Anyone starting a new Mobile Share plan with Verizon that jumped from another carrier

[Starfyre]

Anyone starting a brand new contract with Verizon with their mobile share plan from another carrier? If yes, were you willing to give up your existing cheap plan for the more expensive mobile share plan? Why?

Just trying to get an idea if anyone on the forums did this, and if so, whats the justification as I am struggling to decide whether i should stick with tmobile and wait till next month, or jump over to Verizon on att though the mobile share plan prices are ridiculous as I dont talk or text that much.

 

[mistertomlinson]

I couldn't justify spending $100 a month with 2GBs of data and unlimited talk and text, neither of which I need. So I went with Sprint, even though I realize Verizon has a better network here, I just don't care. I'll settle with 3G for now. They're supposed to be rolling out LTE and improving their network right now. Hell, I kept AT&T for years even though all we got here was 2G.

I know Verizon will likely get plenty of customers regardless, but I wish this would bite them in the ass. Those in need of an individual line are getting hosed by Verizon.

If Verizon should ever reconsider their plans, I might come back.

 

[HazyCloud]

I'm with AT&T and have the unlimited plan. Now I can continue to pay 30 a month for unlimited data and not even be throttled until 5 GB's. While I'd like tethering, I just couldn't justify the extra cost just to get FaceTime over cellular and tethering.

The mobile shared plan on Verizon I was looking at was going to cost somewhere around 110 just for one line. No thanks.

 

[jokerz126]

AT&T to Verizon Share Everything?

we're with AT&T now, but thinking about going to Verizon "Share Everything" for these reasons:

(1) want the LTE network speeds
(2) want the mobile hotspot feature
(3) want Facetime over cellular
***(4) want the option of having Verizon unlock the GSM portion of the phone for travel to Canada and Europe....this is a VERY important feature to us...the fact AT&T won't do this is idiotic..

The CONS:
-lose simultaneous voice/web
-increase in total cost from $120/month for 2 iphones (2gb data on one and 3gb data on another) UP TO $160 after tax....those numbers are WITH corporate discount...so it sucks to increase the bill by $40 a month...this is ridiculous...still contemplating this

 

[mistertomlinson]

we're with AT&T now, but thinking about going to Verizon "Share Everything" for these reasons:

(1) want the LTE network speeds
(2) want the mobile hotspot feature
(3) want Facetime over cellular
***(4) want the option of having Verizon unlock the GSM portion of the phone for travel to Canada and Europe....this is a VERY important feature to us...the fact AT&T won't do this is idiotic..

The CONS:
-lose simultaneous voice/web
-increase in total cost from $120/month for 2 iphones (2gb data on one and 3gb data on another) UP TO $160 after tax....those numbers are WITH corporate discount...so it sucks to increase the bill by $40 a month...this is ridiculous...still contemplating this

Don't do it! Let's send a damn message. This is a horrible business choice. The lure of LTE definitely made the choice a little more difficult for me, but I realized I'm using a phone... 3G provides ample bandwidth for mobile browsing. I realized I only wanted it and didn't need it.

 

[Applejuiced]

we're with AT&T now, but thinking about going to Verizon "Share Everything" for these reasons:

(1) want the LTE network speeds
(2) want the mobile hotspot feature
(3) want Facetime over cellular
***(4) want the option of having Verizon unlock the GSM portion of the phone for travel to Canada and Europe....this is a VERY important feature to us...the fact AT&T won't do this is idiotic..

The CONS:
-lose simultaneous voice/web
-increase in total cost from $120/month for 2 iphones (2gb data on one and 3gb data on another) UP TO $160 after tax....those numbers are WITH corporate discount...so it sucks to increase the bill by $40 a month...this is ridiculous...still contemplating this

1. Depending on where you live AT&T should start deploying LTE in most major markets.
2. and 3. JB and get both facetime over 3G and tethering for free
4. if the device is still under contract and AT&T wont unlock it purchase an IMEI unlock on ebay and then your iphone is factory unlocked. They're pretty cheap.

