I was under the impression that this was one the few androids in Sprint line up that doesnt have the "premium data" fee. my wife wants to upgrade from her Lotus to a android but doesnt want or care about 4G so I suggested the Optimus S. Sprints website says this phone requires the $10 add on. All the reviews ive read people have said it doesnt have the add on fee. Is this a mistake or did Sprint recently change the policy?
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Help are u guys paying the $10 add on fee?
- Thread starter karong
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- lg optimus one
ok but if she is already on the 69.99 everything plan doesnt that include data already? why would she need a extra $10 data package on top of that?
RazzMaTazz
Android Expert
Effective 1/30/11, Sprint changed their policy so that all "smartphones" (whether 3G or 4G) incur a $10/month adder. Prior to that date, 3G "smartphones" (like the Optimus, Transform, Zio, & Blackberries, etc.) did not incur the $10/month data adder-- only 4G smartphones incurred a $10/month adder.
Sprint's justification for the smartphone adder is that, on average, smartphone users (whether 3G or 4G) use more data, and therefore are effectively more expensive to serve.
If your wife doesn't need a "smartphone" you can still get a data-capable, web-browsing, emailing, texting TV-surfing, 3G phone like the LG Rumor Touch, which does not incur the $10/month adder. The Sprint reps can tell you which data phones do NOT incur the smartphone adder. But they're the phones that are all similar in functionality to the LG Rumor Touch-- which, if I remember correctly, is the best of the bunch, but perhaps not a significant improvement over your wife's LG Lotus.
With the new $10/month smartphone adder applying equally to both 3G and 4G smartphones, I think that it's hard to justify getting a 3G smartphone with Sprint nowadays. I think it's better to either get something like the LG Rumor Touch and avoid the $10/month adder, or spend a bit more up front and get one of the 4G smartphones. Those 4G smartphones are much more powerful than the 3G smartphones, and include Flash support and features like video conferencing, which will probably make the 4G phones feel pretty competent, even 2-5 years from now, whereas the 3G smartphones might be feeling pretty outdated.
FYI: 3G smartphones that were activated on an account prior to 1/30/11 were grandfathered in at the lower monthly fee, on that account (presumably at least through the term of the contract, if not longer). So I got new Optimus smartphones for all 4 members of my family on the day before the deadline (thereby "saving" 4 x $10=) $40/month relative to getting four 3G smartphones after 1/30/11 or getting four 4G smartphones. However, if any of us switch to a different smartphone model (even a different 3G smartphone model) we'll incur the $10/month smartphone adder.
Sprint's justification for the smartphone adder is that, on average, smartphone users (whether 3G or 4G) use more data, and therefore are effectively more expensive to serve.
If your wife doesn't need a "smartphone" you can still get a data-capable, web-browsing, emailing, texting TV-surfing, 3G phone like the LG Rumor Touch, which does not incur the $10/month adder. The Sprint reps can tell you which data phones do NOT incur the smartphone adder. But they're the phones that are all similar in functionality to the LG Rumor Touch-- which, if I remember correctly, is the best of the bunch, but perhaps not a significant improvement over your wife's LG Lotus.
With the new $10/month smartphone adder applying equally to both 3G and 4G smartphones, I think that it's hard to justify getting a 3G smartphone with Sprint nowadays. I think it's better to either get something like the LG Rumor Touch and avoid the $10/month adder, or spend a bit more up front and get one of the 4G smartphones. Those 4G smartphones are much more powerful than the 3G smartphones, and include Flash support and features like video conferencing, which will probably make the 4G phones feel pretty competent, even 2-5 years from now, whereas the 3G smartphones might be feeling pretty outdated.
FYI: 3G smartphones that were activated on an account prior to 1/30/11 were grandfathered in at the lower monthly fee, on that account (presumably at least through the term of the contract, if not longer). So I got new Optimus smartphones for all 4 members of my family on the day before the deadline (thereby "saving" 4 x $10=) $40/month relative to getting four 3G smartphones after 1/30/11 or getting four 4G smartphones. However, if any of us switch to a different smartphone model (even a different 3G smartphone model) we'll incur the $10/month smartphone adder.
sonicbluemustang
Android Enthusiast
Wait and get the Nexus 4g next month or so maybe. 
Yep, I got the Optimus S in March and the plan is $69.99 a month, plus $10 for premium data or whatever they call it.
