rate plan (old old plan) - $29.99 for 300 mins, 500 mins nights and weekends with rollover
unlimited text msg. - $20.00
data - pay per use.
In total, I pay $49.99 + tax = $55.00 give or take.. without using data
So for those who got the atrix, when you sign-in at&t and check your options in at&t website, what are the available features or options? Does it matter what phone/device you have selected to be able to see all the features/plans/data that is available for that particular phone?
I would like to get the $30.00 unlimited messaging and unlimited data, but I'd like to keep my old rate plan ($29.99 for 300 mins, 500 mins n&w).
I have checked with bestbuy, and they have the $30 unlimited integrated messaging and data option available, but I might need to buy the phone from them for $199. Amazon is selling the phone for $149.99, but there is no option for the $30 unlimited integrated messaging and data. Costco is selling for $119.99 with the option of the $30.00 unlimited messaging and data, but would also need to have the required Data plan (200mb for $15, or 2gb for $25, etc).
I have seen the $30 unlimited messaging and data online on at&t premier website before, but unfortunately, I could not find it any longer. I called at&t and asked about that feature, but they said that option is only for non-smartphones.
I'd prefer to buy through amazon or costco, but I am not sure if I will be able to change/get my feature on my online account. When I check my account, I do not see any option of the $30 unlimited messaging and data. Do I have to change my selected phone/device on my account to see that features/plans/rates?
Could anyone help me check the availability for those options? If anyone has any suggestions/ideas how it could be done, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
There is no such thing as a $30 unlimited Text and Data for the Atrix.
Fixter is correct
They only have 20.00 "text Data" and any mobile to mobile unlimited.
here's a screen shot of the cart I have from costco. You can find/see the unlimited messaging and data for $30 boxed in red. I did not buy it yet because I wanted to make sure that I could keep my old minutes plan. I do not want to include the 200MB DataPlus plan, so if the online account would allow/have the feature of disabling (opt-out) the 200MB plan, I would go for it.
gaaaouuu said:
here's a screen shot of the cart I have from costco. You can find/see the unlimited messaging and data for $30 boxed in red. I did not buy it yet because I wanted to make sure that I could keep my old minutes plan. I do not want to include the 200MB DataPlus plan, so if the online account would allow/have the feature of disabling (opt-out) the 200MB plan, I would go for it.
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If thats really what I think it is and if i didnt have my unlimited i would stand outside costco first thing in the morning.
I came across the "$30 unlimited messaging and data" from this forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=960510
That is for buying it online from at&t premier. as i said, the plan was taken down or is no longer available on at&t's website, and is a lot more expensive because the $100 discount for the phone is gone, so you'll pay the whole $299 for the phone + all required features.
Also, I do not know how to prove it here, but best buy also has the $30 unlimited plan available that they could set up for you once you bought the phone (they used my account to access the feature (it was available on their system), and tested it with the Inspire since the two atrix they had here in Norman, OK and was sold out). According to the guy I talked to, at&t made that feature available.
so, for those that has the atrix and could look into their account online, is there any features supporting this?
I would like to be able to get the phone at Costco for $119.99, get all the features similar to my posted "checkout screen shot", then go online to my account and disable the 200MB Plan while retaining the $30 unlimited messaging and data plan.
One-time bill: phone $119.99
Monthly bill: old plan $29.99
Unlimited messaging and data 30.00
Total: $119.99 + 59.99 = $179.98
monthly would just be 59.99 + tax
Is it doable?
Is that "Messaging and Data Unlimited" a dumbphone plan feature? I see a monthly $15 DataPlus 200MB on that screenshot too.
I am seeing alot of people getting "upgraded" ( charge alot ) by at&t later on
Said plan isn't available for the atrix.there may be some loop in the system that would let you check out, but I doubt it'd last very long... I would almost bed that it would error out before cometing the transaction...
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
gaaaouuu said:
One-time bill: phone $119.99
Monthly bill: old plan $29.99
Unlimited messaging and data 30.00
Total: $119.99 + 59.99 = $179.98
monthly would just be 59.99 + tax
Is it doable?
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You'll lose your old plan so that becomes $39.99 if you signed for the $119 phone unless you go to the customer desk and convinced them to keep your old plan.
I am not sure if there is human support at Costco to allow you to keep the old plan.
got my first bill for my Atrix:
Plan: 700min, Unlimited Text, phone Insurance, 4gb Data w/tethering with 10% Discount threw work, (plus $18 upgrade fee with is bull$h!t) comes to a total of $157.65
ATT store has the Phone only for $199.99 with 2yr upgrade, should have went to walmart and got i for $138.99
LastQuark said:
You'll lose your old plan so that becomes $39.99 if you signed for the $119 phone unless you go to the customer desk and convinced them to keep your old plan.
