  kdwycha
join:2003-01-30
Riverview, FL
 ·Bright House
 ·Verizon FiOS
| Really isn't a bad deal... I got a Straight Talk phone back in December and love it. It does everything I need it to do. I got the Samsung phone with the slide keyboard and stuff and it works great. Plus it works on the Verizon network and is only 45 a month for unlimited Voice,Text, Data. The web browsing is a bit useless but I use it sometimes for things but you can't beat that price for unlimited voice. I think Verizon charges 69 dollars for unlimited voice and I spend a lot less for the same network. | |
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 |  LoPhatPhuudPremium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-01-06
Albuquerque, NM
kudos:23
·Comcast
1 edit | Re: Really isn't a bad deal... said by kdwycha:I got a Straight Talk phone back in December and love it. It does everything I need it to do. I got the Samsung phone with the slide keyboard and stuff and it works great. Plus it works on the Verizon network and is only 45 a month for unlimited Voice,Text, Data. The web browsing is a bit useless but I use it sometimes for things but you can't beat that price for unlimited voice. I think Verizon charges 69 dollars for unlimited voice and I spend a lot less for the same network. I'm on Straight Talk too, with the same phone and the same plan. I primarily wanted voice and text messaging.The Web (slow as it is) is a bonus and the price is great.
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When angry count four; when very angry, swear.
Microsoft MVP/Consumer Security 2005-2010
Gladiator Security Forum | |
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| | | It doesn't surprise me. For a heavy user of cellphone services, postpaid is probably better. But for a whole group of users who discovered they've lived without cellphones in the past without perishing, can have a cellphone handy for emergencies, or just occasional calling, with a prepaid plan. With the economy still in the dumps, this makes more sense.
Why spend $29.99 - $39.99 per month for the most bare-bones T-Mobile postpaid plan, when a $10 refill can extend your minutes for 90 days (or a whole year if your cumulative top-ups are over $100). Do the math. Prepaid is cheaper, unless you decide you can't live without an iPhone.
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| |  tim_kButtons, Bows, Beamer, Shadow, KaseyPremium,VIP
join:2002-02-02
Stewartstown, PA
kudos:13 | Re: It doesn't surprise me. said by burgerwars:For a heavy user of cellphone services, postpaid is probably better. But for a whole group of users who discovered they've lived without cellphones in the past without perishing, can have a cellphone handy for emergencies, or just occasional calling, with a prepaid plan. With the economy still in the dumps, this makes more sense. Why spend $29.99 - $39.99 per month for the most bare-bones T-Mobile postpaid plan, when a $10 refill can extend your minutes for 90 days (or a whole year if your cumulative top-ups are over $100). Do the math. Prepaid is cheaper, unless you decide you can't live without an iPhone. Unlike so many other people I know, I rarely use my cell phone and don't wish to spend even more money on a data plan. Even with a discount, I felt I was overpaying for the little use my phone got so I just switched to a basic pre-paid plan. Verizon didn't make things easy. They wouldn't port my number from my regular plan to a new pre-paid Verizon plan. They also prevent you from connecting to your online contacts backup and won't allow the phone to transfer files over blue tooth. They must not like pre paid plan people very much 
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RIP my babies Buttons 1/15/94-2/9/07, Beamer 7/24/08, & Bows 12/17/94-10/11/09 | |
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| | next stop: smart phones one way or another.. those full featured wifi enabled smart phones will make their way to prepaid whether they have to be hacked or not.. so the carriers might as well make provisions for it to happen sooner rather than later. | |
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| | | Re: next stop: smart phones You can use smartphones on prepaid plans already. The only problem is you can't use data because it's either not available at all (T-Mobile) or very very expensive (Page Plus or Mingo Wireless). | |
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| skurfa
join:2006-03-10
Yorktown, VA | There is data on Boost prepaid, included in the 50 bucks a month unlimited, it's not fast, but fine for email and Twitter or Facebook updates, maybe checking the weather and when the i1 comes out in the next month or so you will have a Motorola Android smartphone for that network, pretty good deal me thinks
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Fairtax.org, It's time. | |
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 Romney2012Defeat Obama 2012-Chg we can believe inPremium
join:2002-03-03
USA
kudos:4 |  Growth of prepaid means competition exists for cell calls
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NCAA® March Madness on Demand® | |
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|  pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | Re: Growth of prepaid means competition exists for cell calls said by Romney2012:This tremendous growth in prepaid cell plans means that there IS competition in the mobile marketplace. And the prepaid vendors were and will continue to pressure Verizon & AT&T to lower their costs. I'm pondering making the switch for us as well. The only thing holding me back is the fact that we use AT&T because 99% of the people my wife talks to on the phone at other AT&T customers. I need to calculate if the cost of that number of minutes is less than the price of prepaid service.
