Virgin Mobile iPhones now at Target...

[JB2K]

While shopping, this morning, I saw the Virgin Mobile iPhone is now available at all Target stores that sell VM (previously, these phone were available at only Radio Shack and Best Buy stores).

Prices are still the same, everywhere ($649.99 for the 16GB iPhone 4S and $549.99 for the 8GB iPhone 4). Don't expect any big sales anytime soon, because of the price-fixing rules Apple imposes on all retailers.

But, for those Target Credit/Debit card users, that extra 5% discount that comes with the card is going to be too big for any Budget Boarder to ignore ($32.50 for the iPhone 4S and $27.50 for the iPhone 4).

Of course, anything $500-plus is going to sound outrageously expensive, but if you do the math over a 2-year period (vs. a Verizon iPhone plan costing around 100 bucks a month), you come out better-off in the long run, plus you're not handcuffed to any contracts with VM.

Here's the math (not including local sales taxes):

A VZW iPhone 4 will cost you $150, plus a 2-year committment (at $100 a month, add $2400 to that $150, and you're paying $2,550)

A Virgin Mobile iPhone 4 will cost you $550, with zero commitment (meaning you could walk-away, anytime you wanted to), but, say you wanted to keep it for the same 2 years, you could pay $30 a month times 24 months for your service making your grand total total $1270, which is less than half the money one would spend on the VZW iPhone

For those who don't know, Virgin Mobile is part of Sprint and will work anywhere where Sprint has "native" coverage.

Your thoughts??

 

[cookingqueen123]

When my Verizon contract is up in January, I intend to switch to Virgin. My daughter already has the $35 plan and I will have the $45 plan. My Verizon plan is a bit over $100 a month right now, so this will save me a ton.

Plus, Verizon lost me as a customer when they changed the plans and are not grandfathering in the unlimited data like they promised they would. There are simply too many other options for me.

 

[Conway733]

I already use Virgin Mobile and pay $25/month for 300 minutes, and unlimited text. I really would like an iPhone, but think I will hold off a bit, since the phone I have now works fine. But, I would love a new iPhone!

 

[starry_solo]

Unfortunately, Sprint network works horribly in my area - tons of dropped calls, etc.

 

[disneysnowflake]

Unfortunately, Sprint network works horribly in my area - tons of dropped calls, etc.

My area has poor coverage, too. Every other carrier works fine here, except Sprint. I'd like an Iphone, but I don't want the contract.

 

[pooh4brains]

What do you get for $30/month with Virgin Mobile? I'm new to smart phones, but this really seems like a great deal. We have Sprint and have great coverage so VM would work for us.

 

[JB2K]

What do you get for $30/month with Virgin Mobile? I'm new to smart phones, but this really seems like a great deal. We have Sprint and have great coverage so VM would work for us.

According to VM's website, $30 (actually, $35, but if you sign-up for auto-pay, they will discount it to $30) gets you 300 minutes of talk time every month, along with unlimted texting and data.

If that's not your thing, VM offers other plans, too...

 

[pooh4brains]

According to VM's website, $30 (actually, $35, but if you sign-up for auto-pay, they will discount it to $30) gets you 300 minutes of talk time every month, along with unlimted texting and data.

If that's not your thing, VM offers other plans, too...

Thanks for this. I guess I could have checked the website myself! Anyway, I think we still have 6 mos on our current cell phones, but if VM continues the unlimited data and texting for $35, I think we have just found our new cell phone service!

Or this something that we should jump on now? I guess like anything it's subject to change, but how likely is it change soon??

 

[JB2K]

Take your time -- this has been a normal calling plan for VM for some time, now. As for the iPhone, I don't see any price changes in the near future there, either...

 

[pooh4brains]

Take your time -- this has been a normal calling plan for VM for some time, now. As for the iPhone, I don't see any price changes in the near future there, either...

Good to know. Thanks so much for being my cell phone counselor for the evening! I really appreciate your help.

 

[dgthree]

Take your time -- this has been a normal calling plan for VM for some time, now. As for the iPhone, I don't see any price changes in the near future there, either...