I am not sure if there is human support at Costco to allow you to keep the old plan.
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About 6-7 yrs ago, when I first got my phone, I had the $29.99 plan, don't remember how many minutes it was, probably 200-300 mins. anyway, i went over my limit a few years ago, and my bill skyrocketed from $45+ total to $180-200 for a couple of months due to school projects. I called at&t representative to ask them what they could do with it, and pretty much, they could back date it if i changed my rate plan to a plan that would cover that much minutes i used. so they did, my bill got cut in half or so (that $200 got cut in half, but the $180 did not because already paid it). a few months later, I did not need much of my minutes anymore so I called them to go back my old plan. they said it was gone, the plan no longer existed. With much debating saying i do not need that much minutes, and i'm trying to save some money, they got me back on a plan that cost $29.99 (same price as my old one, just not sure if it was the same plan, but i was happy since i got it back to that price). So it might or might not work going back to the plan that previously existed by calling an at&t representative. the representative need to have the authority to bypass the system though i think.
MattZ71:
Do you think you could log into your account on at&t and check if there are options of disabling/changing some of the features to check what the "lowest" monthly bill you could get for the atrix? I'm wanting to know the features/options/plans available for the atrix.
Also, did you have to update your "phone device" on your account to match your phone (atrix)? I have a BB pearl and i changed my "phone device" on my account page to BB pearl from a motorola. I wondered if changing that would change the features/options/plans available. Thanks!
Welcome to the world of data plans. Do you have a 30 day return window
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA Premium App
gaaaouuu, I have the same plan as you. Also $29.99 which I had for more than a decade now, a BB Pearl, and I am due for upgrade this week. My goal is to keep my existing plan and get the $30 unlimited data but I do not see the unlimited data offered anywhere anymore. Did you say Best Buy still offers it? They do not have it in their website.
Worst case, I will just get the Atrix from Costco for $119, keep my existing plan, and get the 2GB data plan.
LastQuark said:
gaaaouuu, I have the same plan as you. Also $29.99 which I had for more than a decade now, a BB Pearl, and I am due for upgrade this week. My goal is to keep my existing plan and get the $30 unlimited data but I do not see the unlimited data offered anywhere anymore. Did you say Best Buy still offers it? They do not have it in their website.
Worst case, I will just get the Atrix from Costco for $119, keep my existing plan, and get the 2GB data plan.
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To have unlimited now you need to be grandfathered in. IE you had to have it when they offered is and if you change it you lose it. So in your case since you've never had it you can never get it. So you can go with the 2 gig plan or the 4 gig tether plan. Sorry :-(
Sent from my Nook Color on Honeycomb 1.1 OC
LastQuark said:
gaaaouuu, I have the same plan as you. Also $29.99 which I had for more than a decade now, a BB Pearl, and I am due for upgrade this week. My goal is to keep my existing plan and get the $30 unlimited data but I do not see the unlimited data offered anywhere anymore. Did you say Best Buy still offers it? They do not have it in their website.
Worst case, I will just get the Atrix from Costco for $119, keep my existing plan, and get the 2GB data plan.
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Click to collapse
How are you going to go about keeping the current plan you have if you're going to buy the phone from costco?
The course of action i could think of is buying the phone from costco, get the 2gb data plan + $30 unlimited msg and data (which is still available at their website), and 450 mins (39.99). then just call back at&t to get the 29.99 plan back, cancel the "2gb plan" online on the "my account features" while retaining the $30 unlimited.
from the last time i know (about a week ago, 2/28), bestbuy have the $30 unlimited msg and data on their system when i tried to check out a phone (inspire/atrix), but as i mentioned before, they sell the phone at 199.99. The cellphone representatives are the ones that helped me check if the $30 unlimited plan was available. We kind of tried checking out a phone to see what plans/features are available and in their system at the store, it did show the $30 unlimited msg and data, so you probably need to go to the store and have them check it out. i never tried checking it out from bestbuy website.
Let me know how you fare. Are you buying your atrix online or B&M at costco? i just checked costco's checkout, and they still have that $30 unlimited msg and text.
gaaaouuu said:
How are you going to go about keeping the current plan you have if you're going to buy the phone from costco?
