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I have been getting absolutely HORRIBLE service with T-mobile lately so I was thinking of switching to Straight Talk with an AT&T SIM card. I just unlocked my Amaze, and I saved the thread for unlocking my DH's Galaxy S4G. My daughter is getting an unlocked phone I won on eBay in a cpl days.
So my current contract with T-mobile is up in January 2014. That is 17 months. I have 3 lines on my family plan that I currently pay $240 a month for.
$240/month * 17 months = 4080 I would pay to finish my contract
3 * $200 = $600 ETF (Early Termination Fee)
$4080 left - $600 ETF = $3,480
$45/month (Straight Talk) * 3 lines = $135
$135/month * 17 months = $2,295
$3,480 - $2,295 = $1,185 savings
That's a whole lotta dough...
The only problem with this comes purchasing phones in the future.... I typically don't have $500+ to shell out for a new phone. Also I would no longer have the insurance on my phones.
Before I present this to my husband, I was wondering if anyone here has any input on it? Have you made the switch? What did you do to get a new phone when your phone was obsolete?
If you are getting poor reception in your house, then you can likely get out of your contract.
As for phones, the Galaxy Nexus from Google is only $349. Nice phone, no contract, unlocked, works with ATT and T-Mobile. Not sure what future phones from Google will cost, but it's a reasonable assumption that something near the $350 price point will be available.
Also read that if you overdo the data or tether, the SIM will be suspended. Its rare. But possible.
Also, if you use the Straight Talk cards, you got to do it the day your 30 days expire. Do it earlier, and you lose the time remaining on your previous card.
I believe if you have it automatically charge your credit card its easier. However every time you add your 45 Time Card, it resets your 30 days. Its only annoying part.
But seems the website makes it easier so that this doesn't happen.
I used this service. Personally was OK. Or you could go and use Straight Talk $40 unlimited talk text and data.
But.... MMS stopped working on me. Wouldn't send MMS after my 10th MMS message.
As long as you have a bunch of unlocked phones/spares and not afraid it will break/accidents you are good. Personally I've not had phones die on me. LG (Never again), HTC, Samsung. They are reliable all reliable. And if any of them do break is if I mess up when flashing/rooting.
What is your current plan. I'm a former Rep and I can probably save you guys a lot of money by giving you my suggestions.
I still get great phone service with T-Mobile. The crappy part is the customer service (phone services). You should walk into a T-Mobile store and have them look over your plan and see if they can make any adjustments to get your bill down. I only pay $145 for my 3 lines. You should also check if they offer a discount with your company.
hasoon2000 said:
What is your current plan. I'm a former Rep and I can probably save you guys a lot of money by giving you my suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Classic Unlimited Talk & Text 5GB Web 2 lines
4G Web on daughter's line. It doesn't give a GB amount...
We also have the insurance on all 3 lines
brainbone said:
If you are getting poor reception in your house, then you can likely get out of your contract.
As for phones, the Galaxy Nexus from Google is only $349. Nice phone, no contract, unlocked, works with ATT and T-Mobile. Not sure what future phones from Google will cost, but it's a reasonable assumption that something near the $350 price point will be available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope... my house is the only place I get really good service. Its work and when I'm visiting my friend about 45min away that I get crappy service. I checked the map and it says 2G for her entire town. Maybe I should tell t-mobile I live there so I can get out of the contract LOL
My DH is the one who always loses his darn phone. Leaves it places LOL. The only time mine broke was when my little one thought it was a teething toy and got it all wet. My 15 year old goes through phones like clothes... I already put in a claim for her this year and got her a sidekick in which she cracked the screen shortly after. So now the adapter isn't working to charge it but I can't do a warranty exchange because the screen is broken and I wasn't about to shell out another $100 insurance copay for the POS sidekick so I bought her one on eBay for $30.
Nevermind you can't afford to go Prepaid option because there is no insurance.
Best you could do is threaten to port all your lines to T-Mobile prepaid service. When I did that, I got offered the 49.99 with Unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of data.
What my phone bill really is the $59.99 with a 10 dollar discount. Actually, my plan is the Value, meaning I can't get discount on upgrades. Need to pay full price for phone. I managed to add device insurance but I see it as waste since I haven't really broken any of my devices or damaged them by accident.
Just threaten to walk and you might get a better deal. Did that over a year ago.
Personally, I recommend going to the value plan. Much cheaper. You will save a lot in the log run. You can still add insurance to the phones but no discounts. Hell, I buy all my phones off of eBay and Craigslist. Much cheaper in the long run. Whoever's name is on the account may qualify for a discount program. Who's name is on the account and if they work at a company/go to school, you may be eligble to receive a discount on your plan ranging from 6% - 18%
I bought a year with my straight talk service. You prepay for eleven months and get twelve months service.
