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Opinions on my Nexus 4 plan wanted.

B

BCM

Well-Known Member
Hello, I'm looking for your thoughts on my plan for reducing my cell bill and getting the the new Nexus 4. I currently with Verizon and have a 1400 minute family plan. I have the Galaxy Nexus with the grandfathered unlimited data and two feature phones. The base price for the current plan is $150 before taxes. My plan is as follows...

Verizon

Reduce my current plan from $150 to $70 (family share loyalty plan / 550 minutes / 1000 texts).

Pay my early termination fee of $250 or have someone assume the account.

Sell my Galaxy Nexus for $250 (no assumption of liability) or $150 (with assumption of liability) on Craigslist.

Google Play

Buy 16GB Nexus 4 at $349.

T-Mobile

Buy $ 0.99 pre-paid sim card.

Activate $30 pre-paid plan (100 minutes talk / unlimited text / *unlimited web).

Use my Google Voice account with GrooveIP for my voice calling.

If I'm unhappy with the call quality with Google Voice/GrooveIP then I will move up to the $50 plan with unlimited talk / unlimited text / *unlimited web

Doing this it should save me anywhere from $30 to $50 a month. It also gets me on my way to being contract free which I really like.

What do you think? I welcome your suggestions.

Thanks!
Bryan
 
BCM said:
If I'm unhappy with the call quality with Google Voice/GrooveIP then I will move up to the $50 plan with unlimited talk / unlimited text / *unlimited web

Doing this it should save me anywhere from $30 to $50 a month. It also gets me on my way to being contract free which I really like.

What do you think? I welcome your suggestions.

Thanks!
Bryan
Click to expand...

If you're going to jump to the $50 plan at anypoint, you can just get on postpaid value plan (still no contract if you bring your own) i'm at 500 min, unl text, and 2GB before throttle for $50. Plus you get all the perks of postpaid like nights and weekends, better roaming, and free wifi calling (doesn't use your minutes and is good if you don't have signal)
 
ajbuck68 said:
If you're going to jump to the $50 plan at anypoint, you can just get on postpaid value plan (still no contract if you bring your own) i'm at 500 min, unl text, and 2GB before throttle for $50. Plus you get all the perks of postpaid like nights and weekends, better roaming, and free wifi calling (doesn't use your minutes and is good if you don't have signal)
Click to expand...

You sure about the no contract value plan? I always thought you had to still sign a 2 yr contract even with BYOD. Thanks for clarification.
 
What is the difference between the Walmart plan and what T-Mobile pre-paid offers? Any advantages?
 
BCM said:
What is the difference between the Walmart plan and what T-Mobile pre-paid offers? Any advantages?
Click to expand...

"Walmart" plan is the $30 plan for 100 min with unlimited web/text. I think it was only offered through Walmart in the beginning, but you can sign up through TMo website.
 
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Citizen Coyote said:
That was my understanding, too. Clarification would be appreciated. :)
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The walmart/on line t mobile $30 plan gets you 5gb data,unlimited text,100min talk time,then from there its the $50 plan with unlimited talk+text, 100mb of data at "4g" speeds, then so forth
 
MT Rotor said:
The walmart/on line t mobile $30 plan gets you 5gb data,unlimited text,100min talk time,then from there its the $50 plan with unlimited talk+text, 100mb of data at "4g" speeds, then so forth
Click to expand...

We are referring to the Value Plan, not the prepaid plans. Please read the above posts to follow along. ;)
 
MT Rotor said:
To the OP just do the prepaid itll save you money in the future...:thumbup:
Click to expand...

It seems like a great deal. I'm now tasked with figuring out how to get someone to assume my Verizon contract. It has the unlimited data package so maybe it be attractive to someone wanting in on Verizon's network.

I also think I am going to port my current number to Google Voice.

Bryan
 
I did the exact same thing. My contract at Sprint for 2 phones was $170. Just too much for me. So, I switched to Boost for both my wife and me. It was lower but T-Mobile is alot lower. So, I'm on Tmo now and my wife is still on Boost. I'm saving over half now. It just made no sense to stay w/Sprint.
 
I'm pretty sure that to get on the value plan you have to sign a contract regardless. However, there are a couple of advantages. 1. you can get a value plan phone loan at any point as long as you've paid off your last one. 2. You've got roaming on the value plan. 3. you can still use corporate discounts on the value plan (my wife and I total out under $80/month after taxes with two smartphones and data).

If you need minutes and have more than just yourself on the plan then the Value plan is the way to go IMHO. It's the best deal I can find and I can change my phone as I please with worrying about a phone subsidy factored into the cost of my service. I don't really care about my contract because I don't see myself wanting to change at any point.
 