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With Costco, you can "upgrade" your existing phone and the website allows you to keep your existing plan. Go here:
http://membershipwireless.com/index.cfm/go/shop/do/browsePhones/
...then go to the phone manufacturer on the left pane. Make sure you click "Upgrade" right above the phone pricing. After adding the item in your cart, it asks you to keep or modify your existing plan. The only problem with this is it will not give you the $30/mo unlimited data option. So you are stucked with the 2gb data plan.
gaaaouuu said:
The course of action i could think of is buying the phone from costco, get the 2gb data plan + $30 unlimited msg and data (which is still available at their website), and 450 mins (39.99). then just call back at&t to get the 29.99 plan back, cancel the "2gb plan" online on the "my account features" while retaining the $30 unlimited.
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Click to collapse
This is making more sense now. I can see the $30 unlimited only if you activate a new line or change your plan to $39.99. The danger here is if ATT will give you your $29.99 plan back.
gaaaouuu said:
from the last time i know (about a week ago, 2/28), bestbuy have the $30 unlimited msg and data on their system when i tried to check out a phone (inspire/atrix), but as i mentioned before, they sell the phone at 199.99. The cellphone representatives are the ones that helped me check if the $30 unlimited plan was available. We kind of tried checking out a phone to see what plans/features are available and in their system at the store, it did show the $30 unlimited msg and data, so you probably need to go to the store and have them check it out. i never tried checking it out from bestbuy website.
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I checked again it is not in their website.
gaaaouuu said:
Let me know how you fare. Are you buying your atrix online or B&M at costco? i just checked costco's checkout, and they still have that $30 unlimited msg and text.
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Costco is where I might end up and skip the unlimited data plan. I can't risk my $29.99 voice plan. It looks like AT&T offers the unlimited data every now and then to stop the momentum of their competitors.
To the OP: I think you are misunderstanding the "Messaging and Data Unlimited". It's a non-smartphone feature. It used to be the MEdia Net plan, for non smartphones, which they discontinued when they killed off that brand name.
I can almost guarantee you that this feature will not work, and if it does go through, AT&T will not let it work. They know exactly what phone you use through the IMEI and they will just throw you on the proper data plan. If it were that easy to get an unlimited data plan these days, not to mention at such a cheap price, there would be a HUGE stir around the web-o-sphere and everyone would be doing it.
http://androidforums.com/samsung-captivate/151003-messaging-data-unlimited-plan-additional-fee.html
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=958525
Also if you want to have any hope of getting some kind of deal through, or preserving part of your plan, I would just go straight to a corporate store. Costco and all other 3rd party retailers don't have the same managerial powers that Corp. employees do. In the end you're only saving $50 on the possibility of ruining your grandfathered plan.
LastQuark said:
With Costco, you can "upgrade" your existing phone and the website allows you to keep your existing plan. Go here:
http://membershipwireless.com/index.cfm/go/shop/do/browsePhones/
...then go to the phone manufacturer on the left pane. Make sure you click "Upgrade" right above the phone pricing. After adding the item in your cart, it asks you to keep or modify your existing plan. The only problem with this is it will not give you the $30/mo unlimited data option. So you are stucked with the 2gb data plan.
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Click to collapse
I called at&t to make sure that I can go back to the $29.99 plan, but they said that smartphones require the $39.99 plan. So the best way really is to just upgrade the phone and get the 2gb data plan so we can keep our $29.99 plan just as you mentioned.
dLo GSR said:
To the OP: I think you are misunderstanding the "Messaging and Data Unlimited". It's a non-smartphone feature. It used to be the MEdia Net plan, for non smartphones, which they discontinued when they killed off that brand name.
I can almost guarantee you that this feature will not work, and if it does go through, AT&T will not let it work. They know exactly what phone you use through the IMEI and they will just throw you on the proper data plan. If it were that easy to get an unlimited data plan these days, not to mention at such a cheap price, there would be a HUGE stir around the web-o-sphere and everyone would be doing it.
http://androidforums.com/samsung-cap...ional-fee.html
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=958525
Also if you want to have any hope of getting some kind of deal through, or preserving part of your plan, I would just go straight to a corporate store. Costco and all other 3rd party retailers don't have the same managerial powers that Corp. employees do. In the end you're only saving $50 on the possibility of ruining your grandfathered plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Going to a corporate store would not help save our existing $29.99. As I mentioned above, the at&t representative told me that smartphones require the 39.99, and the only way to bypass that is by buying the phone itself without changing any plans. What LastQuark mentioned about only upgrading the phone is pretty much the safest bet that would allow us to keep our existing $29.99 plan, and as a plus only pay $119.99 for the phone, instead of going directly to at&t which we would pay $199.99 and would have to give up our grandfathered plan.