Straight talk offers:
CDMA phones = Verizon = 3G ^Cap Risk
GSM SIM = ATAT = 3G Lower
GSM SIM = T-Mobile = 4G Least risk
T-mobile sim will provide fastest data connection assuming you get equal or better signal and possibly true unlimited data!
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda app-developers app
Edit: dumbed down for 'ghost'
FutureAirways said:
Straight talk offers Atat, t-mobile sim cards for gsm phones right..but what you don't know t-mobile is the only company to get truly unlimited data on st. Also an this is big the t-mobile sim provides 4g service something the Atat one can't, because they have 3g , were t-mobile does not. But if you don't get service I guess it won't matter just food for thought. Same 45$ for 4g vs. 3g
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wat?
this entire post is confusing.
rachelm920 said:
I have been getting absolutely HORRIBLE service with T-mobile lately so I was thinking of switching to Straight Talk with an AT&T SIM card. I just unlocked my Amaze, and I saved the thread for unlocking my DH's Galaxy S4G. My daughter is getting an unlocked phone I won on eBay in a cpl days.
So my current contract with T-mobile is up in January 2014. That is 17 months. I have 3 lines on my family plan that I currently pay $240 a month for.
$240/month * 17 months = 4080 I would pay to finish my contract
3 * $200 = $600 ETF (Early Termination Fee)
$4080 left - $600 ETF = $3,480
$45/month (Straight Talk) * 3 lines = $135
$135/month * 17 months = $2,295
$3,480 - $2,295 = $1,185 savings
That's a whole lotta dough...
The only problem with this comes purchasing phones in the future.... I typically don't have $500+ to shell out for a new phone. Also I would no longer have the insurance on my phones.
Before I present this to my husband, I was wondering if anyone here has any input on it? Have you made the switch? What did you do to get a new phone when your phone was obsolete?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jeez, $240 for three lines seems really high. That's a car payment right there. We have three lines on AT&T, and our bill averages $160 month. You must have every possible option available.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"
Sent from my HTC One X, using XDA Premium
http://forum.xda-developers.com/announcement.php?a=81
hasoon2000 said:
What is your current plan. I'm a former Rep and I can probably save you guys a lot of money by giving you my suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to hear your suggestions sir. Im planning on making the switch to straight talk as well. I have one line at&t, and i go over my 3 gb of data a lot!!! So it seems smart to switch for 45 a month unlimited everything! Right? Thanks man!
RATTLED FROM MY TEAM VENOM POWERED AT&T HTC ONE X USING ICS TAPATALK 2
zounduser said:
Im planning on making the switch to straight talk as well. I have one line at&t, and i go over my 3 gb of data a lot!!! So it seems smart to switch for 45 a month unlimited everything! Right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This Straight Talk review seems to imply that their "unlimited" is really limited to 100MB per day and/or 2GB per month, after which you receive an excessive usage notification and service termination threat.
If you don't use allot of talk time, t-mobile's 5GB / 100 Min for $30 pre-paid may be a better deal.
brainbone said:
This Straight Talk review seems to imply that their "unlimited" is really limited to 100MB per day and/or 2GB per month, after which you receive an excessive usage notification and service termination threat.
If you don't use allot of talk time, t-mobile's 5GB / 100 Min for $30 pre-paid may be a better deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya dont think imma do the straight talk thing now!!!! I piss 2gb everymorning!!! lmfao!!!!
RATTLED FROM MY TEAM VENOM POWERED AT&T ONE X USING ICS TAPATALK 2
brainbone said:
This Straight Talk review seems to imply that their "unlimited" is really limited to 100MB per day and/or 2GB per month, after which you receive an excessive usage notification and service termination threat.
If you don't use allot of talk time, t-mobile's 5GB / 100 Min for $30 pre-paid may be a better deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please see my previous post, if you use a straight talk branded phone (verizon network) or the atat sim card there is a higher chance you will get a cap. Ive read reports of Tmobile sim card users going over 7GB in a month with no problems!! Obviously straight talk pays these companies, when your data is costing them more than 45 dollars a month you get cut off. The Tmobile sim provides the least risk for that as they are currently the cheapest network provider!!
FutureAirways said:
The Tmobile sim provides the least risk for that as they are currently the cheapest network provider!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that there is apparently no clear language from Straight Talk on this, for any of the networks they resell. The service may be called "Straight Talk", but just try to get a "Straight Answer" from them on their limits.
The 5gb prepaid you speak of. Do those mins count towards texting. ?
