Verizon Wireless and unlimited data plans

[chiver78]

Dec 22, 2015 18:15:18 GMT -5 Baby Fawkes said:

Dec 22, 2015 18:06:08 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I typically keep mine well past contract as well. I suppose that is a question worth asking - if I pay full retail over the contract; will the phone be unlocked?

Yeah, my contract is almost entirely how he described it. Here's the breakdown for my bill.

My line - $20 access fee + $45 for the M plan => $65 
My phone - It was already paid for, but is completely unlocked anyway

DW's line - $20 access fee. No data fee as we share the plan. + $31 for the phone (she ended up wanting the expensive one)
DW's phone - Completely unlocked and financed at 0% over the 24 months. There are no extra charges.

So for the first 24 months I pay the following: $20 + $20 + $45 + $31 => $116
After the 24 months are done my bill drops to $20 + $20 + $45 => $85

The part I like is that when I'm past 24 months I don't keep having to subsidize the cost of a phone if I we want to stay with what I have.

I'm also not on any sort of contract, so if I decide to leave tomorrow I can pay off the entire remaining balance of DW's phone and just walk away with no termination fees and both completely unlocked phones that I can take to a different provider.

The other nice thing is that if I predict a high usage month for data, you can just change the data plan on a month-by-month basis. I could up it to the L or XL plan for a single month if it made financial sense and drop it back down to M again after. My bill for that month will just be the extra difference for the data plan.

now that's interesting - IME, doing that would have been a downgrade with VZW in the past, and not at all allowed. if that's the case, it sadly might be worth staying with them. I've been with them so long, they don't actually have my SS# - which no carrier should ever need, b/c they aren't actually extending credit, but that's beside the point.

so wait, you're with Verizon and your DW's phone is unlocked?? well, shit. I guess I need to open up another live chat and ask how I go about "upgrading" to that Max plan, and then keeping it when I go to BB to get the free TV at the same time. or, I just go with a M plan and move up when I need to. non-Max plans are $15 for more data, which is the difference between the plans anyway. is there a cutoff for bumping up, or is that something I can put in my calendar for a couple days before the cycle ends - to check my usage and bump up if needed?

[chiver78]

Dec 22, 2015 18:17:29 GMT -5 cael said:

Dec 22, 2015 15:51:36 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

Sprint just has the worst coverage out of them all where I'm at. I need to see a bill without international charges to see what the damage really is. But that won't be until February. My trip was over two billing cycles.

Good point - my Sprint phone is not able to access the networks overseas where I've been. I couldn't get on any networks in Greece, Ghana or El Salvador with my phone, but my mother could with AT&T in Ghana and ES, and my SIL could in Greece with her Verizon phone (she got some sort of plan so she could text while we were there without all the roaming charges). In Bermuda surprisingly we could use our Sprint phones.. but everywhere else we've gone has been a strikeout.

your SIL had to have swapped out her SIM chip in order to have done anything in Europe on a VZ phone. VZ does not use the GSM network, which is what everyone else in the world uses.

as far as Sprint not working there, that's really surprising. my old job, where I was all over Western Europe over a handful of years, we had Nextel phones - which became Sprint during those projects - and we were fine.

[chiver78]

Dec 22, 2015 18:20:56 GMT -5 Baby Fawkes said:

I should also add that we got a nice deal when we signed up. They had a promotion going on where they would give you a $300 credit for any working smartphone that you were prepared to trade in and they had $100 off the price of the Android phone she wanted. DW had an old iPhone 5, which is worth nowhere near $300 seeing as it was 3 years old. However, it was in good working condition so we got the full $300 for it. 

I was originally considering keeping the phone as a backup just in case something happened to one of our current devices because I thought the value was far lower, but that offer was too good so she traded it in for the credit.

