[Herdfan]

Verizon has announced a shared data plan for cell phones:

http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2012/06/pr2012-06-11e.html

Not sure if it would help me or not.

3x smartphones @ $40 - $120
2x phones @ $30 - $60
iPad @ $10 - $10
Shared data (6GB) - $80

Total - $270 plus taxes and fees.

That is more than I am paying AT&T now.

Even if I left the 2 non-smart phones at AT&T, just moving the 3 iPhones over still keeps me around the same price but gives me shared data (have never gone over) and free hotspotting makes it tempting. Especially the hotspotting.

Hoping AT&T will follow with something a little better.

 

[Alan Gordon]

Verizon has announced a shared data plan for cell phones:

The fact that the cheapest plan to have two smartphones on Verizon Wireless will be $150 is INSANE!!

I was really hoping that they would actually have a cheaper monthly fee in order to get grandfathered customers to tiered data plans, but I guess that was naive.

As I stated in another thread, I may have to give some serious thought about ending my affiliation with Verizon and go back to PagePlus pre-paid with a plain cell phone.

 

[trdrjeff]

I was already considering jumping to TMO prepaid, this sealed the deal

 

[machavez00]

If you are an iPhone user, the 4S has gone prepaid. Virgin Mobile is the first in the US, with more to come.

 

[hilmar2k]

The fact that the cheapest plan to have two smartphones on Verizon Wireless will be $150 is INSANE!!

$130

 

[hilmar2k]

It'll actually save me some money. We have 5 smart phones with 1400 minutes ans unlimited texting. We also use very little data, since I am the big user and I'm always on wifi. So we'd be at 5x$40 and $50 in data, $250 total. We're paying a little over $300 now. And getting tethering thrown in is a nice bonus.

 

[Alan Gordon]

$130

Yeah... you're right!

I looked at the data plan sheet again instead of checking Verizon's website who told me I needed the $150 plan.

~Alan

 

[SayWhat?]

I've had a TracFone for over a year now. If you use a phone as a phone and watch for special deals and promo codes, you can easily stay under $10/mo.

 

[SayWhat?]

We're paying a little over $300 now.

That's more than all of my monthly utilities combined including Dish, phone/DSL, electric and water.

 

[hilmar2k]

That's more than all of my monthly utilities combined including Dish, phone/DSL, electric and water.

And your point is....?

 

[Matt9876]

The data plans are way overpriced in my opinion. :nono2:

These companies are making way too much money over whats quickly becoming a necessity of American life.

Every kid I see now days has a new touch screen smart phone.

The new Galaxy S III smart phone has 9 million preorders.

 

[billsharpe]

The data plans are way overpriced in my opinion. :nono2:

These companies are making way too much money over whats quickly becoming a necessity of American life.

Every kid I see now days has a new touch screen smart phone.

The new Galaxy S III smart phone has 9 million preorders.

A cell phone may be a necessity in some cases, but a smartphone certainly is not. True, I'm retired, but I've been getting by with an AT&T GoPhone prepaid $25 per 3 months plan for several years.

 

[keith_benedict]

The data plans are way overpriced in my opinion. :nono2:

These companies are making way too much money over whats quickly becoming a necessity of American life.

Every kid I see now days has a new touch screen smart phone.

The new Galaxy S III smart phone has 9 million preorders.

Totally agree. Today, 2GB of data on Verizon's network costs $30. June 28th, the same 2GB will cost $60 with the only added benefit being the ability to split that measly amount among multiple devices.

Between 4 smart phones, we've used 180 minutes of our 700min/month plan, with 7 days left in our billing cycle. The extra we'll have to pay for unlimited minutes on the smartphone access fee is wasted on us.

 

[keith_benedict]

These new plans are nothing more than a way for Verizon to force you to purchase what you don't really want--an unlimited calling plan. Add to that the exorbitant costs for data (2x what it currently costs). Unbelievable.

 

[Alan Gordon]

A cell phone may be a necessity in some cases, but a smartphone certainly is not. True, I'm retired, but I've been getting by with an AT&T GoPhone prepaid $25 per 3 months plan for several years.

True... prior to joining Verizon almost two years ago, I was pre-paid for several years.

I think one of the issues though is that the cell phone companies and manufacturers are really pushing the smartphones.

Try going in Verizon or AT&T where I live and it's one smartphone after another, but very few, if any regular phones... and of the phones that aren't smartphones, most of them appear cheap and kid-like.

I know some people who were upset last year by the lack of variety in regular phones, but didn't want to upgrade to a smart phone due to the fees associated with it.

I also remember hearing on the radio earlier this year that the majority of traffic the cell phone companies receive is texts and data... very little of it is voice.

~Alan

 

[Drew2k]

For me, I have one smartphone and one tablet, paying $29.99 for unlimited data on my phone and $10 for 500 messages on my phone, plus $20 for 1GB data on my tablet. So $59.99 total.

I see nothing in the new plans that would make me want to change what I have.

 

[raott]

Can you opt to keep your current plan rather than moving to the new plan?

EDIT---Nevermind, found my answer:

"Customers are free to keep their existing plans, but there is no fee or contract extension to move to the new Share Everything Plans. To help customers determine the best Share Everything Plan option, Verizon Wireless has created an easy to use online tool at www.verizonwireless.com/ShareEverything."

 

[hilmar2k]

Totally agree. Today, 2GB of data on Verizon's network costs $30. June 28th, the same 2GB will cost $60 with the only added benefit being the ability to split that measly amount among multiple devices.

Between 4 smart phones, we've used 180 minutes of our 700min/month plan, with 7 days left in our billing cycle. The extra we'll have to pay for unlimited minutes on the smartphone access fee is wasted on us.

So don't switch to the new plans.

 

[Alan Gordon]

Can you opt to keep your current plan rather than moving to the new plan?

EDIT---Nevermind, found my answer:

"Customers are free to keep their existing plans, but there is no fee or contract extension to move to the new Share Everything Plans. To help customers determine the best Share Everything Plan option, Verizon Wireless has created an easy to use online tool at www.verizonwireless.com/ShareEverything."

Any new contracts, phone upgrades, etc. will force you to the new plans though.

So don't switch to the new plans.

See above! ^

~Alan

 

[hilmar2k]

Any new contracts, phone upgrades, etc. will force you to the new plans though.

See above! ^

~Alan

No, they will only force you off of unlimited data.