Virgin Mobile USA Launching iPhone on June 29 with Plans Starting at $30

[jclardy]

Wow. Goodbye AT&T.

$45 for iPhone with data and tethering. Would cost me $96 for the same on AT&T.

I barely use my minute plan so that is no issue, and I already am limited to 1000 texts on AT&T so I actually get a better deal in that area.

It would be awesome if I could move my AT&T 4S over if I got it unlocked...would be worth the ETF IMO as I would be saving $50 a month (Well, $40 if I am considering my current plan w/o tethering.) So in the next 12 months I would save $480. My ETF should be $205, so I would make that up in less than 6 months.

Only issue is that Sprint allows roaming on verizon's network, I'm pretty sure Virgin only lets you use Sprint towers. But my area is pretty well covered anyways.

 

[britboyj]

So, here's the important question - Can I bring my own unlocked iPhone 4S to this plan or can I buy a factory unlocked "next iPhone" (it's not the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S is you fools!) and bring it to them too?

 

[k1121j]

is this just the cost of the voice portion

is this just the cost of the voice portion?

 

[blue22]

tempting, but...

So will Virgin Mobile's iPhone be unlocked, at least on the GSM side?

The non-contract/pre-paid prices sounds really good actually (in terms of value for your money), but that's a good question regarding the GSM flexibility of the handset itself, as well as the reliability of the coverage of service too.

Remember, Sprint is a CDMA carrier I wouldn't be surprised if they did not provide a pre-paid iPhone model/service that you can use with any GSM carrier.

However, if you're paying for the phone outright (i.e. non-subsidy price) then I'd won't even bother going his route (Virgin USA) if the phone doesn't come unlocked from the very beginning, otherwise what's the point of paying full price for the handset?!

 

[Codyak]

is this just the cost of the voice portion?

"All three of Virgin Mobile's plans include unlimited texting and data (throttled after 2.5 GB), with voice minutes being the differentiating factor."

 

[bearda]

So, here's the important question - Can I bring my own unlocked iPhone 4S to this plan or can I buy a factory unlocked "next iPhone" (it's not the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S is you fools!) and bring it to them too?

No. VM (like sprint) is CDMA, and there are no unlocked CDMA phones. None of the CDMA carriers seem to allow you to bring a phone from another network in (although some MVNOs let you bring in phones from their parent network, like Page Plus allows Verizon phones), and an unlocked GSM phone just isn't going to work.

 

[slu]

wow, i wish sprint had decent service around where i live....

so would anyone here pay 650 or 750 for an 16/32 GB iPhone 5 when it comes out in exchange for not having to pay 120 bucks a month on verizon sprint or att?

This is exactly what I am going to do. My wife and I will be switching to one of these prepaid carriers (probably Virgin) when our contracts end in Oct. Paying the same price per month for everything that I currently pay for data alone is a great deal. I'd rather pay full price for the phone.

 

[lamar0607]

My contract with ATT is up. On June 29th, can I go to Virgin and start using my current iPhone 4 with them? Or do I have to buy their unsubsidized phone to get this pricing?

 

[Rot'nApple]

Found coverage information: http://bit.ly/K0uZGo

They use Sprint for everything, so Sprint's numbers from customer service to data speeds apply.

Thanks, but like a profile on e-Harmony, you can't believe everything you see 'as advertised' until you experience the real thing. Which is why I was looking to see if anyone could share their first hand knowledge of their experience with VM or those with Sprint. Has Sprint improved on the complaints some had when they first offered the iPhone? Thanks again.
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[Syk]

$650 for the ip4s? I wonder what the new iphone will cost this year. If it's $50-100 more I'd be tempted to go that route if I'm going to put out that type of cash and just use StraightTalk if I was planning on going the prepaid route here in the states but like anything it depends on your coverage area

 

[benson197]

The non-contract/pre-paid prices sounds really good actually (in terms of value for your money), but that's a good question regarding the GSM flexibility of the handset itself, as well as the reliability of the coverage of service too.

Remember, Sprint is a CDMA carrier I wouldn't be surprised if they did not provide a pre-paid iPhone model/service that you can use with any GSM carrier.