All in her phone was $400 cheaper than the retail price so it wasn't terribly expensive and we own it outright. They are still running that offer if you take a look at the website. I'm not sure if a shattered screen would disqualify the device for the $300 credit though.

no idea, but I do have a replacement screen I could offer up with it. I just didn't feel like doing the repair myself after watching the how-to video online. the touch part works just fine, so you actually have to separate the glass from the digitizer by heating it up. the replacement kit has this thing that looks like a guitar pick that you wedge in there. looked like a royal PITA, no thank you.

[chiver78]

Dec 22, 2015 18:35:45 GMT -5 obelisk said:

Dec 22, 2015 13:12:18 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I flat out told the guy I was shopping around, and to make his best case to keep me.

I saved the chat window so I can go through all the numbers tonight, going to put a spreadsheet together with other carriers to see what will make the most sense for me. right now, it seems like that will be unlimited text and a high/unlimited data plan. however that's going to pan out, I'll have to see.

I'm actually a little shocked that they don't really seem to GAF that they could be losing a 20+ year customer that's never given them any problems.

I just switched from VRWSS to sprint.  Vrswss does not care about your 20+ years.   The internet with coverage area is your best friend.
I am saving 20 USD per month on another provider.  What has VRWSS has done for you lately.

that card worked for me the last time around, which is why it was surprising this time. this phone now, I got it after a lengthy exchange with various people at VZW, and ultimately a request from Corporate. basically, I'd had a series of lemon phones, and was shocked to find that I couldn't swap out my THIRD Galaxy Nexus b/c the warranty period on a replacement phone is only 90 days. at the time, I was still within the 1yr warranty from the original Nexus I'd bought. I was getting nowhere with the stores, they wouldn't let me buy a new phone at contract price - which was really all I was asking for - b/c I was still stuck in a 2yr contract with a series of phones that were busted for reasons *I* didn't cause.

after a really long email to provide the whole background, Corporate called me back to verify a couple things. the end result was that they bumped my upgrade-eligible date to that day and said thank you for your loyalty, enjoy whatever new phone you choose.

[Baby Fawkes]

Dec 22, 2015 20:08:24 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

now that's interesting - IME, doing that would have been a downgrade with VZW in the past, and not at all allowed. if that's the case, it sadly might be worth staying with them. I've been with them so long, they don't actually have my SS# - which no carrier should ever need, b/c they aren't actually extending credit, but that's beside the point.

so wait, you're with Verizon and your DW's phone is unlocked?? well, shit. I guess I need to open up another live chat and ask how I go about "upgrading" to that Max plan, and then keeping it when I go to BB to get the free TV at the same time. or, I just go with a M plan and move up when I need to. non-Max plans are $15 for more data, which is the difference between the plans anyway. is there a cutoff for bumping up, or is that something I can put in my calendar for a couple days before the cycle ends - to check my usage and bump up if needed?

To be clear, I'm not sure how a mid-month upgrade would work for charging. We ran the numbers and it comes out as a break even if we go over by 4GB in a year. By that I mean that we could have 4 months where we pay the extra $15 for an extra GB or a single month that went crazy and had a 4GB overage. Based on historical data usage for us we only ever went over a couple of times and both times were when we were traveling in the US and didn't have the same wifi access. We know when those months are so we are going to up them before the billing cycle starts. When I log on to my account I can just check a different box and upgrade or downgrade my data with a single click. You should definitely chat with about pro-rated charges though as I haven't done it myself yet to give you the details.

Also, yeah, my wife's phone is completely unlocked when you go on a no-contract plan and pay the retail price. In fact, when we moved over from AT&T there was a an issue transferring her number and they told her it would take 3 days to complete. She walked out of the store with her phone that we bought from the Verizon store, put her AT&T sim card in and it worked just fine. 3 days later we went back in, picked up the new sim card and pt it in the phone. We've since put a pay-as-you go sim card from the UK in the phone when we were traveling with no problems at all.

[chiver78]

okay, so that's another question I'll be asking in my next chat - do you have to declare the month's upgrade before it starts, or can you wing it? most of the time, my travel isn't planned very far in advance, so I wouldn't be able to do what you did.

