# Is it worth losing Verizon Unlimited Data plan for a phone upgrade?



## Nick (Feb 25, 2013)

OK, so my wife currently has a Droid Charge. I have a Galaxy Nexus. Her line is up for renewal. Mine is up in September. 

I have purposely held off on upgrading my phone because we are currently grandfathered in to an unlimited data plan. 

However, the way this now works is that if you take advantage of upgrade pricing on a new phone (and lock into a new 2 year plan), you also get a new contract that has data caps. I normally use just under 2gb of data, but i have used as much as 5 before. As a result, I would probably end up on the 6gb plan. 

Here's the question ..... I don't want to lose unlimited data, but the problem is that the plan prices we pay already include subsidies for phones. So if I am not taking advantage of phone upgrades, I am essentially negative on the plan. 

A 6GB / mo shared plan is about $5 a month cheaper than what we pay now for our two lines with data. I use wifi at home, at my in-laws house, and most other places I go; the only time I am really on the network a lot is when I am in the office or traveling, which isn't all that often. 

I guess I just feel like I don't want to give up my "unlimited" data, even though I realistically am not using insane amounts of data anyway. 

Anyone been through this decision making process? I can buy phones that are 1 - 2 years old used for about the same price as a new phone costs at renewal.... my wife wanted an iphone and I get an older iPhone 4 for about $150 - $180 used in good shape, or an iPhone 4s for about $250 -$300.  A new iPhone 5 with a contract renewal on Verizon is $199. Out of pocket it would be over $500 - $600, I think.


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## ScottySkis (Feb 25, 2013)

I had issue last year. I was told I only use about 2G a month which was in the same.$ monthly range as for before, when I close some months they text me my percentage as a quarterly if I getting close. If she starts to go over they can chance her plan to 5 g for next month. I'm on internet a.lot with my phone . Also just use free wireless service as much as possible.


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## hippiechick (Feb 25, 2013)

Ha, just dealt with this last month, when I killed my latest Droid. I went in to the store and the guy told me that I could have one or the other, keep the unlimited, or get the discounted phone. Not true. 
I was like you, I don't use a ton of data, but you never know, the newer the apps are, the more they seem to access the net, and Verizon is like any other company, they will do what they can to make a buck. 
Well, if you don't buy a phone through Verizon, they HAVE to honor your unlimited plan. Period. They just won't tell you that. Just buy a phone on eBay and take it in. Unless you're one of those folks that is dead set on having the latest and greatest, you can get pretty good deals from reputable stores on eBay.


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## Nick (Feb 25, 2013)

hippiechick said:


> Ha, just dealt with this last month, when I killed my latest Droid. I went in to the store and the guy told me that I could have one or the other, keep the unlimited, or get the discounted phone. Not true.
> I was like you, I don't use a ton of data, but you never know, the newer the apps are, the more they seem to access the net, and Verizon is like any other company, they will do what they can to make a buck.
> Well, if you don't buy a phone through Verizon, they HAVE to honor your unlimited plan. Period. They just won't tell you that. Just buy a phone on eBay and take it in. Unless you're one of those folks that is dead set on having the latest and greatest, you can get pretty good deals from reputable stores on eBay.



Yeah that's essentially what i'm looking at doing, buying a 1 - 2 year old phone instead. I love the newest and greatest though . 

I guess what irks me is that in a way i am paying for a new phone anyway, I just don't actually get to get one. The plan prices are higher than they should be because of phone subsidies. They have to make that $400 drop from retail price back somehow. If you figure it's over 24 months then you have to figure phone upgrades are baked into by at least 15$ a month .


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## andyzee (Feb 25, 2013)

I had a similar issue, my solution, I switched to Sprint and have no complaints.


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## hippiechick (Feb 25, 2013)

Nick said:


> Yeah that's essentially what i'm looking at doing, buying a 1 - 2 year old phone instead. I love the newest and greatest though .
> 
> I guess what irks me is that in a way i am paying for a new phone anyway, I just don't actually get to get one. The plan prices are higher than they should be because of phone subsidies. They have to make that $400 drop from retail price back somehow. If you figure it's over 24 months then you have to figure phone upgrades are baked into by at least 15$ a month .



