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rblizz
join:2001-12-16
North Richland Hills, TX

rblizz

Member

Anyone using Platinumtel?

Just found out about Platinumtel. I'm not a heavy caller, most data usage goes through WiFi and texting is not a major issue for me. I took a look at my Sprint bill, including the free calls (mobile to mobile and evenings) and it appears that the same usage on Platinumtel would be about $15 to $20 a month. I would like to keep my Motorola XPRT and, apparently, that's not a problem if you go through ACRS.

»www.ptel.ws/store/en/

But that's why I'm posting to ask a few questions. First, is ACRS completely legit? -- their website seems kind of "iffy" -- especially with the numerous English errors. Second, if they're above board and approved by Platinumtel and all, can they really convert any Sprint phone to Platinumtel? Third, are Android phones really eligible for the Real PayGo plan? And fourth, do they charge fees and taxes on top of their per minute rates? I see there is a 50 cent charge for portable numbering, but I don't see any other fees mentioned (nor do I see a phrase like "all in" or "taxes included").

If Platinumtel and ACRS are on the up and up, it's a no-brainer for me. Even though I currently use SERO Premium I could save about $30 a month (if taxes are included in the price).

Thanks for any info. Didn't even know Platinumtel existed until tonight.
Robert859
join:2012-05-25
Elk River, MN

Robert859

Member

I use Platinumtel and I am very happy with it. Keep this in mind: You will not get the same coverage as you do with Sprint postpaid. You will not be able to roam off of the Sprint native coverage, so check the coverage map on the Platinumtel website and make sure that it is adequate for your needs. If it is, I think you will be happy with Platinumtel. The phone that I am using on Platinumtel is a Sanyo 2700 that I purchased from their website. I am happy with the phone, but I found it necessary to download the Opera browser for better operation in using data. I am satisfied with the data service with the Opera browser.

I know of ACRS, but I can't tell you anything about them, because I have never used their service.

btB
@rr.com

btB to rblizz

Anon

to rblizz
ACRS is legit. The guy running it is actually a master dealer for Ptel. Obviously, he is not a native English speaker which explains the grammar errors. Last I heard, you could bring any Sprint phone with a clean esn except Apple. Smartphones are eligible for paygo. There is a 50 cent monthly fee for paygo. He has his own forum which means you can contact him in case there are any issues.

The big negative as mentioned is no roaming of any kind. Plus once your Sprint phone is on Ptel, you might have trouble activating it back with Sprint should you decide to leave Ptel.
rblizz
join:2001-12-16
North Richland Hills, TX

rblizz to Robert859

Member

to Robert859
said by Robert859:

I use Platinumtel and I am very happy with it.

Thanks. Since I live in a Sprint "dead spot" where I get really lousy service, I'm thinking now that I'll go with Page Plus Cellular (who I found out about right after posting my original message). They use the Verizon network (an MVNO like Platinumtel). For $12 a month they'll give you 250 minutes of talk, 250 text messages and 10 MB of data (which is basically enough to check your email once or twice a day). This will be plenty for me, but you can also buy extra time per month if you need it -- or buy one of their other plans. Since I almost never use 3G, I would just turn it off unless I absolutely needed to check my email. Meanwhile I'll get a phone a that uses WiFi for home (and sometimes in one of the WiFi hot spots around here). I also like the fact that Page Plus will let you use just about any Verizon phone (as long as it has a clean ESN) -- with a few exceptions, like no iPhone or Blackberry).

Again, thanks for the response. If I had known about Platinumtel, I could probably have saved over $300 last year. (I don't travel much, so roaming is not an issue.)
rblizz

rblizz to btB

Member

to btB
said by btB :

ACRS is legit. The guy running it is actually a master dealer for Ptel. Obviously, he is not a native English speaker which explains the grammar errors. Last I heard, you could bring any Sprint phone with a clean esn except Apple. Smartphones are eligible for paygo. There is a 50 cent monthly fee for paygo. He has his own forum which means you can contact him in case there are any issues.

The big negative as mentioned is no roaming of any kind. Plus once your Sprint phone is on Ptel, you might have trouble activating it back with Sprint should you decide to leave Ptel.