I have read other forums about the unlimited text and data, and I agree that there is a chance that it might not work, and that if it does, it might not be long till the plan gets switched automatically to a proper plan. Per the at&t representative, there are different bands or something for the data plan that they use for smartphones vs non-smartphones. He said, you might be able to use the non-smartphone data plan on a smartphone, but it is probably not as optimized/work as good as the smartphone data plan on smartphones.
Other forums have also suggested to not buy the phone from at&t because at&t would have the IMEI on hand. Now that might or might not be the case for 3rd party retailers. I do not remember what forum it was i read that from, but it might be possible to get away with it by buying the phone on 3rd party retailers.
I appreciate the information, this thread is so we, or I, could find the best deal out of the phone. buying the phone for $119.99 is great, but it would be even sweeter if there is a way to keep our monthly expenses minimal.
So far, the surest way is to buy the phone from costco and just upgrading the phone itself and getting either the $15 200mb data or $25 2gb data. even with that, it's already a $54.99 ($29.99 + $25.00) excluding msging. With unlimited messaging, it's up to $74.99 ($29.99 + 25.00 + 20.00).
Very good information there in buying from AT&T, exposing IMEI, and various bands for unlimited data plans.
Unlimited data plan on all providers is imminent. This is similar to when dial-up internet is just starting. Pay by the hour. Few months down the road, it will be free! Paying for capped data plan today is not a bad idea.
By the way, from what I am reading, messaging as in text messaging and SMS, is not necessary since you can use your data plan through Google voice as a substitute or as long as you install an Android application available in the market.
I am going to Costco today to pick one up.
Currently using AT&T, 700 minutes, 2GB for me, 300MB for wife, dumb phone for mother, 3 lines total is about $135 after corporate discount and surcharges. When contract is up I will seriously consider prepaid if there is a good plan.
Problem is prepaid is basically all you can eat for every single plan. I have no use for anything beyond what we are already getting, and even Straight Talk is more expensive than what I am using now once you factor in the $350 device upgrade credit from AT&T every 18-24 months for each line. It is basically $45 a month credit you are getting and at this price point.
Is it me or prepaid can't compete unless:
1) You must have unlimited for some reason
2) You don't have a family plan
?
hitmantb said:
Currently using AT&T, 700 minutes, 2GB for me, 300MB for wife, dumb phone for mother, 3 lines total is about $135 after corporate discount and surcharges. When contract is up I will seriously consider prepaid if there is a good plan.
Problem is prepaid is basically all you can eat for every single plan. I have no use for anything beyond what we are already getting, and even Straight Talk is more expensive than what I am using now once you factor in the $350 device upgrade credit from AT&T every 18-24 months for each line. It is basically $45 a month credit you are getting and at this price point.
Is it me or prepaid can't compete unless:
1) You must have unlimited for some reason
2) You don't have a family plan
?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out Ting.com. It lets you pick how much data, how many minutes, and how many texts you need. It includes rollover and will bump you up if you go over in a month, without penalty. Kind of a neat plan.
I'm using att go phone plan right now. Unlimited text and call and 1gb data for 65 per month. My data doesn't work it's a pain in my ass
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
kimtyson said:
Check out Ting.com. It lets you pick how much data, how many minutes, and how many texts you need. It includes rollover and will bump you up if you go over in a month, without penalty. Kind of a neat plan.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for this!
1000 minutes, 100 text message, 1GB data is $63, wow! With fees this is probably $80 a month. This is $600 a year in savings.
But it looks like I have to buy new phones for everyone since this is Sprint. Will definitely consider this when our contract ends!
Not sure if anyone really cares or not but I just knocked $105 off my AT&T Family plan bill with their new Mobile Share Value Plans.
I'm not a sales agent for AT&T, I'm just letting my fellow XDA users know.
https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/data-plans.html#fbid=K-dU-76XrWB
This is a real deal if you have a large family plan like i do with 5 lines and all smartphones. I was able to lower my bill to $192 a month from $306 the previous month with one phone call. And even better we are getting 10gigs a month now vs the 6gigs i was on.
I know I'm going to take some heat for spamming the board but if one person saves some money I'll be happy
ok flame away
Not sure if its worth giving up an unlimited data plan for this plan.
Ya, I saw those plans, heck, it's even worth it for just 2 lines and 10Gig, $100+$15+$15=$130. I am paying 70 for my single line and only 2gig of data. I know, everyone will tell me to go to a prepay, but I HAVE to have the microcell so I am stuck.
lemonz23 said:
Not sure if its worth giving up an unlimited data plan for this plan.