[justme]

You can switch or add a gig mid-month. From my understanding you just have to do it before you go over the limit of your plan. After you go over you're stuck with the automatic charges.

[midjd]

You can select the higher data plan and back-date it once it goes over to save the $15 overage. Then switch it back the next month (you'll usually pay a day or two of prorated charges). I use an obscene amount of data so do this all the time.

[chiver78]

Dec 22, 2015 22:32:38 GMT -5 midjd said:

You can select the higher data plan and back-date it once it goes over to save the $15 overage. Then switch it back the next month (you'll usually pay a day or two of prorated charges). I use an obscene amount of data so do this all the time.

come again? do you downgrade the months you don't use the data? honestly confused here, sorry.

[justme]

Well to their levels if mid is correct. So Verizon has small medium large and extra large.

[midjd]

Say this month I have the 6gb plan and go over with 3 days left in the billing cycle. I go online to select the 8gb plan and it gives me 3 options -- 1) apply retroactively and keep current billing cycle dates (plus avoid $15 fee), 2) cut this cycle short and start new plan immediately, or 3) start new plan in 3 days when billing cycle ends (pointless bc then you pay the $15 overage).

When day 1 of your new cycle hits, you can change it back with the 3 options above.

When you're lowering your data plan in the middle/end of a billing cycle, you don't have quite the same options. I want to say you can only do #2 or 3... I will check when I get to a computer.

Sorry if this is garbled, tapping out on my phone.

[chiver78]

but how are you saving the $15 overage when the difference between the plans is still $15? it's a wash, no?

[justme]

The difference is you get 2 gig for 15 instead of just 1 that the overage charge gives you.

Eta looked at the actual plans. The cost difference between medium and large plans is 15 but the large plan has 3 more gigs. The xl plan is 20 more than the large but you get 6 extra gigs.

[midjd]

First -- it looks like I have the MORE Everything plan and I think you are talking about the Verizon plan (which I know nothing about) so the below advice is probably not applicable.

But for the MORE plan, I have an employee discount, so the plan change ends up being about $11 more (no apparent discount on the $15 overage). Plus you usually get 2gb more (vs being charged the same $15 if you use 6.001gb). Also, it looks like once you get above 12gb, the difference between plans is only $10/mo... 

I went back and checked my Verizon account. It looks like if you're downgrading your data mid-cycle you can only choose it to take effect today or at the beginning of your next billing cycle. Choosing it to take effect immediately will prorate your charges/data so your bill should still be lower than if you had kept the higher plan for the full cycle. Basically if you underestimate your data usage for a particular month you'll pay $15 (less employee discount) and a day or two of prorated charges for an extra 2gb. 

[chiver78]

and here we go again, chat #2. this person's telling me different stuff than the guy yesterday. oy.

[8 Bit WWBG]

I too have the legacy unlimited data plans.  They know they can't "take" them without guaranteed class action, but they can change the terms and incentivize us to "choose" to give them up.

I briefly tried out another carrier, and I made them waive the nonsense "activation fees".  I'm not paying them to become a customer.  They waived it.  Wireless service in America is disgusting.  One of my friends who alternates between two countries seriously considered subscribing overseas and just roaming while in America.

If I was going to switch, I'd switch to Google Fi.  It has a true "pay for what you use" model and the rates are reasonable.

Stop buying phones from the carriers and support 3rd party manufacturers or 2nd hand equipment.  Most of the masses are more than happy to pay small payments in perpetuity in exchange for a new phone every year, so the practices will never go away.  But with some smart shopping, you can minimize the nonsense.

[8 Bit WWBG]

...:::"so wait, you're with Verizon and your DW's phone is unlocked??":::...

Same here.  I can go to any carrier without incident.

[SVT]

T-Mobile changed the mobile phone market over the last couple of years.  Unless I missed it, I've seen no mention of this company for some strange reason.  I recommend checking out their coverage map and see if it works for you.

