[Lttlwing16]

US Prepaid Options

This thread is intended to give people a “one stop shop “ for GSM prepaid carriers to use with the Nexus 4 and to serve as a general discussion thread about prepaid services here in the US. I don’t know all the answers, but I will try to update the OP as new info comes in.

Prepaid services will be divided into two categories. Those operating on the AT&T spectrum and those operating on the T-mobile spectrum.

Listed are some of the most popular Prepaid Services and a short bio of each.
Here is a complete list of MVNO network operators in the US.



Talk: Phone calls Text: SMS & MMS Data: HSPA(+) speeds depending on area or otherwise noted

AT&T spectrum:


AT&T Go Phone Prepaid Wireless


Best Deal : $65 + tax Unlim Talk&Text , 1gb data.
Simcard : Free. In store only (?)
Throttle: ?. After 1gb you would need to buy new prepaid plan for more data.
Customer Service: In store/ phone/ email *Good
Pros: Good coverage , better support, preferred network use Cons: Too expensive, pittance of data. Limited to HSPA. HSPA+ not provisioned to go phone users.

Straight Talk Wireless AT&T


Best Deal : $45 + tax/ Unlim Talk, Text, Data*
Sim card: Microsim around 14.99/Free shipping
Throttled Data: YES. AT&T throttles users of Straight Talk if use is above normal, which some define as >100mb/day or 2gb/mos. There are ill defined lines of what qualifies someone for throttling, but it does occur if use is excessive, and in some cases not. Some have had success by calling/opening a ticket on FB and having them “reprovisioning” their account.
Customer Service: Phone/ Email/ Social Media (Fb) *Fair
(Tip: Try this phone number first: 1-888-251-8164)
Pros: Cheapest AT&T prepaid service, Good Coverage on AT&T Network. Best deal if you can use wifi frequently.
Cons: Aggressive throttling for some users, Poor Customer Support

Black Wireless/H20



Best Deal: $60+tax Unlimited Talk/Text/2gb Data* (promo codes have been seen)
Sim Card: Micro 2.00 charge/free shipping
Throttled Data: YES. Throttled after 500mb/mos.
Customer Support: Phone/Chat/Email *Good
Pros: Clear Defined Data terms. 500mb/mos at HSPA speed, Edge speeds after, up to 2gb. Better Customer Support. $5 for international use. 100 International Texts included @ 60 price.
Cons: $15 dollars/mos higher than Straight Talk. 500mb/mos is a small amount of data before throttle.

There are many other prepaid services on AT&T network, most offering Unlim Talk/Text and 1-2gb HSPA data for $50-60/mos. See below for complete list:




T-Mobile Network : (Generally poorer coverage/reliability, but may offer faster Data speeds in some areas)


T-moblie Prepaid

Best Deal: $30 100minutes/Unlimited Text/ Unlimited Data @HSPA(+) speed (ONLINE DEAL ONLY)
Sim Card: Micro, Free online/in store
Throttling: Yes and No. Depends on plan. Clear definitions of throttling are given.
Customer Service: In Store/Phone/Email *Good
Pros: Cheapest Plan you can get with truly unlimited Data. Well defined throttling limits.
Cons: T-mobile coverage, 100 minutes is too few for most.

Straight Talk Wireless T-mobile


Best Deal : $45 + tax/ Unlim Talk, Text, Data*
Sim card: Standard SIM* around 14.99/Free shipping
Throttled Data: YES. Tmobile is less aggressive than AT&T, but throttling is still noted to occur.
Customer Service: Phone/ Email/ Social Media (Fb) *Fair
(Tip: Try this phone number first: 1-888-251-8164)
Pros: Cheap everything plan for the regular user. Best if used with wifi frequently.
Cons: Poorly defined throttle terms. Poor Customer Support. Some must cut Standard Sim to Micro to get Tmo ST service.

Simple Mobile


Best Deal: $50 Unlimited Talk, Text & Data*
Sim: Micro SIm; 12.99; free shipping
Throttling: YES. A sister company to Straight Talk, the throttling is similar. Poorly defined limits, but Simple Mobile will throttle according to overuse, in which they define themselves. Some say that T-mobile is less aggressive in throttling practices compared to AT&T, but throttling has been noted to occur.
Customer Service: Phone/Email *Fair
Pros: Good price for Unlimited everything. Easy International add-on. Unlimited international SMS. 5$ in free international credit/mos.
Cons: Throttling, poorly defined data limits. Poor Customer Service


Solavei


Best Deal: $49 Unlimited Talk/Text/Data*
Sim: Microsim 9.00/free shipping (* 49.00 membership fee*)
*Tip use this IMEI number to register: 353022055115650
Throttling: YES. After 4gb/mos the data will be throttled. Clearly Defined
Customer Service: Phone/Email *Unknown
NOTE: Solavei is a service that offers incentives if you get others to sign up for their service. This is not mandatory to have their phone service, but is an optional incentive.
Pros: Clear Data limits/throttling terms. Incentive program
Cons: High cost of startup ($108 for first months). Some may see marketing scheme as annoying. Must trick IMEI @ registering as nexus 4 is not registered in their system to date.

Go Smart Mobile



Best Deal: $45 Unlim Talk/Text/5gb 3G Data*
Sim: Micro 8.00 /free shipping
Throttling: Yes, after 5gb Data.
NOTE: Data speeds are Never HSPA(+) but 3G at best (1mbps/down). Throttling takes you down to 2g/Edge speeds.
Customer Service: Phone/FAQ *Unknown

Pros: Cheap plan with clear data conditions.
Cons: Max speeds are 3G

Platinum Tel



Best Deal: $50 Unlimited Talk/Text/2gb Data@ HSPA(+)
Sim: Micro 4.99 online. Free shipping.
Throttling: First 2gb at HSPA(+) speeds. Throttled afterwards.
Customer Service: Phone/Email *Unknown Quality

Pros: Clear Defined Throttle limits. Competitive rates.
Cons: Throttling after 2gb.

Once again, there are many other T-mobile prepaid carriers besides those listed. See below for complete list:

[Lttlwing16]

reserve