I was sort of wondering if the 4S would drop to the 4 price when the 5 came out.... that & hoping that Target would get the prepaid phones, since I do have the RedCard. =)

I think I'm almost definitely going to go for a Virgin Mobile iPhone when my current contract year is up.

 

[DawnM]

Sprint has me very upset right now.

They "upgraded" the towers Friday and now I get no signal from my house! I am working very hard to get them to let me get out of my contract as this is their mess up. I have been with Sprint for 14 years!

Sprint gets the poorest signals out of the 3 major carriers around here.

 

[Lisa_M]

Sprint has me very upset right now.

They "upgraded" the towers Friday and now I get no signal from my house! I am working very hard to get them to let me get out of my contract as this is their mess up. I have been with Sprint for 14 years!

Sprint gets the poorest signals out of the 3 major carriers around here.

I hear ya Dawn! Good luck to you. They are pretty much impossible to deal with.

My sister stopped getting a signal from her house. They sent her some signal booster thing for her house for no charge. It was not without hassle though. They also credited her for lost service.

I've been in my own debacle with sprint for quite a while as well. My samsung epic phone freezes, turns off, won't make call, pick up reception, due to known software issues with the updates they have done. They would only replace it with the same exact one or a lesser (non 4G model) model. I wanted them to replace it with a comparable 4G phone, but they refuse. So they replaced it with another Epic, supposedly refurbished, that had a bad connector so it wouldn't charge. Here I wait for the "new" used one that will probably have the same prob as the first to come in. I still have a year left in my contract, so I need to get something that works, but don't want to commit to an extra 2 years. They have graciously told me many times over I am eligible for an upgrade. Ugh, no thanks!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Take your time -- this has been a normal calling plan for VM for some time, now. As for the iPhone, I don't see any price changes in the near future there, either...

I believe the price will drop soon when the Phone 5 is released this fall.

 

[branham]

Unfortunately, Sprint network works horribly in my area - tons of dropped calls, etc.

We are in the process of dropping Verizon and have signed up for T-mobile family through Walmart. I got a factory unlocked iphone 4S from Apple and am loving it. I always wanted an iphone but I couldn't justify paying what Verizon wanted, especially now that they have their new share everything plan. For both of us to have smart phones (unlimited minutes, text, and data- although the speed drops after a certain usage) it is only about $80. We pay about $81/mo for 500 minutes and 500 texts and no data through Verizon. T-mobile has excellent coverage where we live and mainly use our phones, I would suggest looking at their coverage map. I was a Sprint customers years ago and loved them but switched to Verizon b/c the SO did. SO didn't like the idea of Sprint due to poor coverage where he lived years ago.

 

[DawnM]

They are sending me that booster thing too. But that still means that from 2 miles out to my house I get to tell people, "Oh, I have to hang up and call you back in 10 min!" even if that works!

Not to mention that if I break down in my car in their dead spot I am sunk!

I don't know if they will bend or not. The first woman I spoke to implied they would, but who knows once I get to person number 10 if they will honor that.

I think I have 14 months left on my contract too. I don't know what they would charge me to get out of it, but my guess is somewhere around $400 for both phones. I know they prorate it but when they explained their prorating it was not really per month.

I am switching to ATT pay as you go as there is an ATT tower right behind my neighbor's house! I got my kids a GoPhone plan and set it up today. We have FULL bars on ATT and can use the SIM to jump phones at any time.

Dawn

I hear ya Dawn! Good luck to you. They are pretty much impossible to deal with.

My sister stopped getting a signal from her house. They sent her some signal booster thing for her house for no charge. It was not without hassle though. They also credited her for lost service.

I've been in my own debacle with sprint for quite a while as well. My samsung epic phone freezes, turns off, won't make call, pick up reception, due to known software issues with the updates they have done. They would only replace it with the same exact one or a lesser (non 4G model) model. I wanted them to replace it with a comparable 4G phone, but they refuse. So they replaced it with another Epic, supposedly refurbished, that had a bad connector so it wouldn't charge. Here I wait for the "new" used one that will probably have the same prob as the first to come in. I still have a year left in my contract, so I need to get something that works, but don't want to commit to an extra 2 years. They have graciously told me many times over I am eligible for an upgrade. Ugh, no thanks!