Yep. The money will be handed over to someone, regardless. IMHO, I'd rather hand it over to a smaller company than a corporate giant like Verizon (even though that's who I have, and they DO have good service...). Tricky money making maneuvers like what they're doing just irritate me.


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## Nick (Feb 25, 2013)

andyzee said:


> I had a similar issue, my solution, I switched to Sprint and have no complaints.



I'd do it quickly but Verizon has the best network hands down. I've tried Sprint for a company phone before and it was terrible. 

That was a few years ago though. Has it gotten better?


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## o3jeff (Feb 25, 2013)

I have Sprint as my personal phone and have no complaints. Have Verizon for a company phone and the biggest difference that I noticed is their data is quicker.


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## mlctvt (Feb 25, 2013)

I faced the same prospect a couple of months ago. I decided to leave Verizon for Republic Wireless. 
 $19 per month for Unlimited phone, data and texts.  Yes no typo, $19 per month! It comes to $43.00 with taxes in CT for 2 phones for me and my wife. 
I was just sick paying over $100 month for 2 phones and only 1 was a smartphone. Now we both have smartphones and we're saving almost $100 per month.  

The plan is cheap because they try to do as much as possible over wifi including voice calls. When not on wifi it uses the Sprint network WITH roaming from Sprint partners when out of the Sprint network. 

You have to buy the phone up front for $249 and there is only 1 phone available now. Motorola Defy XT that uses the older Android operating system. It's only 3G not 4G.
Republic just annouced an alternate plan where you could pay just $99 for the phone but the plan goes to $29/month. 

I've had mine for a couple of months now and there have been very few downsides. Coverage in CT is excellent and unlike other cheap plans that use the Sprint network this one does have data roaming. Many others like Net10, Ting etc don't have data roaming. 
The Mount Snow area I get good cell phone coverage but the data is very slow 1X, I'm not able to get 3G data probably due to the data roaming agreement with Verizon, alltel etc. Since my condo there has wifi  when I'm at the condo I actually get better call quality than I did with Verizon. 
Most of my usage is over wifi since it's connected to my work network and my home network. Coverage on the road via Sprint has been great. 

Tech-heads probably wouldn't like this plan since no 4G and they don't have the latest hardware but for my use it's been fantastic. 
They offer a 30-day money back guarantee if you're not satisfied. I tried it for the 30-days and decided to keep it. I ported my old Verizon phone number to Google Voice and I forward it to this new phone number. I use Google voice for all calling and texts although you could get a new number from Republic and use their native voicemail too. 

One downside I should mention is Republic can't do MMS,  so no pictures or videos attached to texts. Since I seldom send pictures with texts this doesn't bother me. You can always email or facebook your pictures.


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## bvibert (Feb 25, 2013)

I'll be in the same boat next year.  My plan is to just suck it up and take the data cap plan, with a new phone.  Like you said, you're paying to subsidize the new phone in the plan rate anyway, so why not get a new phone out of it?  I use my data service quite a bit, I never even turn wifi on unless I'm having trouble getting a data signal, but so far I haven't even come close to going over what the capped plan is.  The only thing that sucks is the data is shared on the family plans now, so we may need to bump it up a bit between my wife's usage and mine.

Let us know what you end up doing, as it may affect my decision later on.. 

I had a company issued Sprint phone for a couple of weeks over the summer and the coverage wasn't nearly as good around my home and work, where I use my phone most often.  It also had ZERO coverage in Guadalajara Mexico, which was the reason they issued me the phone to begin with.  My co-worker with Verizon had excellent coverage.  I have no interest in switching to them.


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## Mpdsnowman (Feb 25, 2013)

Lol. Every time I go into a verizon store which isnt very much they want me to upgrade my phone. I have a basic samsung and I never really liked the thought of letting the internet control my cell phone life...I find that it is the equivalent of putting all your eggs in one basket and obviously from this thread it seems imo some people are being led like cattle.

The fear of god...what if I go over my data cap?? what if I dont have the luxury of posting to my facebook?? what if I cant follow my twitter feeds and god forbid.....I get locked into a two year deal.

Its smoke and mirrors guys. For what its worth..go cheap! unless your business is truly internet based then that is different. Stay within limits. You might find your lives are actually better off without all the apps, bells, whistles and things that make your neck ache and your mind clueless as to what is actually going on around you... As far as a two year contract who cares. How many really switch within two years to me two years goes by in a fingersnap! its nothing.....