However, the guys at Radio Shack, where I went to get it, told me that if I opened a free AOL account, they could put me in for a 10% discount, so I end up getting $8 back every month. My bill ends up being around $84 with the tax and surcharge, etc.
However, the guys at Radio Shack, where I went to get it, told me that if I opened a free AOL account, they could put me in for a 10% discount, so I end up getting $8 back every month. My bill ends up being around $84 with the tax and surcharge, etc.
I talked to sprint yesterday, and it depends on what plan and phone you had previous to Jan. 1.
I was told that if you had a smartphone prior to Jan 1, then you were grandfathered in and you shouldnt be charged the $10. That is why I am not being charged. Though they said that some phones (Samsaung Epic, EVO, Shift, Nexus) there is an automatic $10 charge no matter what.
dizzle16
Android Enthusiast
I got mines in Feb and am paying the fee. There's no way around it unless you're grandfathered in which is possible. However I use about 100,000kb of data a month so sprint isearning that $10 lol. DONT WAIT FOR NEXUS 4G as 4g phones have a $20 data charg which I don't think you can be grandfathered in on. There ain't much those phones have that a optimus s doesn't. Just a flash camera, flash player and bigger screens. I wouldn't even say faster processors because I can overclock mines as its rooted.
Hawaiian_Geek
Newbie
The automatic $10 charge on the Epic, EVO, EVO Shift & Nexus is because they are 4G smartphones.
_Epic
Well-Known Member
Any smartphone regardless if it has 4G or not is subject to the $10 premium data fee. The fee has nothing to do with 4G service, it has to do with the amount of data these new smartphones use and keeping our data truly unlimited unlike other carriers who charge $30 fee's for 5GB of data.
jefboyardee
Extreme Android User
This is cute: I got my Optimus in time to avoid the fee, but it had to be replaced twice after the deadline. But, because I didn’t have the Total Equipment Protection add-on before the swaps, the replacements were considered new phones and therefore subject to the fee. So now, having been spooked into getting TEP and with the add-on, my bill is almost twenty bucks higher. I think they’re trying to lose me...
RazzMaTazz
Android Expert
Three different Sprint reps told me that it I lose or break my Optimus, I can replace it with the same model without incurring the $10 adder. They said that if I replace it with any other 3G (or 4G) smartphone model, I will incur the $10 adder. They did not say that I needed the TEP. You should raise hell.
jefboyardee
Extreme Android User
I read something at Sprint that I can’t find now that said the opposite of what your reps said, but I am going to see my store and see what up. And for what it’s worth, I also just sent this to Sprint:
I bought my Optimus before the Premium Data add-on went into effect. That phone broke and was replaced by a refurb. Then the refurb broke and was also replaced. If that’s not bad enough, I now get the add-on fee for “upgrading.” I did not upgrade and did not even want to have to replace it in the first place! Are you trying to lose customers?
I bought my Optimus before the Premium Data add-on went into effect. That phone broke and was replaced by a refurb. Then the refurb broke and was also replaced. If that’s not bad enough, I now get the add-on fee for “upgrading.” I did not upgrade and did not even want to have to replace it in the first place! Are you trying to lose customers?
jefboyardee
Extreme Android User
I found the link
...which nails me here:
How does this apply to re-activated or refurbished phones?
A customer who is re-activating a previously purchased smartphone or a refurbished
smartphone that qualifies as a swap is required to pay the $10 Premium Data Add-on.
...which nails me here:
How does this apply to re-activated or refurbished phones?
A customer who is re-activating a previously purchased smartphone or a refurbished
smartphone that qualifies as a swap is required to pay the $10 Premium Data Add-on.
sonicbluemustang
Android Enthusiast
Bought a second phone at BB and in the process they somehow added Data to mine when I went to sprint to check my account I caught this an let him know I was grandfathered in on my phone. Somehow the dip at BB re-uped my plan triggering the fee.
I believe it was the BB software that required him to select some box just to continue.
I believe it was the BB software that required him to select some box just to continue.
jefboyardee
Extreme Android User
By golly, I went to Sprint, whined, and they removed the add-on charge. It happened because during one of the warranty exchanges they loaned me an ordinary phone. They had to activate it in my name for one day and when I got my new Optimus, it accidentally rang the upgrade bell.