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda app-developers app
codey895 said:
The 5gb prepaid you speak of. Do those mins count towards texting. ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For t-mobile?
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans
The $30 "Unlimited Web & Text with 100 Talk Minutes" gets you 5GB data before being throttled, "unlimited" texts, and 100 min. talk time.
Do you think the Galaxy Note 2 is worth giving up unlimited data? I can only imagine how much data I would be using with this phone. I could imagine being limited. I couldn't see myself paying ful price to keep unlimited data going. Sprint nor Tmobile have LTE in my area.
Has anyone found a way around being pushed into the upgrade? I also found it obnoxious that they are charging a $30 upgrade fee and giving me a $50 upgrade discount at the same time lol.
textron said:
Do you think the Galaxy Note 2 is worth giving up unlimited data? I can only imagine how much data I would be using with this phone. I could imagine being limited. I couldn't see myself paying ful price to keep unlimited data going. Sprint nor Tmobile have LTE in my area.
Has anyone found a way around being pushed into the upgrade? I also found it obnoxious that they are charging a $30 upgrade fee and giving me a $50 upgrade discount at the same time lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing is worth giving up unlimited data.
4g tethering / internet practically anywhere there is 4g... I would never give that up for anything. I use around 7-10gb of data on the average.
I will be giving up unlimited data this go around. After getting laid off of my job of 6 years I had to take a lower paying gig and the only way I could talk my wife into the Note 2 was if we combine our plans. I have never used more than 8 gb in a month and she uses 1 gb. We will either go with the 8 gb shared and save $30 a month by combining or maybe the 10gb plan. Its a small price to pay for me to upgrade from my X to the N2. It is what it is, I will make it work even though it does suck.
I'm likely buying the phone outright and keeping the unlimited data. Even my wife doesn't want me to give up the unlimited data.
That's cool. With 2 mortgages and 2 kids I couldn't justify 1400 for 2 phone's when we can get both for 700 and save 30 a month by combining. I hope all of you guys can keep unlimited, in 2 years ill see where the carriers are with respect to unlimited and move to another carrier if my 10gb plan isn't working for me. Honestly I doubt we will be having this conversation about unlimited on Verizon in 2 years. My guess is Verizon will decide in the near future to end it completely.
I wish there was a way to keep the plan. It's crazy they try to force you off.
My replacement Fascinate is defective with the constant reboots and overheating while charging. I was going to replace under warranty but I dropped it and the screen cracked which they have already tried to blame that for the problems. Assurion wants 99 bucks for a replacement. They keep telling me that my data usage is low. Yeah, my phone dies in 4 hours and crashes most when I use my web browsers.
Prior to that I was using 3-6 gigs a month. LTE + 2gb a month is like getting a Lambo to drive only in a parking garage.
Since I live at a University, I have to share with everyone else. I am averaging about 16GB a month so I have to keep the unlimited plan.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Yup. 16 gb would cost you 170 (40 + 130 for data) a month on the new plan.
Wouldn't it be illegal for them to "force" you to change data plans later when people continue to buy phones outright.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
ihavenewnike said:
Wouldn't it be illegal for them to "force" you to change data plans later when people continue to buy phones outright.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but thhey can terminate you after you contract expires
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I just got back from VZW Corporate store.
I have 4 lines on a family account, i'm the owner of the entire account - I have TWO upgrades on my account and there's literally no way to be able to keep the unlimited data if the upgrade is on the line that has unlimited. It only works if you use a tiered line's upgrade for your unlimited line.
I know this might seem hard to follow but in short:
Unlimited Line has upgrade = wasted, nothing you can do with it
Tiered line has upgrade = useful for unlimited line
I don't find really any phone being with $600 to $700 after tax. That's just plain robbery. I've been doing it on my past 2 phones and now that I have upgrades actually available, i'm plainly fed up. I threaten to close my account with VZW but they would LOVE for that to happen because they don't want unlimited plan folks on their network anymore.
Now it's a game to test my wits.. How long can I go with my SG3 before going insane? I have to wait another year for one of my tiered lines to have an upgrade available.
Diversion said:
I just got back from VZW Corporate store.
I have 4 lines on a family account, i'm the owner of the entire account - I have TWO upgrades on my account and there's literally no way to be able to keep the unlimited data if the upgrade is on the line that has unlimited. It only works if you use a tiered line's upgrade for your unlimited line.
I know this might seem hard to follow but in short:
Unlimited Line has upgrade = wasted, nothing you can do with it
Tiered line has upgrade = useful for unlimited line
I don't find really any phone being with $600 to $700 after tax. That's just plain robbery. I've been doing it on my past 2 phones and now that I have upgrades actually available, i'm plainly fed up. I threaten to close my account with VZW but they would LOVE for that to happen because they don't want unlimited plan folks on their network anymore.
