Best Prepaid No Contract

[tgp]

I'm wondering if I can use Verizon's towers through Straight Talk.

Straight Talk has phones that use Verizon's network. They even have a BYOD program for Verizon phones, but I'm not sure which phones are supported.

 

[WinU]

If you rely on WiFi most of the time, I suggest Aio. I pay $40/month, but my speeds are throttled to 3G after 250mb.

That's still not bad. I'd probably go up to the 2GB or 7GB plan though. However how is your Talk and Text Service? Can you still send and receive picture messages? How about Visual Voicemail? Thanks!

 

[332]

I agree that I think the only reason why the prepaid is taking off as much is because of the subsidized phone pricing. The free phone here, the $99 iPhone blah blah. Also the prepaid plans aren't advertised and pushed as much as the two year contracts. The no contract TMobile is pretty good. But if you can get a cheaper plan on AT&T's 4G LTE like Straight Talk is saying then that would be better as right now they still have better coverage than TMobile. Whats is great about all these plans is that there is no contract and you can test drive them. I guess one question is though is would your phone number always transfer? I am not at a point where I'd like to lose my number.

Yeah, but even when you look at the subsidized pricing it pays to just do prepaid. I paid $200 for my Galaxy S4 (I had a brief moment of weakness and switched to Android...I'm ready to go back!) on a subsidized plan and pay $100/mo for 2gb of data on the new unlimited talk and text plans. If I'd paid full price for the S4 and gone with a prepaid plan, it would have been $600 for the S4 (maybe less) and then only $60/mo for the 2gb of data and the same unlimited talk and text. So the prepaid plan would have paid off the $400 difference in only 10 months. They tell you the higher rates are to pay for the subsidized phone costs, but that's another 14 months of paying $40 extra ($560 total) that goes straight in Verizon's pocket. And then even after the 2 years are up, the time they claim it takes to pay for the phone, your monthly bill still doesn't decrease! The phone companies have done a great job of making us believe we're getting a great deal with the subsidized phones. I'm never going on contract again. I think the difference is they just don't tell people about the prepaid option because they want you signed for 2 years. Everybody I've talked to over the last couple days didn't even realize they offered a prepaid option.

Straight Talk has phones that use Verizon's network. They even have a BYOD program for Verizon phones, but I'm not sure which phones are supported.

Yeah, but Verizon doesn't seem to allow anybody but Verizon customers on their LTE network, just their CDMA network, so it'd only be helpful if I wanted a dumb phone. Thanks for the tip anyway.

 

[332]

I should add that when you start to have multiple devices on the new share plans, the gap narrows quite a bit and it starts to make more sense to do the subsidized plans again.

 

[Kebero]

That's still not bad. I'd probably go up to the 2GB or 7GB plan though. However how is your Talk and Text Service? Can you still send and receive picture messages? How about Visual Voicemail? Thanks!

The only thing I don't get on Aio is visual voicemail. Everything else works great!

 

[jgbstetson]

I have a question that you or perhaps someone else can answer. I'm looking to switch myself and doing my homework on the different prepaid providers. Regarding AIO, can you use a phone locked to AT&T on AIO? I thought I understood how these MVNO's worked, but their rep just told me that even if it was an ATT phone, I would have to get it unlocked. If so, are there any MVNO's that will accept a locked ATT phone?

Of course the whole point of this exercise is to get the best phone with flexible service terms. I'm with T-Mobile now and I'm not going to leave if I still need an unlocked phone to jump onto one of these prepaid MVNO's. It's not so much about cost as much as being able to switch easily depending on which phone I want.

P.S. I hate the US Carrier model. Hopefully, T-Mobile will make them pay for their complacency.

 

[Kebero]

Any AT&T phone, locked or unlocked, will work on Aio. My old 920 and my wife's 920 are both locked to AT&T and work without any issues.

 

[WinU]

I have read on all their websites, straight talk, ail etc that the phone can be locked and it will still work. You have to get the APN settings correct but you should not have to get it unlocked. You might have to use their AT&T sim card though from Aio for it to work?

 

[jgbstetson]

I'm pretty sure the rep just didn't know what he was talking about. Thanks for the info.

