Help LG Optimus Pay By The Minute?

[neojustneo]

I just got an LG Optimus V assuming I could just choose a pay by the minute plan (I only use my phone in emergency's or when I need to get picked up) but I soon found out that that was not the case. So now I'm stuck with this phone. Is there anything I can do? Should I just sell it and get the Optimus T from T-Mobile (are they the same BTW)? Thanks...

-Disappointed

 

[bac22]

Why did you buy a smart phone then? You should have gotten one of the basic VM phones for $20 (payLo - Pay As You Go Cell Phones and Plans | Virgin Mobile)

If you just bought the Optimus V, then just return it and get your money back. The phones listed in the link above will work with VM's pay as you go plans.

I don't believe T-mobile's plan for their Optimus version is much different from VM's.

 

[neojustneo]

List of pay as you go phones: Prepaid Cell Phones & Deals | Pay as You Go Phone Plans | T-Mobile

Plans for pay as you go phones: Pay As You Go Prepaid Plans | Prepaid Data Plans | T-Mobile

I though Virgin Mobile worked the same way. Guess not.

I want an Android period. Why? Because they can do five bazillion more things than a $30 phone can do. I doubt I can return it since I already opened the box and I bought it online. Right now it looks like my options are the AT&T Thrive and the afore mentioned Optimus T. They're all in the same family but are there any hardware differences between the Thrive/Optimus T and the Optimus V?

 

[lizm]

Use the Optimus only on wifi and get a cheapie phone for voice and pay as you go on that?

I doubt any plans will give you unlimited data, or even much data at all, AND let you pay by the minute for voice AND be less than VM's $35 plan.

T Mobile doesn't offer any data at all with the really cheap plans, you have to go to $30 a month for that and then it's only 30 megabytes.

VM is only $35 with 300 minutes and unlimited data (and text).

I'm not seeing how you can save any $ with T-Mobile.

 

[neojustneo]

Use the Optimus only on wifi and get a cheapie phone for voice and pay as you go on that?

I doubt any plans will give you unlimited data, or even much data at all, AND let you pay by the minute for voice AND be less than VM's $35 plan.

T Mobile doesn't offer any data at all with the really cheap plans, you have to go to $30 a month for that and then it's only 30 megabytes.

VM is only $35 with 300 minutes and unlimited data (and text).

I'm not seeing how you can save any $ with T-Mobile.

I don't care about a data plan. I very rarely call people on my phone so I just wanted to be able to use a $0.10 a minute pay as you go plan which I guess I can't get at VM with my Optimus. Anyway, hardware differences? ^

 

[lizm]

OK. Well you can use the Optimus V on wifi only if you don't care about the data.

I do not think there is any difference between the T and the V other than obviously one is GSM and one is CDMA, but here: http://www.thephonedatabase.com/LG_Optimus_T_503_vs_LG_Optimus_V_502_Compare_Phones

But I'd still make sure, before you make the same mistake you just did, that T-Mobile will activate a pay-go minute plan for their Optimus.

 

[waynezat]

(I want an Android period. Why? Because they can do five bazillion more things than a $30 phone can do.)

OK, I guess I'm confused here, just what of the five bazillion things are you going to do with an Android phone if you don't have a data plan? The bazillion things all require a data plan or WIFI access and that's not available on a pay as you go plan.

The Optimus phone is my first android phone and without web access I first would have some difficulty accessing and downloading apps and except for a limited number of apps everything goes through web access in some form or another. I love the phone but don't see much functionality without data, I thought that's what an unlimited data plan was all about.

Oh, one last thing I use less then 100 minutes a month of talk time but am always accessing data mostly through my wifi router and 3G when I make it into town, that's when the bazillion things comes into play.

 

[MacFett]

A quick google search shows:

Of all the variants of the Optimus One released worldwide, the Optimus V is the closest to the "stock" version of Android 2.2, having no menu "skin" and a few applications added by Virgin Mobile.

Similar in physical form to the P500, S and U variants, this device has four distinct hard keys and a metallic accent that covers the top of the device and one-third of each side. The 3.5mm TRS connector, the power button and the volume buttons are all incorporated into the metallic band. Like the S and U variants, this device has two hard keys on the right side of the phone that are not on other variants. One button activates the voice dialer and another activates the camera.

