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Time to give it up..

2K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  WingWing 
#1 ·
MY data plan.. :)

.. what did you think I was talking about..haha
;)

Back in the summer of 2011 I gave advice here on how to get unlimited data and keep it. Some of you have thanked me for the advice, others have cursed me for not hitting you with a bigger hammer and missing out..
...snooze lose.
Well, the times they are a changing.

For almost the past 6 years I've had unlimited data for about $30 a month and I never thought I'd give it up but Verizon just talked me out of it.

imho the new Samsung S8+ is a game changer

Here are the basics:
Even though I have (had) unlimited data, my actual usage was more like 3-4 gigs per month on average but jumped to 10-15 gigs per month during the summer riding season and full time on the road (the "smart bike" is a data hog)..so unlimited data has been essential for all the "fun stuff".

The new S8+ is (was) calling my name but at $850 my deaf ear was dominant.

..then Verizon's "single user" data plan caught my attention:
5 gig data and unlimited everything else for about $35 LESS per month than my unlimited data plan.
(15% discount for vets still applies.)

TRANSLATION: get a new S8+ for the SAME total monthly rate as before (less than $100/mo total including taxes etc ).

and .. For the summer season I can raise the bar to nearly unlimited data for only $15 more per month and then drop back to 5 gig for the rest of the year.

i.e. if I kick up the data to near unlimited for 4 months per year ($60) and do that for the next 2 years .. I'm out $120 total over my existing rate
Translation: I get a new S8+ for $120
(plus up front sales tax.. about $60 in Florida)..no interest on the 2 year phone contract.

The S8+ is a cool addition to the motorcycle.. waterproof! .. VERY bright daylight readable screen..BlueTooth 5 (1000 ft range and able to share single music source with two wireless headsets at the same time, lower power consumption, etc )... VERY fast wireless recharge (90 minutes).

So check it out if you're shopping for a new phone.
.. consider yourself hammered
:)

(If you detect a flaw in my logic, let me know now.. I've still got 10 days to change my mind..lol..)

Dennis
 
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#2 ·
Yes the new Verizon single line plan that came out in January is about the best in the business but I don't understand your arithmetic, you started out saying your unlimited data plan was $30 a month, then you say the new plan is $35 a month less than your unLimited plan. Isn't the new single line plan $55 a month minus your 15% military discount which would make it about $47 a month ? The new plan no overage charges thing sure sounds great but I wonder how well it actually works.
 
#3 ·
Hi Mike,
sorry for confusion...
.. the old gray mare ain't what she used to be..

My old bill approx $75 'till last fall.
$30 for unlimited data and the rest for 450 talk minutes and 1000 txt messages (the old way of doing cell phones).
Last fall they finally raised my grandfathered unlimited data rate from $30 to $50 bringing my new total to low $90's with all the B.S. fees.

Now for a few bucks more, I get a new phone too..
When the phone is paid I should go back to low sixties again..
...i think...lol..

Sure I could have just nabbed the new plan but my old phone was running fewer and fewer apps..it was stll on kitKat i think

Den
 
#4 ·
Hi Dennis I'm sure you will enjoy the new phone a lot ! How far do you think it will transmit data ? I don't know how far my jetpack will transmit but I've been able to use my iPad from more than 300 away even while inside different buildings, I've heard folks complain their smartphones won't even transmit data to the next room and they often drop the data when a phone call comes in ? Those are a couple of reasons I'm reluctant to switch to a smartphone even though it would save me about $25 a month.
 
#5 ·
Dennis, why do ya'll insist on making Verizon so profitable?

Here is a different solution

ZTE Mobley hotspot for $100 with NO contact, or free with a 2 year contract, with UNLIMITED data on AT&T @ $20 a month, and of course no activation fee
$30 on ebay for a Mobley to usb adapter to power it on bike, or from laptop
Tello under $10 a month for unlimited text and as much talk as you would ever need, no contact, bring your own device, port number or change device for FREE

The Mobley would also plug into the diagnostic port of any car , or power it in a house and use a wireless router as a bridge and have wifi everywhere at home as well
 
#6 ·
We need a moderator to move this moderator post to non motorcycle related area. Last thing I care about in this world is a phone. Well airplane travel, or anything related to them things #1, probably any Harley threads about those things #2, phones #3 of things I wish were never invented, and will never miss after I die.
 
#7 ·
I'm interested in learning about any new phone, or cheaper data...Hey if you were on your motorcycle and didn't have any phone signal when needed you'd B upset -Right!!

Ronnie
 
#11 ·
I agree with Wing Wing and that's why I have stayed with Verizon. I figure that using a company that costs less but still gives me problems isn't worth the reduced cost. I too have the old unlimited plan and a share plan for phone and text with my wife. The new unlimited plan would save me some money but with the large data use we both use, it would be an issue. They will throttle the data from 4gb down to 3gb after using 22gb on either phone. Even though that seems like a large amount of data, we both use our phones instead of laptops and also for streaming Netflix, YouTube (because our son enjoys watching a lot of kid videos), etc... If we were to get throttled, the service goes down to 3g and it makes it very difficult to stream or use the internet. For me, that wouldnt be a real problem because I could use the home wifi to save data but my wife uses the data more outside the home and is frquently in areas where wifi is limited. With the old unlimited data, there is no throttling.

Just for my own curiosity, I called up Verizon to see if it would be worth switching 5o the new unlimited plan. The lady I spoke with actually advised staying with the old plan for now because of our data usage and the throttling concerns. However, she did say that close to the end of the year, we might consider changing to new unlimited though. She explained that Verizon is now testing 5g service in a few places and working to iron out any issues. Supposedly they will start rolling out 5g service to some of the larger metro areas. She futher explained that they will still throttle the data for heavy users but that the throttling goes down one service grade. So you would go from 5g down to 4g. And like Moderator 2 said, you don't have to come out of pocket when getting a new phone. You could make monthly payments and just have it added to the phone bill. So that all sounds pretty interesting. And a further incentive to do this would be that only the newer phones could take advantage of 5g. It is being tested right now with the Galaxy S8...
 
#14 ·
Yes...
Works great..

Holy cow, I'd forgotten how good a voice call was supposed to sound..
.. I know that's the phone and not the plan but it's still a nice perk.. no more "what what? , say again, slow down" when taking to the kids.

.. and my old favorite weather apk still works on this new phone
:)

Den
 
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