[NA]Cell service plans

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
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west Texas
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Display name:
Dave Taylor
Time to renew, and I'm shopping.
I have an iphoneSE and my wife, iphoneX.
We have been byop (bring your own phone) with Straighttalk on the Verizon network (Verizon is the only reliable network where I am so we are sticking with that)

-unlimited talk and text
-conus is all we need
-25gB data (we've never gone over)
-I am not sure at what gB use level they start throttling but it has not occurred that I have noticed.

They want $500/yr each phone, prepaid. There have never been overage charges.

Doesn't seem reasonable. Sound ok to you?
 
Verizon is not MVNO friendly but there are a few like StraightTalk which is just WalMart beating on them

Search Verizon MVNO and you’ll find others like RedPocket and others all with weird different plans and odd requirements for usage and such.

If you’re looking at phone upgrades I’d wait for the brand new iPhone SE just announced. That thing is a mid-range market killer at a very low price for what it is.

You’ll probably be hard pressed to beat StraightTalk pricing but it’s super dependent on data use. Almost all have unlimited talk and text these days. It’s the fine print of the throttling, whether you need tethering, and video stream compression that are the real differences.

They just all sell various weird data plans now.
 
Thanks for the review, Nate.
Would love hotspot and international for a few times a year but for the price, looks like it wouldnt be worth it to switch.
No plans to upgrade phone at least til Apple forces the issue or I drop it in a toilet but if the new SE is as small (and my vision holds) I'll probably go with that.
 
We've had great luck with RedPocket as a Verizon MVNO, and Mint Mobile using the Tmobile network. Mint cut our previous Verizon bill by 2/3. Kicking myself for sending Verizon so much money in the paet.
 
MuseChaser said:
We've had great luck with RedPocket as a Verizon MVNO, and Mint Mobile using the Tmobile network. Mint cut our previous Verizon bill by 2/3. Kicking myself for sending Verizon so much money in the paet.
Click to expand...
I presume RP is about the same price I listed abv?
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I presume RP is about the same price I listed abv?
Click to expand...

I haven’t checked in a while but they say the way to do RP super cheap is to buy refill cards on eBay. Sounds like too much work to me, but I think they have normal billing and the refills are cheaper and cover a month or something.

There’s a whole crap ton of people over at a site called HowardForums that track every single little cheapskate cell deal imaginable but it’s like all they spend their free time on.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I presume RP is about the same price I listed abv?
Click to expand...

https://www.redpocket.com/plans

Their CDMA plans (Verizon networks) have less LTE data included per price point. In your original post you mentioned 25gb of data...that's a LOT. If you use your phone as your main data connection and don't have access to wifi, then sure, but otherwise... is that much necessary? Also, the Red Pocket plans are UNLIMITED data, they just throttle back to 2G speeds after reaching the LTE amount limit of your plan. A truly unlimited LTE plan woild cost you $720/yr w/ RedPocket's Verizon CDMA network, but an unlimited plan with 3gb LTE/month would run $240/yr. We have a similar 3gb LTE/unlimited 2G plan w/ Mint on TMobile for $180/yr, and I've never come close to using up my LTE data, although I don't use my phone for media consumption other than audio streaming while driving. My father wanted a cell for emergency backuo only, and I got him the cheapest RedPocket plan for 60$/YEAR...we're both thrilled.
 
MuseChaser said:
Also, the Red Pocket plans are UNLIMITED data, they just throttle back to 2G speeds after reaching the LTE amount limit of your plan.
Click to expand...

Around here they’ve started re-farming some of their spectrum that was handling the CDMA network and what’s left that isn’t part of LTE is barely useable for enough bandwidth for a phone call. Texts via iMessage with attached images barely go thru when not on LTE, and an incoming email attachment will crush it.

They’ve got the old network completely choked down.

Longer term, VZ needs more spectrum (well they all do, always of course) but we still have all the auction squatters like Ergen at Dish who’s done absolutely nothing with his for over a decade now.

The most interesting move lately is the TMo/Sprint merger, once they can merge networks. AT&T is actually slightly ahead right now in the few areas they actually finished their network build out plans... but they’re all in trouble with video streaming.

AT&T ironically is also bleeding money from that with their acquisition of DirectTV and the mass exodus from both that and the streaming platform they’re running horribly. The only place their subscriber numbers are growing is where they’ve dropped fiber to the curb. It’s not even a drop in the bucket for the numbers they’re losing elsewhere.

BUT... if you’re in a well covered AT&T wireless area, they’re often faster than VZ, because of the way they deployed their spectrum.

I wouldn’t buy “2G” anything right now though. It’ll keep getting squeezed hard until shutdown dates.
 
denverpilot said:
Around here they’ve started re-farming some of their spectrum that was handling the CDMA network and what’s left that isn’t part of LTE is barely useable for enough bandwidth for a phone call. Texts via iMessage with attached images barely go thru when not on LTE, and an incoming email attachment will crush it.

They’ve got the old network completely choked down.

Longer term, VZ needs more spectrum (well they all do, always of course) but we still have all the auction squatters like Ergen at Dish who’s done absolutely nothing with his for over a decade now.

The most interesting move lately is the TMo/Sprint merger, once they can merge networks. AT&T is actually slightly ahead right now in the few areas they actually finished their network build out plans... but they’re all in trouble with video streaming.

AT&T ironically is also bleeding money from that with their acquisition of DirectTV and the mass exodus from both that and the streaming platform they’re running horribly. The only place their subscriber numbers are growing is where they’ve dropped fiber to the curb. It’s not even a drop in the bucket for the numbers they’re losing elsewhere.

BUT... if you’re in a well covered AT&T wireless area, they’re often faster than VZ, because of the way they deployed their spectrum.

I wouldn’t buy “2G” anything right now though. It’ll keep getting squeezed hard until shutdown dates.
Click to expand...
Maybe Verizon will buy Ligado's network... :stirpot:
 
I don't think you're going to do much better than StraightTalk's plan if you need VZW.

Visible Wireless will save you a few bucks; but last I checked, they were throttled to 5Mbps. My friend Pete uses them. Great signal, non-existent customer service, says Pete. I think he said it also includes hotspot.

Rich
 
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Let'sgoflying! said:
Time to renew, and I'm shopping.
I have an iphoneSE and my wife, iphoneX.
We have been byop (bring your own phone) with Straighttalk on the Verizon network (Verizon is the only reliable network where I am so we are sticking with that)

-unlimited talk and text
-conus is all we need
-25gB data (we've never gone over)
-I am not sure at what gB use level they start throttling but it has not occurred that I have noticed.

They want $500/yr each phone, prepaid. There have never been overage charges.

Doesn't seem reasonable. Sound ok to you?
Click to expand...

I haven't compared plans, but Page Plus is another provider who uses Verizon's network. My wife's old flip phone is on PP, and costs me only $10 per month. Not unlimited anything - but it doesn't matter for that phone.

Otherwise I'd advise anyone to check out TMobile. I abandoned Verizon for them a few years ago, and never looked back, You get a substantial discount if you are military or a veteran.

Dave
 
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