My usage may be unusual (although, the plan I have is quite popular, so it can't be that unusual) as I mostly use my phone for texting and data.  I have the super awesome (IMO) T-Mobile prepaid plan that's just $30/mo.  100 min voice, unlimited data (4G speed up to 5GB, which is plenty) and unlimited text.  You pay .20/min over 100 min/mo for voice.  I live in MD where the T-Mobile coverage is excellent.  The last time I checked out the coverage map, a lot of the Northeast area was covered.

I used to have Verizon Wireless before 2013 with a dumb phone.  I just couldn't see paying an additional $30/mo (at the time, maybe it's different price now) to add data for a smart phone.  I was already paying $60/mo for my dumb phone which including 450 min/mo of voice that I was never using.  So I shopped around and bought Google's flagship Nexus 4 phone at the time for $300.  No contract.  Unlocked.  I still have it.  I pay just $30/mo. for the plan.

Here's the link to the plan info: prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/other-prepaid-plans

I recommend, if the coverage map looks good for you (don't you live in Massachusetts?), I'd go with this plan, if you use not too much more than 100 min of voice per month.  Buy a phone straight from Google (which are usually among the best phones available, not cheap junky phones) that are contract free, unlocked, and don't have any bloatware loaded onto them like the phones bought from carriers always have.

[chiver78]

oy. grab a drink, this is long.

so the chat this evening gave me way different information than yesterday, as I said earlier. I was told today that not only was the Max plan significantly cheaper than my current plan (and than what was quoted in yesterday's chat) but that the representative could put me on that plan and then I could go to Best Buy and buy my new S6 - and get the free TV - without altering those terms.

so, off I go to Best Buy. I hit my first wall when I was asked for my SS# - I've been a VZ customer so long that they don't actually have my SS#. so we try the PIN for when I call in to discuss my account. that gets us a little further, and then the SS# question comes back up. I step out of line to call in to see if I can either figure out what's in the system, or have them tell me, so I know what they are trying to match. I get told that there is a number in the profile, and if I give them my last 4, they can tell me whether I match or not....but that they can't actually tell me what's in there. at this point, I remembered that one of the handful of friends who have worked for VZ along the way had put in a dummy number for me when VZ suddenly started "requiring" numbers. I actually had it written down somewhere at one point, so I figured I'd guess - woot, first try I nailed it. so I go back to the sales guy with my "SS#" and proceed......until the next wall. we hit another wall when it came time for a credit check of some sort. the sales guy got a note about a manual check, and to call VZ. so we call, they text me some confirmation code that I read back, and I'm told that my account will be released and it should be clear to go in about 5-10 minutes. well, a good half hour later, it still wasn't. the sales guy closes out of the system entirely and starts over. well, the first thing we come up on is the incorrect address that was in the system on the first attempt - which we had corrected and apparently hadn't stuck - and then another manual check.    I was on a time crunch, so a good hour after arriving I left empty-handed.

fast forward to just now. I decided to call in, for all of the problems. I start with explaining the purchase problems ^above, including the incorrect address issue, as well as pointing out that when I log in to the website, the location that shows up for me is the town where I had my PO Box in between condo and house. I also mention that when I log in, it still shows that I'm on the Nationwide plan from way back when, not the Max plan that was supposed to have changed this afternoon. tonight's operator looks into it and tells me that my address is correct as far as she can see, that she sees both incorrect addresses as priors (which is accurate) and that she doesn't know why I get the PO Box location when I log in. ok, next problem. the reason I still show as a Nationwide plan is b/c the Max plan can only be done by VZ along with an upgrade - contradicting all of what I've been told so far! I said as much, and that in addition to being incredibly frustrating, it's making me look at other options. I mean, I could call back tomorrow and get someone else who tells me something different entirely. hell, I could call in FROM Best Buy and get someone who could put in for a Max plan while I'm getting the upgraded new phone from BB at the same time.

ugh.... back to the drawing board, I guess. it would be easier to stay with VZ, but I'm so fucking annoyed with them right now. gah. 

oh, and I left T-Mobile off the list in the OP b/c they weren't one of the carriers in the Best Buy free TV deal that got the ball rolling on all of this for me. I haven't a clue how well they work around here, I don't think I know anyone who uses them. the coverage map looks great, but I am skeptical about those maps in general. my last place, I was half a mile from a tower and couldn't hold a call until I got a signal booster due to a police scanner between my place and the tower. it pretty much sucked.

