Cell Phone Service

I know there are older topics on this, but I think there are enough new options out there to start something new...

So, I want to leave Verizon. It is expensive, and I think a lot of their practices are just plain wrong. Mainly, my last two phones have been crippled by Verizon updates that have locked the bootloaders. The result of this is that my once fast phone is now slow and I can't install a more stock OS without the bloat. /complaint

I am an android guy. I currently have a Samsung Galaxy S3 off contract at big red. I would like to stay away from contracts going forward. The phone that I really like is the 2nd generation Moto X (X2). I would really like to like the Nexus 6, but its just too big. I do value a good camera on the phone, which takes me away from most of the low and mid range phones.

For coverage, I don't think it matters what network I go with as they all have great coverage here. The only one that has a fault is Sprint because their map excludes Mid Ohio, even though I know others that have working Sprint service there.

So far I have found:

1. Straight Talk would let me keep my S3 and miss the cost/hassle of buying a new phone and have the benefit of the Verizon network. I am unclear as to whether they use AT&T or T-mobile for GSM bands or which MotoX2 would work best there. $45/mo

2. Republic Wireless uses the Sprint network and their flagship phone is the MotoX2. $25-$45/mo. Someone I know has it and says its a great deal.

3. Cricket Wireless is AT&T at $40/mo. Pretty much any phone I want; good network.

4. T-mobile: $50/mo, great phones although I'm not sure which MotoX2 to get. I also really like the company.

Who knows what about the MotoX2 and/or these carriers. Maybe there are other carriers I should be considering too? Thoughts?

*I left out Net10 because its basically the same as Straight Talk and is a little more money.

I travel a lot and was really frustrated by the Sprint service on my last phone. I ended up buying a new samsung outright (ouch) in order to go with att sans contract. Monthly bill for unlimited 4g text and talk with 1gb for 56/month.

Thanks 84FSP. The Sprint service is what scares me... Did you look at Cricket before going with AT&T? Does it work just about everywhere?

Just got the moto x last week. Love it!

I have T-Mobile, they have strong LTE in my area, much stronger than the 3G that I got on my old galaxy s3 which would drop in and out.

I moved an iPhone 6 and a Nexus 5 to Cricket about a month ago (both phones bought outright). Same ATT network. They say it's throttled but I haven't a single complaint from my 14yo..and that's basically equal to high praise.

I really like tmobile... until I travel then I get tossed onto 3g and edge pretty frequently so streaming music is a no go... but I don't travel very often these days..

for phone there are so many good options... my wife got me a 64gb one plus 1 for christmas... i'm super pleased with it.

Republic Wireless has been both a great service and a great savings (~$30/mo after taxes/fees) for me...But admittedly, it might not be the right choice for everybody either. Living in a major metropolitan, I have been pleasantly surprised that the Sprint coverage has never been the problem people make it out to be, for me. Even my travels seem to mostly be along good service corridors. However, at least last I knew, only 3G is available in most areas when there is no wifi available. There is a little additional effort to make the most of the wifi...But typically I've been using 5-10 GB wifi per month, and <0.5 GB actually on the Sprint service.

I use PagePlus for mine and my kids' phones. They use the Verizon network, so you get good coverage without the Verizon BS. I have the kids on a pay as you go plan, and my phone is on their $32/mo plan - 1200 min/3000 texts /500mb of data.

asoduk wrote: I know there are older topics on this, but I think there are enough new options out there to start something new... So, I want to leave Verizon. It is expensive, and I think a lot of their practices are just plain wrong. Mainly, my last two phones have been crippled by Verizon updates that have locked the bootloaders. The result of this is that my once fast phone is now slow and I can't install a more stock OS without the bloat. /complaint

Have you completed your contractual agreement on this handset?
If yes, have you requested to have this handset unlocked?
Current FCC rule on unlocking

asoduk wrote: I am an android guy. I currently have a Samsung Galaxy S3 off contract at big red. I would like to stay away from contracts going forward. The phone that I really like is the 2nd generation Moto X (X2). I would really like to like the Nexus 6, but its just too big. I do value a good camera on the phone, which takes me away from most of the low and mid range phones.

I agree, stay with Android if you want "choices."

asoduk wrote: For coverage, I don't think it matters what network I go with as they all have great coverage here. The only one that has a fault is Sprint because their map excludes Mid Ohio, even though I know others that have working Sprint service there.

