Is it worth it to go prepaid?

Anyone have a good argument to stay with a postpaid service provider rather than going to prepaid service?
Monthly, I feel more and more ripped off by Verizon. In all fairness, I have never been with another wireless carrier but the fees look about the same. I spend $165 for 700 minutes (we use about 100 on a good month), we text more than talking, have two lines of service, each have a data plan (mine is unlimited), and have been with Verizon for well over 13 years now. And all this is after a 17% corporate discount.
Tmobile offers unlimited everything for $50 a month for prepaid service. With two lines I would save $65 immediately.
If I want to upgrade my phone then I loose the unlimited data plan and I get to pay for the privilege of upgrading $30 for each line on top of phone costs.
Anyone have any good arguments for not going prepaid? Right now money talks. I refuse to pay an upgrade fee for someone to take 5 minutes to pull a phone, update it in the system and update contacts that will be done over the air anyway and signing for an early termination fee if I leave before the contract ends.

Someone I know just went from T-Mo prepaid to postpaid. He said on prepaid, he had no coverage away from a main highway through our area (Wisconsin). Of course, your area may be different.
One thing that would bother me about prepaid is I like to travel. And although I think Verizon is expensive, I place a lot of value on knowing I'm covered almost everywhere, even in foreign countries. And if I ever have a problem, domestically or internationally, I can reach a customer service agent right away.
I believe I have the same plan you do: 700 shared minutes, unlimited texting, unlimited data on two smartphones. With a 16% corporate discount and a 3% discount for paying online (I think that's what it's for), my bill is $150/month. Do you have extras you can cut out, like device insurance?
Edited to add: My bill may vary from yours because every corporate discount is different as far as which features are discounted.

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I'm on a prepaid plan for the 4s, i want the hotspot option which isn't offered on the prepaid plan. heard the connection is too slow on the 4s only worth it on the 5 or 5s. would you agree? not sure how much the hotspot would increase my monthly bill...

i'm on a prepaid plan for the 4s, i want the hotspot option which isn't offered on the prepaid plan. heard the connection is too slow on the 4s only worth it on the 5 or 5s. would you agree? not sure how much the hotspot would increase my monthly bill....

To use the hotspot for any of those devices, I believe you have to switch to a postpaid account and plan. You can see the pricing for the available postpaid plans under the "Shop" area of the website.

I was sent the 8 GB instead of the 16 GB, I paid with PREPAID, and no one can admit a mistake, no department take to other dept on your behalf!

On June 26th after 7:00 p.m. Central time I spoke to sales on the phone as the PREPAID website was having issues. I was on an expired VERIZON contract and wanted my current telephone # which is not an option online.
I called customer service to order the iPhone 4 16GB for $99 as advertised, and was sent to Darby, in the Sales Dept. Darby suggested that I not do it on a Thursday night after 7:00 as they would disconnect my current phone, and would not receive the shipment until Monday. He said he would give me a courtesy call Monday (June 30) @ 11:00 to place my order. He did not called as planned.
Therefore I called that night and was given Crystal (removed) (Sales) & informed her of my concerns & she placed the order for 16GB iPhone for $99 as advertised online. I received the order confirmation immediately in an email.
On July 1st I received the shipping confirmation of an iPhone 8 GB.
I immediately called Verizon customer service and was given a few people, different departments and a woman named Cierra told me that we can hope that that is a typo because the only thing offered online is the 16 GB.
July 2nd the 8 GB was delivered to my place of employment. And, . . .I drove directly to the nearest VERIZON store to have them help.
I was there for 3 hours. Finally got the iPhone activated with my old ‘post paid’ account to ‘prepaid’ account which is a nightmare. They are VERIZON and yet separate. They did what they could @ the store for me. I was told that I would have to order and pay again for the 16 GB, . . .then send back the 8 GB, not wanting to be w/o a phone. Also that it would take 3 days probably to receive the credit back in my account.
No department @ VERIZON talks to each other, no department can seems to communicate. We had to ask for someone’s supervisor in customer service because there was no solution, they could not do anything. They said their supervisor was in a meeting. Eventually we spoke with a supervisor named Ray the only solution was to make another order, and stated they would not charge me shipping, . . .and I guess I was suppose to be grateful.
The store could not exchange this 8 GB for their 16 GB as the cost of the in-store 16 GB cost $50 more.
During all this I had stated this is too complicated, I’m leaving this phone here for them to ship back, . . .glad I did not though.
This evening I wasted more time & energy trying to find someone that can communicate to another person about my account, . . .to no avail, . . .finding no department that can take care of the shipping that got screwed up.
Now after some time as passed, cleaning house & such, . . .I have realized that if I do return the incorrect was that was sent, . . .I will most likely I would automatically be charged the restock fee of what, $35 as no one can communicate to another department on your behalf.
But they’ll sure take your money. Not sure what to do @ this point, as they cannot be trusted.
We asked Ray to have his supervisor John to give me a call and none yet. This evening someone in ‘Sales’ sent an email to Crystal to give me a call, . . .(holiday maybe, no call yet).
Any suggestions VERIZON? Some depart, CORE, . . .they can't help with prepaid either, geez.
>>Edited to comply with the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service<<
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