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yeah .. unfortunately we lost are unlimited plans back in 2009 when we all got iPhone's
clsA said:
yeah .. unfortunately we lost are unlimited plans back in 2009 when we all got iPhone's
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Unl plans are caped at 3 GB... Then u get the slowest speed...
10 GB = $100 + 15 per device
15 GB = $130 + 15 per device
Completely worth it. Now if you do an upgrade after moving to the plan instead of paying 15 for that line you will pay 40... they are trying to cope somehow how T-Mobile works.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
I went ahead and jumped on this. I had to give up 1 unlimited (LTE) data plan, which was throttled after 5GBs anyway. I think it's worth it to save $90/month.
We went to the value plan. Only two lines, so no massive savings. Went to from 6 to 10 GB for $10 cheaper
I was under the impression that once you switched to one of these plans, you no longer would get subsidized phone upgrades. Correct? In other words, the next time you want to upgrade you basically are on the AT&T Next setup (full unsubsidized price of phone broken out over x payments)
chp said:
I was under the impression that once you switched to one of these plans, you no longer would get subsidized phone upgrades. Correct? In other words, the next time you want to upgrade you basically are on the AT&T Next setup (full unsubsidized price of phone broken out over x payments)
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This is correct. Also, if you have currently been in contract for 6 months, they will allow a switch to AT&T Next. I feel it will not be long before they completely go to this method, especially with T-Mobile and others doing much the same.
Ive held on to my 2 line unlimited everything plan for years, paying about $185 before taxes and fees. I think it makes sense to go for this new plan, which drops the price down to $150 while sharing 10gigs. i've only ever gone over 3gigs in a month two times.
codejunkie83 said:
This is correct. Also, if you have currently been in contract for 6 months, they will allow a switch to AT&T Next. I feel it will not be long before they completely go to this method, especially with T-Mobile and others doing much the same.
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Okay, so if that is the case, it seems like you will only save money if you do not intend to take advantage of subsidized upgrades in the future (assuming still available).
chp said:
Okay, so if that is the case, it seems like you will only save money if you do not intend to take advantage of subsidized upgrades in the future (assuming still available).
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From a purely monetary standpoint, yes - however, when you compare the data that you receive (10 GB vs 4/6GB), you are still saving money if you use that much data. But without taking advantage of the subsidized upgrades, you would most likely even out.
chp said:
I was under the impression that once you switched to one of these plans, you no longer would get subsidized phone upgrades. Correct? In other words, the next time you want to upgrade you basically are on the AT&T Next setup (full unsubsidized price of phone broken out over x payments)
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Do you remember where you heard this? It's the first I've heard about this aspect to the new plans, which means I may regret making the switch.
joshfalk said:
Do you remember where you heard this? It's the first I've heard about this aspect to the new plans, which means I may regret making the switch.
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My understanding from the AT&T rep (and my bill) is that each smartphone in the value plans are now $40 per month with a $25 monthly credit, so net $15.
If I upgrade using a Next plan, the $25 credit remains. (Next = a 0% interest loan to purchase the phone over 20 months.)
If I upgrade using a 2-year subsidy, the $25 credit is removed. (Making for a really expensive upgrade-- 24 * $25 + $200 up front = $800 for an iPhone 5S that I could purchase outright for $650.) Not that I'd purchase a 5S, but just an example of how an already overpriced phone just got even more expensive.
Basically, they really do not want people buying subsidized phones, and that's fine with me. I'd rather purchase the phone I want on my own timing and pay for it outright.
Up until the value plans it made sense to do 2-year upgrades because AT&T was already padding their rate plans with the subsidy cost, whether you upgraded or BYOP you paid for it.
Now, it makes more sense to just BYOP.
Yes you have to stay on the next plan, ability to get a new phone yearly or 18 months, to keep the $15/month. I also saved 50% on my phone bill.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
ronf1011 said:
Yes you have to stay on the next plan, ability to get a new phone yearly or 18 months, to keep the $15/month. I also saved 50% on my phone bill.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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This is good news, I was worried that when i upgraded with NEXT it would go from $15 to $40. I guess I should have read into it a little more, but yeah, my family is saving close to $100 since we switched to the value plan.
Love this plan. Switched to it immediately.
The Next program is basically a phone leasing program. So if you pay $30/month for Next18, that $540 is gone when you trade in for the new one. It would be cheaper buying the phone out right then sell it when you wanted to get a new one.
HTCm7One said:
The Next program is basically a phone leasing program. So if you pay $30/month for Next18, that $540 is gone when you trade in for the new one. It would be cheaper buying the phone out right then sell it when you wanted to get a new one.
