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Carrier Is your wireless service on a 2 years contract or off-contract?

Is your wireless service on a 2 years contract or off-contract?

  • On Contract

    Votes: 49 46.7%

  • Off Contract

    Votes: 56 53.3%
  • Total voters
    105
rillrill said:
Serious question here. Does the recent law that passed that makes carriers unlock your phone in the States make contracts and less upfront costs for devices more desirable?

I'm on the $30 T-Mobile plan and prepaid, but 100 minutes annoys the GF. Every other prepaid plan seems too expensive by comparison. If you want unlimited minutes and 5 GB or more, should you go post-paid?
Click to expand...

I think they still have the option of locking the phone if you are on contract or have not paid off the phone. In any case, the market trend has moved decisively towards BYOD plans and more transparent pricing that separates the device and service costs.

I'm also on the TMo $30 plan, but I almost never go over 100 minutes a month. For me, unlimited minutes are a useless feature that gets packed into the service price, and represents pure profit for the carriers.

If you indeed want unlimited minutes, you can go either prepaid or postpaid. But, the base price will be $20-$40 higher.

With T-Mobile, you might want to check into your actual data usage now that they've whitelisted the major music streaming services. My data usage is normally 3-4 GB. But, since T-Mobile removed music streaming from their data caps, my monthly data usage has reduced down to 1-1.5 GB. That bumps things down pretty close to their $50 postpaid plan, if I wanted unlimited calling.
 
I've been on contract with ATT since the 90's when they offered a company wide discount where I was working. I've stuck with them on contract through the dark days of before LTE when service was so bad.... LTE made them a player finally.
 
Woochifer said:
I think they still have the option of locking the phone if you are on contract or have not paid off the phone. In any case, the market trend has moved decisively towards BYOD plans and more transparent pricing that separates the device and service costs.

I'm also on the TMo $30 plan, but I almost never go over 100 minutes a month. For me, unlimited minutes are a useless feature that gets packed into the service price, and represents pure profit for the carriers.

If you indeed want unlimited minutes, you can go either prepaid or postpaid. But, the base price will be $20-$40 higher.

With T-Mobile, you might want to check into your actual data usage now that they've whitelisted the major music streaming services. My data usage is normally 3-4 GB. But, since T-Mobile removed music streaming from their data caps, my monthly data usage has reduced down to 1-1.5 GB. That bumps things down pretty close to their $50 postpaid plan, if I wanted unlimited calling.
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks. Good info. I thought if you were prepaid, Tmo doesn't white list streaming music....it's just too good of a deal to give up....I've been using google voice to compensate, but the two numbers thing is annoying too...
 
This poll is probably flawed because a lot of people are wrong about what they have.

I've spoken to people who are under the impression that their 2 year phone-subsidy payback is a wireless contract.

But that's not the same thing. I have family members on AT&T who've told me they're "on a contract" for their wireless service but in reality they are not. If they wanted to leave they'd have to pay for the phone, yes, but there would be no "contract-breaking" fee for them.
 
rillrill said:
Hey, thanks. Good info. I thought if you were prepaid, Tmo doesn't white list streaming music....it's just too good of a deal to give up....I've been using google voice to compensate, but the two numbers thing is annoying too...
Click to expand...

I thought that as well. But, I checked my usage against what T-Mobile counts against my 4G data cap, and confirmed that they whitelisted the music streaming on my prepaid plan. They also made another recent under-the-radar change by adding tethering to prepaid plans.

Neither of these changes were publicized; and for all I know, T-Mobile could revert their prepaid customers back at any time. But, coupled with their rapid network upgrades, T-Mobile keeps adding value to that $30 plan and making competing options less attractive for my particular usage.
 
You're right! I just checked and it let me tether on my TMobile prepaid! I also realized I have visual voicemail too. This is amazing for prepaid service, totally impressed with TMobile.
 
rillrill said:
Serious question here. Does the recent law that passed that makes carriers unlock your phone in the States make contracts and less upfront costs for devices more desirable?

