Update: Best Prepaid for Nexus 4?

[anon(5719825)]

T-Mo's prepaid plans include LTE, right?

Sent from my pure Google Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

Yes it does. AT&Ts prepaid has always restricted what you could actually use. About three years ago, I was able to get the old unlimited $19.99 data plan that I used with an iPhone but was only able to get edge speeds.

Now they have an actual prepaid plan that will allow real 4G speeds but now they prevent anyone from being able to use LTE.

They will also have a $70 plan with 5GB data. After 5GB and 2GB for the cheaper plan, you get throttled to edge speeds.

T-Mobile has a $70 true unlimited plan that you can use any phone with and get LTE speeds and never get throttled. I have used 7.2GB data and still have a week left in this month. I'll have to stay with T-Mobile until AT&T offers better value.

 

[donm527#IM]

Anyone using the TMobile $30 prepay in the Ft. Laud/south Florida area? My iphone 4s contract is up this week and been using that in my N4.
I may test it out for a month but was hoping to hear how the area from west palm to davie/miami might be.
If you get a sim and test a month and decide you want to keep it, can they port your old number into the existing sim you used to test? how long?

Thanks.

 

[chestont]

Anyone using the TMobile $30 prepay in the Ft. Laud/south Florida area? My iphone 4s contract is up this week and been using that in my N4.
I may test it out for a month but was hoping to hear how the area from west palm to davie/miami might be.
If you get a sim and test a month and decide you want to keep it, can they port your old number into the existing sim you used to test? how long?

Thanks.

You can port your old number after you have used the sim for whatever amount of time. Just make sure you don't cancel your old account before you port your old number over or you will lose your old number.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Channan]

AT&T is coming up with a new prepaid plan soon. It will have unlimited talk and text with 2GB data for $50. Not bad but I still prefer T-Mobile for the most part. Data will be 4G but not LTE on the new AT&T plan.

Read about it here: AT&T planning June launch of 'All In One' prepaid brand - FierceWireless

If that AT&T prepaid plan winds up being true, I think for most people, AT&T ends up being better than T-Mobile. If you can get by with 100 minutes per month, T-Mobile is the cheapest option.

But you only get 500MB of full speed data with T-Mobile's $50 plan vs. 2GB with AT&T's $50 plan. LTE isn't really relevant here because I'd much rather have 2GB of AT&T's HSPA+ with AT&T's coverage than only 500MB of T-Mobile's LTE with T-Mobile's coverage. AT&T's $50 plan easily beats out T-Mobile's $50 plan.

If I didn't have unlimited data with Verizon already, I'd have a tough time deciding between AT&T's $50 plan and T-Mobile's $70 plan. I could get by with 2GB pretty easily, save $20/month, and have better service, but it would be nice to have faster speeds in a lot of places and not have to think about connecting to Wi-Fi.

 

[slduffer]

I'm using Pure Talk and am very satisfied. For $43.95 a month, I get unlimited minutes and text with 1GB of data.

 

[donm527#IM]

Thanks. Also, as mentioned I am using the sim from my 4s and the APN settings that have been posted here for AT&T since the default didnt work.

When I put in the new T-Mobile sim in to test for 30 days, will it automatically create a new APN profile when it boots up T-Mobile or will I have to create a new APN profile.

If I have to create a new APN profile for T-Mobile, what is currently the best one being used by Nexus 4 owners here?

Thanks again.

You can port your old number after you have used the sim for whatever amount of time. Just make sure you don't cancel your old account before you port your old number over or you will lose your old number.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jdbii]

When I put in the new T-Mobile sim in to test for 30 days, will it automatically create a new APN profile when it boots up T-Mobile or will I have to create a new APN profile.

Automatic.

 

[chubb]

I've heard that sometimes it can take up to 24 hours for an ebay refill transaction to process. Have you ever been caught with a dead phone while waiting for the transaction to process, and if so, are people able to leave you voicemails during the "dead" time, or do you lose any such voicemails? With Tmobile, I think you can leave voicemails and retrieve them once you refill, but I don't know if that is the case with Net10.
With Tmobile,

I buy refills on ebay as well. I buy them about a week before so the time for refill really dosen't matter much. But the most I have had to wait for t-mobile or att refills is about 2 hours. Most of them are posted on my account within a hour. If you are going to do this buy them a few days early and you won't have to worry about downtime.

I do this refill strategy on eBay as well with T-Mobile prepaid. It is incredible paying around $35 for a $50 refill. It ends up being around $21 a month. Which means I spend less than $900 over a 2 year period paying full price for a Nexus 4 whereas my friend who just re-upped with Verizon will be paying $2420 for a Razr M over the same period time. SMH, gotta love prepaid.

Shows just how much the carriers overcharge for contracts. Granted they are eating $400 or so up front but still. Makes it easy to see how Verizons average revenue per account was about $150 a month per last earnings report.

 

[vlee]

I'll help with the math. The T-Mobile plan is $30/month. $35 / $50 = $0.70, which means that every $1 value costs 70?. So, $30 (monthly cost) * .70 = $21, actual cost of $30/month service.

