I actually switched from unlimited to share everything for two reasons:
#1 I've had unlimited for 2yrs and I've never used more than 1.5gb in a period
#2 I wanted the free wifi hotspot option
#3 Data sense makes data usage a lot less worrisome
#4 Share everything is cheaper
#5 Getting the phone subsidized is cheaper
#6 Verizon can throttle your unlimited if you do actually use a ton of it
#7 There is no guarantee Verizon won't pull the plug on unlimited at any given time
#8 My SO already was on metered data
If I watched a ton of Netflix then it would make sense, but for regular web/game and a little bit of audio streaming 2-3gb per phone was more than enough for me, and the cost savings plus wifi hotspot bonus made sense.
Perhaps they can, but they haven't to my son and I...yet. While I sip data (0.9-1.1gb/month with my HTC Trophy), my son drinks 12-15gb/month regularly. He has an old Thunderbolt which probably has some sort of virus, or something, but this has been the case for over a year, and I've never been throttled. The Thunderbolt is crap now, and he's quite sick of Android, so I got him a Lumina 822 from eBay. It will be interesting to see if there is a difference in data usage,both devices being LTE and all.
To the OP, yes.
I actually switched from unlimited to share everything for two reasons:
#1 I've had unlimited for 2yrs and I've never used more than 1.5gb in a period
#2 I wanted the free wifi hotspot option
#3 Data sense makes data usage a lot less worrisome
#4 Share everything is cheaper
#5 Getting the phone subsidized is cheaper
#6 Verizon can throttle your unlimited if you do actually use a ton of it
#7 There is no guarantee Verizon won't pull the plug on unlimited at any given time
#8 My SO already was on metered data
If I watched a ton of Netflix then it would make sense, but for regular web/game and a little bit of audio streaming 2-3gb per phone was more than enough for me, and the cost savings plus wifi hotspot bonus made sense.
I've noticed this type of usage. With my Trophy, never used over 1.3gb and most times MUCH lower than 1gb. With my 8X, I get full LTE at home and work...it's also faster than my wi-fi connection at both places. So I stream a lot of HD, browse the web more and podcasts music, etc. Now I see from 3-8gb a month so far (about 4-6 is adverage). So the faster connection makes a big difference in usage...
No question, off contract to keep the unlimited data...
#1 I have about the same usage as you. But I like going traveling for vacation and when I do it goes through the roof. The whole idea of paying for a set portion of data that isn't flexible enough to change based on my schedule is ridiculous. I hope you don't ever go over.
#2 Didn't realize I would loose that, I have it on my trophy right now.
#3 Data sense is nice, can't wait to have it. It would be nice to see that info on the fly.
#4 I thought I priced it out and it wasn't a big enough saving (IMO) to take the cap. I might need to crunch the numbers again though.
#5 I will pay more to be free!
Isn't that crazy? "We are going to offer you even greater wireless coverage and speed! But we are also going to try and convince you around the same time to switch to a capped data plan." This is such a Con. They say "Look this is your average data usage and we can give you a data plan that matches it to save you money. BUT I wont mention that with the faster speeds you will probably start using your phone more AND a lot of content adjust quality based on speed so data consumption will go up."
I expect my data consumption will be much higher when I get the 928.
#1 I have about the same usage as you. But I like going traveling for vacation and when I do it goes through the roof. The whole idea of paying for a set portion of data that isn't flexible enough to change based on my schedule is ridiculous. I hope you don't ever go over.
#2 Didn't realize I would loose that, I have it on my trophy right now.
#3 Data sense is nice, can't wait to have it. It would be nice to see that info on the fly.
#4 I thought I priced it out and it wasn't a big enough saving (IMO) to take the cap. I might need to crunch the numbers again though.
#5 I will pay more to be free!
#6 They "can" throttle you when you hit 2GB, but honestly I haven't noticed speed drops the rare months I did go over. I'm willing to bet they were more strict when the number of unlimited plans was higher.
#7 I would like to see them do it. If they were stopping the data service period then yeah they could but they are not. I don't believe they can "make" you sign a contract. And thats what they would be pretty much doing since they are not killing the service. If they do however pull the plug it will be announced ahead of time and I will adjust. I can't predict the future so why worry about it? If I could I wouldn't be going insane waiting on the 928 lol.
#8 Not sure what "SO" is.
1. It's a simple matter if you exceed the plan limit, to go to the web site and change your plan, making it retro to the beginning of the month to increase the data for that month. Vacation? No problem - Data alert tells me if I go over, then I log in and change the plan. Next month, change it back. No worries.
2. I'd look at the bill a little closer. The only way Trophy has free tethering and unlimited data is if someone screwed up. As far as I know, Trophy has never been successfully hacked to make tethering work without VZW knowing. And up until I got Tango and switched plans, I was looking for such a hack.
4. Whether the new plans save or not will depend on your situation. Some will save, some will lose. For me, having had two Trophies (one is now an 822), and a dumb phone, going from the share 1400 minute plan with unlimited on both Trophies, switching to a Share everythign 6GB plan, and having a 20% corporate discount (with both the old and new plans), I save something just over $30 a month. And this month it will be $40, because I cut back to 4GB, since I've only exceeded that once. If I exceed it again, I'll just raise the limit until the next billing cycle. But whether you save or lose by switching to a share everything depends very much on your situation. From what I gather, the more phones, the more savings - but I haven't run the numbers on that, so that could be wrong.
7. Once your two years is up, you're not under contract anymore. Neither you NOR Verizon is bound to the original terms. Which means that they can pull the unlimited at any time. It's not "making" you sign a contract - it's month to month, just like if you leased a house for a year, and at the end of that year, the landlord says he's going to charge more if you don't sign another lease.
#7 That is your opinion. If you can find it in writing by Verizon feel free to share it. Your analogy isn't the same at all. You're comparing leased (tangible) equipment to a paid service. If Verizon cut off anyone with unlimited then they would be forcing you to sign a contract in order to continue using it and they can't do it. The only reason you sign a contract with Cell Companies is so they make a decent profit for subsidizing a phone before you leave. They used scare tactics/misinformation to get people to choose to switch. And people have been talking about the end of the unlimited plan for the past two years, maybe three. Im to the point I won't believe it until I see it happen. If I'm wrong why haven't they pulled the plug already? If they really can do it whenever they want and it isn't profitable for them then why haven't they? I will however make a thread the day it happens IF it happens, saying you are right. :smile:
2. I'd look at the bill a little closer. The only way Trophy has free tethering and unlimited data is if someone screwed up. As far as I know, Trophy has never been successfully hacked to make tethering work without VZW knowing. And up until I got Tango and switched plans, I was looking for such a hack.