Thanks. I'm happy to hear that ACRS is legit -- it seemed like a lot of people used them so I figured they probably were. But the language makes you think someone has set up a business in Bulgaria or something. I feel like volunteering to clean up the language on the website, but (apparently) he's doing a lot of business just as it is.

Again, thanks. As mentioned in my other post, I'm probably going with a Verizon MVNO instead of Platinumtel just because the Sprint service is "iffy" where I live. I do like the terms of PTel's Real Paygo, however. For me it would have been ideal these last three or four years -- as the most data I think I ever used was about 150 MBs -- usually much less.
netsurfer1
join:2012-04-13
Atlanta, GA

netsurfer1 to rblizz

Member

to rblizz
I've got platinum for the last 6 years already. I've tried cricket and sprint for the last few months and regretted it. PlatinumTel has the best service. Aside from being cheap. You will really gonna get what you've paid for.
rblizz
join:2001-12-16
North Richland Hills, TX

rblizz

Member

said by netsurfer1:

I've got platinum for the last 6 years already. I've tried cricket and sprint for the last few months and regretted it. PlatinumTel has the best service. Aside from being cheap. You will really gonna get what you've paid for.

Which is exactly what I want. I found out that, by going to CallCentric's Pay-As-You-Go for my home phone, that I spend a lot less when I actually pay for what I use. It looks like I've been subsidizing others' service for a long time on Sprint.

Now I just have to figure out how to get out of my SERO contract. You used to be able to "sell yourself" out of them, but it looks Sprint is clamping down on that now. I might have to bite the bullet and either pay the "get out of contract" fee or stick with it until next year.

brg
Premium Member
join:2001-01-03
Chicago, IL

brg to rblizz

Premium Member

to rblizz
Assuming you have native Verizon coverage where you are at, you should be happy with PagePlus. I've been using them for over 2 years; ported my main VZW number to them over a year ago; and just last week moved from the "Standard" pay-by-the-minute-for-everything plan (using $80 PINs I only paid $100 total for cell service from May, '11 through May '12) to "The 12" plan that you mentioned. I'm going to experiment with the 250/250/10MB "the 12" plan for a month or two. Honestly not sure I can justify it -- it might just be increasing my costs. Works quite will with my new-in-box Palm Pixi Plus

And, I also use Callcentric/VoIP for home (plus free GoogleVoice and a bunch of other VoIP capabilities.

Good luck to you...

slyphoxj
join:2002-06-23
united state

slyphoxj

Member

said by brg:

Assuming you have native Verizon coverage where you are at, you should be happy with PagePlus. I've been using them for over 2 years; ported my main VZW number to them over a year ago; and just last week moved from the "Standard" pay-by-the-minute-for-everything plan (using $80 PINs I only paid $100 total for cell service from May, '11 through May '12) to "The 12" plan that you mentioned. I'm going to experiment with the 250/250/10MB "the 12" plan for a month or two. Honestly not sure I can justify it -- it might just be increasing my costs. Works quite will with my new-in-box Palm Pixi Plus

And, I also use Callcentric/VoIP for home (plus free GoogleVoice and a bunch of other VoIP capabilities.

Good luck to you...

+1 on Page Plus! I've been using them for over 4 years now. I came in from Virgin Mobile and from Alltel prepaid and Simple Freedom before VM (I originally got my number from Simple Freedom). I currently have a Motorola Droid X on their Talk N' Text 1200 plan (1200 minutes, 3000 texts, 100MB of data) for $29.95 (a little less with Callingmart discount). Sucks that I gotta pay $18/month over The 12 plan to get a measly 90MB more data than The 12 plan though (The 12 would give me sufficient voice minutes).

PP has had its ups and downs, especially about 2-3 years ago when they launched their unlimited monthly plan and their customer service tanked. But it's gotten quite a bit better lately. Certainly a much better option than Virgin Mobile if you value coverage more than unlimited data. And there's a nice supply of good, cheap, used 3G smartphones that can be used with Page Plus (my Droid X was about $85 shipped from Cowboom and came in almost mint condition, but no accessories, just the phone and battery and battery door).