Should I give up my Vzw Unlimited plan?

Xterror

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I've been holding on to mine and my wife's Unlimited data plans, but now that I need a new phone I'm crunching numbers and I don't know if it'll save me money to go on the shared data plans. I currently have a Gnex which is getting worse every week so I'll be getting a new phone before year ends for sure. Before August, my wife an I combined would use at most 2gb since we're always near wifi spots. Since August we've both started going to the gym 5 times a week, there is no wifi there, so that's where we consume most of our data and we're averaging 4gb combined. She only streams music and I watch netflix if I don't have predownloaded podcast to listen to. I currently pay $160 for our plan, and if I pay the same on shared plan, that will give us 6gb to share. I will prob get the Moto X, so I would have to pay $500 for to keep my unlimited and she'll prob want to upgrade her iphone 4s for christmas and that'll be $650. $650+$500 = $1150 for our phones to keep unlimited data, if I divide $1150 over a 2yr contract, that's $48 a month I could be saving by letting go of the unlimited plan. I plan on watching more Netflix at the gym though so I might be safer with 8gb, that's only adding 10$ a month and saving $38 a month over the 2yrs. Am I understanding this right? I know if I would let go of the unlimited plan, that other carriers are cheaper, but from what I've heard, the services doesn't compare to Verizon's where I live, so I might be stuck with them to avoid service issues. Any input will be appreciated, I will be ready to buy my Moto X when I can customize it.
 
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garublador

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Did you take into account the subsidized prices of the phones? $500 and $650 sound like the full prices of those phones, not the difference between the full price and the subsidized price, but I haven't actually looked that closely at the prices of those phones.
 

intrathecal

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If you have Sprint towers in your area (because you only get data through Sprint towers, but voice/text everywhere) get TING. You literally have nothing to lose. I have 5 smartphones (s3's and note 2's) and am paying about $86/mo FOR ALL 5 LINES! !! JUST GO TO TING.COM FOR RATES. I am NOT a paid advertiser.
 

JRDroid

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Unless you are a very heavy data user, I think unlimited plans are over rated. I have a 5 line, 10 GB plan on AT&T and pay $52 a line after taxes and we never get near our data limit. That said, Netflix can use a truly amazing amount of data in a very short amount of time, so if you really have your heart set on using Netflix at the gym, keeping the unlimited might be worth it. Netflix has the potential to use 2 GB of data per hour watched (depends on quality streamed obviously). So if you are working out 3-4 hours a week (or more) and watching Netflix the whole time, you could burn through 8 GB in two weeks on your own. Since the Moto X isn't available to customize on Verizon yet, I would start using Netflix more at the gym right now so you can get a feel for how much data you really would be using instead of guessing.

Personal opinion is that you should check out T-Mobile's coverage in your area. When they have good coverage, they are tough to beat. You could get T-Mobile branded service for $120 a month for unlimited data. Through on the payment plans for the phones and you're coming in a little under what you are paying to Verizon right now, but without the huge upfront cost of the phones.
 

Almeuit

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I'd say yes (as in keep it). I can't live without it personally... And honestly... Look how mobile data is going.. More and more streaming and things online so.. Usage is only bound to increase.

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.
 
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Golfdriver97

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I have unlimited on Sprint, and I like the idea that I can pick up my phone and do anything I want in terms of data use and not worry. I alone on average would use about 4 to 5 GB per month. And that is with intermittent YouTube videos.
 

Xterror

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Unless you are a very heavy data user, I think unlimited plans are over rated. I have a 5 line, 10 GB plan on AT&T and pay $52 a line after taxes and we never get near our data limit. That said, Netflix can use a truly amazing amount of data in a very short amount of time, so if you really have your heart set on using Netflix at the gym, keeping the unlimited might be worth it. Netflix has the potential to use 2 GB of data per hour watched (depends on quality streamed obviously). So if you are working out 3-4 hours a week (or more) and watching Netflix the whole time, you could burn through 8 GB in two weeks on your own. Since the Moto X isn't available to customize on Verizon yet, I would start using Netflix more at the gym right now so you can get a feel for how much data you really would be using instead of guessing.

Personal opinion is that you should check out T-Mobile's coverage in your area. When they have good coverage, they are tough to beat. You could get T-Mobile branded service for $120 a month for unlimited data. Through on the payment plans for the phones and you're coming in a little under what you are paying to Verizon right now, but without the huge upfront cost of the phones.

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking the same on the Netflix part. I'm going to use it every time at the gym for now and see how much data I actually use. I was thinking of finding a friend with an old T-Mobile phone that they might the be keeping as backup and ask to borrow it so it an prepay for a month and test the service. The only thing that has kept me on unlimited even though I don't take advantage of it is thinking about the future and how more and more data will be used.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 

Xterror

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Did you take into account the subsidized prices of the phones? $500 and $650 sound like the full prices of those phones, not the difference between the full price and the subsidized price, but I haven't actually looked that closely at the prices of those phones.

Thanks for mentioning it, I didn't take the subsidized price into account, but the Moto X is $100 and iPhone 5s $200. Then we'll sell the iPhone 4s for 200$. So it's still close to the $1150.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 

A895

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Thanks for mentioning it, I didn't take the subsidized price into account, but the Moto X is $100 and iPhone 5s $200. Then we'll sell the iPhone 4s for 200$. So it's still close to the $1150.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Give it up if you want. I'm giving up my unlimited, I'm not constantly using a smartphone all the time to keep paying full price for a phone. Especially since our bill will be actually lower with a share everything plan.

