That's not entirely accurate.The US monthly plans (about US$79 plus tax on average if I recall correctly) include a certain (very high) number of minutes of call time and messages.
You are still, however it's built into the plan, paying for something you're not doing. If I get 2500 messages a month for example, I don't want to be losing one because somebody sent me a message regardless of how many I get. Same with minutes, if I get 900 minutes a month and someone calls me for a 2 hour chat, why should I lose 120 of them for a call I didn't make.
They're very high numbers so the incoming calls/text payments don't really figure in peoples' minds but the principle of the thing is what I can't wrap my head around. You pay for something you don't do and the company gets paid twice and nobody bats an eyelid. Halve the numbers if you must but you shouldn't be paying for incoming calls and texts.
Let's say someone on verizon calls me on att. Well the call is going through his verizon service and then connects to my att service. So both our carriers networks are being used. Technically we should both be charged half the price but instead we each get charged the same price. So the companies deserve to be paid twice i.e. both companies, they just don't deserve to be paid twice as much.
On the other side we still get free calling to other people on our network. So our carrier is basically providing us with free minutes. And we get free nights & weekends, so more no charge service from our carrier.
No, there is no such thing as free texts from the same carrier (unless it's a text from the carrier) as there is with minutes, so unlimited texts means to anyone.I take it those free texts etc are to people on the same provider only?