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+1 and you are still dealing with the bloat. Going unlocked from here on out. These value plans are nice. Thanks @t-mobile! ? and AT&T for falling in line..
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
Upgrades?
I changed to the shared plan two months ago, losing my useless unlimited plan. I moved 5 phones. Two of them were eligible for upgrades at the time, but I was holding them for when I really wanted them. I need one now. I went to the ATT website and checked upgrade-ability. The two phones seem like they have subsidized plans available to them. I can also do the Next plan for any of my phones for the same price. So I can pay zero interest for 20 months, have no plan commitment, and pay in full for my daughter's new iphone over 20 months, or I can pay $199 for the phone, a one-time $36 upgrade fee, and commit for another two years of my shared plan. There is no change to the basic rate.
thinking of waiting to buy the g4 but if the price is too high, then im not looking to wait like a month and a half hopeing the price drops.
does anybody know how much the lg g3 was when it first came out? specificly on verizon?
Figured it out.
It was 99$ for 2 year contract with verizon.
It was 199$ for 2 year contract with atnt, sprint, and T-Mobile.
Thanks me!
Phurkus said:
Figured it out.
It was 99$ for 2 year contract with verizon.
It was 199$ for 2 year contract with atnt, sprint, and T-Mobile.
Thanks me!
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Full retail was $599 on Verizon. $99 doesn't sound right, are you sure that was when it was initially announced? High end phones are almost always $199 to start.
geoff5093 said:
Full retail was $599 on Verizon. $99 doesn't sound right, are you sure that was when it was initially announced? High end phones are almost always $199 to start.
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thank you i left full retal, and im sure, i checked afew websites. il post a link to them right now.
it was a special that verizon was doing for a limited time when the g3 first came out, gimme a sec.
geoff5093 said:
Full retail was $599 on Verizon. $99 doesn't sound right, are you sure that was when it was initially announced? High end phones are almost always $199 to start.
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here you go, articles posted July 10, 2014
http://www.ibtimes.com/lg-g3-verizon-will-cost-only-99-1624634
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/07/1...-pricing-and-availability-pre-order-now-live/
Phurkus said:
here you go, articles posted July 10, 2014
http://www.ibtimes.com/lg-g3-verizon-will-cost-only-99-1624634
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/07/1...-pricing-and-availability-pre-order-now-live/
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Wow that was a good deal, I hate not being able to upgrade anymore every 2 years with unlimited data.
geoff5093 said:
Wow that was a good deal, I hate not being able to upgrade anymore every 2 years with unlimited data.
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what plan are you under?
mine expires on the 25th, so im gonna wait alittle and see the prices of the g4
geoff5093 said:
Wow that was a good deal, I hate not being able to upgrade anymore every 2 years with unlimited data.
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Phurkus said:
what plan are you under?
mine expires on the 25th, so im gonna wait alittle and see the prices of the g4
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If you're with Verizon (which I assume since you are posting in here), tell them you want the 6gb Max Plan. It's $30 a month, giving you 6gb a month. It's for all users who upgrade and have to lose their unlimited data plan. That's what I did. I didn't know about it until the sales person I spoke with on the phone gave me that information. I stated I hated losing my unlimited plan and they said that there was a 6gb MAX Plan for people like me. It was still in effect and all you had to do was ask. Since I wasn't going to the share everything plan, it fit for me just fine.
Now, in my case, I ordered my g3 online ($39) but had it set for store pick up. The store couldn't do my 6gb plan, but all I had to do was once I got my phone, I just had to call back up on the phone and talk to a customer support person and they switched me right up. Took about 5 minutes and that was it. Very simple and I've been happy with it ever since. The G3 was worth it.
I don't go over the 6gb at all. I've come close, but I really haven't had to curb what I do online other than I don't constantly stream movies anymore unless I'm on wifi. Hasn't been much of an adjustment and I'm happy with what I've got.
So, that might be an option for you depending on how much data you use a month. If you never get near 6 gb at all (or only on a rare occasion), that might be the option for you.
Phurkus said:
what plan are you under?
mine expires on the 25th, so im gonna wait alittle and see the prices of the g4
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iBolski said:
If you're with Verizon (which I assume since you are posting in here), tell them you want the 6gb Max Plan. It's $30 a month, giving you 6gb a month. It's for all users who upgrade and have to lose their unlimited data plan. That's what I did. I didn't know about it until the sales person I spoke with on the phone gave me that information. I stated I hated losing my unlimited plan and they said that there was a 6gb MAX Plan for people like me. It was still in effect and all you had to do was ask. Since I wasn't going to the share everything plan, it fit for me just fine.