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"Net Neutrality" zealots - the people you can thank for your capped Internet service. | |
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| | | | Re: Growth of prepaid means competition exists for cell calls check out the AT$T prepaid plans....offers free mobile to mobile | |
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| | | pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | Re: Growth of prepaid means competition exists for cell calls said by komodo7d:check out the AT$T prepaid plans....offers free mobile to mobile Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely look into it even though I am skeptical.
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"Net Neutrality" zealots - the people you can thank for your capped Internet service. | |
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2 edits | Re: Growth of prepaid means competition exists for cell calls The big factor on that is how often you use your cell. I'm a sporadic user (1-3 times a week). The prepaid (GO phone)works great for me (About $120 a YEAR). If you live on your phone, it's can cost you more. That $1 a day and $.10/minute for calling/receiving non AT&T numbers adds up in a hurry. | |
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| | | | |  SoonerAlOld enough to know betterPremium,MVM
join:2002-07-23
Norman, OK
kudos:5
1 edit | Re: Growth of prepaid means competition exists for cell calls said by browniept:The big factor on that is how often you use your cell. I'm a sporadic user (1-3 times a week). The prepaid (GO phone)works great for me (About $120 a YEAR). If you live on your phone, it's can cost you more. That $1 a day and $.10/minute for calling/receiving non AT&T numbers adds up in a hurry. Same here...
I went with the flat $0.25 per minute option with our AT&T GoPhone. I did an analysis before I switched to a GoPhone and based on our usage, ie. my wife and I, over a years usage that plan actually worked out better than the $1 per day + $0.10 per minute.
We even used our GoPhone while we were in Mexico for 9 days back in late February. No roaming charges, just the flat $0.25 per minute.
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"When all else fails, read the instructions..."
MS-MVP Windows Desktop Experience | |
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| FisamoPremium
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC | Competition?
The prepaid vendors are reselling VZW and ATT network capacity. If they start to feel the pinch of 'too many' subs going to prepaid, they'll restructure their wholesale offerings to compensate. Nevermind that they're driving this behavior with mandatory data plans, etc... | |
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| | Reviews:
·WOW Internet and..
| Re: Growth of prepaid means competition exists for cell calls What he said. There is very little competition if any. Out of all major wireless providers that have their own networks only two provide decent prepaid plans - TMobile and Boost (Sprint spinoff). Everyone else even if they have prepaid plans available also institute silly $1 daily usage fee meaning that not only you get charged for your call time, you also get charged $1 a day if you make a call meaning if you make a call every day your plan will cost you $30 a month plus actual airtime used. Not attractive plan at all. Best deals come from network resellers, but as Fisamo pointed out if the network owners such as Verizon or ATT see their revenue drop too much they are just going to raise contract prices for resellers thus making them less profitable/attractive to consumer. ISP and wireless market in US is completely screwed up. For the moment however, I'm enjoying my prepaid plans, I'm just hoping that it will last as long as it can. | |
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| | | said by Romney2012:This tremendous growth in prepaid cell plans means that there IS competition in the mobile marketplace. And the prepaid vendors were and will continue to pressure Verizon & AT&T to lower their costs. You do realize the entire prepaid market is entirely dependent on the incumbents, right? There is no competition in the wireless market. | |
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 LokroPremium
join:2002-12-28
Loveland, CO | Easy choice I use T-mobile prepaid. It gets the job done perfectly. I don't use my cell phone that much. I think I pay about 10 bucks a month. Just doesn't make sense financially for me to go postpaid since I don't use the phone that much. | |
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MTUPremium
join:2005-02-15
San Luis Obispo, CA Reviews:
 ·AT&T Yahoo
| Porting number to prepaid? Possible? Since the cell has replaced the home/business phone in my life I cannot afford to drop the contract if porting is out.
And as said before, in the U.S. four players control the access.
PS - Maybe why Carlos Slim Helu is the 'richest man' (Tracfone) | |
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| | | Re: Porting number to prepaid? Tracphone supports porting. They ask the zip code of the place where you live. Most MVNo's support porting. PagePlus in my area supported the cmda Black Berry 8250 phone initially. Now they have stopped. | |
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| | | T-Mobile prepaid supports porting. They don't charge a dime either. Been there. Done that. | |
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|  shdesignsPowered By Infinite Improbabilty DrivePremium
join:2000-12-01
Stone Mountain, GA
·Atlantic Nexus
| I ported my Sprint # to an AT&T Go phone. You should be able to port a land line # also.
