Virgin Mobile USA to Launch iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on October 1

[tripmusic]

Are these phones locked no matter what?
No buying outright?

I mean, I know it's a pre-paid plan, so you have to buy the phone outright in any case.. But seems weird to have it locked if you are buying the phone before activation? I thought they all shipped the same, just were locked by carrier while they set it up. ?

The problem is that it has CDMA network electronics inside and not GSM like Att/T-Mobile. My Virgin 4s does have a SIM card slot however

 

[tripmusic]

Virgin Mobile's only concern is that poor people keep paying their bills on time and that new poor people use their service. I don't think current poor people that are VM customers can afford new phones.

I think VM customers are smart because in two years we'll have saved around $1000 in 2 years compared to Att & Verizon with the iPhone. I find comfort in paying only $30/month. More $$ in my poor pockets. I've had pretty good service in Boston, MA. As far as being able to afford a new iPhone, you can buy one through Best Buy and pay it off in 18 months/no interest. Even poor people can swing that.

 

[iDuel]

Virgin Mobile's only concern is that poor people keep paying their bills on time and that new poor people use their service. I don't think current poor people that are VM customers can afford new phones.

I think we've found the elitist comment of the day. #

I think Virgin Mobile has a smart business plan; you end up saving more money in the long run compared to the other post paid services.

I'll let you in on a secret, no matter rich or poor, people will always want to save money.

 

[macs4nw]

Their plans are amazing... $30 a month for their Beyond Talk plan for an iPhone user to get unlimited data, unlimited text and 300 minutes.

Maybe, but being locked to them indefinitely, would prevent you from taking your paid-for phone to another carrier with an even better plan, sometime in the future. A deal breaker for many.

 

[acctman]

Apple still has pre-order as late as November, yet they can ship stock to Virgin and other smaller carriers? I know companies like Virgin pay up front but what about the customers that already said 'hey Apple you can take my money' via a pre-order?

 

[michi098]

Also, since their phones can never be unlocked, they can never be resold when I upgrade.

Huh? I sell every VM phone when I'm done with it. They even have a wipe function so you can resell it. I put them on Craigslist and it's gone in a few days. I usually do really well too as I buy them new when they are on sale. Not sure what you're talking about...

 

[tongxinshe]

Huh? I sell every VM phone when I'm done with it. They even have a wipe function so you can resell it. I put them on Craigslist and it's gone in a few days. I usually do really well too as I buy them new when they are on sale. Not sure what you're talking about...

Cannot imagine how you can possibly be so lucky. For a phone that can do nothing but only used with one specific wireless provider with a <0.1% market share, it's impossible to hit a desirable buyer with just one post.

 

[Jschultz]

Cannot imagine how you can possibly be so lucky. For a phone that can do nothing but only used with one specific wireless provider with a <0.1% market share, it's impossible to hit a desirable buyer with just one post.

It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility. I too have sold prepaid phones (Blackberry Curve, LG Optimus V, HTC ONE V) that are tied to prepaid.

Yes, it's a small market share, but in a city of 2.7 million people and a MSA population of 9.7 million, you definitely get bites on Craigslist.

 

[michi098]

Cannot imagine how you can possibly be so lucky. For a phone that can do nothing but only used with one specific wireless provider with a <0.1% market share, it's impossible to hit a desirable buyer with just one post.

Theres a huge market for used VM phones. Like I said, VM encourages reselling your phone. It's usually younger kids who buy my phones. You don't have to believe me, but I have sold every single VM phone including the horrible Motorola Triumph (which I hacked with a better PRL file). When you add up the $30 a month and the sale price minus resale value of the phone, it's a great deal.

 

[calaverasgrande]

Maybe I'll just dump VZW and cancel my stalled (frozen?) online Apple store iphone order and go with VM.
Heck at this point I'm ready to throw in the towel and just get an Android.
No lines, no waiting and I can just put a micro SD in for more space.

 

[nungesser]

While their plan is cheap, you have these drawbacks:

1. You will never be able to unlock this phone. Therefore dramatically reduce its resale value, or limit yourself if you want to change provider.

2. They do not allow roaming. So you are stuck with Sprint coverage forever. Unlike T-Mobile prepaid, which allows roaming for voice and text.

I was all set to buy a Virgin Mobile 5s until I saw this post, and confirmed that you're correct.

Thank you for preventing me from doing something extremely stupid.

 

[Humanosaurus]

I've been a Virgin Mobile customer for about a year and a half now. The service continues to improve, and I'm pretty happy with it. It's not as good as my wife's Verizon iPhone, but it costs WAY less.

The new deal on the 5S and 5C is pretty good. They're offering them for $100 less than from Apple. Along with the $30 per month data plan, it's hard to beat. As others have said, you will save substantial amounts of money vs. a 2-year contract with one of the majors.

I think macguy360's comment works a lot better if you substitute the word "smart" for the word "poor."

I'm sure that's what he meant to say.