Update:
The USPS tracking shows the phone was delivered to Centralized Returns Center in Fort Worth on July 10th. I have spoken with Customer Service & am getting a $21 credit for not being able to use my phone.
Telesales, . . .say's they can only make a 'note' on my account 'Do Not Charge Re-stock Fee as the wrong phone was sent'. Customer Service cannot see this 'note', . . .(shrug).
My mistake:
As soon as I received the incorrect phone, . . .I should have written on the original receipt, . . .
"I was sent the WRONG PHONE, Please Do not charge re-stock fee" and please credit my account".
I have not been charged a re-stock fee yet, . . .not sure if that happens what I will do, . . .speak to Customer Service I presume.
I should NOT have gone to the store for help, . . .they are in sales. But they did get the phone activated, . . .which I believe now I should not have done!
The RETURNS center is unreachable and 'Sales' can only sell, . . and following up on incorrect phones being sent is NOT THEIR issue?????
Too bad there is not a STORE THAT DEALS WITH PREPAID, . . . that can actually deal with 'Shipping' and 'Returns', . . .what a concept!
'Sales', nor 'Customer Service' can reach the 'Returns Center', . . .or figure out if it was the Sales Rep Crystal in California, that ordered wrong, or the Shipping Departments mistake.
I was just told by Terry (Sales Rep) and the manager, Patrick, . . .all I can do now is wait on my credit & it should be there by Monday July 14th. #1, . . .How can they even know that w/o even speaking to the shipping dept or the returns center? They can't, . . .they only suspect, right?
The main problem is that the original Sales Rep,Crystal in California . . .cannot be reached. No one is responsible for sending out the wrong phone, . . . .telesales just want's to sell another phone. At this point 'TRUST' is the issue.
I want to thank Customer Service for working with me.
Not sure what the future will hold with this issue, but only hope to receive my credit @ this point. It is a way too complicated avenue of communicating.

IPhone on Prepaid plan pointless account balance messages

We've been discussing this issue on the ATT forums, but I feel that the only way to get it addressed it by Apple.
Currently if you are on the prepaid plan you receive account balance notices after every transaction (Phone call, Mail Check, Web Browsing).
Since the iPhone has an unlimited data plan you account balance doesn't change any time you access the edge network. Unfortunately ATT still sends you a message notifying you your account balance has not changed.
At first this isn't a big issue. Dismiss the message (Which you have to do before you can access ANYTHING on your phone) and continue on. The problem is if you have your phone checking for email (which is one of the point of having a phone like the iPhone), you'll receive a message every time your phone hits the network.
These messages can pile up and this morning I had to clear 15+ messages before I could use my phone. Talk about a terrible user experience.
Also if a balance message is present while a call comes in the screen doesn't respond. You first have to lock the phone by hitting the sleep/wake button, then unlock it again hitting the same button. It took me a while to figure out what was going on with that situation.
At the bottom of the page there is a link to the ATT support thread.
Please don't reply with ... We'll just get a contract and the messages will stop. I don't want to be on a contract plan. I enjoy the prepaid plan. It works for me.
So here is what I am looking for.
1) Can the messages be stopped on the iPhone side
2) If not, could Apple add a "Dismiss All" option. That would (for me at least) be an acceptable solution.
3) Why do the messages lock the screen when there is an incoming call?
Thanks for all your help. At the least I am hoping this will make Apple aware of the problems and get them addressed
http://forums.cingular.com/cng/board/message?board.id=apple&thread.id=2116&view= bydateascending&page=1

