Verizon's new tiered data plans

[nyry]

Hey guys. I want to ask the people who have switched over to tiered data plans: did you guys save money doing so? Or are you paying more? Is being able to use your phone upgrades worth giving up unlimited? And lastly, how hard do you find it to not go over your data cap?thanks in advance

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[mesocyclonic]

If you're just going to a tiered plan from an unlimited plan, you can't save money as the cheapest tiered plan is the same price as an unlimited plan ($30/mo.). Are you referring to the Share Everything plan? If so, the answer is "it depends on your family plan". You almost certainly won't save money if you're just on your own. If you have several smartphones on your plan, you might save money. The share plans would be more expensive for my plan, 2x dumbphones, 2x smartphones (1 unlimited, 1 2GB/mo).

If you want to keep unlimited, there are ways that still allow you to use your upgrade-you can transfer it to another (non-unlimited) line, use the upgrade on the non-unlimited line and switch the new smartphone to your unlimited line from the non-unlimited line (http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon/227608-instruction-how-keep-unlimited-data-verizon.html). Or, add a line, get a smartphone, and then get a dumbphone to put on the new line, which is cheaper than paying full retail for a new smartphone.

Personally, I use enough data (6-10 GB/mo) that keeping unlimited is important to me, though I could cut my usage back if I lost my unlimited.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

The short answer: If you only have 1 person/phone on your plan, it's pretty much impossible to actually save money with the new plans, but *may* be able to get away with paying the same amount (for much less data allowance). IF you have several persons/phones on a shared plan, then the new plans can actually save quite a bit of money, in theory, assuming that collectively you don't go over the data allowance.

 

[nyry]

The short answer: If you only have 1 person/phone on your plan, it's pretty much impossible to actually save money with the new plans, but *may* be able to get away with paying the same amount (for much less data allowance). IF you have several persons/phones on a shared plan, then the new plans can actually save quite a bit of money, in theory, assuming that collectively you don't go over the data allowance.

There are three people each with their own smartphone on my account

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[paintdrinkingpete]

There are three people each with their own smartphone on my account

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I'd look over both your usage and the plans available -- it is quite possible you could save a bit of $ using a shared data plan.

 

[bjboucher]

Need a little more info, like how much data the three of you use. That's the big thing. If your family uses a lot of data, you'll have to either cut down on your usage or pay a lot of money. If you do use a lot of data, then it may be cheaper to just pay full price for a phone.

 

[Jude526]

I am saving. Definitely

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note2

 

[worwig]

I went from a smartphone and a dumb phone, to two smart phones, and it only cost me a few dollars a month to turn on that second smart phone. Plus I now have unlimited texting on both, which I didn't have before. The end result is a plus for me. But I did lose unlimited data and now have 2GB. Generally not an issue, but now I have to be aware of it.

 

[minnieusa]

i took the subsidized phone with 2 gig. my bill is the same. however if i knew then what i know now i would have never given up the unlimited. i cant even use my phone last wk of my data 2 gig or i will go over. have had serious thoughts of buying out verizon and going to sprint.

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[Mr.Mcgoo]

I have 3 unlimited phones and 2 reg phones with 1400 min shared all texts, switching too the shared plan I would be paying about the same a few dollars either way with less data. I try to by my phones used outright but sure the unlimited will go away eventually anyway as will discounted phones...IMO

 

[frescagod]

i took the subsidized phone with 2 gig. my bill is the same. however if i knew then what i know now i would have never given up the unlimited. i cant even use my phone last wk of my data 2 gig or i will go over. have had serious thoughts of buying out verizon and going to sprint.

Sent from my AT100 using Android Central Forums

that's a little bit of an overreaction, don't you think? it's $60 for 2GB, and $70 for 4GB right? let's assume you have 20 more months on your contract, meaning if you stepped up to 4GB, you'd pay $200 more over the life of the contract. your buyout, however, would be in the neighborhood of $300, and you'd be paying for the inevitable activation fees and stuff like that.

on top of that (and what's most important to me, anyway) is the fact that Verizon's LTE network blows away Sprint's right now. verizon is everywhere, and sprint has these little narrow pockets of coverage. i had unlimited data with my HTC Evo 4G but it was worthless because 3G in DC is awful, and WiMax was never a comprehensive solution.

i will agree that if you are on your own, however, you get absolutely ripped off on Verizon right now.

 

[Almeuit]

that's a little bit of an overreaction, don't you think? it's $60 for 2GB, and $70 for 4GB right? let's assume you have 20 more months on your contract, meaning if you stepped up to 4GB, you'd pay $200 more over the life of the contract. your buyout, however, would be in the neighborhood of $300, and you'd be paying for the inevitable activation fees and stuff like that.

on top of that (and what's most important to me, anyway) is the fact that Verizon's LTE network blows away Sprint's right now. verizon is everywhere, and sprint has these little narrow pockets of coverage. i had unlimited data with my HTC Evo 4G but it was worthless because 3G in DC is awful, and WiMax was never a comprehensive solution.

i will agree that if you are on your own, however, you get absolutely ripped off on Verizon right now.