 

[phinsup]

We are on ATT with unlimited plans, currently pay $150 for two phones. My wife has never used over 1 gig I have never used over 2. I am a little worried that actually being able to use the data might run the numbers up. As it sits my att "unlimited" plan is basically useless because the service sucks.

Anyhow, we are moving to the Verizon shared plan, 4 gigs of data, 2 smart phones and 1 regular phone (we are going to assume my fathers contract) total is $160 + approx $15 for taxes. He's paying $53 per month, we are paying $150, so that's $203 per month for 3 phones that actually work.

So it will end up being $165 vs $203 out the door. Not to mention I have been running over on my minutes the last two months, we have 500 shared and i am in the middle of a large project so using about 450 per month.

-Don't care about FaceTime
-do care about the hot spot feature
-LTE on verizon is excellent in my area
-do need verizon to unlock my phone so I can use my Bahamas sim

 

[jokerz126]

you think the IMEI unlock will even be realistic with iphone 5? won't it take some time period for that to happen?

also, you're assuming jailbreak for ios6/iphone 5 is going to happen very soon...nobody knows yet right?

If we go for AT&T's Mobile Share plan, it works out to almost the same price as Verizon it seems to me....it's true, the best option cost-wise would be to stay with our existing plans at $120/month, but then we don't get LTE for who knows how long...I guess AT&T's HSPA+ is better than 3g right?

The unlock situation with AT&T bugged me the entire 2 years I had my iphone 4...this is a very tough decision to make here

 

[bearsbears]

I'm switching to Verizon from AT&T. I'm downgrading from a 2GB data plan to 300mb for the same price, but since I only use 120mb on average I hope it'll be fine. Having LTE might dramatically up my data usage though

I had a pretty good experience on AT&T but since I've never had Verizon I didn't know what I was missing out on. So I guess I am switching just to see what the big deal is haha

 

[jokerz126]

Yes these share plans seem to make more sense money-wise when you're talking about MORE THAN 2 phones...unfortunately for consumers, it seems the monopolistic wireless providers didnt give good options for the 1 or 2 phone households

We are on ATT with unlimited plans, currently pay $150 for two phones. My wife has never used over 1 gig I have never used over 2. I am a little worried that actually being able to use the data might run the numbers up. As it sits my att "unlimited" plan is basically useless because the service sucks.

Anyhow, we are moving to the Verizon shared plan, 4 gigs of data, 2 smart phones and 1 regular phone (we are going to assume my fathers contract) total is $160 + approx $15 for taxes. He's paying $53 per month, we are paying $150, so that's $203 per month for 3 phones that actually work.

So it will end up being $165 vs $203 out the door. Not to mention I have been running over on my minutes the last two months, we have 500 shared and i am in the middle of a large project so using about 450 per month.

-Don't care about FaceTime
-do care about the hot spot feature
-LTE on verizon is excellent in my area
-do need verizon to unlock my phone so I can use my Bahamas sim

 

[phinsup]

Yes these share plans seem to make more sense money-wise when you're talking about MORE THAN 2 phones...unfortunately for consumers, it seems the monopolistic wireless providers didnt give good options for the 1 or 2 phone households

Agreed, we'd be about $10-15 in the hole if we only had 2 phones (although our phones would work so I'm not sure that's considered in the hole). We were willing to take that loss to get out of ATT misery, however when i was in the verizon store i asked the guy if there was any way to add my old man on the account, he said it was no problem, i just assume his contract and we're in the green!

Let's face it these phone companies are a rip no matter how you slice it and they seem to collude on the pricing, at least att and verizon, their share everything plans dropped about the same time at the same price level.

I seriously considered sprint, but after seeing my friends 4s load a web page I figured I'd throw my phone threw the wall in the first week.

 

[Applejuiced]

you think the IMEI unlock will even be realistic with iphone 5? won't it take some time period for that to happen?

also, you're assuming jailbreak for ios6/iphone 5 is going to happen very soon...nobody knows yet right?

