Experiences with prepaid mobile carriers and your preferred choice?

[glenn1]

My Verizon Wireless contract is up soon and looking to revert to a pre-paid account since I'm perfectly happy with my current Galaxy S3. Which carriers are ATOT using and what is your satisfaction level with them? I live in the metro DC area (Rockville MD, 20850) and work downtown, so I would presume coverage wouldn't be an issue although data speeds could be depending on carrier.

Did a forum search, nothing found in the last year or so. Didn't feel like going back indefinitely since the info might be stale anyway. Mods, please feel free to move this if you feel it is a better fit in a different forum, ATOT seemed most logical to me.




Your search failed because you were in the wrong forum.

Moved from OT

Anandtech Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[vailr]

PagePlus offers various price levels, including their minimal (voice & text only) $10/100 minutes/4 months. They allow use of Verizon phones only, so should be compatible with your existing phone. Cell coverage would be the same as Verizon, since they simply re-sell Verizon air time that's been bought "in bulk".

 

[Brainonska511]

I've been satisfied with my prepaid TMobile service with my Nexus 4. $30/mo for 5GB, unlimited text, 100 minutes ($0.10/min after; but I usually don't go over).

 

[rudeguy]

I'll respond before this gets moved.

Your Verizon phone is locked and can't be used on Net10 or Straight Talk. Your best bet is going to be to buy an unlocked GS3 GSM and sell yours.

As far as service goes: Straight Talk isn't a bad deal if you want unlimited everything. Net10 has a 60 day plan that is great for low usage. Page Plus isn't something I have experience with. There are TONS of people out there that swear by TracPhone and their double minute specials.

Don't get caught up on the phone. They are cheap and you can sell your old one. Look at each provider's site and see what would fit your needs.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

I've used T-mobile to Go (pay as you go/no data) for years, and have been pleased. SO's daughter has Virgin Mobile, and while phone/text service was hit and miss with the old HTC EVO 3D, it is much better with the new LG Optimus F3. If I were to go with a data plan it would be T-mobile or Virgin Mobile. AT&T and Verizon can go f&@! themselves.

 

[lxskllr]

I don't have it, but I like the looks of this...

http://www.lycamobile.us/en/national-plans

100% pay as you go. You pay for what you use, and don't buy "blocks" of stuff. It's useful if you don't use phones often, but probably isn't good for typical usage.

 

[glenn1]

I'll respond before this gets moved.

Your Verizon phone is locked and can't be used on Net10 or Straight Talk. Your best bet is going to be to buy an unlocked GS3 GSM and sell yours.

As far as service goes: Straight Talk isn't a bad deal if you want unlimited everything. Net10 has a 60 day plan that is great for low usage. Page Plus isn't something I have experience with. There are TONS of people out there that swear by TracPhone and their double minute specials.

Don't get caught up on the phone. They are cheap and you can sell your old one. Look at each provider's site and see what would fit your needs.

So basically CDMA phones from Verizon and Virgin are locked to the carrier (although Straight Talk might work) and if I want to have some flexibility in carriers I need to pick one which uses GSM technology like If so, then after selecting a phone I could presumably switch carriers at will by swapping SIM cards. That's good to know.

 

[sixone]

I love Ting (ting.com) - but it's not the right choice if you want unlimited data. I'm on wifi networks all day, so $16 per month gets me 100 minutes, 100MB data, and 100 texts. If I go over, they bill me for the difference next month.

They have a limited selection of new and used phones, but you can use any Sprint phone if you want to BYO.

 

[dlock13]

I have AIO. They have a $55 for unlimited texts/calls and 2 GB of data or $70 for unlimited text/calls and 7 GB of data. The one thing with AIO is they cap data speeds at 4 Mb/s for '4G'/3G and 8 Mb/s for LTE. That is plenty fast for me, and they offer really good customer support. After you hit 2 GB or 7 GB, you get throttled. This uses AT&T's network, and I've never had a problem with service.

Straight Talk uses either T-Mo or AT&T and is "unlimited" everything at $45 ($50 after taxes). However, the "unlimited" earns you a throttle once you pass 2.5 GB of data. The good thing is this offers LTE on T-Mo or AT&T. Their customer support is horrendous so I hear.

I love AIO, and I've debated on switching to ST for the 2.5 GB and faster speeds, but I don't have either companies' LTE here so it doesn't matter to me.

 

[NetGuySC]

I have AIO. They have a $55 for unlimited texts/calls and 2 GB of data or $70 for unlimited text/calls and 7 GB of data. The one thing with AIO is they cap data speeds at 4 Mb/s for '4G'/3G and 8 Mb/s for LTE. That is plenty fast for me, and they offer really good customer support. After you hit 2 GB or 7 GB, you get throttled. This uses AT&T's network, and I've never had a problem with service.