Am I ranting lol...well sort of...lol Cant blame me....I remember when you used to light up a concert with your lighters...and not cell phones.....I remember when you could just trust your judgement...and not an app....and I remember when you lost something it wasnt a big deal unlike now when you loose that fancy thing in your hand....you loose a major part of your life..

sorry....i just see it differently is all...


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## andyzee (Feb 25, 2013)

Nick said:


> I'd do it quickly but Verizon has the best network hands down. I've tried Sprint for a company phone before and it was terrible.
> 
> That was a few years ago though. Has it gotten better?




I've had Sprint in the past as well and they weren't that good, they have improved greatly. Can't speak to coverage in CT tough. My suggestion, give them a try, if you don't like them, you have something like 2 weeks to cancel.


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## Mpdsnowman (Feb 25, 2013)

Lol when I went to jay last week, my buddy had sprint and lost communication outside burlington lol..He couldnt use his phone at the resort. I have verizon it was fine....

If you live and work in a metropolitan area sprint is a great system. The problem is it is independent and doesnt utilize other towers...only theirs...so outside their network is no network at all. cant even roam....


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## andyzee (Feb 25, 2013)

Mpdsnowman said:


> Lol when I went to jay last week, my buddy had sprint and lost communication outside burlington lol..He couldnt use his phone at the resort. I have verizon it was fine....
> 
> If you live and work in a metropolitan area sprint is a great system. The problem is it is independent and doesnt utilize other towers...only theirs...so outside their network is no network at all. cant even roam....




Maybe right. Sux if you go to Jay on a regular basis.


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## mlctvt (Feb 25, 2013)

The Sprint native network does suck in Vermont. It's basically just along the highways I-91 and I-89. 
If you have a plan that roams on Sprint partners the coverage should be about the same as Verizon since it will roam on Verizon towers. 

I think Republic Wireless is the only MNVO that has voice and data roaming on Sprint partners when out of the native network area. Most Sprint MNVOs like Ting, Net10, Boost, Metro PCS, Virgin Mobile etc use only the Sprint native network.


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## andyzee (Feb 25, 2013)

Going from NJ to VT I find Sprint to no worst than Verizon


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## Edd (Feb 25, 2013)

I have Sprint unlimited and its pretty good but I've certainly noticed Verizon phones are more reliable in the boondocks, like where ski areas tend to be. Although I'm at Sugarbush now and the service here is quite good. Surprised.


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## o3jeff (Feb 26, 2013)

I'm pretty sure Sprint roams on the Verizon network so you should have coverage where ever they do.


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## ScottySkis (Feb 26, 2013)

Nice do need internet access, I use a log of on my plan at work on average several hours of day, only time I went over data plan in last year was from watching streams of radio, other then that just youtube on free WI FI and you will not go over.


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## ScottySkis (Feb 26, 2013)

o3jeff said:


> I'm pretty sure Sprint roams on the Verizon network so you should have coverage where ever they do.



It gets expensive quickly.


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## andyzee (Feb 26, 2013)

Scotty said:


> It gets expensive quickly.



Not true, you don't get charged for roaming unless it amounts to something like more than 50% for your phone usage.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Sprint advocate, I don't work for Sprint, just throwing an option out there. Just seems with cell service and home service (FIOS) Verizon has built a name for themselves and are living on that name, people forget there are other options and actually options that have been improving. Nothing like a little competition to give the consumer and edge.


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## Geoff (Feb 26, 2013)

o3jeff said:


> I'm pretty sure Sprint roams on the Verizon network so you should have coverage where ever they do.



My personal experience from 3 years ago is that Sprint devices often roam onto Verizon voice-only.   Many Verizon base stations at 1900 MHz are configured to run CDMA in EVDO-only mode and I believe the Sprint data roaming agreement with Verizon is limited to the slower 1X protocol.   1X makes lousy use of the spectrum and Verizon doesn't want 1X phones to use up all the scarce bandwidth.

I have no idea if this is still true 3 years later.


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## BackLoafRiver (Feb 26, 2013)

I was in the exact same situation last fall. I decided to suck it up and grab my upgrade since I had been due for over a year. The thought of losing Unlimited data was killing me. I am a "latest and greatest" guy when it comes to tech and sometimes the whole "early adopter" thing has bitten me in the butt.

