US Prepaid Carriers

[kamikazekyle]

Now that my girlfriend has moved in (and I can't use my phone at work), I've come to realize that I hardly ever use my Evo enough to fill out the $70 a month I pay for the damn thing. Right now, I send and receive maybe 30 texts in a busy month, use less than 60 airtime minutes (unlimited + limited combined), and only use the data to stream my music library in the car. I do use Waze, but that's just a gee-whiz thing, and sometimes use Google Nav. Though, I do have CoPilot I got for a few bucks on sale, so that'll cover my nav needs without a data plan. At home, I usually use the iPad or a computer in lieu of the actual phone. Even if I did use the phone, I have wifi access anyway.

So, I figured that a basic prepaid text and messaging plan would get me by just fine. Or, perhaps something like Straight Talk or Virgin Mobile. I dug around, and right now the best deal seems to be for TMobiles $100/1000 minute plan for a year. Just over 8 bucks a month and falls way within my usage needs. Plus, I can use their day web pass if I want to get some web access in an emergency. As a cherry on top, I can flip the sim to any phone I want and don't have to change the plan.

My question, primarily, is there a better carrier/plan out there that will suit my needs? Primary area is going to be along the east coast of Virginia and some into middle VA, West VA, and surrounding states, though I'm not too worried about coverage. In my area, all carriers are prolific.

On a related note, I do have my old MyTouch 3g that I can slap in a sim. Aside from the Galaxy S (which is more than I want to pay), are the Optimus or Comet any better than the MyTouch 3g performance wise?

 

[kaerflog]

Pageplus has the cheapest right now at $30 I believe.

 

[kamikazekyle]

Huh, looking at their Standard plans, it's half of what TMobile costs and includes data (at 99c per MB), plus the minutes roll over. Coverage is nice on Verizon's network, but wow, their phones are a bit...meh to put it politely.

I guess they're a second option to consider, assuming I want to get away from smartphones entirely and just go with the cheap of the cheap. Still leaning to TMobile since I can migrate the prepaid sim to another phone later on down the line, and there are some smartphone features that would be "nice" to still retain if I can.

 

[Strk]

Huh, looking at their Standard plans, it's half of what TMobile costs and includes data (at 99c per MB), plus the minutes roll over. Coverage is nice on Verizon's network, but wow, their phones are a bit...meh to put it politely.

I guess they're a second option to consider, assuming I want to get away from smartphones entirely and just go with the cheap of the cheap. Still leaning to TMobile since I can migrate the prepaid sim to another phone later on down the line, and there are some smartphone features that would be "nice" to still retain if I can.

My understanding is a lot of Verizon-branded phones work on Pageplus, including smartphones. However, you do have to be careful because of the limited data.

 

[ImDonly1]

If you want a yearly plan, then go with page plus. They use verizon's network and they have a $80 for 2000 minutes for 1 year plan. It is not sold on their website, it is only available from their resellers. You can also add texting to it by using one of the cards on their website I think. You can flash some smartphones to pageplus, but I don't know how to do that. You need to keep the data low too or none if you use the $80 plan I think.

http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/364-Page-Plus-Cellular
Check here for answers. They also have a wiki page showing which phones can be flashed, not sure how updated it is though.

If you want a monthly thing, I'd go with virgin mobile.

 

[preslove]

Huh, I just found out today that a coworker of mine got an LG Optimus V on Virgin Mobile. He pays $25 a month for 300 minutes, and unlimited texts and data. It has android 2.2 and an ok 3.2" screen. Apparently the data is somewhat spotty, but I'm going to ask him some more about it and do more investigating. You can get those things for $131 shipped on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_1dy7a0hoat_b

After watching this review video, I think I may switch to Virgin and the Optimus (or whatever is better at the time) when my t-mobile contract is done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj3fSUKy4Iw

 

[ImDonly1]

Huh, I just found out today that a coworker of mine got an LG Optimus V on Virgin Mobile. He pays $25 a month for 300 minutes, and unlimited texts and data. It has android 2.2 and an ok 3.2" screen. Apparently the data is somewhat spotty, but I'm going to ask him some more about it and do more investigating. You can get those things for $131 shipped on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_1dy7a0hoat_b

After watching this review video, I think I may switch to Virgin and the Optimus (or whatever is better at the time) when my t-mobile contract is done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj3fSUKy4Iw

The $25 plan is now $35, fyi.

