Verizon doing away with unlimited data

[JB2K]

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/22/edit-verizons-datagate-plans-leaked-in-excruciating-detail/

DH uses unlimited data...and man he uses it big time. He is now looking at us going to AT&T. We have a family plan with 3 phones, he is the only one with Data. I need a new phone, and he was going to get his new every 2. We have been with Verizon for over 10 years. He has been evaluating minutes, since most of our friends and family are on Verizon. It will be interesting.

I think Verizon is making a HUGH mistake and they are going to lose LOTS of customers.

You may want to re-think some of that, as it has been said AT&T doesn't offer the best reception/service in the NYC/NJ areas, whereas Verizon is extremely well-covered in the Garden State.

 

[ssawka]

You may want to re-think some of that, as it has been said AT&T doesn't offer the best reception/service in the NYC/NJ areas, whereas Verizon is extremely well-covered in the Garden State.

ITA! If you travel alot, especially in rural areas, Verizon has the best coverage. I don't care how much I can save, the only phone that is worrth paying for is the one that has service when you need it.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Usually if you get a new phone, you start a "new" contract and you have to use the new plans. This happened to me a couple of years ago. The minutes plan I was on was no longer available and I have to go with a more expensive plan when I got a new phone.

I agree with the previous poster that this is not true on AT&T. I am on my third iPhone and contract renewal and my original unlimited data plan is still being honored.

I think Verizon is making a HUGH mistake and they are going to lose LOTS of customers.

I don't agree at all. I don't believe that AT&T lost huge amounts of customers when they abandoned their unlimited data plan. Plus, I would guess Verizon will grandfather in old customers, so why would they switch to a new carrier who won't give them unlimited data?

 

[tlbwriter]

I don't agree at all. I don't believe that AT&T lost huge amounts of customers when they abandoned their unlimited data plan. Plus, I would guess Verizon will grandfather in old customers, so why would they switch to a new carrier who won't give them unlimited data?

Exactly. There's no reason for existing customers to leave. In fact, grandfathering them is a huge incentive to stay.

 

[phorsenuf]

I'm so glad I read this thread! I only have one son that doesn't have a data plan on his phone. He was planning to upgrade to a smart phone in a few months. I went over to my account and added the unlimited data plan to his phone now (has the capability, just never added it). So hopefully we will all now be grandfathered in.

Thanks OP!

 

[scrapquitler]

not true with AT&T. I have gotten a new phone every two years and have maintained the same plan, including for the new phone I got yesterday. And I still have unlimited data.

Yes, because they grandfathered in people who already had it, just as Verizon is doing.

Right now, you couldn't go into AT&T and tell them that you want to add another line to your plan for another person and get unlimited data on that line, it's not an option. Likewise, I (currently a Verizon customer) couldn't walk into the At&T store and get an unlimited data plan myself.

 

[RadioFanatic]

Yes, because they grandfathered in people who already had it, just as Verizon is doing.

Right now, you couldn't go into AT&T and tell them that you want to add another line to your plan for another person and get unlimited data on that line, it's not an option. Likewise, I (currently a Verizon customer) couldn't walk into the At&T store and get an unlimited data plan myself.

I agree but the person I quoted and disagreed with said her own plan would change bc she got a new phone -and that's not true. you can keep your same plan, including unlimited, for as long as you want, through as many phones as you want.

 

[shaylyn]

Is there a site or someone who could explain to me (keep in mind I just added texting on my phone for the first time 3 months ago, lol) how data plans work on phones?

I was under the assumption that you would just sign up with your carrier and get access to the internet on your phone.

4G? Unlimited data?

Is it like "the olden days" when everyone had AOL and we paid per minute after xx amount of hours?

Dh wanted to add it to his phone and we have Verizon.....

 

[Cindyrellablue]

Currently, DH and I have unlimited data with Verizon on our 3G Incredibles...the worry we have is that when we are eligible for an upgrade later this year and we go to get our Thunderbolts...that the upgrade to 4G won't be covered under the grandfathering. I would hate to have to spend $250 a phone right now just to make sure we have the 4G service prior to the change...

I've asked DH to contact Verizon and ask about this type of situation...hopefully the switch to 4G is covered, otherwise we'll have to suck it up and spend the money on the upgraded phones now or buy an inferior 4G phone just to get the service now.

