OT – cheap mobile phone plans

[FlyerInHi]

I like to stream YouTube lectures when i drive. I don’t watch the videos but there is no audio only option.

[spdrun]

I don’t drive and don’t have data on the subway except in stations.

[FlyerInHi]

I have not been to NY lately. It’s finally coming into the 21st century! What about in the tunnels?

[spdrun]

No, neither cell phone nor wifi. Thankfully — we don’t need more people yipyapping in the trains.

[gzz]

Flyer, I hear the same voices from my company regularly over landline and cell both. What can I say, the cell-cell just sounds better than cell-landline.

I also have accidently done whatsapp calls rather than regular voice. They just sound bad by comparison and are much more likely to drop, which hasn’t happened in years to me on a voice call.

[gzz]

Washington DC had cell service on the subway for Verizon customers in 2001. You could text too if you didn’t mind using the numeric keypad. 444-6-22-4-1.

[FlyerInHi]

I am reading more about the phone industry and I see more and more customers defecting to lower cost service. The big carriers are no longer subsidizing devices and there is nothing new.

American customers who are notoriously stupid compared to customers around the world are learning about buying sim cards online. As time goes, they will need less handholding from in-store staff.

The carriers better roll out 5G fast to protect their revenue streams. American consumers are paying so much more compared to other advanced economies

[spdrun]

I saw SIM vending machines at Kennedy Airport recently. Insert cash, get SIM and phone number.

[gzz]

Until 2 months ago i was the last idiot in the USA paying $65 a month for limited data.

I plan to switch to whoever has the best promo when iphone 11 is released.

For some of them, they will give $300 for a trade in, and the trade in can be a $40 phone you get on ebay.

I almost switched to the XR. They have some poor and too girly color choices. Yellow and pale blue, but no dark blue or green? Rather than a unisex orange, it is “coral” with a slight pink tint. Not pink enough for a girl who likes pink, too pink for a man.

[gzz]

Flyer, the cheap off brand companies in the US are mostly just fronts for the big 4.

ATT is one of the few US stocks I am long. Their market could certainly decline slowly due to discounting. And I hope they don’t borrow a ton of money for a 5G network buildout that people don’t actually care enough about to pay an extra $5 a month.

Even if they do soon enter a slow decline, their shares are cheap with very solid and consistent profits.

[FlyerInHi]

The big phone companies did a great marketing to customers.
I helped my cleaning lady switch her family because they were paying over $400/mo. It came about because I could not reach her because she didn’t pay her bill.

Anyway, in Asia and Europe, phone plans are much cheaper because customers are very savvy about switching sim cards. Americans are so stupid in that regard.

[FlyerInHi]

My friends and I are on a roll all switching to MVNO.

Visible is a good service if you want unlimited and Verizon.
https://www.visible.com/

[FlyerInHi]

So after i referred a few family, my annual renewal is now 0.00 with Mint Mobile. But even the paid annual subscription of $180 + $10 tax is dirt cheap. That’s about taxes and cost recovery fees alone on Verizon or ATT.

However, 3GB is not enough for streaming YouTube in the car. That was very wasteful, data wise, so I now just do audio podcast.

[barnaby33]

I’m one of those suckers who is still using Verizon. Does anyone have any thoughts on coverage using FI? My original need years ago was to have coverage in the back of beyond while paragliding. It seems though that coverage under all the providers has increased greatly in the last 2 decades since I gave it much thought.
Josh

[Myriad]

I just switched from VZ post-paid to prepaid. Not quite as cheap as going to another carrier, but pretty close.
Was previously paying the $35 plan for 2GB, (+$20 for line, -17% for discount).
Now I pay $35 for 6GB.
Was thinking about switching to Red Pocket, but only save $5 vs VZ prepaid. Not quite as cheap as some other ones, but pretty much no work other than a 5 min phone call with VZ.
Now home internet is what’s expensive…

[Author]

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