 

[kamikazekyle]

I considered Virgin Mobile heavily; that is a pretty insane deal for the $35/mo for unlimited data and text. Honestly, if I was out and about more than I am or foresee myself in the future I'd probably spring for Virgin Mobile as the only major downside for me would be the limited Sprint-only coverage area. Locally it'd be fine, but I'd be without any coverage at the few other places I plan on traveling to in the upcoming year.

I went ahead and ordered a refurb Optimus from TMobile since it was only $100 and I can swap the sim freely. I frequently bike to a nearby beach as well as do a lot of hiking (and am getting into wilderness camping), so it'd be nice to toss the sim in a cheap beater phone. It's not all that much more for a TMobile prepaid setup, and the phone selection is far greater.

I'll try the Optimus/Tmobile combination for a few days since they have a 20 day return policy, and fall back to PagePlus from there. Browsing the Wiki, there's not a lot of VZ phones confirmed working on PagePlus that I'm interested in, though I do admit it's a helluva deal.

 

[railer]

I think that the only Verizon smart phones that DON'T work on PP are the 4G ones, and even then I'm not sure if it's just the 4G functionality that doesn't work, or the phone cannot be activated at all.

I went from an OG Droid to a Droid X on PP, and I'm sure the Droid X2 works fine too.

I had T-mobile prior to PP, and while their rates were good, their coverage in upstate NY sucked ass. Nothing like Verizon's network up here.

 

[Ksyder]

I considered Virgin Mobile heavily; that is a pretty insane deal for the $35/mo for unlimited data and text. Honestly, if I was out and about more than I am or foresee myself in the future I'd probably spring for Virgin Mobile as the only major downside for me would be the limited Sprint-only coverage area. Locally it'd be fine, but I'd be without any coverage at the few other places I plan on traveling to in the upcoming year.

I went ahead and ordered a refurb Optimus from TMobile since it was only $100 and I can swap the sim freely. I frequently bike to a nearby beach as well as do a lot of hiking (and am getting into wilderness camping), so it'd be nice to toss the sim in a cheap beater phone. It's not all that much more for a TMobile prepaid setup, and the phone selection is far greater.

I'll try the Optimus/Tmobile combination for a few days since they have a 20 day return policy, and fall back to PagePlus from there. Browsing the Wiki, there's not a lot of VZ phones confirmed working on PagePlus that I'm interested in, though I do admit it's a helluva deal.

I'm guessing you looked at the Page Plus wiki at Howard Forums? I'd just ignore that thing, it hasn't been updated in ages. The only Verizon phones you should have a problem with on Page Plus are 1)iPhone 2)Verizon Prepaid branded phones 3)Blackberries 4)4g phones

Everything else should be fair game. I've used lots of different Verizon phones on Page Plus, old dumphones, Windows Mobile, Palms, and a few Droids (current Droid X) and they all have been fine. Smartphones are desirable on Page Plus due to the fact that they don't need to be reprogrammed to work with the web. Of course, the limited data is a huge downside, but for someone like me who is almost always around wi-fi, the only times I miss the extra data is if I'm traveling.

Oh, and of course, Page Plus provides no support for non approved devices (anything you didn't buy from them) but as tech nerds we generally don't need much support from the carrier anyways.

But, looking at your original post, if you are going to stream music over 3g data, Page Plus data rates are either too limited or too expensive.

 

[kamikazekyle]

I'm guessing you looked at the Page Plus wiki at Howard Forums? I'd just ignore that thing, it hasn't been updated in ages. The only Verizon phones you should have a problem with on Page Plus are 1)iPhone 2)Verizon Prepaid branded phones 3)Blackberries 4)4g phones

Everything else should be fair game. I've used lots of different Verizon phones on Page Plus, old dumphones, Windows Mobile, Palms, and a few Droids (current Droid X) and they all have been fine. Smartphones are desirable on Page Plus due to the fact that they don't need to be reprogrammed to work with the web. Of course, the limited data is a huge downside, but for someone like me who is almost always around wi-fi, the only times I miss the extra data is if I'm traveling.