Straight Talk uses either T-Mo or AT&T and is "unlimited" everything at $45 ($50 after taxes). However, the "unlimited" earns you a throttle once you pass 2.5 GB of data. The good thing is this offers LTE on T-Mo or AT&T. Their customer support is horrendous so I hear.

I love AIO, and I've debated on switching to ST for the 2.5 GB and faster speeds, but I don't have either companies' LTE here so it doesn't matter to me.

Who is AIO?

 

[dlock13]

Who is AIO?

AIO was purchased by AT&T earlier in 2013. They are a subsidiary of AT&T so they get better priority than let's say Straight Talk. Check out more here.

I don't mean to be advertising them, but they are a good company. That's all.

 

[s44]

Your Verizon phone is locked and can't be used on Net10 or Straight Talk. Your best bet is going to be to buy an unlocked GS3 GSM and sell yours.

Technically that's not correct. Verizon LTE devices aren't locked to the carrier -- the FCC explicitly forbids VZ from doing that. The problem is, 2012 Verizon phones had rather limited GSM/HSPA connectivity in hardware, not to mention LTE incompatible with AT&T. 2013 devices work better (my VZ S4 would be a pretty great T-Mo phone), but you don't have one.

So yeah, if you're going to switch, sell your i535 and buy a GSM (AT&T/T-Mobile/unlocked) device. I recommend Swappa. Btw, if you still have unlimited on VZ, you should consider selling that line -- it's called an "Assumption of Liability" (AOL) and is worth hundreds of bucks.

AIO is a pretty good option if you want the 7gb, but not such a great deal otherwise.

Straight Talk on T-Mo used to be truly unlimited, and it's possible it still is (since most people are just using the AT&T version for better coverage).

 

[RossMAN]

I have AIO. They have a $55 for unlimited texts/calls and 2 GB of data or $70 for unlimited text/calls and 7 GB of data. The one thing with AIO is they cap data speeds at 4 Mb/s for '4G'/3G and 8 Mb/s for LTE. That is plenty fast for me, and they offer really good customer support. After you hit 2 GB or 7 GB, you get throttled. This uses AT&T's network, and I've never had a problem with service.

Straight Talk uses either T-Mo or AT&T and is "unlimited" everything at $45 ($50 after taxes). However, the "unlimited" earns you a throttle once you pass 2.5 GB of data. The good thing is this offers LTE on T-Mo or AT&T. Their customer support is horrendous so I hear.

I love AIO, and I've debated on switching to ST for the 2.5 GB and faster speeds, but I don't have either companies' LTE here so it doesn't matter to me.

ST charges tax/fees/misc/whatever just like regular post paid cell phones?

 

[dlock13]

ST charges tax/fees/misc/whatever just like regular post paid cell phones?

From what I read, it does. I'm not honestly sure since I've never used it.

 

[dguy6789]

Technically that's not correct. Verizon LTE devices aren't locked to the carrier -- the FCC explicitly forbids VZ from doing that. The problem is, 2012 Verizon phones had rather limited GSM/HSPA connectivity in hardware, not to mention LTE incompatible with AT&T. 2013 devices work better (my VZ S4 would be a pretty great T-Mo phone), but you don't have one.

This may be partially true but it's not entirely true. Verizon has a selection of LTE phones that are technically compatible with Tmobile and ATT and are blocked from working on them. Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx, Droid Razr HD, Droid Razr Maxx HD are some examples. These are all world phones that work everywhere except Tmobile and ATT. There are hacks you can do to make them work on ATT and Tmobile but they are blocked by Verizon at stock.

 

[s44]

This may be partially true but it's not entirely true. Verizon has a selection of LTE phones that are technically compatible with Tmobile and ATT and are blocked from working on them. Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx, Droid Razr HD, Droid Razr Maxx HD are some examples. These are all world phones that work everywhere except Tmobile and ATT. There are hacks you can do to make them work on ATT and Tmobile but they are blocked by Verizon at stock.

Those are all 2011-2012.

I believe the FCC put down their foot to stop this afterwards.

 

[cronos]

Correct. I believe the FCC ruling was around the end of 2012, so it was only reflected on Verizon phones released starting in 2013.

 

[Ksyder]

My Verizon Wireless contract is up soon and looking to revert to a pre-paid account since I'm perfectly happy with my current Galaxy S3. Which carriers are ATOT using and what is your satisfaction level with them? I live in the metro DC area (Rockville MD, 20850) and work downtown, so I would presume coverage wouldn't be an issue although data speeds could be depending on carrier.

Did a forum search, nothing found in the last year or so. Didn't feel like going back indefinitely since the info might be stale anyway. Mods, please feel free to move this if you feel it is a better fit in a different forum, ATOT seemed most logical to me.

I recommend airvoice and platinumtel, although they aren't without their quirks.

