why do people say tmobile is cheaper?

[grover5]

I have 6 lines on my T-Mobile plan. Each line has unlimited calls and text and 2.5 GB of high speed data with no overages. I pay $250 a month which includes about $100 in phone payments for two note 3's, a Nexus 6 and an iPhone 5c. The other two lines the phones were hand me downs. A blackberry Z10 and a moto g.

I tried to duplicate my plan on Verizon using the edge service. It wouldn't let me exceed 5 items in my cart so for 5 lines and 15 GB of data my bill would be $313. At $63 more per month that would be $756 a year. For me Verizon is significantly more expensive. Plus I can bring any device I want on to T-Mobile.

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[Shilohcane]

To be fair it works better than his Verizon service .. for your area. His area could have way worse coverage for T-Mobile / Metro.

OK I understand that since AT&T doesn't work good where I live. It is always location location location for the best Carrier. However we were talking price for individuals needs. Almeuit you say you use 95GB+ a month of data. I have never even used more than 500Mb since I connect to Wi-Fi where every I go and at home. So for me the $35 a month plan from MetroPCS with 2GB looks like a waste of extra data for my personal needs. Since I have Comcast Xfinity service at home I am connecting into Xfinity hot spots in every major shopping center and most bars and restraunts have free Wi-Fi I just don't use a lot of cell data each month. I use my Nexus 5 & 7 for games but mainly on Wi-Fi.

 

[Almeuit]

OK I understand that since AT&T doesn't work good where I live. It is always location location but we were talking price for individuals needs. Almeuit you say you use 95GB+ a month of data. I have never even used more than 500Mb since I connect to Wi-Fi where every I go and at home. So for me the $35 a month plan from MetroPCS for 2GB looks like a waste of data for my needs. Since I have Comcast Xfinity service at home I am connecting into Xfinity hot spots in every major shopping center and most bars and restraunts have free Wi-Fi I just don't use a lot of cell data each month.

I have Comcast as well but .. my main usage is at work. When out and about on the weekends I don't really use much. Also I don't like connecting to open / free hotspots around town. Even if I had a limited plan I wouldn't connect to them (security reasons).

The day my work has good wifi .. I won't really "need" unlimited any more. Below is the usage for me and my GF. Today is the last day of this cycle.

 

[tube517]

What works for you works for you.

I didn't pay a dime for a phone because I already have a few phones I can use (Love GSM). Thus, my savings are about $700 vs Verizon if I switched.

In other words, YMMV. Each person has to figure out what works best for them. Not you or I.

T-Mobile is shaking up the cellular industry. Paying off ETFs and no contracts is a truly nice feature. The coverage in the mountains suck. I found out the hard way but I understood that coming in. I'm sure Verizon or AT&T may have had better coverage, I don't know or care. I'm just glad to be off contracts.

Also, circumstances change. For example, if I got a job in BFE that required strong cell service, then I would have to consider AT&T and Verizon. Again, it's all about what is best for YOU.

 

[Aquila]

I have Comcast as well but .. my main usage is at work. When out and about on the weekends I don't really use much. Also I don't like connecting to open / free hotspots around town. Even if I had a limited plan I wouldn't connect to them (security reasons).

The day my work has good wifi .. I won't really "need" unlimited any more. Below is the usage for me and my GF. Today is the last day of this cycle.

What in the blazes.... if you don't get over 100 by the EOD we're going to have words.

 

[Almeuit]

What in the blazes.... if you don't get over 100 by the EOD we're going to have words.

I apologize sir . I will ensure to meet your demand.

 

[Almeuit]

What in the blazes.... if you don't get over 100 by the EOD we're going to have words.

Well luckily there was a twitch counter strike tournament today that I wanted to watch . Twitch actually was my most dominant thing this month. Lots of tournaments.

 

[dpham00]

It is a generalization. T-Mobile is generally cheaper. But you should always compare the options fully before choosing. Also something to keep in mind is that high end current Verizon Androids typically are substantially cheaper on device payment plan compared to Tmobile,for those who use them. You need to compare service plus device payment,and whatever discount that you get on both sides.

It doesn't matter if generally, tmobile is cheaper, if in your situation, it isn't. I would get what is cheapest and works the best for me.

Sent from my Pearly White Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

 

[dpham00]

Mainly data users call it cheaper. Example below.

I am currently at 95+ GB of usage on just my line .. If I did that on Verizon my phone bill would be a mortgage payment ^_^.

If you needed Verizon, you are better off AOL a legacy unlimited data line. It is a bit of a hassle and will cost, but at your data usage, it would be well worth it,imo. Of course, for the lazy who would prefer to pay $765/mo vs $80ish/mo...be my guest.

Sent from my Pearly White Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

 

[Almeuit]

If you needed Verizon, you are better off AOL a legacy unlimited data line. It is a bit of a hassle and will cost, but at your data usage, it would be well worth it,imo. Of course, for the lazy who would prefer to pay $765/mo vs $80ish/mo...be my guest.

Sent from my Pearly White Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

Remember I only pay 50 a month for unlimited everything . Also not sure if Verizon would be cheaper since I do use unlimited talk a ton and unlimited text (see a few posts up). I could do work arounds through Google voice but Ehh.. I've never been a fan of GV.

Also isn't AOL only working if you get the right rep on the phone? Too many hoops to go through for me.. Especially since T-Mobile works in my area and unlimited is offered to anyone.


Either way if you needed it sure but I don't know anyone who really needs unlimited. That's why I said "need" because if the choice came down to pay a ton or just not stream movies and stuff.. I'd choose option 2 haha.