There are a few points which I think need to be aired on this issue: that pre-paid is a perfectly viable option for the iPhone, that AT&T will do nothing to solve this issue, and that Apple, alone, can and should.
If pre-paid is an option both AT&T and, for less understandable reasons, Apple want to discourage, then may God help all of us pre-paid consumers. However, Apple should be interested in selling iPhones, and the deal to receive money from AT&T from subscribers is a problem, because is lessens Apple's motivation to tolerate iPhones being used as pre-paid phones, unlocked, you name it.
That said, pre-paid is a great option for those who use very few minutes (like me), who may be well-to-do foreigners only staying in America for a limited time, or who are uncertain if AT&T is a viable carrier. Tolerating it also projects a sense of respect for the consumer that Apple's target market would appreciate. I know I do.
AT&T, though, receives less of a commitment from consumers on pre-paid, and thereby less expected money, so they will do everything to fight it.
Apple, however, can easily modify their software to politely receive these notifications from AT&T, and then only inform the user if they choose to be so informed of the account balance in the iPhone's settings, or, even better, go into a spread-sheet like "Balance history" tab to explicitly view this information.
This is what Apple can do. It may take them a couple of man-hours to roll this into the next iPhone software update, but Apple: consider this worth it in light of being able to portray yourself as being on the consumer's side in the consumer-carrier tug-of-war that this, on however small a scale, has become.

We bought a prepaid phone online with a 45.00 plan and cant get the minutes?

we bought a lg optimus zone phone on verizon website on june 19 2014 with 45.00 worth of minutes on the allset plan and they wont give us our minutes to use we have called and called them it took us over 5 hours just to get the phone activated alone.and then after that they said we did not have any minutes?we even went to our local verizon store and the guy there called verizon and they told him there was no record of us buying any minutes when we did and i have the receipt!we didnt know what else to do so i filed a complaint with the bbb on saturday 6-21-2014 if we still dont get what we paid for we will sue them fo alot more than just a 45.00 plan!

wadefamily28,
I truly apologize for the problems you had, I undestand how frustrating this can be and we truly want to help. We're unable to access Prepaid accounts, but once you call that number and enter your phone number as well as verification, you will have the option to speak to a representative who can help you.
AdaS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter at @VZWSupport

Anyone else feeling like this is more trouble than it is worth?

I am currently under the grandfather plan of unlimited data, text with 450 minutes and an employee discount. I have enjoyed the usage of my Droidx for almost 3 years now. It had a good run, but the pinch of an $80 smart phone plan just doesn't seem worth it anymore. To be honest, for me the pricing of cell phone plans is getting out of control. Like everything else it seems, prices have gone up, but per usual, my income has not.
The share-everything plans look like absolute nightmares and terrible deals, and to switch over would increase my costs by $20 for what I feel is a very bad deal, seeing as I do not use many minutes on my cell phone. Although I take very good care of my phone, I am not naive enough to think that it will last forever. 2GB data plan is hardly what I would call a pot to pee in, especially with e-mail, web, pictures, etc. I realize the bottom line of the company is to make money, but lately it just seems like all of the hooplah that comes with smartphones is enough to try the patience of any saint. I'm contemplating alternatives, but I am not sure where to start. Perhaps it's time just to go to good old prepaid cell phone, and pretend I never had internet to begin with
I think the turning point for me today was the phone call I received from Verizon regarding my bills. I've never had a late bill in the 16 years I have been with them, but for some reason, my payment for February did not go through.The first words out of this lady's mouth were "I'm _____ from Verizon Wireless, you owe us ___________ how will you be paying your bill today?" Seriously? First time being late, and even though I have e-mail notifications, this is the crap I am greeted with upon answering the phone. No thank you, kiss my rear, nothing? What am I, chopped liver? Lol.

