Prepaid smartphone plans(iPhones and Androids): mo' contracts, mo' problems

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Prepaid smartphone plans(iPhones and Androids): mo' contracts, mo' problems

Super-NintendoUser: Jan 16, 2004; COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES; Soiled Meat

I have a question about prepaid services that may be a little abnormal.

So I have Verizon FIOS, and my bill (for internet/phone) went from $55/mo to $85/mo due to promotions expiring. They won't come down at all, so I'm moving to Optimum, which is $60/mo. I'm also porting my number over.

I figured why not just port my home number to Google Voice, and then just forward that to my cell phone. I hardly ever use the home phone, but I'd like to keep the number. So I looked into it, and I can't port a non mobile phone number to GV. I can port it to Virgin Mobile, though, or I'd assume any other prepaid or wireless carrier. Once it's owned by a wireless carrier, I guess I can just port it over to Google Voice, right? I'll use a prepaid plan as a intermediary to get my number to a mobile carrier and then port it to GV.

I have a couple spare GSM phones, so what's the easiest prepaid provider that I can just get a SIM, port my number to it, stick in a phone for a few days that I can use around the house, and then port to Google Voice?

# ¿ Jun 25, 2012 18:12

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# ¿ Apr 24, 2024 08:03

Super-NintendoUser: Jan 16, 2004; COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES; Soiled Meat

ilkhan posted:

Shouldn't surprise anyone.
Apple has been getting their rear end handed to them in sales and their product can't compete with Android. Must be time to sue (again).

Oh boy, don't start this in this thread. :ughh:

# ¿ Jul 2, 2012 02:22

Super-NintendoUser: Jan 16, 2004; COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES; Soiled Meat

Quick question, what's the best prepaid plan if I need tethering? All the information I see sort of excludes that.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2012 19:35

Super-NintendoUser: Jan 16, 2004; COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES; Soiled Meat

What about prepaid hotspots? Is there a a decently priced option? I could get a hotspot, and just use that instead of tethering.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2012 19:47

Super-NintendoUser: Jan 16, 2004; COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES; Soiled Meat

swarthmeister posted:

It depends on how much data you need. If you're in a metro area, look at FreedomPop because they offer a 500MB free package, along with other possibilities. You pay for the hotspot up front, but I think $90 up-front for no-cost 500MB monthly is a pretty good deal.

Otherwise, tethering is still a decent deal if you already have a smartphone and a generous data package. I think $15 is pretty fair as a rider to your plan, though would certainly prefer a "data is data, do whatever you want" policy coupled with soft caps. I called my local T-Mobile store a while back and the employee told me the tethering rider is an at-will toggle, and not a permanent extra fee for the plan.

For work, I get $70 reimbursement for my smartphone and tethering. I use around 300 minutes a month and about 4 gigs of data. I use a lot of data since I need to tether my laptop a lot for work. My wife is on my plan with me. She has an iPhone4 on AT&T. My wireless bill is about $140/month. (including a 11% FAN discount).

My plan is for 4GB data + tethering for my line, 250MB for hers, and then the $10 texing plan for both of them (1000 texts for $10)

So that's
$10 text
$10 text
$15 data
$45 data
$90 base plan

I'd like to figure out how to get my cell to cost $70/month so work covers all of it, and then get hers as low as possible. How does it work taking an At&t phone to T-Mobile? I was thinking maybe get myself a standard ATT plan with tethering, and then get her a prepaid plan a low rate. I will typically be buying phones unlocked off contract, so I could use my renewals to get her a phone, and put her prepaid sim in it, and then just buy my phones out of pocket. Her line expires soon, so I could cancel her line, and move her over, but she's fine with her old iPhone for now, and doesn't care about having a new phone at all.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2012 18:33

Super-NintendoUser: Jan 16, 2004; COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES; Soiled Meat

I sat down and figured up an excel sheet for if I move from at&t to T-Mobile and get a value BYOD plan. The cost of the plan includes my work reimbursement. I'm assuming I can buy a Nexus unlocked from Google Play. I also assume I can buy her a full cost iPhone unlocked somewhere. I figure I can get last gen iPhone used for cheaper to reduce the cost. I save 300 every two years. Not really that good, but it's something.

cost 2 years my phone wife phone Total
70 1680 350 199 2229 at&t
39 936 350 649 1935 t-mobile
294

# ¿ Nov 1, 2012 12:52

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# ¿ Apr 24, 2024 08:03

Super-NintendoUser: Jan 16, 2004; COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES; Soiled Meat

Stick100 posted:

Although to be fair 300 is going to be enough to buy a new Nexus this time as it seems Google seems intent get down to a $200 unlocked no contract Nexus. They have worked from from $650 (3 Gens ago) to $400 (Last Gen) which in cycle dropped to $350 to $300 (Current Generation Nexus).

Given that history I wouldn't be shocked for the current Nexus 4 to drop to $250 next google I/O and maybe down to $200 when they announce the Nexus 5.

To be fair a hidden downside of TMO prepaid, is that you can't roam on AT&T like TMO postpaid, so to save $150 a year that might be worth sticking with postpaid.

Yeah, doing the math out like that, it's really my need for tethering that kills my from moving to a pre-paid provider. I depend on it for work, so I can't suddenly have a paywall come up if I'm sneaking by. Also, carrying around a hotspot won't really work since most of the pre-paid hotspot providers are terrible WiMAXX. Post paid hot spots are expensive, I might as well just use my phone for that, and not have to buy a hotspot.

# ¿ Nov 1, 2012 16:07

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