However, if you're paying for the phone outright (i.e. non-subsidy price) then I'd won't even bother going his route (Virgin USA) if the phone doesn't come unlocked from the very beginning, otherwise what's the point of paying full price for the handset?!

I was wondering if VM would unlock the GSM portion as well, if only for international travel. I agree, I wouldn't be interested in paying full price for a locked phone.

I really am not looking to switch unless the iPhone 5 (New iPhone, or whatever) is available on Virgin as well. I will freely admit to wanting the latest and greatest when it comes to phones. So unless Virgin will carry it at launch, or nearly at launch (and I see no reason they couldn't since they use Sprint's network), I will be locking in for another contract at AT&T.

 

[bearda]

My contract with ATT is up. On June 29th, can I go to Virgin and start using my current iPhone 4 with them? Or do I have to buy their unsubsidized phone to get this pricing?

Not going to work. AT&T iPhones are GSM, Virgin is CDMA. Have to get a new phone.

 

[zorinlynx]

This could be a game changer. At $35 a month I'm wondering what the catch is.

I'm tired of dropping a C-note a month on cel phone service with AT&T; if their coverage is decent I will definitely be jumping ship come November when my contract expires.

EDIT: Hmm, if they don't offer a 64GB handset, this will be a no go. They only mention the 16GB iPhone 4S; no mention of the 32 or 64GB models being available. I hope they will be available, and they were just left out to avoid sticker shock.

 

[Firesign3394]

Not going to work. AT&T iPhones are GSM, Virgin is CDMA. Have to get a new phone.

Yea or check out Straight Talk, which is $45/ month for unlimited everything and you use your existing phone.

 

[bushido]

woah. looks like the iPhone is the only apple gadget thats actually cheaper in europe

i paid 1€ for my 4S and pay 29€ per months for unlimited data and text. 29€x24=696€ so i basically get the 4S for 47€ or in other words i pay 649€ for the 4S and only 2€ a month for text and data ^^

 

[Firesign3394]

This could be a game changer. At $35 a month I'm wondering what the catch is.

I'm tired of dropping a C-note a month on cel phone service with AT&T; if their coverage is decent I will definitely be jumping ship come November when my contract expires.

I had virgin mobile for a few years and customer service is decent, speeds are as well. The only con of virgin mobile is the coverage. They work only off of sprints network, which is really large, but I'd sprint doesn't offer coverage in an area, your iPhone will not work there, it can't roam onto another carrier's network.

 

[alent1234]

This could be a game changer. At $35 a month I'm wondering what the catch is.

I'm tired of dropping a C-note a month on cel phone service with AT&T; if their coverage is decent I will definitely be jumping ship come November when my contract expires.

the catch is they are a sprint MVNO. there is NO ROAMING. if you aren't in range of a tower, no signal. you can't ride on verizon's network. and sprint's data speeds in the 300Kbps range on average

you get what you pay for

 

[bearda]

The non-contract/pre-paid prices sounds really good actually (in terms of value for your money), but that's a good question regarding the GSM flexibility of the handset itself, as well as the reliability of the coverage of service too.

Remember, Sprint is a CDMA carrier I wouldn't be surprised if they did not provide a pre-paid iPhone model/service that you can use with any GSM carrier.

However, if you're paying for the phone outright (i.e. non-subsidy price) then I'd won't even bother going his route (Virgin USA) if the phone doesn't come unlocked from the very beginning, otherwise what's the point of paying full price for the handset?!

I would be very surprised if VM offered a phone you could use with any GSM carrier. It's not really in their best intrests.

That last part is the exact same conclusion I came to last week. If I'm buying a full-price handset I might as well get one I can carry with me to another company, which means GSM. Straight Talk has unlimited voice/text/and data capped around 2G for $45 a month and will sell you a SIM you can use with your own decide. In the long run I think I'd rather go that route and have the option of switching to T-mobile. You can buy the phone off the shelf from apple, and pick up AppleCare if you're worried about insurance.