Ended up with a 6 Gb shared data plan with the girlfriend and an iPhone 5. The only time I have even come close to the cap (I hit somewhere around 90% used) was over the holidays where I was streaming Netflix for an hour over LTE 4 days in a row. That sucked up data fast.  I use it for almost everything (Pandora, Alpine Replay, GPS, etc) and usually between the lady and I we don't even come close. (50%ish) 

Having used Verizon, At&t, and US Cellular in the east, Verizon has been the most consistent with the most agressive LTE expansion. In Maine, Sprint is pretty poor second only to T-Mo for worst coverage. Yes, you can roam on Verizon but a lot of time, it isn't a seamless transition and, iirc, data-roaming puts you at 3g speeds where VZ has LTE in the same area.


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## Edd (Feb 26, 2013)

Yeah I should have been more specific earlier. Between Verizon and Sprint the voice coverage seems equivalent but for data Verizon often has 3G in rural areas where Sprint does not.


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## bvibert (Feb 26, 2013)

The Sprint phone that I had didn't roam to Verizon for voice.  I get excellent coverage on my Verizon phone at work, the Sprint phone right next to it didn't have jack for a signal..


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## mlctvt (Feb 26, 2013)

Sometimes it's the placement of the tower or the height of the antenna on the tower. We had Verizon now Republic Wireless which uses Sprint. I get good coverage at work with both. My wife actually has better coverage with Sprint due to being closer to the Sprint tower than the Verizon tower. But overall I agree Verizon has the best coverage  I also agree with the data roaming on Sprint is often at 1x. 

I switched to save almost $100 per month. For the amount I use my phone the savings is well worth it. My only negative is I can't use the tracking app at Mount Snow due to the slow 1X data roaming speed, with Verizon I always got 3G there.


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## Nick (Feb 26, 2013)

Apparently you can "sell" your Verizon Unlimited contract. on eBay people are paying $300+ for an assignment of an unlimited contract.


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## hammer (Feb 26, 2013)

OK, so how does one get a smart phone and then keep their Verizon service without a required data plan? Is is possible?

Sorry if this has been answered but when I look into this the info is about as clear as mud...


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## bvibert (Feb 26, 2013)

Nick said:


> Apparently you can "sell" your Verizon Unlimited contract. on eBay people are paying $300+ for an assignment of an unlimited contract.



Really?  How does that work?


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## mlctvt (Feb 26, 2013)

hammer said:


> OK, so how does one get a smart phone and then keep their Verizon service without a required data plan? Is is possible?
> 
> Sorry if this has been answered but when I look into this the info is about as clear as mud...



Would you use WiFi for the data? This would probably work for me since I'm on wifi except when I'm in my car. I do know that if you buy a smartphone from Verizon you are forced into a data plan. Not sure if you brought your phone?


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## drjeff (Feb 26, 2013)

mlctvt said:


> Sometimes it's the placement of the tower or the height of the antenna on the tower. We had Verizon now Republic Wireless which uses Sprint. I get good coverage at work with both. My wife actually has better coverage with Sprint due to being closer to the Sprint tower than the Verizon tower. But overall I agree Verizon has the best coverage  I also agree with the data roaming on Sprint is often at 1x.
> 
> I switched to save almost $100 per month. For the amount I use my phone the savings is well worth it. My only negative is I can't use the tracking app at Mount Snow due to the slow 1X data roaming speed, with Verizon I always got 3G there.



That mid mountain tower near the top of the Tumbleweed lift at Mount Snow now has my Verizon service on my Droid at full 5 bar 4G service! 

When I got my new phone in November, I gave up my unlimited verizon data plan for the 2 gigs a month they recommended and now save about $35 a month and have yet to use more than 60% of my allotted data- there's just too many free wi-fi hotspots out there to realistically need an unlimited data plan for about 98% of the population IMHO


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## Nick (Feb 26, 2013)

bvibert said:


> Really?  How does that work?



Its a contract assignment. I'll find some links tomorrow


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## ScottySkis (Feb 26, 2013)

drjeff said:


> That mid mountain tower near the top of the Tumbleweed lift at Mount Snow now has my Verizon service on my Droid at full 5 bar 4G service!
> 
> When I got my new phone in November, I gave up my unlimited verizon data plan for the 2 gigs a month they recommended and now save about $35 a month and have yet to use more than 60% of my allotted data- there's just too many free wi-fi hotspots out there to realistically need an unlimited data plan for about 98% of the population IMHO



I agree with the good Doctor on this one 100%.