Still grappling with this concept. On the $30 plan, if I apply $50 to T-Mobile, and they only expect $30, does the extra $20 carry forward? So that then the next month if you pay $50 there is a $40 excess? Could you then skip a month, or do they expect a payment of some sort every 30 days?

(I got burned once with an AT&T prepaid talk only plan because I used so few minutes, but I still had to put something on it every x months or it would all go away. I ended up with an excess when I finally switched carriers. Never got it back, but at least I learned how to text money to the Red Cross etc and figured it'd do them more good than it would my carrier).

 

[chubb]

Still grappling with this concept. On the $30 plan, if I apply $50 to T-Mobile, and they only expect $30, does the extra $20 carry forward? So that then the next month if you pay $50 there is a $40 excess? Could you then skip a month, or do they expect a payment of some sort every 30 days?

(I got burned once with an AT&T prepaid talk only plan because I used so few minutes, but I still had to put something on it every x months or it would all go away. I ended up with an excess when I finally switched carriers. Never got it back, but at least I learned how to text money to the Red Cross etc and figured it'd do them more good than it would my carrier).

Yes the money carriers over. Yes every three months you will have enough in your balance to skip a payment. You won't get any money back from att or Tmobile if you switch away from them with a balance.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jnorton2724]

If you live in a T-Mobile HSPA+ 42 city then use T-Mobile. I live in a city that gets the 42 speeds and its awesome. Waiting for my AT&T contract to end before switching though.

They're prices aren't that bad either compared to what I currently pay.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[tgp]

Still grappling with this concept. On the $30 plan, if I apply $50 to T-Mobile, and they only expect $30, does the extra $20 carry forward? So that then the next month if you pay $50 there is a $40 excess? Could you then skip a month, or do they expect a payment of some sort every 30 days?

(I got burned once with an AT&T prepaid talk only plan because I used so few minutes, but I still had to put something on it every x months or it would all go away. I ended up with an excess when I finally switched carriers. Never got it back, but at least I learned how to text money to the Red Cross etc and figured it'd do them more good than it would my carrier).

Yes chubb is correct. As long as there's at least $30 (or whatever your plan cost is) in your account it will be used on the due date. I usually buy in increments of $50 or $100, depending on the best value at the time of purchase. Any amount you put in simply adds to the value already there. For example, if you add $50, only $30 will be used, leaving $20 in your account. Then next month you add another $50, and now your account balance will be $40 after the next payment. So the 3rd month you don't need to do anything, and you will still have $10 left. Just make sure that at least the amount of your monthly plan is in your account on the due date. It really is that simple!

 

[bob13bob]

Prepaid are the best now.. T-Mobile, att, or other, whoever had good service in your area.
Personally I'm on tmo family v plan. 5 line, $110. It works if you can live with 500 mob data cap

 

[mcshaggin]

For those using ebay. Beware. Most are purchased with stolen credit cards and can be shut off.
Note from ebay
Corrected URL.

 

[anon(5719825)]

For those using ebay. Beware. Most are purchased with stolen credit cards and can be shut off.
Note from ebay

Link doesn't work, page can't be found message.

 

[BuffOrange]

Anyone using the TMobile $30 prepay in the Ft. Laud/south Florida area? My iphone 4s contract is up this week and been using that in my N4.
I may test it out for a month but was hoping to hear how the area from west palm to davie/miami might be.
If you get a sim and test a month and decide you want to keep it, can they port your old number into the existing sim you used to test? how long?

Thanks.

I asked Customer Service about this last week & was told 60days. I'm sure that's not set in stone but you should be fine after a month.

Another vote for the $30 plan btw.

 

[mcshaggin]

Link doesn't work, page can't be found message.

Corrected URL

 

[chubb]

For those using ebay. Beware. Most are purchased with stolen credit cards and can be shut off.
Note from ebay
Corrected URL.

Most of those warnings seem like common sense except for giving your number. I haven't had an issue with doing that yet. Its the only way they can refill your account without sending a card. Maybe that's not the best way to do it, idk?

Also I wouldn't expect to get a $50 refill for $20. The ones I have bought were around $41-$45. But if something's gonna happen its gonna happen what are you gonna do?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jdbii]

This might be the new AT&T prepaid. Aio Wireless It doesn't look like the Nexus 4 is compatible. I hope that changes, because it would be great to have another option out there, especially for people who don't live or work near Tmobile towers.

 

[jbreakfield]

This might be the new AT&T prepaid. Aio Wireless It doesn't look like the Nexus 4 is compatible. I hope that changes, because it would be great to have another option out there, especially for people who don't live or work near Tmobile towers.

It is the new AT&T prepaid... Why do you say it looks like Nexus 4 isn't compatible? It's not listed in their database, but if you just put in "LG" then your IMEI, it will let you go through the process of picking a SIM card and a plan. I can't imagine that it wouldn't work properly once you received it. Now, they're only in the few markets now, but should be available much broader in a couple of months.