[Baby Fawkes]

Dec 23, 2015 16:51:36 GMT -5 8 Bit WWBG said:

Stop buying phones from the carriers and support 3rd party manufacturers or 2nd hand equipment.  Most of the masses are more than happy to pay small payments in perpetuity in exchange for a new phone every year, so the practices will never go away.  But with some smart shopping, you can minimize the nonsense.

I agree that people should stop buying subsidized phones. Ideally you would buy a phone from somewhere else and the wireless provider would just provide the service. It's not like people buy laptops or TVs from Comcast when you sign up. In my case though, the retail price on the phone was the same as I could fine anywhere else, so it didn't cost any more. When I added in the phone rebate for the old phone it was much cheaper, but I did view is a two separate purchases I was making. 1) I was purchasing the wireless service and 2) i was also purchasing an unlocked phone at retail because they happened to be the best deal at that time.

[Baby Fawkes]

Dec 23, 2015 21:28:08 GMT -5 SVT said:

T-Mobile changed the mobile phone market over the last couple of years.  Unless I missed it, I've seen no mention of this company for some strange reason.  I recommend checking out their coverage map and see if it works for you.

I agree with this. I mentioned it briefly back in my original post that from my research the only company that matched Verizon for simplicity of plans was T-Mobile. In our case we chose between the two because Verizon has better coverage for where we are and that was it. I gave serious consideration to them as a provider and their plans seemed like they would have worked fine for me if the coverage for my area was a little better.

[chiver78]

Dec 24, 2015 11:36:13 GMT -5 Baby Fawkes said:

Dec 23, 2015 16:51:36 GMT -5 8 Bit WWBG said:

Stop buying phones from the carriers and support 3rd party manufacturers or 2nd hand equipment.  Most of the masses are more than happy to pay small payments in perpetuity in exchange for a new phone every year, so the practices will never go away.  But with some smart shopping, you can minimize the nonsense.

I agree that people should stop buying subsidized phones. Ideally you would buy a phone from somewhere else and the wireless provider would just provide the service. It's not like people buy laptops or TVs from Comcast when you sign up. In my case though, the retail price on the phone was the same as I could fine anywhere else, so it didn't cost any more. When I added in the phone rebate for the old phone it was much cheaper, but I did view is a two separate purchases I was making. 1) I was purchasing the wireless service and 2) i was also purchasing an unlocked phone at retail because they happened to be the best deal at that time.

unfortunately, Verizon has never allowed activation of a phone that wasn't Verizon-branded. whether that's b/c they are on the CDMA network and most of the phones out there are GSM, or b/c they are just assholes, that's been my experience.

[8 Bit WWBG]

...:::"I agree that people should stop buying subsidized phones. Ideally you would buy a phone from somewhere else and the wireless provider would just provide the service.":::...

Right, and with more options popping up, hopefully it will be easier to buy unlocked unbranded phones.  It's not just the up front cost, or the ridiculous fees, it's the bloat and the locked devices.  Carrier bloat bogs down devices, and between carriers and manufacturers taking eons to release an OS update, we are getting screwed.

It was one thing when you could get a phone for $199.  But the companies figured out that it is extremely profitable to act as financing companies.  With even modest new phones clocking in at $400 for a 16Gb model, I think we will see more secondary sales.  So the carriers start introducing "bring your own device fees".  Ugh...  You know things have gotten real when providers are offering to pay up to a few hundred in termination fees to snag you as a customer!  So that there is the phone subsidy, just paid out differently.  They want those folks who are still on contract.