Now it's a game to test my wits.. How long can I go with my SG3 before going insane? I have to wait another year for one of my tiered lines to have an upgrade available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So why don't you use the tiered line upgrade and then switch the note to your line? I'm not really following this since you said two upgrades are available one on the tiered line and one on the unlimited.
Speaking of lines and unlimited. Our plan states that both are smartphones share the unlimited data. I keep hearing people talking about no unlimited data on certain lines??
I did preorder Note2 full price so we could keep unlimited and we were not eligible anyway as my line isn't up till Feb.
I can't imagine not having unlimited with the Note2, because its so powerful and with large screen, plan to use Netflix and music a lot!!
I'll be buying outright simple because they tacked on a $30 upgrade fee when I tried to preorder...Yea I know it makes no sense but its a principle thing now...haha
eganraC said:
I'll be buying outright simple because they tacked on a $30 upgrade fee when I tried to preorder...Yea I know it makes no sense but its a principle thing now...haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you purchase the phone outright, say from Verizon or Amazon Wireless, and pop in your working SIM, you don't have to pay the upgrade fee?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
xdadevnube said:
If you purchase the phone outright, say from Verizon or Amazon Wireless, and pop in your working SIM, you don't have to pay the upgrade fee?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, I bought my DNA yesterday with no upgrade fee when I paid full retail. I also had no fee when buying my GS3 or MAXX HD.
Diversion said:
I just got back from VZW Corporate store.
I have 4 lines on a family account, i'm the owner of the entire account - I have TWO upgrades on my account and there's literally no way to be able to keep the unlimited data if the upgrade is on the line that has unlimited. It only works if you use a tiered line's upgrade for your unlimited line.
I know this might seem hard to follow but in short:
Unlimited Line has upgrade = wasted, nothing you can do with it
Tiered line has upgrade = useful for unlimited line
I don't find really any phone being with $600 to $700 after tax. That's just plain robbery. I've been doing it on my past 2 phones and now that I have upgrades actually available, i'm plainly fed up. I threaten to close my account with VZW but they would LOVE for that to happen because they don't want unlimited plan folks on their network anymore.
Now it's a game to test my wits.. How long can I go with my SG3 before going insane? I have to wait another year for one of my tiered lines to have an upgrade available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an unlimited data line and I was due for the upgrade, I moved the upgrade to my dads 4gb tiered line and pre ordered on his line and everything appears to be just fine.. I wonder what the difference was? Did you try and go online and do this? I am not second guessing you, I just dont know what the difference is between our situations..
drum747 said:
I will be giving up unlimited data this go around. After getting laid off of my job of 6 years I had to take a lower paying gig and the only way I could talk my wife into the Note 2 was if we combine our plans. I have never used more than 8 gb in a month and she uses 1 gb. We will either go with the 8 gb shared and save $30 a month by combining or maybe the 10gb plan. Its a small price to pay for me to upgrade from my X to the N2. It is what it is, I will make it work even though it does suck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you considered dropping carrier texting and lowering minutes to 450 while keeping unlimited data and using Google Voice and Groove IP for unlimited calls and unlimited SMS over data? You can also look into applying a corporate discount on your plan. As far as the Note II you're bound to find a good deal on Craigslist.
Yeah I'm buying it at full retail just to keep unlimited. This will also be my last phone with Verizon. Moving to prepaid T-mobile after this one, hopefully they have real 4G by then
I've got a 5th line with a 3g dumb phone on Family Share Unlimited plan. Upgrading that to the Note 2 for 2year contract discount. Killing that in 24 hrs and transferring N2 to me/current Gnex and putting dumb phone back on 5th line. Keep unlimited data
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The idea is that those tablets are subsdized.
adrynalyne said:
The idea is that those tablets are subsdized.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
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.
Greetings All!
Okay, after some hesitation I'm planning to upgrade from my much-loved GS3 to the LG G3.
Currently I'm on the Everything Data 450 plan ($69.99) plus the smartphone fee ($10). I never use all my minutes, not even close, since all mobile to mobile and mobile to VOIP calls are included and free. I only talk to one person that I know of who still uses a traditional landline. My corporate discount saves me about $10 a month as it applies to the $69.99 portion of my bill.
Unlimited, My Way, is $50 for unlimited talk and text plus $30 for unlimited data. Just a penny more, but I have verified that my corporate discount would only apply to the $30 portion of the bill so I would be paying several dollars more a month.