If we go for AT&T's Mobile Share plan, it works out to almost the same price as Verizon it seems to me....it's true, the best option cost-wise would be to stay with our existing plans at $120/month, but then we don't get LTE for who knows how long...I guess AT&T's HSPA+ is better than 3g right?

The unlock situation with AT&T bugged me the entire 2 years I had my iphone 4...this is a very tough decision to make here

The IMEI unlock is realistic and I dont see why it wont work. You're just entering an IMEI in the database. Wether thats for a 3GS or i5.
Just assuming though so not 100% but I dont see why not.
About JB it will happen sooner or later. Hope soon but noone knows yet.
About the HSPA+ its fast if available in your area. I get 8-9mbps down and pretty happy with it. I can live without LTE but its nice to have I guess.

 

[cschmelz]

The IMEI unlock is realistic and I dont see why it wont work. You're just entering an IMEI in the database. Wether thats for a 3GS or i5.
Just assuming though so not 100% but I dont see why not.
About JB it will happen sooner or later. Hope soon but noone knows yet.
About the HSPA+ its fast if available in your area. I get 8-9mbps down and pretty happy with it. I can live without LTE but its nice to have I guess.

I switched from AT*T to Verizon. I gave up my unlimited some time ago to get rid of my $60/month Aircard from Verizon. I never use more than 1-1.4gb of data no matter what I do and I also still have unlimited data on my iPad with ATT.

I live in eastern Washington State and have had awful coverage with AT*T, even on the drive from Yakima to Seattle....Lots of area of no coverage, edge only coveage, etc. Verizon is much better.

So what if it costs a bit more if I get better coverage.

 

[Applejuiced]

I switched from AT*T to Verizon. I gave up my unlimited some time ago to get rid of my $60/month Aircard from Verizon. I never use more than 1-1.4gb of data no matter what I do and I also still have unlimited data on my iPad with ATT.

I live in eastern Washington State and have had awful coverage with AT*T, even on the drive from Yakima to Seattle....Lots of area of no coverage, edge only coveage, etc. Verizon is much better.

So what if it costs a bit more if I get better coverage.

I hear you.
Coverage depends on the area.
If I had crappy service I'd switch too.

 

[jokerz126]

another thing I read about as a knock against AT&T and iphone 5 (if true) is that apparently only the Verizon version of the phone once unlocked for GSM will even let you get LTE in other countries like in Europe. The AT&T version even when unlocked will only ever get 3G outside the USA....is this totally confirmed to be the case?

 

[Applejuiced]

another thing I read about as a knock against AT&T and iphone 5 (if true) is that apparently only the Verizon version of the phone once unlocked for GSM will even let you get LTE in other countries like in Europe. The AT&T version even when unlocked will only ever get 3G outside the USA....is this totally confirmed to be the case?

That's correct.
Not sure if it matters that much. Im sure I can live without LTE and just use 3G or HSPA+ on a trip.
Who knows if the place I visit will even have LTE available...
Big disandantage? Doubt it.
CDMA is way worst and even with LTE in the US you wont be able to be on a call and pull data. Now that's a kicker right there

 

[jokerz126]

yup I know...no simultaneous voice+data sucks....that's on CELLULAR LTE right? on WIFI it's not an issue correct? (ie. you CAN do simultaneous)

 

[nlkccom]

I have AT&T now. Moving to Verizon Share Everything plan. My monthly bill will definitely go up by quite a bit, but at least I can actually use the phone. AT&T signal sucks in SoCal.

I got no signal at home. Using microcell. Weak signal at work, and I sit at the corner of building. Weak or no signal at a lot of places that I go to. My Verizon iPad gets great signal everywhere I go.

I pay a lot for AT&T, and now it will be even more for Verizon. Hate it. But got no choice.

----------

yup I know...no simultaneous voice+data sucks....that's on CELLULAR LTE right? on WIFI it's not an issue correct? (ie. you CAN do simultaneous)

Correct. Can do voice+data if you're connected to WIFI.