 

[mdk32014]

Let me say that i love tmo and what they are doing. Unless you can get a good deal on verizon they have data plans that are not a good price. For example we have 2 phones with 1 gb of data $110 plus tax. This is a bad deal. If i did not go to this place in the mountains that has no tmo i would be out. I really love tmo and would love to move over even if it is not as good as verizon for signal but they are not bad either by a long way.

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[mdk32014]

By the way my friend has 4 lines $100.00. What a deal.

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[dpham00]

Remember I only pay 50 a month for unlimited everything . Also not sure if Verizon would be cheaper since I do use unlimited talk a ton and unlimited text (see a few posts up). I could do work arounds through Google voice but Ehh.. I've never been a fan of GV.

Also isn't AOL only working if you get the right rep on the phone? Too many hoops to go through for me.. Especially since T-Mobile works in my area and unlimited is offered to anyone.


Either way if you needed it sure but I don't know anyone who really needs unlimited. That's why I said "need" because if the choice came down to pay a ton or just not stream movies and stuff.. I'd choose option 2 haha.

It is only for those who need Verizon unlimited. If tmobile unlimited works for your needs then I would go that route. But at both my home and work, Verizon gets much better speeds. And Tmobile's unlimited data has restrictions that don't work for me (no official unlimited hotspot, can't be used in a non smartphone device)

Sent from my Pearly White Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

 

[dpham00]

Let me say that i love tmo and what they are doing. Unless you can get a good deal on verizon they have data plans that are not a good price. For example we have 2 phones with 1 gb of data $110 plus tax. This is a bad deal. If i did not go to this place in the mountains that has no tmo i would be out. I really love tmo and would love to move over even if it is not as good as verizon for signal but they are not bad either by a long way.

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Your lines are under contract so it is not a good comparison. You would need to compare with 2 devices on Tmobile's device payment plan,the total amount paid over 2 years.

TMobile 2 lines with minimum plan would be $80, same price as Verizon no contract pricing. You do get more data on tmobile, but if you don't need it then it doesn't make a difference.

Sent from my Pearly White Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

 

[Almeuit]

It is only for those who need Verizon unlimited. If tmobile unlimited works for your needs then I would go that route. But at both my home and work, Verizon gets much better speeds. And Tmobile's unlimited data has restrictions that don't work for me (no official unlimited hotspot, can't be used in a non smartphone device)

Sent from my Pearly White Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

True but I still have yet to meet anyone who "needs" unlimited (as in must have or they can't survive).

 

[mdk32014]

My thing about Verizon is a ridiculous faded cat. thank re diculous Lee expensive and I feel it is a rip off. T-mobile Eng value for the money without being a cheap service like boost mobile. I am also checking out cricket as they have some friends that look good and then use AT&T but I am a huge fan at T Mobile and yes it can save some money but it depends on the particular person's situation. Also I have noticed that sometimes we phones at T Mobile are cheaper in the same phone at Verizon. if the price is the same for a certain plan then go with whatever company you feel is better. for example if you like all of the uncarrier moves and T Mobile works in your area they could still be a very good option for you. also don't forget about prepaid if you do not need really fast data speeds or mobile hotspot because for $50 you can have created bytes of data and then after that it is slow down so technically it is unlimited. you could also get me $40 plan for one gigabyte which is a great deal considering Verizon cheapest is $60 unless you can get in the loyalty 450. also don't forget about their ridiculous overages. Verizon is a huge company that feels they can charge whatever they want and I do not really like that and that's why I'm looking for another provider.

 

[Bob61]

Ummm TMo's 2 line plan for 100 bucks is unlimited 4G. And free international data roaming and texting. And free In-flight texting.

Another big difference is music streaming doesn't count in your data use, most music services now included. Let's me run on TMo easily without having unlimited data.

 

[raino]

Plus, T-Mobile is BYOD-friendly. They've had HD calling for about a year already. Some phones have WiFi calling.

Interesting you mention WFC because it actually shows TMO isn't that BYOD-friendly. For Android phones, only branded phones get WFC (and by extension, voLTE as the two are both based on IMS.) So if you were bringing a, say, AT&T model of a phone over to TMO, it wouldn't have WFC. Same with a phone they don't sell at all, that may be capable of WFC from an OS standpoint.

Another example where TMO doesn't fully welcome BYOD is "Softcard" SIM payment features. You have to buy your phone from TMO for the payment thing to work.

 

[Crashdamage]

WFC and Softcard payments both require special software which is integrated into the system. You can't just install an app to add these to any phone. No doubt T-Mobile wishes that were possible. They would pick up a few more customers.

T-Mobile is still the most BYOD friendly service provider.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.

 

[raino]

WFC and Softcard payments both require special software which is integrated into the system.

For WFC, did you just mean the IMS stack, which I'm pretty sure is integrated into Google's Android, or is there more that's called upon beyond that?

I know for BB10, the OS is IMS equipped so any phone should get WFC and voLTE on TMO...however that's not the case. Only the Q10 and Z10--phones sold by TMO--do. The way it works is that TMO whitelists devices and OS builds for WFC: so if you don't have a phone that's whitelisted (a BB Passport, for example,) you won't get WFC/voLTE. Or if you have a Q10 with OS 10.3.1 (a non-whitelisted build,) you won't get WFC/voLTE either. Is Android too different from this scheme?

"Softcard" (in quotes because I find the name funny, given the history) I'll give you because I don't know enough about the device-level checks it performs. It is interesting though that with a TMO "Softcard" SIM in my phone, I can't even download the app from Google Play, much less make it work.