I'm Breaking Free From Verizon

Parent Cafe
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<p>Now that D is off my plan and my 2-year Verizon contract is almost up, I’m pondering my options. I also think I’m going to take the plunge and ditch my dumb phone. </p>

<p>Right now I have unlimited calling and unlimited text. I think I could go with a lower text plan now, but I do a lot of calling so I probably need to keep that unlimited (I have no idea how many minutes I use – is there a way to check that?). What I’m really flummoxed about is data. I don’t THINK I’ll be a huge data user, but I don’t want to run into big over-limit charges either. (Um… data refers to internet usage on the phone… right?)</p>

<p>D is now with Sprint, and got herself a Samsung Galaxy s5. She’s happy with her plan, and ecstatic about the phone. I’m not sure how, but I have it in my head that Sprint isn’t a good idea, but will that phone work with another carrier? And I think she said that Sprint has the best data plans, but I imagine she’s using it constantly for that whereas I wouldn’t be. The only thing I’m pretty sure about is that I want to get the s5. </p>

<p>Can someone help me untangle this? Please speak s.l.o.w.l.y. as I’m not tech-savvy in general, and almost totally ignorant about this (obviously :)). </p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

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<p>You mean Samsung Galaxy S4. You might have to wait awhile for S5. :)</p>

<p>Depends on what really are important to you, there are many ways to go. First, most people really care about is coverage especially in the area where you spend a lot of time in like within your house. Moving away from Verizon to find out you get really bad signal from the next phone company where you use your phone a lot can be really terrible for your experience. Maybe this might not be a big deal since you might have good coverage from a lot of companies in your area but it is good to know up front.</p>

<p>Then yes, you need to find out what is your usage pattern. How many minutes of talk, text and data you would like to have. The usage should be on your bill or an account that you can access online. Call customer service, they might be able to tell you. A lot of phones especially smartphones can track or have app that track this for you. This will help you figure out what kind of plan you want to be on. BTW, if you get the S4, you might as well get a lot of data. Such a nice phone but the experience would be muted with limited data.</p>

<p>In general, most phones are locked to the carrier that you buy from originally. This means that the phone bought from one company like Sprint cannot generally be used or moved to another company like Verizon. Also there are also 2 systems that are not compatible with each other; CDMA and GSM. This is like FM/AM radio. If you switch your radio to AM system, you cannot receive FM stations. If you have CDMA phones you cannot communicate with GSM system and vice versa. Sprint and Verizon are CDMA while AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM. Sometime, you can easily unlock a phone to be carrier neutral, meaning that you can move the phone from one company to another after it is unlocked. Generally, GSM phones are easier to unlock while CDMA is harder to do so.</p>

<p>If I were you, I would find out the usage pattern and if you want to leave Verizon, I would ask friends in your area how is the coverage of Sprint, AT&T, or T-Mobile, or any other company you are interested in. Then see what kind of plan would be good for you from that company. I think they all offer Samsung Galaxy S4, it is a very popular phone.</p>

<p>One important thing, if you are moving to a different company and want to keep your phone number. Don’t disconnect your phone with Verizon before you do this. You will lose your number and cannot port your old number if your previous phone account is not active.</p>

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<p>If you have verizon, you can log into - or register and log into - your account at verizonwireless.com. You can see your minutes, texts and data used. </p>

<p>The phone choice doesn’t matter much if all you’re going to do is use it as a phone plus some texting. I don’t think of my phone as a phone at all: it’s a handheld powerful computer that also allows me to talk to people. In other words, it’s all about the apps. I have dozens of them, which I have arranged in pages by type. For example, I have a travel page which includes apps for airlines I use, Logan Airport, flight tracking, AAA, etc., as well as apps for buying flights/hotels like Orbitz, Kayak, Expedia, etc., and then apps for finding stuff like food in strange places like Yelp and Urbanspoon. (All of those apps, btw, are free.)</p>

<p>I also have a page for music that includes basics like TuneIn Radio and Shazam - which identifies songs you can hear playing in the background. And a page for games & sports, which runs from your basic solitaire and blackjack to NFL Mobile. And I have a page for social media apps like Facebook, Skype, Viber, Twitter, Google+, etc. (BTW, I use both Skype and Viber for talking with my kids; the phone is easier to use for both video and messaging than my laptop.) I have a page for shopping apps that includes stores like Starbucks and Walgreens, deal sites like Groupon & LivingSocial and Amazon, Ebay, etc. I have a few other pages, like one for photo, video and reading apps, and a page for business/personal apps like one that lets me sign documents.</p>

<p>See the point? The phone is the least of what it does. I take foreign language lessons on it. I can use it as a barcode scanner or I can take a photo and have it measure distances or I can review and edit documents, etc. I have it set up to send tenants’ texts about rent. And it does the best job of integrating reminders and my calendar, etc. </p>

<p>I have an iPhone 5, which is being replaced by the 5S and the 5C. The 5C is essentially the 5 but with a polycarbonite shell over a steel case instead of aluminum. I have a small case because no matter what the aluminum edges get dinged up. Along with my iPad, this is the best device I’ve ever had … and I define “best” in several dimensions, including usefulness and the pleasure it gives. </p>