In my opinion, you are being too generous to Sprint's coverage. They truly have a 3rd rate product. For this "third-rate-ness" they give you some price considerations (low prices) but I find these "lower-prices" are still not equal with what is given up. Said another way, the value options of VZ and ATT (like Cricket) still present a better option than genuine Sprint service.

asoduk wrote: So far I have found: 1. Straight Talk would let me keep my S3 and miss the cost/hassle of buying a new phone and have the benefit of the Verizon network. I am unclear as to whether they use AT&T or T-mobile for GSM bands or which MotoX2 would work best there. $45/mo 2. Republic Wireless uses the Sprint network and their flagship phone is the MotoX2. $25-$45/mo. Someone I know has it and says its a great deal. 3. Cricket Wireless is AT&T at $40/mo. Pretty much any phone I want; good network. 4. T-mobile: $50/mo, great phones although I'm not sure which MotoX2 to get. I also really like the company. Who knows what about the MotoX2 and/or these carriers.

I agree mostly with you findings:

1 ST:
ST is a brand wholey owned by WalMart and managed by TracPhone and TracPhone's parent company America Movil

ST has offerings that work with all the carriers (different handsets work with different carriers.)

You can bring your S3 to ST and have it work on VZ.

BYOD

2: Republic
Personally, using Sprint as the fallback is enough for me to debunk this product. For my own situation, I have not tried this product. I feel that I could not run my business on this since I am on the road significant amounts. As with all these offerings, you need to be the right person for what they are offering. If I were a student or a cubicle dweller who used a phone more for social reasons rather than business reasons, Republic could be a possibility. I am not a fit for what they offer.

3: Cricket
I am impressed with the new Cricket, now that they are owned by ATT. If I were to make a switch away from VZ based services for myself, Cricket would be the offering I would most likely go toward.

4: TMo
Again, I personally am not the right customer for this offering. I do a lot of automobile travel of rural Northern Ohio and the coverage just does not meet my lifestyle.

asoduk wrote: Maybe there are other carriers I should be considering too? Thoughts?

VZ Prepaid:
As of the last year, this is where I have taken my own service.
$45 per month gives you talk/text and 1GB data. Drop a credit card for payment and that becomes 1.5GB per month. For more data, they have what is called "bridge data" plans. $20 gets me 3GB more data that is good for 90 days.
Real example: If I start service on a hypothetical 1st of the month, by about the 20th of the month I have gone through the 1.5GB so then I agree to a $20 spend from the handset. This $20 gets me 3GB and I use about .5GB of that 3GB over the next 10 days. Now, on the 1st of the month my credit card gets hit for another $45 and a full month. This gives me a fresh 1.5GB and I still have $2.5GB in reserve for data overages.
This means that I am paying roughly $6.66 extra for data overages which makes my monthly outlay $45 + $6.66 = $51.66.
This is genuine VZ 4G coverage.
You can bring your existing handset to VZ Prepaid BYOD

In years past, my go-to recommendation has been Page Plus
Though Page Plus is a national offering riding on the VZ network, it was always privately owned and HQ'ed in Toledo, OH. Last year, they sold out to America Movil. (Though a sale price was not disclosed, my estimate is a sale price of over $60 million.)
Now, PP has throttling and their customer care has gotten worse. Before the sale, all of their customer care reps were genuinely in Toledo, OH. Now, like all the companies, expect India or similar.

Speaking of customer care. If you go with VZ Prepaid, let me know and I will give you an ultra-secret VZ Prepaid Customer Care number that routes you past the automated prompts and puts you directly to a live and knowledgeable human, nearly instantaneously.

I spent 14 years as middle management in the cell phone industry.
Originally starting with a Start-up company then known as Sprint Spectrum Limited Partnership. I was employee #1139 and our brand was known as Sprint PCS. I was there for the launch of the Toledo, OH market and then the Detroit, MI markets (both the first markets launch in their respective states.) I then was hired away by ATT to launch their Toledo, OH market. After those years, I was hired away by Nextel to launch their then new brand, Boost Mobile for Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Pittsburgh. Along the way, Nextel was bought by Sprint and I knew that this signaled the end of all that was good. Sprint is a horribly mis-managed company. "Duplication of roles" and "reductions in staffing" found me leaving a company that that I had left once before, 10 years earlier.