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## mlctvt (Feb 26, 2013)

drjeff said:


> That mid mountain tower near the top of the Tumbleweed lift at Mount Snow now has my Verizon service on my Droid at full 5 bar 4G service!
> 
> When I got my new phone in November, I gave up my unlimited verizon data plan for the 2 gigs a month they recommended and now save about $35 a month and have yet to use more than 60% of my allotted data- there's just too many free wi-fi hotspots out there to realistically need an unlimited data plan for about 98% of the population IMHO



It's interesting that I live probably less than a mile from that tower at Bears Crossing and nobody at my place can get anything more than 3G 1 bar and lots of calls get dropped. I'm shdowed by the hill. Units lower on the hill have perfect signal.  I used to get 4 bars from the tower acrosss the valley but as soon as they turned on the tower at the top of Tumbleweed they turned off the one that gave me service. This is another reason I went with Republic wireless, at least I can use my cell phone over Wifi at the condo now. The only other option was getting a FemtoCell for Verizon. I guess the new Mount Snow tower improved things for most people but a few dozen at our condo complex have worse service than before.


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## andyzee (Feb 26, 2013)

In the end, guess it depends on what you require. If service on the hill is important, so be it, depends on the service, depends on the hill. Verizon has long been known as the best, maybe they still are, but others are catching up. Me, I don't really care about service on the hill, nice to have, but can live without it. Sprint does give it to me on my hill, Killington, even if it is a bit spotty at times. On the freeways I find it's great.


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## Nick (Feb 28, 2013)

So at least here is some silver lining. 

http://support.verizonwireless.com/clc/faqs/Account Management/faq_billing.html?grp=3&faq=2

You can "sell" your unlimited data plan. There are a lot of listings on ebay, etc.. Look like they go for > $300 regularly. 

So basically, you "sell out" the rest of your contract to someone who wants unlimited data for $300. Then you go sign up for a new account at Verizon under shared data. You can get new (subsidized) phones again. Although this is now on shared data at least you are +$300 and +new subsidized phones.


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## bvibert (Feb 28, 2013)

Nick said:


> So at least here is some silver lining.
> 
> http://support.verizonwireless.com/clc/faqs/Account Management/faq_billing.html?grp=3&faq=2
> 
> ...



Interesting. Let us know how selling your plan works out for you.

Does that mean that you lose your phone number?


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## Nick (Feb 28, 2013)

Not sure on the number. It doesn't matter much for me bc I use Google voice, but it would matter for my wife.


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## Glenn (Feb 28, 2013)

That's a lot of data you go through Nick. My wife and I have had our iPhone 5's since the fall. Combined, we "may" go over one gig a month. Each...maybe 500-800megs a month. Granted, we do all our heavy lifting on wifi: app updates, os updates, videos. But I still check webcams multiple times a day and we stream Pandora at times up and back on the weekends.


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## Nick (Feb 28, 2013)

Yeah I don't get wifi in the office so when I am there I am often on the network. At home I typically use wifi though. 

It's not that consistent, i could probably use wifi more often. My concern is more long-term ... who knows how much data I will be using five years from now. Also if wireless networks improved significantly enough I could potentially use a wifi modem to power my house but as of now it's not really reliable enough, but I pay Charter I think $60 a month for 20down / 5up at home.


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## bvibert (Feb 28, 2013)

I just checked our data usage for the last few months.  I normally use 1-1.5GB, my wife is anywhere from 1.5 to over 3.0GB, trending on the higher side of the scale.  That's more than I thought.  There's no way we could comfortably use the 4GB plan, looks like going up to the 6GB plan would put us about $10 more a month than we're paying now...  I still have almost a year until it's time to decide...


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## Nick (Mar 13, 2013)

Just sold my wife's unlimited data line for $395



Now I'm gonna sell mine. And sign up for shared data and get new phones. :lol:


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## o3jeff (Mar 14, 2013)

Nick said:


> Just sold my wife's unlimited data line for $395
> 
> 
> 
> Now I'm gonna sell mine. And sign up for shared data and get new phones. :lol:



What did you have to do to transfer it to them?


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