[8 Bit WWBG]

...:::"unfortunately, Verizon has never allowed activation of a phone that wasn't Verizon-branded. whether that's b/c they are on the CDMA network and most of the phones out there are GSM, or b/c they are just assholes, that's been my experience.":::...

Yes, but this is changing.  There are more "white-listed" (not officially supported, but not forbidden either) devices.  Also, manufacturers are sick of making multiple versions of a phone, and instead are shipping devices that have radios which support multiple bands and technologies, but only specific ones activated for specific carriers.  So in time you might very well be able to take that Verizon phone onto T-Mobile if it has the support for both technologies (mine does).  Which, if you pay full price for the device, you should be able to do.  Software limiting of hardware capabilities is disgusting.

It's going to be interesting to see how the market changes as contracts end.  Unlimited data came back (albeit, with throttling limits instead of overage fees), so anything is possible.

Verizon is investing in GSM, but it will take a LONG time (probably 5 years) before a majority of the network boasts that capability.

[obelisk]

Dec 24, 2015 12:35:20 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Dec 24, 2015 11:36:13 GMT -5 Baby Fawkes said:

I agree that people should stop buying subsidized phones. Ideally you would buy a phone from somewhere else and the wireless provider would just provide the service. It's not like people buy laptops or TVs from Comcast when you sign up. In my case though, the retail price on the phone was the same as I could fine anywhere else, so it didn't cost any more. When I added in the phone rebate for the old phone it was much cheaper, but I did view is a two separate purchases I was making. 1) I was purchasing the wireless service and 2) i was also purchasing an unlocked phone at retail because they happened to be the best deal at that time.

unfortunately, Verizon has never allowed activation of a phone that wasn't Verizon-branded. whether that's b/c they are on the CDMA network and most of the phones out there are GSM, or b/c they are just assholes, that's been my experience.

You are mistaken, Verizon flat out lied when I requested an unlocked phone for international travel. Verizon stated that an unlocked phone was unatalaible with their network until I purchased a phone from the manufacturer.  Verizon customer service is not to be believed.

[chiver78]

Dec 24, 2015 17:43:31 GMT -5 obelisk said:

Dec 24, 2015 12:35:20 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

unfortunately, Verizon has never allowed activation of a phone that wasn't Verizon-branded. whether that's b/c they are on the CDMA network and most of the phones out there are GSM, or b/c they are just assholes, that's been my experience.

You are mistaken, Verizon flat out lied when I requested an unlocked phone for international travel. Verizon stated that an unlocked phone was unatalaible with their network until I purchased a phone from the manufacturer.  Verizon customer service is not to be believed.

in this instance, I'd believe them - international travel requires GSM network compatibility, and VZW doesn't have it - they operate on the CDMA network. you can swap out your SIM card, but that's not a fully unlocked phone to my knowledge.

[OldCoyote]

I also have the unlimited data plan, Dealing with Verizon has been nothing but a problem.

I not sure what I am going to do yet,  I will be making a change!!

[chiver78]

for those that recommended Consumer Cellular, I just got an ad for that company while waiting for a mindless game to load. seeing it jogged my memory - all the ads I've seen were similar to the one I just saw. everyone in it was a senior citizen, and there's a huge AARP ad at the bottom. is this even open to people that aren't AARP members or of an age to be eligible for AARP?

[Tennesseer]

Dec 25, 2015 19:16:58 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

for those that recommended Consumer Cellular, I just got an ad for that company while waiting for a mindless game to load. seeing it jogged my memory - all the ads I've seen were similar to the one I just saw. everyone in it was a senior citizen, and there's a huge AARP ad at the bottom. is this even open to people that aren't AARP members or of an age to be eligible for AARP?

One supposedly must be at least 50 years old to join AARP.

AARP Membership

And then this is Consumer Cellular's info about the AARP discount.

consumer Celkular AARP

[Chocolate Lover]

Did you ever figure out your phone issues chiver78?  If you didn't, I just wanted to toss out that T-Mobile lets you stream your music without charging you data.