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CompMan2012

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Definitely keep the unlimited plan. That plan is worth more (in value) than paying full price on new hand sets. Everything is heading to the cloud now a day too. I would wait until VERIZON gets the nexus. You can get a new one from Google play for 350-400 depending on the model. Or maybe buy a used one from eBay or other phone swapping sites.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using AC Forums mobile app
 

A895

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Definitely keep the unlimited plan. That plan is worth more (in value) than paying full price on new hand sets. Everything is heading to the cloud now a day too. I would wait until VERIZON gets the nexus. You can get a new one from Google play for 350-400 depending on the model. Or maybe buy a used one from eBay or other phone swapping sites.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using AC Forums mobile app

Verizon is not getting a nexus anytime soon, though Google did mention last week they are working with Verizon on special projects for the spring. An unlimited data plan is not worth hundred of dollars a year for a phone plus whatever you actually pay now for your bill. Its way too pricey to try to keep something that's not worth that much trouble, and you inky have it just as a contingency plan is not worth it. If someone needs unlimited data so badly go to T-Mobile when they actually have decent nationwide coverage, their plans are actually affordable.

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kobe008

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Another thing you said you wife has an iphone 4S so if she upgrades to a newer phone she would be going from 3G to 4G which uses more data.
 

Xterror

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Another thing you said you wife has an iphone 4S so if she upgrades to a newer phone she would be going from 3G to 4G which uses more data.
Not saying you're wrong, I'm not sure, but wouldn't the only difference for her would be faster data speeds? Doesn't make sense to me that more data will be used if she's just streaming music on 3G or LTE. I guess maybe it'll stream better quality so that would be more data?
 

garublador

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Thanks for mentioning it, I didn't take the subsidized price into account, but the Moto X is $100 and iPhone 5s $200. Then we'll sell the iPhone 4s for 200$. So it's still close to the $1150.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
That was the only potential flaw I saw in the math. It sounds like going to the metered plans and saving money is the way to go. There's no sense in paying for extra data that you aren't using.
 

Xterror

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Definitely keep the unlimited plan. That plan is worth more (in value) than paying full price on new hand sets. Everything is heading to the cloud now a day too. I would wait until VERIZON gets the nexus. You can get a new one from Google play for 350-400 depending on the model. Or maybe buy a used one from eBay or other phone swapping sites.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using AC Forums mobile app

That's what I was hoping for with the Nexus 5, but no luck. I don't think I can wait until spring to see if there will be a Nexus for Verizon. My Gnex is too laggy and slow even after trying different fixes I see online. I'm ready to throw it out the window.
 

JRDroid

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Not saying you're wrong, I'm not sure, but wouldn't the only difference for her would be faster data speeds? Doesn't make sense to me that more data will be used if she's just streaming music on 3G or LTE. I guess maybe it'll stream better quality so that would be more data?

No, it doesn't.

Another thing you said you wife has an iphone 4S so if she upgrades to a newer phone she would be going from 3G to 4G which uses more data.

You are correct. 4G is just faster, it doen't use more data. People just do more inte
 

CompMan2012

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Verizon is not getting a nexus anytime soon, though Google did mention last week they are working with Verizon on special projects for the spring. An unlimited data plan is not worth hundred of dollars a year for a phone plus whatever you actually pay now for your bill. Its way too pricey to try to keep something that's not worth that much trouble, and you inky have it just as a contingency plan is not worth it. If someone needs unlimited data so badly go to T-Mobile when they actually have decent nationwide coverage, their plans are actually affordable.

Posted via Android Central App

The only problem with the Unlimited data plan is upgrading a device at full price. I have a Verizon shared plan (4GB) and if i don't watch what I do I can burn thru my data in 2 days. Also, if u do go to T-mobile then u are back to paying full price for your devices and their network doesn't come close to Verizon's.
 

CompMan2012

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That's what I was hoping for with the Nexus 5, but no luck. I don't think I can wait until spring to see if there will be a Nexus for Verizon. My Gnex is too laggy and slow even after trying different fixes I see online. I'm ready to throw it out the window.

If u do decide to to switch you might want to call Verizon and ask them to terminate your contract, they might give u a discount on the data to try and keep u as a customer. I read somewhere that they are trying to get rid of the unlimited plans and were offering like 8GB of data for the 4GB price for switching plans. It's definitely worth a try.
 

Xterror

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If u do decide to to switch you might want to call Verizon and ask them to terminate your contract, they might give u a discount on the data to try and keep u as a customer. I read somewhere that they are trying to get rid of the unlimited plans and were offering like 8GB of data for the 4GB price for switching plans. It's definitely worth a try.

I haven't decided yet, going to see how much data I used with Netflix for at least another week, but thanks for that great idea. I will definitely try that if I let go of unlimited.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 

French

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Where those share plans really screw someone like me over is I have the only smart phone and I pay for 2 "dumb phones". We NEVER go over our current 700 shared minutes, and I have unlimited data. Including Slacker Radio subscription of $10/month I pay $125 (after taxes and everything).

When I build a shared plan they want me to pay $30 per month for the 2 dumb phones...which is ridiculous. They don't text at all and have no desire to (one is my 79 year old dad and the other is my technically challenged husband, so this will never change) and as I said we never go over 700 shared minutes. The plan comes out to something like $160 with only 2 gigs of data.

However my situation is different than yours...sounds like you have just the 2 smart phones.
 

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