Verizon prepaid is a good deal

[towhee]

Hi all,

I have Verizon prepaid in my iPhone 5. It is $45 per month for unlimited talk and text plus 2 GB data. The big difference between prepaid and postpaid is that you can't go over on data on prepaid. When the 2 GB is gone then no more data. No extra surprise charges. What you can do on prepaid is buy extra data at $10 for 1 GB or $20 for 3 GB. And the best part is that the extra data can be used over the next 90 days. That's almost as good as rolling over. 

The Verizon website will say that it is a 1 GB data plan but you get an extra 1 GB per month if you are signed up with autopay. 

My phone can be used as a wireless hotspot with no additional charges. 

I bought my phone through a company called Gazelle. They buy and sell used phones and iPads. They were easy to work with and there is a 30 day return period. 

As far as I can tell prepaid is a better deal than postpaid. Postpaid would have been $60 per month for  2 GB. And the only way to add data in a heavy usage month would be to change plans. 

I wanted to get this information out there because it is surprisingly hard to get on the Verizon website. They seem to constantly dangle the 2 year contracts and you have to be persistent to figure out the prepaid side of things.

 

[66788]

I was told by Verizon that the post paid account has better coverage than the pre paid account.

Can anyone verify this?

 

[B and C]

I was told by Verizon that the post paid account has better coverage than the pre paid account.

Can anyone verify this?

I don't know how a cell tower would know if you were prepaid or not.  I think the store rep was trying to make a sale.  He might get a bigger commision for a 2 year plan versus a prepaid month to month.

I used StraightTalk from Walmart for a couple of months (Verizon).  It worked everywhere my office cell phone worked (Verizon).  I did this in anticipation of losing my company cell phone in January.  I wanted to know for sure what I was going to be up against when I retire.  If you already have a phone tied to Verizon service, StraightTalk will use the Verizon towers.  You may want to compare the two pricewize.

 

[66788]

Further clarification by the sales person showed that the Verizon towers are the same for both services. The post paid accounts have better roaming coverage as the pre paid accounts are not covered by many of the roaming agreements.

Truth or not? I don't know.

 

[RVTravel]

66788, that is what I have always heard too with tracfone service.

 

[jimindenver]

When we had T-Mobile the phone would pick up a signal up in the mountains off of AT&T. It was always a click and wait thing as it was soooo slow. Using a Phone that is on the AT&T network, not sharing it is so much faster.

 

[Silver]

"$45 per month for unlimited talk and text plus 2 GB data"
So you're paying 45 - 55 $ / mo ?

I'm feeling better about my $ 35 virgin plan now

BTW if U dont pay your bill for 15 days. Then pay ur bill, do U get the next 30 days or
just 15 ?

 

[surfer]

Can a Verizon prepaid card work on a straight talk hot spot  device?

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I thought of a Verizon jet pack hotspot but was told on the phone I had to buy 3gigs for $40 and then $10 for extra each month.
I just wanted a couple gigs for occasional laptop use.

Guess I'll stick with 5 gigs (no hotspot/teather) I get on my cell from Straight Talk for $45.

 

[surfer]

Bought a Verizon prepay card & hotspot. Learned straight talk uses same towers but cheaper. Decided to exchange. Store reimbursed the hotspot but wouldn't exchange or reimburse the card. Thought maybe I could use it on straight talk hotspot rather than sell on Craigslist at a loss.

 

[darude]

I was told by Verizon that the post paid account has better coverage than the pre paid account.

Can anyone verify this?

My friend has Verizon  and he told me that he cant roam on the extended network so Verizon dont roam unlike go phones which allow you to roam. I have a gig and a half for 45 a month plus they don't shut your data off like Verizon does they may slow it down until your next billing cycle and if you don't use all of your data then it rolls over to the next month providing your service renews on time and yes I can roam in Wyoming and Nebraska

 

[B and C]

If you buy something in a box from Straighttalk, be sure to get the red box.  It is the Verizon network and the blue box is at&t.

 

[towhee]

Further clarification by the sales person showed that the Verizon towers are the same for both services.  The post paid accounts have better roaming coverage as the pre paid accounts are not covered by many of the roaming agreements.

Truth or not?  I don't know.

I will chime in here since I initially brought this topic up. I haven't compared coverage of roaming. But in my year of using this plan in Oregon, California, and Arizona I was only once in a place where I got a message about roaming and it had to do with data. I didn't have roaming data. I always had voice. 

Nancy

 

[towhee]

"$45 per month for unlimited talk and text plus 2 GB data"
So you're paying 45 - 55 $ / mo ?

I'm feeling better about my $ 35 virgin plan now

BTW if U dont pay your bill for 15 days. Then pay ur bill, do U get the next 30 days or
just 15 ?

$50 might be a good average including months where I bought extra data and where I didn't. 

I have never let my payment lapse so I really don't know what would happen. 

Your Virgin mobile phone is definitely cheaper.  It looks like they use sprint towers so that wouldn't unfortunately be a good choice for me in the west.

 

[darude]

I will chime in here since I initially brought this topic up. I haven't compared coverage of roaming. But in my year of using this plan in Oregon, California, and Arizona I was only once in a place where I got a message about roaming and it had to do with data. I didn't have roaming data. I always had voice. 

Nancy

The Verizon rep over the phone told me that there's a per minute charge to use the roaming feature on the extended network . A sales rep told me in the store that pre paid phones have no roaming capabilities. One of the reasons I won't use verizon along with there customer service is horrible and there rates suck  even on there pprepaid plans