You might want to check out this forum for more specific discussion.

 

[pm]

ST charges tax/fees/misc/whatever just like regular post paid cell phones?

Yes, they do. I'm on StraightTalk using AT&T. I'm billed $45 for service and then $4.93 in fees and taxes, for a total of $49.93.

I like StraightTalk. I didn't think their customer service was that bad - I called them once to port my phone and then again to port my wife's phone. Both times I got people with pretty strong accents, but they both seemed to know what they were doing and the hold time wasn't too bad. I get LTE, I get service anywhere where AT&T has service, and we have unlimited calls, text and data and the speeds and call quality are good. I don't have any complaints.

 

[blairharrington]

OP what is your current monthly bill? How much data do you usually use per month?

I recommend the HowardForums link in this thread.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I've done a fair amount of research on this and have helped numerous family members (including myself and my wife) switch from postpaid to prepaid. They all had different needs.

My wife and I use Platinumtel, which is on the T-Mobile network. We went with true pay as you go, meaning every single minute, text message, and MB of mobile data is charged. This is great IF you are not a heavy user and if you do not rely on mobile data. I have wifi 99% of the time so I leave mobile data turned OFF unless I absolutely need it. I also use offline maps so there is no need to turn data on when using the phone for directions. As a result, I have a smartphone that costs me around $15 a month. But this is not an option if you are a heavy user of data. It's $0.10 per MB of data so it adds up fast if you want to download apps or stream stuff while away from a wifi network. T-Mobile works great in most cities but they have crap coverage as soon as you go rural, so we also got an old dumbphone activated on Page Plus (Verizon network) so we can make calls if we're on the road.

Brother has Straight Talk on the AT&T network. It's $45 a month for unlimited talk and text and 2.5 GB of high speed data (once you hit that, they throttle you but you still have data so you can check your email or whatever). He happily switched away from Virgin Mobile because Sprint's network is easily the worst. AT&T's data is fast enough and their coverage is much more reliable.

My parents switched from Verizon postpaid (where they had been paying nearly $100 a month for two dumbphones) to Page Plus. They each bought an $80 airtime card and neither one has needed to buy another refill yet. They didn't need smartphones but they did need the good network coverage Verizon provides since they live in a rural area.

And my aunt also switched from Verizon to Page Plus, but she got a new in box Motorola Droid X2. It's kind of old but it's the best available smartphone for Page Plus. She's on the $30/mo plan which gives 500 MB of data along with 1200 minutes and 3000 messages. More than enough for most people and it's a good price to get access to Verizon's network. She also lives in a rural area.

 

[Ksyder]

snip

good post... I have had the exact same experience. I also use the platinumtel pay as you go with google voice for text which cuts the cost down a bit.

I may switch to airvoice again eventually now that they have unlimited + 500mb of data for $30... thats a pretty hot deal for a modest user.

some of my family is still on page plus after I set them up years ago, unfortunately the cdma phone situation makes it a no-go anymore if you want a modern smartphone. its too bad because page plus has a nice assortment of plans, but other than the $12 plan, they don't have anything you can't get elsewhere, unless you just have to have verizon coverage.

Astroman, what offline maps software do you use?

 

[bamx2]

You will need to have your S3 flashed to use it on Page Plus ( $35-$40). Take a look at the Page Plus forum here - http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/325-US-Prepaid-MVNO-Discussion . Alternatively, buy an unlocked GSM phone (Motorola G, Motorola X etc) and pick a provider that meets your plan and coverage needs .

 

[AstroManLuca]

good post... I have had the exact same experience. I also use the platinumtel pay as you go with google voice for text which cuts the cost down a bit.

I may switch to airvoice again eventually now that they have unlimited + 500mb of data for $30... thats a pretty hot deal for a modest user.

some of my family is still on page plus after I set them up years ago, unfortunately the cdma phone situation makes it a no-go anymore if you want a modern smartphone. its too bad because page plus has a nice assortment of plans, but other than the $12 plan, they don't have anything you can't get elsewhere, unless you just have to have verizon coverage.

Astroman, what offline maps software do you use?

The downside of google voice is you need data to use it. You can't send or receive MMS and the only GV option on Windows Phone is being pulled from the store thanks to Google's lawyers.



It really is too bad about the restrictions on smartphone with page plus. Supposedly it works with iPhones even though they're not "officially" supported. Maybe they eventually allow newer LTE capable smartphones down the road, even if you can't actually use the LTE.



I agree that their plans are meh, but it's all about the network. My parents must use Verizon based on where they live, and the same is true for many others. Coverage maps lie.



For offline maps I use Nokia Here Maps, which came preinstalled on my Lumia 521. I haven't had an android phone for a while so I'm not up to date with offline map options, but I seem to recall Google added that feature a while back.