As far as handset goes. I personally carry a Moto Luge (Droid Razr M) that I bought form VZ for $79. Largely due to my years in the business, I am not lured by the "hype" of the handsets. You see, for years, I was handed the "latest and greatest" new device months before its official release, for free. This has warped me to see no real value in the device. A product that was once free to me is now supposed to worth $600-$800? Sorry, I don't see it that way. I also do not buy into the hype that this years model is so radically better than last years model.
PS: I buy used cars too. I don't need the optional $2,000 in dash nav system when my $79 Garmin and or phone can complete most of the same.

Wow, I wrote you a book.
TL:DR
I would unlock your S3 and use it on VZ prepaid if you are okay with the device (it does not have to be unlocked to stay with VZ prepaid but get it unlocked if you have met the contract.)
or
Look into Cricket further if you are considering another handset.

I've been on T-Mobile since they were SunCom and I was toting a Motorola Startac. Good phones, pretty decent service areas, reasonable pricing. You will find them lacking in rural areas, but they cover the major corridors and urban areas just fine. Some small towns won't have great data coverage, sometimes dropping to G or even E. That's enough for email and limited internet, but you won't be streaming anything.

All in, I like them. They cover the areas I go, and the pricing is reasonable. Having unlimited data with no throttling is nice, but I'm not sure they offer that plan anymore. I'm not going to migrate to the new plans until they make me.

The Samsung phones they carry are outstanding. I can't help you with the Moto, I've never used one.

In reply to asoduk: I looked at cricket and straight talk but really wanted the best service I could get in my area. Look for service area maps for the areas you spend the most time in.

I only use sprint because I get a decent discount through work. Now that my contract is up.. I should unlock my phone and get rid of all the sprint apps I have never used..

I'm using a bought-from-Moto 2014 MotoX (gen 2?) on AT&T as a BYOD and the data and voice service has been great. I tried T-Mo and after a month of frustration at lack of signal, I had to bail. Conversely, the customer service at T-Mo was absolutely fantastic, while AT&T has left much to be desired -- it took me about 3 hours and a pointless drive to their useless retail store just to activate the service and move my number. For whatever reason, no one that I could raise on the phone at AT&T seemed to be aware that it was possible to purchase service via the website, have a SIM card shipped, and then activate a no-contract BYOD plan. Once they worked that out, everything was fine but it was a pretty frustrating experience.

When I was with T-Mo, the data was blazingly fast, but only if you could see skyscrapers. If you could see cows, data was non-existent -- I got no service on most of I71 between Cincy and Columbus, nothing out at National Trail raceway, and super spotty between Cincy and Indy along 74. Columbus to Canton along 71 and 76 was also spotty at best. Maybe they have a better network in other parts of the country, but in KY, IN, and OH, I was often without any service. This was all in the September 2014 time frame.

With AT&T, I was able to stream music from Rdio and podcasts from Dan Carlin and GRM all the way from my home to Lincoln Nebraska last year, and again to Daytona, FL. There were a few slight hiccups where service would disappear along the highway, but never for more than a couple minutes so I could get back to the smooth sounds of JG Pasterjak. I'll leave it to you to decide if that's a pro or a con.

Oh, and as far as unlocking phones is concerned: That only makes your phone allow "foreign" SIM cards, it doesn't do anything for the apps and bootloader and such. I don't think they have to allow you to root the phone to pull apps off, although most Android phones will allow you to do that, regardless of the SIM lock. If you're on Verizon, I don't think you can use that phone anywhere else since they're a CDMA provider not a GSM.

wae wrote: Oh, and as far as unlocking phones is concerned: That only makes your phone allow "foreign" SIM cards, it doesn't do anything for the apps and bootloader and such. I don't think they have to allow you to root the phone to pull apps off, although most Android phones will allow you to do that, regardless of the SIM lock. If you're on Verizon, I don't think you can use that phone anywhere else since they're a CDMA provider not a GSM.

Correct on the recap of unlocking. Makes usable for SIM from another carrier. Does not take off bloatware. Rooting is the act of getting into the operating system and removing bloatware and this can be done without unlock.
I recommended unlock for his S3 because I think that is a quad frequency handset and if unlocked it can be used on GSM networks with proper GSM SIM.