Costs me about $8.25/month. WIll be even less later as i bought more minutes than I need.
Works fine and the phone was $20.
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Scott Henion
Embedded Systems Consultant,
SHDesigns home - DIY Welder | |
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|  BlitzenZeusBurnt Out CynicPremium
join:2000-01-13
kudos:2
·Frontier FiOS
| I was postpaid T-Mobile for a couple years, and but was using one of their lowest plans while still finding it costing me more than I used just to carry something as simple as data.
I switched to T-Mobile prepaid, and haven't cared about the data for how little I really needed to use it. The most I'll spend per year is around $100, and possibly as little as $10 per year to just maintain my previous minutes. I also don't chat on the phone, or text all day long so it works well for me. In reality I would be paying more in taxes per year on postpaid than I'm paying in total now as prepaid.
It's the big carriers who are forcing overpriced packages that are the issue, and when the piggyback carriers can offer the same thing for less it just shows you that the big carriers are just screwing the consumers.
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My hourly rates:
$25 per hour.
$35 per hour if you want to watch.
$45 per hour if you want to help.
$75 per hour if you tried to fix it, and failed.
Security through obscurity is for the ignorant who don't deserve security. | |
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 io chicoPremium
join:2003-12-30
Magalia, CA
 ·DigitalPath
| Bring in my own phone? Can I use a phone that I purchase or bring in my existing phone to one of these plans? Everytime I look at these plans I get underwhelmed at the phone choices.
I don't need data and right now I'm grandfathered in with at&t so I'm not forced to have data. When my contract is up in Nov, I want to leave at&t before I get hit with that extra $30 monthly.
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Happy DigitalPath customer | Vista laptop | Ubuntu 9.04 desktop | msi Wind U123 Win7 | Firefox only | ZyXEL router p-330w | |
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| BlitzenZeusBurnt Out CynicPremium
join:2000-01-13
kudos:2 | Re: Bring in my own phone? GSM phones are universal for gsm carriers as long as they are unlocked, and even if you also have something a verizon cdma phone you'll find that you can use it with a piggyback carrier like straight talk, page plus. or cricket to name a few. | |
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| | io chicoPremium
join:2003-12-30
Magalia, CA | Re: Bring in my own phone? Good news, thank you. | |
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| | check this out try cellguru.net or »howardforums.com/forumdisplay.ph···14&f=325
For using your own phone make sure it has a sim card. Some cdma carriers like pageplus can activate other verizon or sprint phones. I have simple mobile for 40bucks/month with unlimited talk/sms everywhere and it runs over tmobile | |
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| | Verizon post paid to prepaid Had a Verizon postpaid for about $36/month with Co. discount, but I NEVER used more than 70 of my 450 minutes in all the time that I
had it. Went to prepaid the beginning of the year. Went to Verizon Co. Store. They ported my number no problem. Prepaid cost so far: 15 dollars!! Just topped up with 100 dollars, now good for a year!! | |
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| | prepaid phones i recently dropped both my verizon postpaid phones due to horrible service and high prices.
i bought a verizon prepaid samsung intensity because i need to ck email no matter where i am.
i dont know why, but the actual service is 1000% better, cking email is no prob at all using mobile sites and best of all the cost is nearly nothing compared to my postpaid verizons.
i sometimes go 6 weeks without turning on my cell, that 6 weeks used to cost me over $200. now that 6 weeks costs me nothing.
otter | |
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| |  GoPhone
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| | T-Mo to Go is a great value!
Doesn't matter if you have the same phone; I'm on my fourth phone, third with the same plan. | |
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| | Go Prepaid! Prepaid is definitely the way of the future if we look at world-wide trends. In the States all the advertising money is going into telling us that being tied into a lengthy, expensive and unfair contract is okay as long as you get the latest glitzy gadget for you trouble. Never mind the fact that that gadget will cost you three times the real value over a two-year contract...
Anyway, I'm a proud prepaid user, currently with NET10, and will never sign a cell contract! It's just stupid to do so when there are so many better, cheaper alternatives out there. | |
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). I switched that phone to Alltel when Verizon took over the A-side AMPS and CDMA here and changed the airtime expiration period from 6 months to 60 days 
. I then went to Simple Freedom for their $0.25/min airtime rate and nationwide coverage with free roaming on Verizon. I then tried Tracfone for a while about 5 1/2 years ago, then went back to Simple Freedom (and drew my current number), then ported my # to Virgin Mobile for about a year, then ported it to Page Plus where I've been for the last (a little over) 2 years. I also had a AlltelU line for a while and have an active T-Mobile To Go phone in addition to my Page Plus phone.