Best way to get lots of data and not many minutes?

[jlmitnick]

So I've got an unlocked iPhone, and I'm in the US. Ideally I'd like to figure out a way to get good data, but I don't need that many talking minutes at all. My goal here is to minimize cost. Right now with AT&T, as an individual, the lowest plan they offer is 450 minutes for $40, and I get the $30 unlimited data, and then $5 for 200 texts. I'm fine with spending $30 on data, and $5 on texts (although ideally I would have that go away as well), but the $40 for the minutes is just so unnecessary for me as I only use about 30-60 minutes max per month.

I was thinking about getting a prepaid T-mobile or ATT sim card/plan (I've tested these in my ulocked phone and they work), and then getting something like a verizon Mifi. The pro is that this will let me minimize the money spent on minutes. The cons are that I have to bring 2 devices everywhere (but I think the mifi is small), but the big con is that the mifi data is expensive - I think it's like $60 a month for the 5gb cap?!? - that's so much worse than the $30 data for unlimited 3g on a normal iPhone plan.

Anyway, what other solutions are there for a person in my situation? Thanks

 

[Capt T]

You could also look at the Virgin Mobile Mifi which is pay as you go.

 

[vastoholic]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but unless you already had unlimited data with AT&T, you cannot get it on a new plan. I may have misunderstood you OP, but it sounded like you don't have a current iPhone plan. So you may be SOL anyway with the AT&T route. I've never dealt with an unlocked phone before so I don't know other calling plans that work nor do I know of any other data plans like mifi.