It sounds like you've been scammed. Firefox is a completely free browser that doesn't require either payment or registration. Never download it from anywhere but the official site:
* http://www.mozilla.org/
Please report the offending site on the page below:
* http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/legal/fraud-report/
You'll have to sort out the situation with whoever took your money, or failing that, with your bank or credit card company.

Can't Get (But Still Charged) Mobile Web on Samsung sch-u410 prepaid

Hi, I have a prepaid samsung sch-u410 which I used to use to access the internet for an extra 99 cents a day. The last time I used it was the monday before Hurricane Sandy hit the Jersey shore. That same day I was hit with about 15 "picture" messages from a few unknown numbers (I rarely give the number out, but it seems my number got on someone's contact list and some malware got it). The "pictures" wouldn't come up when I opened some of the messages, even the phone actually has a camera and allows picture messages as well as text. So I deleted the whole bunch. The Verizon CSR I emailed assured me that the problem had been reselved and recommended calling the toll-free number next time I had a problem. OK, but I usually don't get close to a landline, so that would be a great stretch.
Anyway, the next time I used the Mobile Web was Nov 2, the friday after the storm, around Berlin, NJ. I reached the My Verizon page with the balance info, but can't go anywhere beyond that. No matter what option I use, it returns to the home screen as though I pressed "End" . I tried it for about a 20-mile stretch, with the same result. I can still text and make calls with the phone though.
The next day (Saturday) I tried to call Customer Service, but it must have gone on vacation, because I was stuck on hold for 30 minutes with messages pointing to the website. Three days later (Tuesday) I finally got a rep, who told me to 1) dial *228 to reprogram the phone and when that didn't work, 2) take the battery out the phone for 30 seconds. Then she consulted tech support and told me that the phone needed an upgrade and that I had to take it to a Verizon Store for the procedure. No problem; I run into at least 5 of them within a 30 mile radius. Imagine my surprise when she told me the nearest place in my area was Williamstown, NJ, and eternity out of my way. So dumb me takes it to a Verizon store in the area and she flat out told me that I needed a new phone (after giving me the "water damage" excuse).
So is it worth the effort to trek to the corporate store? I had the phone for little over a year, but after some research found out that the phone was manufactured around 2007-8 (feature phone era, I guess)

I hope you and your family have been able to stay safe through the storm dlclayton. Having a reliable phone is important, so I'm glad you're at least able to get those important calls out. If your phone does have liquid damage though, a software update may not be able to resolve the trouble you're having. If liquid has made it's way to the innards of your phone, it can have an effect on the phone's performance in lots of different ways. Sometimes effecting just voice or volume, other times effecting data or speeds, etc.
For the fastest assistance, you can reach our Prepaid Customer Service at 888-294-6804. When prompted, enter the prepaid phone number. Then press 4, 5, 4 and then enter your pass code for your account. If you do not know the pass code enter in four zeros. Then the system will transfer you to a Prepaid representative.
Thank you
JenniferH_VZW
Please follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

Apple unlocked iPhone 3gs on T-mobile / Rogers Prepaid

I would like to buy the unlocked iPhone 3gs. I travel and use Rogers prepaid in Canada and T-mobile prepaid in the US. I only use voice and email, so will a straight SIM swap work ?

Money is what i am concerned about. I'm hesitant to purchase an iphone with at&t's costly plans for 2 years, that is why I'm considering to buy an ipod touch in addition to purchasing a prepaid phone. But I am unsure if it is worth it or not.

Why does 1 movie use up 3GB / $30 worth of credit?

I have purchased the Lost series 1 from iTunes for $24.95. It will not download on my 3G ipad 2. So i connect my ipad to my computer and try to download it that way. It is costing $30 worth of internet credit (on my prepaid 3G drive) to download just 2 episodes. If i continue this way,the whole series will end up costing me $450! Help please! I have tried going to an internet cafe with wifi, but i would be sitting in there for a week if i try to download the series.

kate117 wrote:
I have purchased the Lost series 1 from iTunes for $24.95. It will not download on my 3G ipad 2. So i connect my ipad to my computer and try to download it that way. It is costing $30 worth of internet credit (on my prepaid 3G drive) to download just 2 episodes. If i continue this way,the whole series will end up costing me $450! Help please! I have tried going to an internet cafe with wifi, but i would be sitting in there for a week if i try to download the series.
What type of internet access do you have at home?
If you have broadband (cable/DSL), you can download the shows to your computer then sync to the iPad from the computer.
If you only have cellular/3G internet access at home, then it's gonna take a lot of time and money to download.