<p>BTW, a single smartphone plus data is $100 on Verizon, which includes unlimited voice and text. I think you’ll find pricing is similar unless you go with a carrier that either piggybacks on other carriers - don’t ask me to explain - or has less coverage.</p>

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<p>Ttparent brings up a good point about CDMA phones vs GSM phones. I think GSM phones give you more flexibility, but maybe that’s just because I’m with AT&T and have a GSM. We switched to AT&T from Verizon a long time ago because I couldn’t get cell phone service inside my building at work. AT&T solved that issue. Check the coverage in your area for each carrier before you decide.</p>

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<p>You can increase the data anytime you like - say toward the end of the month - if you are thinking you might run over, at very, very low cost.</p>

<p>We found that Verizon was expensive for single phone/single user, but actually quite inexpensive for multiple users and devices.</p>

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<p>Thank you, this is very helpful. I’m breaking free in Jan when my contract is up.</p>

<p>S1 left our family plan on Verizon, purchased his own phone (unlocked Samsung Galaxy S4), installed a SIM card, & got a plan thru Walmart that uses T-Mobile’s network. Cost is $40/mo for no contract, unlimited data, voice, text. The provider throttles back at a certain data usage but he does not stream data & hasn’t had a problem with being throttled back. He seems to get good coverage in our area, so I am considering doing the same. </p>

<p>S1 purchased his own phone rather than buying a subsidized phone from a service provider that would have locked him into a 2-yr contract. According to his calculations, the phone will pay for itself in 9-10 mos. with what he has saved by not being on contract.</p>

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<p>^Yes, that is a very good way to go with paying for unlocked phone up front. If T-Mobile has good coverage in your area, it has probably the most reasonable cost of all the major networks for individual user. Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S4 brand new, probably costs $6-700 though. Another really good alternative is Google Nexus 4 ($199 8GB direct from google play), not as good as the S4 but not that far behind, you can do just about everything the S4 can do. The only thing is a new Nexus 4 replacement is due for release any moment now.</p>

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<p>LasMa for some reason I thought the same thing. We had Verizon for years and AT&T for years before that. I don’t know why but I was worried that Sprint was a third rate option, or not a major player. I was wrong. I checked with everyone I knew who used Sprint and they all had great things to say about them. Sprint assured me that I had 30 days to change my mind without any penalty, so I gave them a try. They have turned out to be better that Verizon ever was for us both in terms of service and customer support. They also had the most reasonable unlimited everything pricing. </p>

<p>You can check their coverage area to make sure that they are strong enough in the area’s that you will be using the phone. Unlike other carriers (at least at the time we made the switch) calls from any cell phone were included in the monthly rate, not just other Sprint users.</p>

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<p>Phones using 4G generally use LTE, a standard that changes the GSM/CDMA issue. A main advantage of 4G is not the advertised faster speed but that it supports many more connections than any 3G, plus some other advantages. That means better connections on the whole without dropped calls. In other words, I would get a 4G phone. </p>

<p>Whatever phone you get, you can buy a cheaper warranty through a company like squaretrade.</p>

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<p>See? Told you I was ignorant about this! :p</p>

<p>ttparent, thanks for that overview. I’m in a good-sized metro area, so I don’t think coverage will be a problem with any of the name-brand carriers but I’ll ask around. And thanks for the warning about not disconnecting too soon; that would have been a problem!</p>

<p>Lergnom, I do see the point. The difference between what a dumb phone has done for me and what a smart phone will do for me is going to be quite a mental shift. D’s going to help; in fact she’s already helping. She texts me frequently telling me about this or that app, this or that amazing thing it can do (latest: she uses it as her Comcast remote). I’m a slow starter, what can I say. :slight_smile: But I’m starting to get it.</p>

<p>Re cheaper warranties – is this something everyone has/should have? Is it like the extended warranty I have on my nook? You don’t have to buy the warranty from the same people who sell you the phone?</p>

<p>mini, good to know. Thanks.</p>

<p>12rmh18, your sons’ no-contract solutions sound good – I hate not having the option to leave a company without penalty. What’s an unlocked phone and where do you get one? Is there anyplace besides Walmart to get those plans?</p>

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<p>DS uses Virgin Mobile. It is $5 month for unlimited data and text and X number of hours. He did have to buy the phone from Virgin, but I don’t think the price was outrageous and they had a wide selection.</p>

<p>We are considering breaking free as well. Our contract has been up for a while, but we are trying to decide on a solution. I love hearing the options. Someone mentioned getting a phone without a data plane and just using it through free wi-fi, but I am not sure how it works.</p>

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<p>You don’t need to buy a warranty at all. But these phones are expensive to replace so it makes sense. Squaretrade - look them up - is a big provider. I use them, for whatever that is worth. Covers breakage. They always mark their prices down by 30% and sometimes more. </p>

<p>I program my Tivo from my phone, including when we’re away on a trip. As for unlocked, the state of that has changed as well: any iPhone 5, for example, is unlocked and Verizon, for example, will unlock an iPhone so you can use a foreign carrier’s sim card overseas. (My kid is doing this now.) </p>

<p>There really are levels of experience.</p>