I'm on the $30 T-Mobile plan and prepaid, but 100 minutes annoys the GF. Every other prepaid plan seems too expensive by comparison. If you want unlimited minutes and 5 GB or more, should you go post-paid?
Click to expand...
The recent law that was passed simply makes it so that unlocking wouldn't be illegal anymore (as it actually was for a time, as crazy as that sounds), it doesn't do anything as far as forcing the carriers to actually unlock their phones or anything like that.
 
Currently on contract with AT&T till 9/15/14. Because they provide great coverage in my area and haven't taken my unlimited data plan away, I plan to continue my service with them. Although, this year I will either pay full retail or use their NEXT program for the iPhone 6 so I can avoid another long 2 year contract.
 
2 lines off contract since May
2 lines on contract USB modem and sons line who will be canceling in about 3 months to move to his fiancé account.

Buying one iPhone 6 on edge, giving my husband my iPhone 5s to replace his iphone 5
 
Off contract right now. 2 of the 3 lines on my AT&T plan are due for an upgrade.

My upgrade has been sitting there since May for the iPhone6. Very excited!
 
Under contract, still upgrade every year. I have a smartphone line and a tablet line I can use plus I generally sell my old device which pays for most of the early upgrade cost of the new device.

I've figured it out with the 7 subsidies we get on our AT&T family plan, it really wouldn't save us a ton of money to switch to T-Mobile. And AT&T is still the better service where my family lives (DFW, Waco, Raleigh-Durham).
 
Off contract with Verizon and have been buying my phones full retail in order to keep my unlimited data. Since they are throttling soon, that might change. :eek:
 
We are using Verizon, I am off contract with my phone (have been for a year), but the wife and kids are part way through their 2 year agreement.

Just out of curiosity does Verizon offer a lower cost plan for folks who pay upfront for their phone? I looked around some but did not find any reason to not re-up for another 2 years when the 6 come out.

I could switch to T-Mobil I guess, but the last time we used them the coverage was poor, not even a signal in our house.
 
From A Buick 8 said:
We are using Verizon, I am off contract with my phone (have been for a year), but the wife and kids are part way through their 2 year agreement.

Just out of curiosity does Verizon offer a lower cost plan for folks who pay upfront for their phone? I looked around some but did not find any reason to not re-up for another 2 years when the 6 come out.

I could switch to T-Mobil I guess, but the last time we used them the coverage was poor, not even a signal in our house.
Click to expand...

I think only on Verizon edge, but then you have to be on the more everything plan. IMO their plans suck compared to others. Meaning no real discount for being post paid customer.
 
From A Buick 8 said:
I could switch to T-Mobil I guess, but the last time we used them the coverage was poor, not even a signal in our house.
Click to expand...

You can try out their test drive program. Just go their website and they'll send out an iPhone 5s with unlimited everything for you to try for a week at no charge. At the end of the week, you return the test drive phone to a T-Mobile store. This way you can see if the network in your area has improved since your last go round.

Also, with iOS 8, T-Mobile will activate wi-fi calling for the iPhone. If you get a decent signal everywhere else, except at home, wi-fi calling negates the need for voice coverage at home (or anywhere else you have wi-fi).

Verizon definitely has broader network coverage, particularly in the outlying areas, where T-Mobile has coverage gaps galore. But, you pay more and have to put up with their plans and policies.

T-Mobile has more flexible and lower priced plan options, but you trade off the network coverage. It all boils down to what you prioritize.
 
One phone off contract and one going off contract Sept. 14. I'll move over to AT&T's Next program for my new iPhones and skip the contract. Nice knowing I can leave whenever I want, just by buying out the phone.
 
Two year contract because I share a family plan and don't really like AT&T's new contract style. Gotta say though, the new T-Mobile offers are miiiiighty tempting. When my contract runs out and I go on my own plan, probably making the jump.
 
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