My young child bought over $600.00 worth of apps., is there anyway to get the money back

My young child bought over $600.00 worth of apps., is ther anyway to get the money back?

Wow! You learned what could have been a *VERY* expensive lesson at a relatively low price.
Another poster had set an American Express account (unlimited credit, in many cases) as payment method for iTunes, and had given his iPhone to his grandson. The grandson bought a $300 zoo-something game. The other poster may or may not have learned from that episode.
The lesson is that children do NOT feel financial responsibility when happily clicking to get pretty pictures and fun games and "cool" songs. That grandfather could have been $80,000 in the hole potentially if the grandson went hog-wild.
The solution is two-fold, in my humble opinion:
Buy a prepaid mastercard with a $100 limit. Make that the payment method. That limits loss to $100.
Supervise your cildren when they use accounts you will have to pay for.

Samsung Gusto 2 Prepaid

I was just wondering how many others using the Verizon Prepaid service with the Samsung Gusto 2 have experienced their minutes just suddenly disappearing?
I bought the phone on August 17, 2012 and it came with a $10 worth of minutes. I added a $30 card on Oct. 3 2012 that was supposed to be good for 120 minutes and 3 months. I signed up with the 25 cents per minute plan because I do not use it that often. I received a text message from Verizon telling my my account was low. I go online and checked and found that I now have "0" minutes left.
My online account shows that I've only used 3 or four minutes during the time I've had the phone. So what happened to my time and money?
An update: I spoke with customer service on the phone and they said they have no record of my adding a $30 card. When I entered the card # I checked my balance via my phone and it showed that it had credited my account, I also received a text message from Verizon informing me that I had added the additional time and minutes. Unfortunately I threw the card away after entering it and deleted the text messages. I didn't see the point in keeping them, but I do now.
I suppose that Verizon could wipe out everyone's time/minutes and simply claim that you never added any extra time. I would suggest to everyone who reads this to save your cards and write on them the date and rime you added it and keep your confirmation text messages. I have no doubt that there is a problem with Verizon's tracking system in regards to managing or keeping up with their customer's minutes.
All I can say is that I am glad that I did not throw away my tracfone. My minutes roll over and every time I add a card the end time increases. You're never limited to just 30-60-90 days. Also, the time remaining and the end date are always displayed on the phone's screen. The book that came with my Verizon phone said that I could display this information on my Gusto 2 by going to Menu -> Settings -> Display -> Balance Display and highlighting the desired setting -> Show or Hide. Only problem is that I do not have a "Balance Display" option under "Display".

If you have a computer or know someone who does you can go to MyVerizon.com and sign up and you will beable to display the time you used for texting or calling and when your $30.00 balance was added. https://nbillpay.verizonwireless.com/vzw/prepay/PrepayPhone.action - then put your 10 digit cell number , then your password, then click on Overview, then Continue, then Balance Details that will show you all your balance for texts and cell calls and when money was added to your account.
Message was edited by: Minniehaha

US prepaid/no contract plan for Unlocked iPhone 5 - AT&T only option?

I am only in the USA for 2 months of the year. I plan to use the unlocked iPhone 5 I just purchased from Apple in other countries and it will be easy to do so with several prepaid options, no contracts.
In the USA, it's not easy.
I keep reading on-line that you can use T-Mobile prepaid, no contract, with the Unlocked iPhone 5, but three different T-Mobile reps have confirmed to me that you can, but only with their 2 year contract.
I've also read that you can use Straight Talk, but they have assured me that they do not support the nano sim card in the iPhone 5. I've read you can cut the other SIM card down to fit, but I'd rather not do that (unless it's very easy and it really works- true or not?).
Is AT&T the only option for an unlocked iPhone 5 if you do NOT want to be locked into a longer-term plan? They quoted me $85 per month for 1 GB of data/free wifi, $36 activation fee, and once you stop renewing month-to-month you have to start over with the activation fee. I've also read that there are problems with this plan, but I don't recall what they are.
Is this the only option? If so, I may return my iPhone 5. Not worth it.