Buying an expensive phone for a CDMA prepaid that you can't take anywhere else just strikes me as kind of dumb. You've effectively locked yourself in to a long term relationship with a carrier so you can continue getting your moneys worth out of the phone, just with absolutely no guarantee from their end. At least if you go the GSM route the phone has residual value and you can just move to another carrier if it doesn't work out.

 

[rgctx]

For what you will pay at Virgin Moble for the iPhone you can just get two new ipads.


For everyone asking, NO Virgin Mobile will NOT let you bring your own phone, they run on CDMA not GSM, its locked to there network as with all phones. You may be able to use the phone with other carriers such as MetroPCS, they are one of the few who unlock/flash Virgin phones.

Also guys being that i have used virgin before, please be aware that there are many issues and outages with there Data Network (just look on there facebook, about the "unexplained" outages), there Data wont compare to what you have now with AT&T, etc. I know within a few weeks from launch we will be reading about the SLOW DATA, if that doesnt matter to you then please go and save you some $$$$.

Also the Virgin iPhone will most likely be less after a few months. When the Blackberry first launched (they were one of the few with a prepaid blackberry) they priced it at $399 ($50 Rebate), a few months later it was $249, then a few months later (about 10 months) it was down to $199.00.

 

[Firesign3394]

If people hesitate to pay $550 up front, they can do 18 months no interest financing at Best Buy. That way, it would just be about $30 per month to get the phone.

 

[Wolfpup]

I can't quite figure that one out. I'm a Virgin Mobile customer with Auto-Pay, and I'm not seeing that discount. Nor is that graphic, which I caught this morning, anywhere else on the site.

I don't think it's an iPhone only discount, but perhaps it is? First I'd heard of it.

EDIT: Service, btw, has been excellent in the Southeast US.

Yeah, I've never heard of that discount...that makes it an even better deal obviously than it already is.

EDIT: Oh geez, the iPhone is up on Virgin's site! And it explicitly mentions the $5 discount!

$30 is insane, and 300 minutes actually isn't a complete joke, but I think for me the 1200 minute plan sounds better. Even the $50 plan is a good deal...I suppose you can boost it up later.

Do wish this was on the Boost side though as that would be...well, basically $10 cheaper.

Dang...very cool. Hope they sell the 32GB one. 16GB is CRAZY tight on my iPad 2.

Oh, someone was asking about coverage-going to depend where you are, and it SEEMS like Sprint doesn't cover small areas well (though I don't know that AT&T does either)? But at least where I go in my normal life Sprint has MUCH better coverage than AT&T. I barely can get 1 or 2 bars on EDGE with AT&T upstairs, while Sprint works fine downstairs.

 

[Eminemdrdre00]

Yea or check out Straight Talk, which is $45/ month for unlimited everything and you use your existing phone.

But unfortunately you can't use MMS without jailbreaking.

 

[rgctx]

If people hesitate to pay $550 up front, they can do 18 months no interest financing at Best Buy. That way, it would just be about $30 per month to get the phone.

Im guessing 90% of people who would buy a prepaid i phone dont qualify for a contract iPhone, most likely they wouldn't qualify for financing.

 

[Zaren]

This could be a game changer. At $35 a month I'm wondering what the catch is.

The main catch is having to buy the phone outright and unsubsidized. That's going to keep me away from buying one on Day 1.

 

[blue22]

VM USA sounds good on paper, buuuuut...

I was wondering if VM would unlock the GSM portion as well, if only for international travel. I agree, I wouldn't be interested in paying full price for a locked phone.

Doubtful.

I would be very surprised if VM offered a phone you could use with any GSM carrier. It's not really in their best intrests.

...

Buying an expensive phone for a CDMA prepaid that you can't take anywhere else just strikes me as kind of dumb. You've effectively locked yourself in to a long term relationship with a carrier so you can continue getting your moneys worth out of the phone, just with absolutely no guarantee from their end. At least if you go the GSM route the phone has residual value and you can just move to another carrier if it doesn't work out.

Exactly.

on a side note: if T-Mobile ever steps up their game and actually offers the iPhone then that's where the value & savings will really be at via their pre-paid non-contract plans. Until then, very limited options for USA based iPhone GSM users.