The controls for mobile hotspot functionality are missing from the phone's settings pages. However, mobile hot spot functionality is present in the device and can be enabled by using certain applications available in the Android Market.

The T is more like the One than the V.

Unless they changed it, your best bet is going to be going with AT&T. They offer 10 cents a minute on their gophone, but if you plan to use any data stick with Virgin. I had an iPhone on AT&T's prepay and was spending $80 a month on data, never used text or voice.

 

[neojustneo]

(I want an Android period. Why? Because they can do five bazillion more things than a $30 phone can do.)

OK, I guess I'm confused here, just what of the five bazillion things are you going to do with an Android phone if you don't have a data plan? The bazillion things all require a data plan or WIFI access and that's not available on a pay as you go plan.

As long as I have WiFi access (50 percent of the day) I can do anything that a phone with a data plan can do.

Thanks lizm for the link. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the Optimus T.

 

[bac22]

As long as I have WiFi access (50 percent of the day) I can do anything that a phone with a data plan can do.

You may want to hold on to the Optimus V for awhile, I think you're going to discover that having a data plan is a good thing even if you can get on wi-fi 50% of the time.

 

[Petrah]

You may want to hold on to the Optimus V for awhile, I think you're going to discover that having a data plan is a good thing even if you can get on wi-fi 50% of the time.

Truer words have never been spoken.

Not only that, but the OpV is a damn nice phone!

 

[neojustneo]

Seriously I like the phone, but I don't want a data plan. Looks like it's impossible for you guys to grasp the concept so I'll just give up.

 

[MacFett]

Looks like it's impossible for you guys to grasp the concept so I'll just give up.

Thanks

 

[AndyOpie150]

Seriously I like the phone, but I don't want a data plan. Looks like it's impossible for you guys to grasp the concept so I'll just give up.

You could just get a Trac-Fone $20.00 for the phone,and with the double minutes for the life of the phone(it works out to 10cents a minute if you by the 200 min card),You can have the best retro flip phone on the block.

 

[neojustneo]

Buying a cheap prepaid phone could be another option...so many decisions...

 

[koopakid08]

Seriously I like the phone, but I don't want a data plan. Looks like it's impossible for you guys to grasp the concept so I'll just give up.

That's because a smartphone without data is like a person with no legs. Sure they can deal with it but its much nicer to have them around when you need them.

 

[corinthos]

What do you mean you're stuck with the phone? I can't imagine that the store that you bought it from has less than a 14-day refund policy. Did you post this after the refund policy was up? If you got it from Virgin Mobile, there's a 30-day refund policy.

 

[corinthos]

oh, by they way, you can just top up and put yourself on the pay as you go plan. I think you have 180 days to top up or restart your plan before you lose your account. I have done that plenty of times because I am not on autopay and always forget to restart my plan. so, when the monthly plan is over and you don't pay your fee, virgin automatically switches you to pay as you go and you pay like 20 cents a minute.

 

[MacFett]

You can't have a smartphone on payLo. It won't let you switch.

 

[neojustneo]

Bought an Optimus T yesterday so problem solved...sorta. It's as slow as heck and I'm not sure what to do. I rooted it and then tried to install a custom ROM but it ended up bricking it. I then spent about seven hours unbricking it and now I'm back at square one. I need some help with this:

Optimus T - All Things Root - Android Forums

 

[mkbkr1]

If you are now using an Optimus T, you need to start asking your questions in their forum. They will have better answers for that phone over there.

 

[neojustneo]

I did (see the link in my previous post) but they seem rather inactive over there.

 

[MacFett]

The V and T are two different phones, if you want info about the T that is where you'll need to post. Things between the two aren't going to be all the same.

 

[hiwatt]

I am confused. The OP knows how to root a phone, but not how to comparison shop and ask questions or do research before buying a phone? Something seems wrong here. I bought an Aston Martin DB9 and got pissed off that I can't go four wheeling in the sand dunes. What should I do? Can I take it back>

 

[AmishFury]

a smartphone without a data plan is like a tank without a gun

sure you can drive around with it but you can't blow shit up