 

[Jim Bob4]

A T-mobile locked phone works fine with straight talk. You just need the straight talk tmo sim and not the att one. The same thing applies for WalMart family mobile.

 

[GiggleGoddess]

Perhaps you can try Verizon prepaid? Also see if a Verizon MVNO is feasible.

I've read that if you go with a Verizon MVNO you won't get access to 4G/LTE speeds...they reserve that for their own customers who pay a ton of money.

 

[peterdroid]

If intrested.. For my opinion best prepaid it Voyager mobile. I like plan which cost 39$ and there are all included. Unlimited text,call and datas.

 

[Kebero]

Aio has made some pricing adjustments:

http://liliputing.com/2014/02/pre-paid-carrier-aio-now-has-plans-starting-at-35.html

 

[fatclue_98]

With AIO, you don't have to do a single thing on a Windows Phone except pop in the SIM. Everything works and even Internet Sharing comes to life. As for Verizon Prepaid, they just revamped their plans as of March 3rd and are quite competitive. Unlimited talk & text + 500mb of data for $45 is not bad when you consider that Big Red has the best network, coverage and it's true 3G. I've learned that Straight Talk, Simple Mobile and the rest have slower than advertised speeds. Add to the fact that the Allset (the new name) also gives you BIS if you have a BlackBerry AND mobile hotspot is allowed. You read that right, allowed.

Customers can add BRIDGE DATA through the IVR, My Verizon Mobile and My Verizon online, refill cards or credit/debit cards. Customers may only have 2 BRIDGE DATA on their account at any given time. Only 1 BRIDGE DATA will be active at a time. Secondary BRIDGE DATA will be held in reserve until the current data allowance is exhausted or expires.

• Ringback Tones - 99? per month & $1.99 per Ringback Tone/Year
• Domestic Long Distance Included (airtime charges apply)
• Domestic Roaming Rate is 20? Per Minute
• Mobile Hotspot is available for free on Mobile Hotspot capable devices.
• Visual Voicemail is included free on iPhones
• International Text Messaging - 25? per message sent, messages received are same as calling plan
• International Roaming - Voice Calling
  • 69? per minute from Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin islands
  • 99? per minute from Mexico
  • $1.99 per minute from Bermuda
• International Roaming - Text Messaging
  • 50? per message sent
  • 5? per message received
• 411 Search - $1.99 per call plus airtime
• $35 activation fee may apply.
• * Additional and Unlimited texting apply when sending and receiving: (i) Instant Messages, Text Alerts and Picture and Video Messaging Portal Messages; (ii) Messages with non–Verizon Wireless customers in the United States or participating networks in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico; or (iii) via email.
• Unlimited Texting also includes Mobile to Mobile Messages with Verizon Wireless Customers. For Additional texts, overage Messaging rates default to those of your Calling Plan. Premium Messaging programs and International Messaging not included. Data charges will apply to multimedia messages.

 

[Nimdock]

Is this true? Internet sharing works with AIO wireless?

 

[Ordeith]

AIO has been good for the short time I have had a phone on it.
Possible Bonus for you: Your locked AT&T phones should work with AIO sims without modification.

 

[Ordeith]

Is this true? Internet sharing works with AIO wireless?

I can confirm it does with the Lumia 1020. As a kind of stress test we connected two Roku boxes to it the day we received the AIO sim and streamed Netflix on both while using the phone. Then connected a tablet and surfed the web on it and the phone while both Rokus were streaming. No issues, no frame loss.

 

[Nimdock]

OK, that's it then. I need to move to AIO!

 

[Nimdock]

Done! Sim card should arrive on Wednesday!

 

[Chris_Kez]

I can confirm it does with the Lumia 1020. As a kind of stress test we connected two Roku boxes to it the day we received the AIO sim and streamed Netflix on both while using the phone. Then connected a tablet and surfed the web on it and the phone while both Rokus were streaming. No issues, no frame loss.

Interesting. I was just on the phone with Aio and they said they don't allow tethering. If you have a tablet with a SIM card they have a 250MB $15 monthly plan ($10 for additional 1GB of data).