Yeah that's why I didn't go to Verizon.. Price. Only reason. For someone like me on an individual plan it hurts.. Badly lol.

Also I agree with the above post. Unless Sprint is starting LTE in your area it can be painful. I'm in Jacksonville Florida and Sprint is rolling out LTE so I'm being patient because once it's widespread it won't be bad. The areas I get LTE it's not to bad. Usually 20Mbit down and 10ish up.

But yeah if it's not being deployed like now in your area.. Or really soon. 3g is extremely painful for Sprint lol.

Sent from my Sprint S3 using AC forums.

 

[pakmansi]

Definitely not planning to change my plan. It'll cost me $30+ extra for less data. *That's my wife's iPhone, I'm using a GS3 on a separate plan*

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

Definitely not planning to change my plan. It'll cost me $30+ extra for less data. *That's my wife's iPhone, I'm using a GS3 on a separate plan*

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/734755_10152566198010271_1384615103_n.jpg

Any SINGLE phone will cost more if you compare it to a "Share everything" plan. Realize that you are also upgrading your calling and text plans to unlimited, which can be shared across all devices on your account. If you have several phones on one account, then you'll start to see savings. Thing to do is take the total bill for ALL phones on your plan, and then compare the savings to the share everything plan.


Again, the real thing to consider is how much data, collectively across all phones on the account, do you use? If your data usage isn't that high, the share everything plan is great idea -- if you use a lot of data, then it probably won't be.

 

[pakmansi]

Any SINGLE phone will cost more if you compare it to a "Share everything" plan. Realize that you are also upgrading your calling and text plans to unlimited, which can be shared across all devices on your account. If you have several phones on one account, then you'll start to see savings. Thing to do is take the total bill for ALL phones on your plan, and then compare the savings to the share everything plan.


Again, the real thing to consider is how much data, collectively across all phones on the account, do you use? If your data usage isn't that high, the share everything plan is great idea -- if you use a lot of data, then it probably won't be.

I personally use between 4 - 10GB per month by myself, and I don't even consider myself a heavy user. I feel like these data limits are stifling innovation and progression.

 

[makaroni]

Definitely not planning to change my plan. It'll cost me $30+ extra for less data. *That's my wife's iPhone, I'm using a GS3 on a separate plan*

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/734755_10152566198010271_1384615103_n.jpg

Seems as though your wife has a limit of 450 minutes on her phone, you pay per text message (send and receive) and unlimited data. With the shared data or tiered data plans, a person gets unlimited talk and text but there is a limit on the data. So it looks like you're actually paying less for less. Paying for texts going both ways adds up quite quickly and if you talk on the phone, during the day 450 min is not much for 30 day billing cycle. You could easily end up paying that 30 Bucks you're saving by paying for texts and/or going over your minutes. Your bill would come out to the same as a tiered data or shared plan. A person checking on their data usage with a tiered plan wld be the same as your wife checking how many texts she sent or received and how many minutes she's used. Unlimited data is a hot commodity now a days but I think it all depends on what a person uses the most on their phone. If your wife doesn't talk much or text then you definitely save Money on the plan she's on but if a person is on the phone a lot and texts often, then they gotta go with unlimited talk and text. And sacrifice the capped data. Unless you're using your phone as your home Television, radio and computer, I don't see how some people use 50-100 gigs of data. I have a 4 gig plan and I have never gone over 1 gig yet so the cap on the data is not an issue for me but I do talk and text a lot. Unlimited data is awesome but for some people it isn't an absolute necessity. Having a shared plan is not so bad

My GS3 sleeps in the bed and I make my girlfriend sleep on the couch

 

[z71kris]

but with unlimited data, its so easy to text with an app, and use google voice for extra mins, not a big deal. But with limited data, now you have to clock watch everything you do, you are out and about stream a few youtubes and look up a few things on the net, and next thing you know you are at your 2 gigs with 2 weeks to go...the more powerful and better browsing these phones become the more it will cost to use them

 

[phoneguy32]

i just downgraded from 4 to 2gb plan because i hardly use 1gb per month (moble data). it seems like every place now has free wifi. i just have it jump on it when ever i am there. saves a ton of data. i used over 6gb on wifi.

 

[makaroni]

but with unlimited data, its so easy to text with an app, and use google voice for extra mins, not a big deal. But with limited data, now you have to clock watch everything you do, you are out and about stream a few youtubes and look up a few things on the net, and next thing you know you are at your 2 gigs with 2 weeks to go...the more powerful and better browsing these phones become the more it will cost to use them

Good point.

My GS3 sleeps in the bed and I make my girlfriend sleep on the couch

 

[mesocyclonic]

I personally use between 4 - 10GB per month by myself, and I don't even consider myself a heavy user. I feel like these data limits are stifling innovation and progression.

A big part of the reason I'm holding on to my unlimited data plan is that even if I were to fit in 2GB/month now, new apps/services developed over the next few years will probably increase the average data use per user. Where 2 GB may suffice today for many people, we may find it inadequate for even an "average" user 2-3 years from now.