 

[Ceviche Lover]

Yup I've been with Sprint since 2005. Was lured into them due to thier low priced SERO plan, and yearly fully subsidized upgrades. My first smartphone at the time was a Palm Pre. Loved the OS but it was cheaply build and would develop cracks, loose screen issues, etc...Voice and data coverage was pretty decent also, not great but I would say right there with Verizon and ATT. After that I got a Samsung Galaxy Epic with Wimax in 2010. This was around the time Iphone 4 came out. At the time I liked the IPhone but I would didnt like the higher plan prices. Not to mention I read articles about how hard ATT network was getting hit with calls/data dropping, etc...


I would say around May or June of 2011 is when it all started going downhill. Sprint stuck a $10 'premium data' fee for anyone who used a Wimax phone. Not to mention Wimax sucked. Speeds were decent(I got anywhere between 3-8Mb) but once you walked into a building forget about it, your signal was gone. They got rid of yearly subsidized upgrades also. But the biggest issue for me was their 3g network in LA went to complete ****. I went from getting 600-800Kb to anywhere between 10-300k depending on the time of the day. Sometimes my 3g signal would just disappear randomly. Not to mention I was getting wierd issues with my phone. Alarm going off when its not supposed to, needed to restart phone in order to get touchscreen properly, just a bunch of stuff.

The network got even worse once the Iphone 4s hit the network. I told myself once it was released I'm going to wait another year till Iphone 5 is out(hopefully with LTE) and get on Verizon. The timing was right also as my Sprint contract ended on Sep 14.


So yes while my monthly bill will be higher, like the old saying goes you get what you pay for. My data speeds will be much faster, and a big thing for me is the mobile hotspot as I go to Starbucks alot with my MB Air and thier Wifi is crap.

 

[phinsup]

I have AT&T now. Moving to Verizon Share Everything plan. My monthly bill will definitely go up by quite a bit, but at least I can actually use the phone. AT&T signal sucks in SoCal.

I got no signal at home. Using microcell. Weak signal at work, and I sit at the corner of building. Weak or no signal at a lot of places that I go to. My Verizon iPad gets great signal everywhere I go.

I pay a lot for AT&T, and now it will be even more for Verizon. Hate it. But got no choice.

----------
yup, same here.

 

[Applejuiced]

yup I know...no simultaneous voice+data sucks....that's on CELLULAR LTE right? on WIFI it's not an issue correct? (ie. you CAN do simultaneous)

Yes, on wifi you're good.

 

[RUGERMAN]

Yes, on wifi you're good.

I was under the impression that data and phone at the same time was only possible on AT&T.??

 

[pdutta2000]

I'm switching to Verizon. I'm done with the signal on AT&T. I'm giving up the unlimited data but at least I'll be able to make phone calls. I'm going to go with the 6GB plan for 2 iPhone 5s so I'll be at the $160 price point so figure $180-$190 with taxes which is right where I'm at now. I'm looking forward to the hotspot feature as well.

 

[Cubeeless]

1. Depending on where you live AT&T should start deploying LTE in most major markets.
2. and 3. JB and get both facetime over 3G and tethering for free
4. if the device is still under contract and AT&T wont unlock it purchase an IMEI unlock on ebay and then your iphone is factory unlocked. They're pretty cheap.

Is this IMEI unlock really working, I was thinking that they are scammers.

Can you recommend one?

 

[KingCoop]

Is this IMEI unlock really working, I was thinking that they are scammers.

Can you recommend one?

The one I used for an AT&T iPhone was UnlockFusion (unlock_fusion) on eBay. I looked at their feedback first and then made the plunge. Took about 24 hrs to get my email saying the device was unlocked after I submitted my IMEI to them. I then used iTunes to complete the unlock.

It worked only on AT&T iPhones, no CDMA iPhones. Hopefully this time around I can purchase one for my Verizon LTE iPhone.