 

[timmac]

4G? Unlimited data?

3G and 4G refer to the protocols used by the radio signals transmitted (and received) by the phones. Without getting too deep into it, suffice it to say that in general 4G is faster than 3G.

When you have a data plan on your phone, you have access to the internet, but are metered, in a sense, based on how much data gets sent and received by your phone. Think of it like the electric meter on the side of your house, where you get billed for every kWh you use.

With data plans on phones, there is a fixed amount you're allowed per month (usually), often a figure like 250MB or 2GB, or whatever it might be. If you go over that, there's a charged based upon how much.

What kind of activities you're doing determines how much data you're using. Watching videos on YouTube uses a lot more data than writing an e-mail, much like running your AC uses more kWh than flipping on a flourescent light bulb.

Is it like "the olden days" when everyone had AOL and we paid per minute after xx amount of hours?

Not exactly. It's not based upon time, but rather upon amount of information that gets transmitted.

 

[shaylyn]

3G and 4G refer to the protocols used by the radio signals transmitted (and received) by the phones. Without getting too deep into it, suffice it to say that in general 4G is faster than 3G.

When you have a data plan on your phone, you have access to the internet, but are metered, in a sense, based on how much data gets sent and received by your phone. Think of it like the electric meter on the side of your house, where you get billed for every kWh you use.

With data plans on phones, there is a fixed amount you're allowed per month (usually), often a figure like 250MB or 2GB, or whatever it might be. If you go over that, there's a charged based upon how much.

What kind of activities you're doing determines how much data you're using. Watching videos on YouTube uses a lot more data than writing an e-mail, much like running your AC uses more kWh than flipping on a flourescent light bulb.



Not exactly. It's not based upon time, but rather upon amount of information that gets transmitted.

Thank you so much, this helps a lot!

 

[California Jenn]

If you were waiting for the iphone 5 to come out before getting a new smartphone – would you go with the unlimited plan now (before July 7th) and an iphone 4 IF you could get grandfathered in ….. or wait until the iPhone 5 comes out, but pay for data usage? I wouldn’t regularly use a lot of data, so I don’t think that I would routinely use more than the 2GB, but there would be times that I would want to use more data – the occasional movie streaming, or such.

What would you do?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If you were waiting for the iphone 5 to come out before getting a new smartphone – would you go with the unlimited plan now (before July 7th) and an iphone 4 IF you could get grandfathered in ….. or wait until the iPhone 5 comes out, but pay for data usage? I wouldn’t regularly use a lot of data, so I don’t think that I would routinely use more than the 2GB, but there would be times that I would want to use more data – the occasional movie streaming, or such.

What would you do?

I would get an iPhone from AT&T because their iPhones have a feature lacking in Verizon iPhones - they cannot do two things at once, such as talk on the phone while using the internet.

That said, if you aren't going to use a lot of data, wait for the iPhone 5 if you think it will be that much improved over an iPhone 4. For movie streaming, use a wi-fi iPad rather than an iPhone. Much easier to see.

 

[California Jenn]

Thanks Lost*in*Cyperspace!

Good point on the streaming from something like the ipad rather than the iPhone. Verizon coverage is better than AT&T's around where I live, but I had forgotten about the inability to surf and talk on Verizon. So, that's something I will definitely consider.

 

[MichelleB]

I just signed up for netflix and have unlimited data. When I watch something on there, that uses my data, correct? I rarely use all my time (more like 80MB) and was hoping to switch down to the $15 plan but didn't know if they still offer it. Now with netflix, I'm not sure if I should change anything. Opinions?

 

[timmac]

I just signed up for netflix and have unlimited data. When I watch something on there, that uses my data, correct? I rarely use all my time (more like 80MB) and was hoping to switch down to the $15 plan but didn't know if they still offer it. Now with netflix, I'm not sure if I should change anything. Opinions?

Don't change anything, keep your unlimited. A single movie on netflix will generally break the 250MB barrier, and it won't take much before you go over 2GB.

 

[shortbun]

We have unlimited data on our two Droid 2's. I'll start watching the usage on both phones. I know my usage is very little. Even while I'm traveling, I don't access the internet much for information. Mostly use it to get phone numbers. I've got some apps I'll have to kill someday, games and such. DS is gonna be the one with the big usage. Our plan is good for almost two years.