Now, in my case, I ordered my g3 online ($39) but had it set for store pick up. The store couldn't do my 6gb plan, but all I had to do was once I got my phone, I just had to call back up on the phone and talk to a customer support person and they switched me right up. Took about 5 minutes and that was it. Very simple and I've been happy with it ever since. The G3 was worth it.
I don't go over the 6gb at all. I've come close, but I really haven't had to curb what I do online other than I don't constantly stream movies anymore unless I'm on wifi. Hasn't been much of an adjustment and I'm happy with what I've got.
So, that might be an option for you depending on how much data you use a month. If you never get near 6 gb at all (or only on a rare occasion), that might be the option for you.
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I'm on a 450 minute, unlimited text, and unlimited data plan. I got in on a promo they were running which was $69.99/mo, but add in my employee discount and I only pay $64/mo after tax. I believe I lose this if I change plans. Even if I didn't, going from unlimited to 6GB is an awful plan, unless my bill was half the cost. I'd rather go with unlimited voice/text, and 20GB of data and use Cricket for $55/mo.
I got in on the upgrade glitch a year or so ago, so I am actually under contract until this October.
geoff5093 said:
I'm on a 450 minute, unlimited text, and unlimited data plan. I got in on a promo they were running which was $69.99/mo, but add in my employee discount and I only pay $64/mo after tax. I believe I lose this if I change plans. Even if I didn't, going from unlimited to 6GB is an awful plan, unless my bill was half the cost. I'd rather go with unlimited voice/text, and 20GB of data and use Cricket for $55/mo.
I got in on the upgrade glitch a year or so ago, so I am actually under contract until this October.
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For me, I'm on an old plan that is unlimited text, 700 minute plan. It's old and out-dated as well, but I'm grandfathered in and had it before I even got a data plan. When I eventually did get a data plan, they still had unlimited data at $29.99/month.
For me, yeah not having unlimited down to 6gb seemed bad, but I rarely ever used 5 gb per month anyways, so it really wasn't a loss and I still have my same wireless plan. I'm still 700 minutes a month, unlimited text, but now 6gb/month data plan. Otherwise, I would have had to purchase the phone outright and I wasn't about to do that and my previous phone was on the fritz, so I had to have a new phone or I was out of a cell phone.
So for me, it was a no-brainer and still allowed em to not have to worry about going over my data limit. It was that or get 2gb/month for $30. $30 for 6gb seemed the better deal!
I still get my employee discount, but not on the data plan anymore (like I did with the unlimited), so yeah, my monthly bill went up about $4, but in the end, it was still fine by me.
It all depends on each person's perspective. Losing the unlimited was a bummer, but for me, the 6gb/month was just fine and I got a really good phone out of it for $30. So, I'm not complaining, but it all depends on each person's perspective. I was just throwing the 6gb MAX plan out there as not everyone knows about it. I didn't until they told me. Just wanted to give people some "potential" options for those sitting on the fence on whether or not to give up their unlimited data plan. My main factor was, no way in heck was I going to a 2gb/month plan but I was about to anyways as I had no choice in the matter. My wife wouldn't allow me to purchase a phone outright, even though in the end, it would end up being cheaper in the long run, but when she sees that $300+ upfront-cost for a phone, nope! Tried to explain to her, but she saw the $30 price tag on the upgrade so that's all she wrote on that! LOL!
But, once I found out about the 6gb/plan, that pushed me over the fence to go ahead and upgrade my phone to the LG G3. Not unhappy in the least.
I would say I believe the most I ever used in a month was 13gb. I think it's because I let my daughter watch some movies on my phone during a vacation trip. But that was it. Most of the time, it was less then 5 gb/month, if that. I'd say on average I used < 2gb/month.
So, going to 6gb/month wasn't any sort of loss in my mind. Still feel that way.
iBolski said:
For me, I'm on an old plan that is unlimited text, 700 minute plan. It's old and out-dated as well, but I'm grandfathered in and had it before I even got a data plan. When I eventually did get a data plan, they still had unlimited data at $29.99/month.
For me, yeah not having unlimited down to 6gb seemed bad, but I rarely ever used 5 gb per month anyways, so it really wasn't a loss and I still have my same wireless plan. I'm still 700 minutes a month, unlimited text, but now 6gb/month data plan. Otherwise, I would have had to purchase the phone outright and I wasn't about to do that and my previous phone was on the fritz, so I had to have a new phone or I was out of a cell phone.
