DH and I are with Verizon and have been since 1998. The price is getting up there, so I’ve started to look around at the cheaper alternatives. Visible looked promising since it’s basically Verizon, but when I went on the website, it told me my current phone is not a match for their network – and I don’t want to get a new phone. Has anyone had any experience with this?? Any words of wisdom??
We went with Cricket as a discount cell service - but started with new phones they offered. No complaints - they have been great. (My daughter has Verizon and pays 3 times as much for her service).
And I assume you get voice and texting, plus internet searches; that you can download a bunch of apps; and that your data is effectively unlimited??
We have ATT. I think we pay $50 per line…unlimited everything.
I’ll follow this thread. DH is all in on doing a lower cost provider. So…info is good!
If you still want the Verizon network, here are some MVNOs using it:
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H and I have T-Mobile and pay around $50 per line for unlimited everything. We are original Sprint customers since 1997. I will be interested to hear about the other services and how they compare for the price.
I have heard of instances where text message authentication doesn’t always work on an MVNO. Has anyone experienced that?
We’re on Verizon and paying 35 dollar a line–unlimited. Though I believe it’s going up to 39 soon.
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We switched years ago to Cricket and were happy with the service. After the Covid epidemic we switched to Google Fi because Cricket does not offer service abroad and we wanted a working cellphone on our trip overseas. Google Fi has worked out fine as well. With both the cost was about $30/mos per line.
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You may want to check your phone to see how much data you actually use, so you can estimate whether metered-data or “unlimited” data plans for each company work better for you.
Also, web site ads can be significant data hogs compared to the web site content you are actually trying to see.
We use very little – I mean, VERY little – data but were grandfathered into some unlimited data plan. We pay $76 per month for “Account-wide Charges and Credits,” which consists of $80 for “the new Verizon Plan GB,” a 20% “Access Discount” (-$16), and $12 for a “Plan Rate Adjustment multi.”
Then, we ALSO pay $26.25 for each of two lines. So the monthly total is $126.
I just googled “why my phone isn’t compatible with Visible,” and some people on line allege that it’s because they just want to sell you a phone. The model phone I have is compatible, but not if I bring it along with me. That stinks. My phone is only two or three years old, and DH’s is only a few months old.
Is your legacy unlimited data plan at $126 for two lines any less expensive than a new Verizon unlimited data plan?
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I don’t know. I’ll find out.
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We recently (last summer) switched to unlimited with Verizon. We were grandfathered on an old plan where we paid for 16GB but got 32GB - spread across 4 users.
So I looked at my bill. We pay $40/month per line. And then another $5/line in taxes, surcharges. Our bill is $181/month. All of our phones are paid for.
I checked out usage. We used over 60GB of data last month. Yup. I was tired of being the data police.
One interesting note is that I have a message saying I can save $40/month if I do autopay on my checking account or get a Verizon Visa card. I have autopay on my venture X. It gives me automatic insurance on the phones this way. Not sure if it’s worth switching back to my bank account or not. I prefer it on the credit card, but $40/month is a lot. Edit - wait. It says “up to $40/month” and doesn’t say if it’s forever. I think I’m good.
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I’d call Verizon and tell them you would like a lower cost. Just plan to be on the phone for a LONG time. We did this with ATT…and eventually ended up with the “retention” folks. That’s how we got the $50 per line cost.
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I’ll have to call Verizon on Friday (busy tomorrow) and see what they can do for me.
I’m really annoyed that Visible insists we get new phones.
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I’ve used Mint Mobile for 3+ years, it’s a pre-pay plan of 12 months, 5GB a month and unlimited texting and calls for $15 a month (after taxes and fees it’s $16.62 a month).
Works great for what I need, and I can always up my plan if I needed to. Once I added more data when I moved and didn’t have wifi for a month, and I was able to add a few GB just for that month while continuing with the low rate.
("Unlimited plan incl. 40GB high-speed data w/10GB hotspot. Unnecessary plan incl. 60GB high-speed data w/20GB hotspot. ")
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I’m realizing I should be counting my blessings. In the past we were paying $200+ for 5 lines. When one kid moved on I started looking at options. This was during the transition from Sprint to T-Mobile, but I think we were still on the Sprint system. Got a plan with a military/veterans rate, $100 for 4 lines, taxes and fees included, unlimited everything (not sure about international, though). I think at this point we’re grandfathered in as long as we don’t change anything.
But one takeaway is, look for any discounts you might be eligible for - they aren’t going to come to you and offer them!
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We’re currently paying a bit under $100 with AT&T for two lines sharing 6gb of data with one month carryover. It’s substantially discounted because it’s grandfathered from an old employer. We’ve been with them over 20 years. We’d lose the discount with any changes.
Son would like to move on from his Verizon plan (he was on ours in the old days). If we add his line without changing data we’d likely bump into that 6gb regularly. He’s used to unlimited. And if we change data, we lose the discount. So sorry, kid, he’s been advised of the discount companies and so it’s his call. Pun intended.
We are with Mint Mobile and we couldn’t be happier. We don’t use a ton of data. And at home we have wifi, so that takes care of anything.
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