Oh, and of course, Page Plus provides no support for non approved devices (anything you didn't buy from them) but as tech nerds we generally don't need much support from the carrier anyways.

But, looking at your original post, if you are going to stream music over 3g data, Page Plus data rates are either too limited or too expensive.

Oops, that's what I did 😛 I might have another look-see then. Honestly, I'm actually planning on cutting all of my regular mobile data use since I don't need it, so a Page Plus plan seems a bit better in terms of minutes and such. On days I do need mobile data, TMo might be a bit better since I can just get an unlimited (though with a low softcap throttle) day pass for $1.49 vice 99c/MB on PagePlus.

I'm still probably going to give TMo a good go for the 20-day return window. Even though I don't really get out socially speaking, I do get to the outdoors a decent amount. The fact I can simply swap my sim from my "good" phone to a cheap or rugged beater phone is very handy.

Still, though, in light of this new info I'm going to have to really give it a good thinking over. My girlfriend is on Verizon and we're going to be traveling a lot in the upcoming week to places I'm going to frequent in the next year, so I can compare TMo's coverage and Verizons to get a good side-by-side of which would be best.

Thanks all, much appreciated. I'm going to go read up more on PagePlus. Seems kinda convoluted to get a phone on there compared to a simple sim swap, but could be worth it to me in the long run.

 

[Ksyder]

Seems kinda convoluted to get a phone on there compared to a simple sim swap, but could be worth it to me in the long run.

Getting a phone on Page Plus is easy... go to an online dealer such as Kitty Wireless, give the esn number, and program the phone over the air. You can also check esn's and other functions via online Page Plus dealers.

 

[mammador]

How come prepaid isn't common in the US?

 

[Ksyder]

How come prepaid isn't common in the US?

One thing I've noticed is that the big names in prepaid in the past tended to be bad deals... so it would appear that it was a better value to go with a post-paid plan. Not to mention the poor choices in phones that are usually available with prepaid.

Nowadays there are some great deals and prepaid is becoming more and more popular as people are tired of paying the high prices.

 

[Pliablemoose]

How come prepaid isn't common in the US?

Because it allows the carriers to get very expensive phones in your hands for ~$200 with a 2 year contract.

 

[gsaldivar]

How come prepaid isn't common in the US?

Post-paid = premium price, best phones. Carriers subsidize the price of the phone and offer them to consumers at a discount of 50%-off or more, then make back their money by locking subscribers into a multi-year service contract.

Pre-paid = value price, low/mid-range phones. Consumer must pay the entire cost of the phone up-front. No contracts.

Look at US consumer's buying habits over the last several years... In the past, people had no problem paying a premium price to gain access to the latest & greatest phone. But now, more people are deciding that a low/mid-range phone is "good enough" for their needs, and with future income becoming less reliable, consumers are wary of agreeing to a contract with large ETF penalty.

 

[xXFaNtAsMaXx]

Page Plus for the win. You can use pretty much any Verizon device, and the pricing is great. Kitty wireless is a great reseller of page plus service.

My GF is using Page Plus currently. I got her a NIB Palm Pixi Plus off eBay for $60, and she uses the 1200 minute 2000 text 100mb data plan for $29.99 a month. She has a WiFi connection at home and at work, so she pretty much never uses the data.

 

[kamikazekyle]

Huh, looks like I"ll keep an eye on PagePlus then after I give the TMobile option a shot. Sim swapping would be more handy than keeping two lines of service active on PagePlus, but with their insanely low price rates it might be worth it (espcially since I can tie the lines together with Google Voice).

Thanks again everyone.

 

[Strk]

Page Plus for the win. You can use pretty much any Verizon device, and the pricing is great. Kitty wireless is a great reseller of page plus service.

My GF is using Page Plus currently. I got her a NIB Palm Pixi Plus off eBay for $60, and she uses the 1200 minute 2000 text 100mb data plan for $29.99 a month. She has a WiFi connection at home and at work, so she pretty much never uses the data.