Thanks. I searched for the problem on macrumors and there's a ton of conflicting information. Some say they use Straight Talk with a filed down SIM card, many say that didn't work for them. Not many posts about the factory unlocked iPhone 5 prepaid/no contract options.
I called Apple again and they could not give me any information about which carriers serve the unlocked iPhone 5 for prepaid/no contract. Odd. You'd think they would know if they're selling the phone unlocked!
I'm probably going to return it.

Data Packs on Prepaid

I want to tether my smart phone to my laptop and use it as a modem. My phone is prepaid. I have tested it with the 400mb that I get with my prepaid recharge and it works just fine. Can I add the 3gb data pack to my prepaid recharge? For some strange reason Telstra does not mention anywhere that I can find if these data packs are for prepaid, postpaid or both.

Thanks again Kalak. Yes, I have. I use prepaid for both phone and broadband. I am a full time house sitter. So I like to have plenty of phone credit just in case I need to contact the home owners or an emergency comes up. I just finished sitting a house where I got NO optus signal at all. It was a 3 month sit, so I simply changed to Telstra for my phone. The owners provided WIFI for internet. Most of the time I use very little phone credit. But I might use 2 $30 recharges in one month at other times...For example. I am booked for 9 months of next year, so I only need "just in case" credit. But I am not booked to sit a house for Nov to Feb, so come Oct the phone will get a hammering contacting home owners. I just had a 4 day gap between house sits. So I went to visit Mum who lives in the middle of Shellharbour City...Optus signal was dismal. So I used my phone as a modem and I was impressed with the Telstra signal and speed...BUT...the speed, signal and coverage does not justify the hefty price Telstra charges. Earlier this year a sat a house for people that drove half way round the country...From Vic to WA. They relied soley on Maccas for internet. The dozen or so times I needed to contact them by email was replied to within a day or two. So Telstra is not just competing with Optus and other telcos, but free WIFI suppliers like MacDonalds. When I came accross these data packs, I thought it was worth further consideration...But Telstra needs to be realistic and competative with the pricing because there are plenty of other options including FREE options. I am still very interested at looking further into these data packs or plus packs. But Telstra needs to be open and clear and so far they have not been...They want to sell me a product, but don't want to tell how the product works or how it is paid for nor tell me exactly what I will get for my money.

Any Samsung smartphones coming to Verizon Wireless prepaid that will be prepaid exclusives?

I'd like to see a smartphone similar to the Samsung Galaxy Avant that's available on T-Mobile. After trying one out, I like how the phone functions,
good reception, & texts come up with a lot of suggested words that make texting faster for me. Currently, that phone is only on T-Mobile & MetroPCS, & if unlocked, it would only work on Verizon for LTE Band 4, since it doesn't have Band 13, nor does it have CDMA on it. The Galaxy S4 & S5 are still too expensive for last year's models (even the S3 is still too expensive for a phone that was released 3 or 4 years ago, & some models only have Band 13, while the earliest versions are 3G only). I hope Verizon comes out with some better prepaid smartphones for 4G LTE.

The selection on this page http://www.verizonwireless.com/prepaid/smartphone-plans/, is about the best I have ever seen. Up until recently there were only 3 phones, if I remember correctly, and none of them were worth very much. It's possible we may see a few more added to the selection at some point, especially with the new pre-paid plans rolling out now New Prepaid Smartphone Plans: More Data, Same Starting Price, but I doubt there will be too many low-mid-range Samsung's, exclusive or not.

I have multiple ipods on my account...how do I find out which one purchased over $250 worth of games?

I have multiple ipods on my account (kids) and one or more of them purchased over $250 worth of games. I need to know which child(ren) did this so they can pay accordingly. The accout only tells what day they were purchased but doesn't say which ipod purchased. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It could be:
iTunes Store & Mac App Store: About credit-card authorization holds
You could contact itunes support and ask. Click Support at the top if this page, then click the link under Contact Us

Is it worth it to go prepaid?

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