Ergo, I'm planning on keeping my old plan. I see no advantage to switching. Am I missing out on something here?
Many thanks in advance.
Cheers, Henri
I had a similar experience a few days ago. Wanted to get my gf the G3 on the easy pay. I was told to use easy pay I would have to switch to the new plans. The salesman says "it costs the same". But me being a mathematician, lol, quickly figured it was going to cost me $275 before taxes, for 4 line and a tablet. Where my bill on traditional account is about $240 with taxes and fees.
I have 5 lines on the ED1500 plan and I get a 23% corp discount. I worked out I'd pay an extra $60 or so a month switching to the Framily plan even if I could get an extra 2 people to get me to the 7 member threshold for maximum discount. Framily is a crock compared to the old plans if you have more than 2 lines.
thunder1979 said:
I have 5 lines on the ED1500 plan and I get a 23% corp discount. I worked out I'd pay an extra $60 or so a month switching to the Framily plan even if I could get an extra 2 people to get me to the 7 member threshold for maximum discount. Framily is a crock compared to the old plans if you have more than 2 lines.
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Yep. I'm on the same plan. What company do u work for that gives you 23%? Best I can get us 10 for credit union members. ?
Sent from my Black Lg G3
Made the unfortunate mistake of signing up on framily and ez pay. Hasty decision as I wanted the phone and got talked into the plan under the guise that it was cheaper. Got home. Did the math and it was about 40-50 more per month compared to old plan. Spent 4 hours in best buy returning the phones and reversing the plan only to leave with no devices as my available upgrade was no longer available. Now back on an s3. Upgrade is now activated again, just need to go back and rebuy the phone. Looking forward to getting the g3 back. This s3 just doesn't cut it anymore.
They talked me into the framily plan its me and two others my bill is about the same. I wanted a new phone (g3) but it would cost like 100 a month. They said they could add people to my plan or what ever to lower my bill i waited one week now pay 69 a month for my line with unlimited and insurance. Its awesome just ask them to add people to your plan
fgcchevy said:
Yep. I'm on the same plan. What company do u work for that gives you 23%? Best I can get us 10 for credit union members. ��
Sent from my Black Lg G3
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If you'll forgive my anonymity, a large, well known bank. Previously, I had the same discount through Nortel Networks but the company went bankrupt and no longer exists.
---------- Post added at 01:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:26 PM ----------
GraphGPT said:
Made the unfortunate mistake of signing up on framily and ez pay. Hasty decision as I wanted the phone and got talked into the plan under the guise that it was cheaper. Got home. Did the math and it was about 40-50 more per month compared to old plan. Spent 4 hours in best buy returning the phones and reversing the plan only to leave with no devices as my available upgrade was no longer available. Now back on an s3. Upgrade is now activated again, just need to go back and rebuy the phone. Looking forward to getting the g3 back. This s3 just doesn't cut it anymore.
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Yeah, I just don't see the benefit. I have 5 lines. My brother pays me monthly and my sister direct deposits 1/2 the amount of her bill bi-weekly directly to my bank account so I really only pay for my S.O., my daughter and myself which ends up being $197 and change. Upgrading every year would be nice, but I finally have a phone where I don't think I'll need to do that. Also, Framily does away with free navigation. I knoe Google Maps is free, but I have not always had good experiences with it.
Happy to have the g3 back and all parts of original plan back in action!
Sent from my LGLS990 using XDA Free mobile app
In my case... Let me let you know. I have the Framily Plan. In the group that the Store Sales Representative create for me are now 10 persons with my 5 lines. (He add to it other 5 unknown ppl) I only pay $25 bucks per line + taxes... I have 2 LG G3, 2 HTC M8 and 1 Nexus 5. My UPS Corporate 25% discount on the account only works when I buy accessories because all the lines just have 1GB of data. I don't see the fact of have unlimited when everyone here all day is connected to Wi-Fi in work or home so..
What I want to say is I HAVE NO EASY PAY installments... This is the trick.
I had an old plan, (all without contract since June) this week I renew all the contracts with new devices and then the Rep changed me to the new Framily plan.
I was supposed to be charged for $15 bucks until I can renovate or something like that on all the lines but the rep says for some reasons (maybe because changes were made at the same time) the system would not charge me. Now I have my phones without payment and are mines. You should try this.
Sent from my LGLS990 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
fgcchevy said:
Yep. I'm on the same plan. What company do u work for that gives you 23%? Best I can get us 10 for credit union members. ?
Sent from my Black Lg G3
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I use UPS and get 23 or 25% can't remember.
Don't forget the biggest difference between the old plans and framily is that you no longer get subsidized devices.