Edit: Some research shows that the VZ S3 handset is not quad frequency and can not be use on US-based GSM carriers.
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=3805
As pointed out, not a lot of benefit from unlocking that one.

I have had a 2014 MotoX on T-Mobile since Nov 2014 and love it.

Like some others on this thread, I bought the phone directly from Motorola and used the T-Mobile SIM. My wife (Sony Xperia Z3) and I are paying $110 per month with 3GB of data each and are very happy.

I have ST and live on AT&T's network. I believe you can request that when you set up service, but doing so makes you talk to their customer service people. And they're not very good at customer service. Offshore operation. But overall I'm happy with ST. I pay $47/mo with all taxes and fees.

There's a lot of good options out there and some good suggestions above.

Ting on the gsm network, which is T-Mobile, or ting on the cdma network, which is sprint. Pay for what you use. No complaints so far on the gsm.

Wow. Thank you all for the great information!

My phone is now off contract and I will be getting it unlocked this week in case I decide to go a Verizon route.

Regarding data usage, I have not used more than 1GB in any month so I think I'm good with any of the cheap routes.

I have now been talked out of any Sprint offerings and the T-Mobile offerings are sounding less appealing. I've also been reading some negative things about Cricket speeds recently slowing WAY down.

I am now super confused as to what to get though. It seems like Straight talk is the easy button for a $45 plan with virtually any phone. VZW prepaid is the easiest way to just get a new plan. What is the negative of ST? (other than supporting the evil WalMart corporation at also sells me Mobil 1 and shockingly good bakery bread)

I have a Nexus 5 and Galaxy S5 on TMo. Been with them since 2004 or 2005. When I first moved to Indiana it was crap anywhere outside of Indy, but now I get at least phone service in most areas. I had decent data coverage until I migrated to LTE devices and its been lackluster, but improving. I live in a tower black hole though.

Anyone use Total Wireless yet? Looks like another offshoot of ST on VZ towers. 1 line unlimeted text/talk, 2.5G (3G data hard stop, no throttling I think I read??) for $30/month no contract. Just started in February selling exclusively at Wallmart. Seems like a good deal, but I hate feeding that machine in a way. Looks like the "best" phone thay offer is a Samsung Galaxy S3 and do offer a BYOD. So if it pans out OK and you're good with VZ coverage and 3G,etc and just don't like the cost, this "could" be a viable option ...but I am by NO means an expert, so please listen to everyone else before me ... Keep your phone and go with this??

Not to Hijack...I will be off contract soon and looking to reduce our bill a little, so I am following this thread too. We are currently on VZ - wife has a Note II she'd like to keep, I have a RazrM that I could keep or get another headset, I like the phone, but the battery life is failing these days... Neither of us are big data users, since I got here to connect to WiFi at the house. Most months we are less than 1Gb, but travelling, we might go up a to 2Gb+.

Sprint directly through Sprint is a ripoff for their garbage network.

Sprint through Ting is pretty decent. I won't pay full price for a garbage network, but i'll gladly pay 25-35% "normal cost" for mediocre performance.

Tedium: no harm in bringing up another option! I saw the kiosk at the store the other day, but couldn't remember what it was called. I too would love to hear experiences with it.

I called VZW today to ask about unlocking my phone. Apparently all of their 4G devices are unlocked, so I didn't have to do anything there!

FWIW, I think I am going to stick with the Verizon network. The coverage, at least here is hard to beat. Now I think its just a matter of figuring out what route I want to go with that. VZW prepaid, ST, or Total?

There is also a really good deal going right now through Verizon prepaid for the Moto G. I'm not sure if you can buy it from VZW and then take it elsewhere, but $79 is the advertised special.

A few hours later... I did some comparison of my Verizon S3 vs the Moto X. Its not a whole lot better of a phone, other than camera and screen size. I'm now 99% sold on keeping my S3.

The Total site said my phone isn't compatible. I might just have to go to the store and find out.

In reply to asoduk:

Again I don't know a lot about this cell phone thing, but seems odd your vz s3 wouldn't work on total since they are on vz towers and their top phone is an s3?? I'm sure there's more to it than that though? Either way good luck and keep us updated if you try total....

@tedium: If they are in fact a Verizon MVNO and I can do the BYOP plan through them, its a no brainer. Otherwise, I'll probably go with ST.