Talked to a T-Mobile store yesterday and clarified a few things. The sim-only value plans do indeed require a contract and have a data speed throttle cap, but they are otherwise very similar to the unlimited "classic" plans. The prepaid 4G plans (like the popular $30 "Walmart" plan) can be used with just a SIM and have no contract. They also have minimal fees attached, unlike just about every other carrier (just sales tax and the 911 fee, as far as the rep could tell). However, I'm not sure the no-contract plans allow for data roaming (they do allow call roaming) so keep that in mind if your service areas are spotty.
 
Citizen Coyote said:
The sim-only value plans do indeed require a contract and have a data speed throttle cap...
Click to expand...
Not all plans are throttled. T-Mobile now has truly unlimited - as in NO throttling or overcharges, ever - HSPA+ 4G data at very good rates. For example, unlimited talk, text + data is $70/mo on a Value Plan.
 
BCM said:
If I'm unhappy with the call quality with Google Voice/GrooveIP then I will move up to the $50 plan with unlimited talk / unlimited text / *unlimited web
Click to expand...

The $50 Monthly 4G plan has a very low data cap before throttling. The data is "unlimited", but at very slow speeds after 100MB. Unfortunately T-Mobile has a pretty big hole in their "cheap" prepaid plans. They either have a ton of data, or a ton of minutes. Nothing in between.

Other than that, any plan to get off of Verizon is a good one.
 
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Citizen Coyote said:
The prepaid 4G plans (like the popular $30 "Walmart" plan) can be used with just a SIM and have no contract. They also have minimal fees attached, unlike just about every other carrier (just sales tax and the 911 fee, as far as the rep could tell).
Click to expand...

There are no fees at all attached. You buy a $30 PIN for $30, put it on your phone, and your next month of the $30 plan is covered. If you happen to buy it somewhere that charges you sales tax, that is not T-Mobile's doing.

I buy PINs from callingmart.com, and they are usually slightly discounted (plus they have coupon codes and such for an extra 5% off). My $30 T-Mobile plan is about $28.50 a month. Not huge savings, but money is money. I haven't paid any e911 fees or sales tax.
 
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If you are going unlocked anyway, simple mobile is probably a better option than t-mobile pre-paid.
 
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zachavm said:
If you are going unlocked anyway, simple mobile is probably a better option than t-mobile pre-paid.
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I'm new to this pre-paid service, is Simple Mobile using T-Mobile's towers?

Does Simple Mobile throttle you on that $50 contract? I like the fact you have unlimited international texts included as well. If you purchase the refills through Callingmart it's only $49.50 with no taxes. That's the best plan I have heard of yet. Any downsides to Simple Mobile?

Bryan
 
zachavm said:
If you are going unlocked anyway, simple mobile is probably a better option than t-mobile pre-paid.
Click to expand...

I heard that Simple Mobile previously only offered 3G speeds (typically users didn't get speeds above 2Mbps) but that may have changed earlier this years? Also, I notice it also is throttled after too much usage -- but like Straight Talk they do not publish what is "too much usage". From what I've seen, some users claim they are throttled after 2GB, with others claiming to get 5GB or more.

And, for BCM, yes, Simple Mobile uses T-Mobile's network.
 
They don't state how much is too much. $50 is pretty good for unlimited everything. I'm thinking about jumping on this instead of tmo.
 
thebryceee said:
They don't state how much is too much. $50 is pretty good for unlimited everything. I'm thinking about jumping on this instead of tmo.
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I'd likely move to Straight Talk, personally. The advantage of Straight Talk, to me, is that you have a choice (based on which SIM card you pick) between using AT&T's or T-Mobile's network. Both Straight Talk and Simple Mobile are roughly $50 for "unlimited" everything but, from what I've read, Straight Talk has an advantage that if you are out of your network's area, you can roam (voice and text only) on the other network (e.g. if you have a T-Mobile SIM and are out of their coverage area, you can still make calls and text if you in an AT&T coverage area).
 
mogelijk said:
I'd likely move to Straight Talk, personally. The advantage of Straight Talk, to me, is that you have a choice (based on which SIM card you pick) between using AT&T's or T-Mobile's network. Both Straight Talk and Simple Mobile are roughly $50 for "unlimited" everything but, from what I've read, Straight Talk has an advantage that if you are out of your network's area, you can roam (voice and text only) on the other network (e.g. if you have a T-Mobile SIM and are out of their coverage area, you can still make calls and text if you in an AT&T coverage area).
Click to expand...

Also I've read that Straight Talk is less strict about data use when using T-Mo network.
 
doboy said:
Also I've read that Straight Talk is less strict about data use when using T-Mo network.
Click to expand...

I've heard that as well. Actually, having thought about it some more, since both Simple Mobile and Straight Talk are both owned by TracFone it makes sense that they have similar policies on "unlimited data."
 
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