So for me, it was a no-brainer and still allowed em to not have to worry about going over my data limit. It was that or get 2gb/month for $30. $30 for 6gb seemed the better deal!
I still get my employee discount, but not on the data plan anymore (like I did with the unlimited), so yeah, my monthly bill went up about $4, but in the end, it was still fine by me.
It all depends on each person's perspective. Losing the unlimited was a bummer, but for me, the 6gb/month was just fine and I got a really good phone out of it for $30. So, I'm not complaining, but it all depends on each person's perspective. I was just throwing the 6gb MAX plan out there as not everyone knows about it. I didn't until they told me. Just wanted to give people some "potential" options for those sitting on the fence on whether or not to give up their unlimited data plan. My main factor was, no way in heck was I going to a 2gb/month plan but I was about to anyways as I had no choice in the matter. My wife wouldn't allow me to purchase a phone outright, even though in the end, it would end up being cheaper in the long run, but when she sees that $300+ upfront-cost for a phone, nope! Tried to explain to her, but she saw the $30 price tag on the upgrade so that's all she wrote on that! LOL!
But, once I found out about the 6gb/plan, that pushed me over the fence to go ahead and upgrade my phone to the LG G3. Not unhappy in the least.
I would say I believe the most I ever used in a month was 13gb. I think it's because I let my daughter watch some movies on my phone during a vacation trip. But that was it. Most of the time, it was less then 5 gb/month, if that. I'd say on average I used < 2gb/month.
So, going to 6gb/month wasn't any sort of loss in my mind. Still feel that way.
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If that worked for you that's great, but with your loss of discount you are paying more for 6GB vs unlimited. When you factor in the cost of a phone which is ~$20-$25/mo., paying $15 more per month for unlimited data vs 6GB is a steal. Especially with how content heavy everything is now, higher quality streaming, 4K video, etc., your usage is only going to go up.
geoff5093 said:
If that worked for you that's great, but with your loss of discount you are paying more for 6GB vs unlimited. When you factor in the cost of a phone which is ~$20-$25/mo., paying $15 more per month for unlimited data vs 6GB is a steal. Especially with how content heavy everything is now, higher quality streaming, 4K video, etc., your usage is only going to go up.
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Since having it in December, I've been fine with the normal usage that I've always done. Never hit more than 3 gb/month, so for me, it works.
For me, this was a decision I'm fine with, but I'm sure others will have different opinions on it, which is fine. Again, like I said, it all depends on the perspective of each person. In my case, I had no choice. I had to upgrade because my other phone died and I need a cell phone for my family to contact me at any time, plus other personal reasons (not gaming - LOL).
So, to me, 6gb/month at $30 is the same as the $30/month I was paying for unlimited (well, $29/month), but in the end, it all worked out for me.
I have a heretical question: Should I keep my unlimited data if I'm not really using it.
My wife and I have unlimited data, kids are on 2GB plans.
My wife uses max 1.5 - 2 GB a month over the past 6 months. I use average of 8GB/month, high of 12 GB, low of 4 GB over past six months. My big data use is videos while on the elliptical at the gym. I can only work out so much, so unlikely my usage will ever get any higher. I don't stream much music at all. Stream some talk radio in the car since local reception sucks. I've never needed to do any heavy tethering, don't see that changing either.
So it seems we could easily be on an 18GB or 20 GB plan ($100 or $120 month plus $20/line). Assume 3GB for each son (they get a data upgrade), 2 GB for wife, leaving 10 or 12 for me depending on 18 or 20 GB plan.
That saves us about $95 a month. Of course then we pay full price for our own phones....if we compare the 2 year cost assuming upgrading on current plan for ~$200 a person vs. buying phones for the four of us, comes out to about $350 year cheaper for the new Verizon plan. Not big money at all, but I could find other things to spend it on.
So my question is this - if I'm not currently and never have really used my unlimited data to any great extent should I still care about it and pay more for it for the future? Are there changes to how data is used on phones and how phones use data coming down the line where I might say "Oh man, crazy of me to give up unlimited data!"
Or is this a simple $ calculation? If it's cheaper to go to the Verizon plan and I don't need the unlimited data, let it go.
Appreciate any thoughts/advice about this. Thanks!
My advice would be to keep your unlimited plan, if you can. Verizon does not do contracts any more, but makes you pay bigger monthly installments. But the time 2 years have passed, you will have bought the phone anyway. What I'm liking doing is buying a phone I like, and putting it on my (limited) plan, and switching phones whenever I want something new/different. No contracts, same $$$.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers mobile app