Not to take over the thread, but exactly what is involved in getting a Verizon phone on PP? I've only read about it, but not sure what it requires. It's just tempting since a Droid 2 isn't that expensive on Ebay.

 

[Ksyder]

Not to take over the thread, but exactly what is involved in getting a Verizon phone on PP? I've only read about it, but not sure what it requires. It's just tempting since a Droid 2 isn't that expensive on Ebay.

Page Plus is a Verizon MVNO, which means that Page Plus uses Verizon's systems and towers but Verizon doesn't deal with you. Everything is done thru Page Plus or a dealr. All it takes is to get a Verizon phone with a clean esn. Submit the esn number to Page Plus or a dealer and they will register it in the system and then you do over the air activation. There is no special flashing to do to the phone or anything like that, if you are using a Verizon branded smartphone.

 

[preslove]

One thing I've noticed is that the big names in prepaid in the past tended to be bad deals... so it would appear that it was a better value to go with a post-paid plan. Not to mention the poor choices in phones that are usually available with prepaid.

Nowadays there are some great deals and prepaid is becoming more and more popular as people are tired of paying the high prices.

Yeah, and as the older smartphone technology becomes "good enough" for things like google maps, ok gaming, and other useful timekillers, I see prepaid becoming much more popular. The MSRP of that virgin LG Optimus is $150, without a contract. That makes prepaid a real nice option.

 

[jpeyton]

Page Plus is great for several reasons:

Their $30 plan offers a ton of minutes/texts
They use Verizon's network
You can activate most Verizon devices (including Droids)
Kitty Wireless is a great PP dealer; their AutoPay system is very convenient

The only negative:

Not enough DATA allowance on their $30 plan; 100MB is enough for e-mail, very light browsing and absolutely no streaming or downloading when you're on 3G.

I'm using Straight Talk's $45 unlimited everything (voice, text, data) on Tracfone's AT&T network with a Motorola Atrix 4G. Great phone, unlimited data is necessary if you want to really enjoy your Android phone, but AT&T's network is second rate compared to Verizon.

 

[ImDonly1]

Page Plus is great for several reasons:

Their $30 plan offers a ton of minutes/texts
They use Verizon's network
You can activate most Verizon devices (including Droids)
Kitty Wireless is a great PP dealer; their AutoPay system is very convenient

The only negative:

Not enough DATA allowance on their $30 plan; 100MB is enough for e-mail, very light browsing and absolutely no streaming or downloading when you're on 3G.

I'm using Straight Talk's $45 unlimited everything (voice, text, data) on Tracfone's AT&T network with a Motorola Atrix 4G. Great phone, unlimited data is necessary if you want to really enjoy your Android phone, but AT&T's network is second rate compared to Verizon.

Agreed. Although, Straight talk isn't really unlimited. It has a rumored 2GB limit.

 

[davidtb]

I'm likin the deal I got with Virgin mobile. $300 for the phone, and $25.00 for 300 mins, unlimited text and web.
Cheap enough to buy the $5 monthly insurance.
Wish it had Gingerbread tho..

 

[Ksyder]

I agree that the Straight Talk option is the way to go if you want $45 "unlimited", and can be happy with the At&t network. From reading over at HoFo, the 2gb does seem to be the limit before they cut you off. Walmart dropped the price on the E71 and the 6790 to $170, which has me thinking real hard about going for the iPhone on Straight Talk. Problem is those damn Iphone 4's are pricey.

A couple of other things to consider are that Page Plus should be coming out with some new plans *any day now*, and the iphone 5 should be coming soon as well, so I'm pretty much in a holding pattern with my Droid X and Page Plus. Not to mention I'm paid up for awhile on Page Plus since I stocked up the airtime when a good discount code was available.

And by the way, trying to activate a Droid Incredible on Page Plus yesterday, and found that there is now an experimental department at Page Plus that does manual programming of phones that won't take the OTA programming. The Dinc wouldn't program, they helped me to manually program it, but the 3g web still won't work. They could only help me so much. The only way to get to the programming dept. is at the CSR's discretion, after they have tried to OTA automatically.