Service Provider Suggestions

[TheKDub]

Currently I use Ting with my Samsung Galaxy S7, and have been using it for around two years without any major issues (Aside from shit coverage in some areas that I frequent), however I'm wanting to switch to a different service provider as Ting gets too expensive once you start using a reasonable amount of minutes/texts/data.

 

I'm located in SE Michigan, USA. I'd prefer to keep the plan to $40 USD maximum.

 

A few things I want from it...

- Unlimited talk and text

- At least 2GB of data

- Tethering enabled (I sometimes need to use my laptop tethered to my phone, and would rather not have to pay extra for this.)

- Good coverage (4G/LTE)

- Decent data speeds (At least 4Mb/s is good)

- Reasonable technical support (As long as they're better than Comcast, I can handle them.)

- Supports BYOD (I don't want to have to buy a new phone, I'd rather just bring my Galaxy S7 [International Unlocked, GSM] over with me)

 

I'm considering Cricket right now, though have heard fairly mixed reviews on it.

 

Anyone have any suggestions?

[wyattzx]

I'm using Verizon's prepaid service where you simply pay for service from them and use the provided SIM card. You can find the kits at Walmart for $50 and they come with one month of service already. My $40 plan gives me 3GB of data, but if you put a card on your account for auto-renewal every month, they'll give you an extra 2GB of data.

 

The only thing I'm unsure about is whether they offer tethering, as I've never tried.

[Aytex]

https://www.mintsim.com/

 

I was looking at this, i use Ting as well, but this is like some mini contract 2 gigs of data, unlimited talk and text. 

If you do try this, let me know  

 

they use Tmobile towers

[79wjd]

Ting exists in the US. Well that's news to me. 

[Drak3]

2 minutes ago, NonaHexa said:

I'm using Verizon's prepaid service where you simply pay for service from them and use the provided SIM card. You can find the kits at Walmart for $50 and they come with one month of service already. My $40 plan gives me 3GB of data, but if you put a card on your account for auto-renewal every month, they'll give you an extra 2GB of data.

 

The only thing I'm unsure about is whether they offer tethering, as I've never tried.

Verizon uses CDMA, and BYOD is shoddy with them. Tethering costs extra.

 

Being a former Cricket and Verizon member, and currently with AT&T, the only things keeping me from switching back to Verizon are

A) Phone payments on one of my S8s

B) Tethering and hotspot

C) Both my phones are on a business plan, so I'm effectively paying $40 per phone for unlimited data, talk, and text. Would cost $100+ on any other halfway decent carrier.

 

[79wjd]

1 minute ago, Drak3 said:

Verizon uses CDMA, and BYOD is shoddy with them. Tethering costs extra.

 

Being a former Cricket and Verizon member, and currently with AT&T, the only things keeping me from switching back to Verizon are

A) Phone payments on one of my S8s

B) Tethering and hotspot

C) Both my phones are on a business plan, so I'm effectively paying $40 per phone for unlimited data, talk, and text. Would cost $100+ on any other halfway decent carrier.

 

Verizon has free hotspot (and has had for at least three years). 

[TheKDub]

Found some other AT&T MVNOs...

- Black Wireless - $30/mo unlimited talk/text, 2.5GB fast 4G LTE, 128kbps after first 2.5GB per month

- H2O Wireless - $30/mo unlimited talk/text, 3GB 4G LTE, 2G after first 3GB per month

 

Has anyone here used any of these three?

[Drak3]

2 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

Verizon has free hotspot (and has had for at least three years). 

Only seeing it on their new unlimited plan, which is not three years old, pretty sure it isn't even a year old. And even then, limited by speed (600Kbps), unless you, drum roll, pay more.

[79wjd]

4 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

Only seeing it on their new unlimited plan, which is not three years old, pretty sure it isn't even a year old. And even then, limited by speed (600Kbps), unless you, drum roll, pay more.

I've been able to use my phone as a hotspot for free for the past three years. And I've been on the Verizon Plan and the My Everything Plan before that. 

[Drak3]

Just now, djdwosk97 said:

I've been able to use my phone as a hotspot for free for the past three years. And I've been on the Verizon Plan and the My Everything Plan before that. 

Unless you're running a custom ROM or circumvented Verizon via update or custom script, you've been paying for it without realizing it.

 

[79wjd]

Just now, Drak3 said:

Unless you're running a custom ROM or circumvented Verizon via update or custom script, you've been paying for it without realizing it.

 

I don't pay for it. I carefully keep track of my bill. 

[Drak3]

Just now, djdwosk97 said:

I don't pay for it. I carefully keep track of my bill. 

Then you've done something to circumvent it. Or you don't quite understand your bill.

[79wjd]

2 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

Then you've done something to circumvent it. Or you don't quite understand your bill.

I understand my bill perfectly, and no I have not. I just turn mobile hotspot on and off. That's it. And I know for a fact I don't pay for it. 

[TheKDub]

I guess the other option here is AT&T PREPAID if that's any good.

[Drak3]

Just now, djdwosk97 said:

I understand my bill perfectly, and no I have not. I just turn mobile hotspot on and off. That's it. 

At no point in the past has Verizon allowed mobile hotspot as a free feature on stock ROMs on anything less than multiple line business plans, and the minimum has been 10 lines on that.

 

It's either one, or the other. Unless you are lying.

[kagarium]

Cricket seems to have a pretty good plan for $35/month. Unlimited talk/text, including to Canada and Mexico if that turns you on. 4GB data with no overages, 8mbs max speed. They use AT&T networks so coverage should be fairly good coverage. No contract and its BYOP.

[79wjd]

1 minute ago, Drak3 said:

At no point in the past has Verizon allowed mobile hotspot as a free feature on stock ROMs on anything less than multiple line business plans, and the minimum has been 10 lines on that.

 

It's either one, or the other. Unless you are lying.

 

[Drak3]

3 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

 

Those are new plans, none of which existed as they do now prior to Verizon adding unlimited. Past 2 years, Verizon has been restructuring their plan hierachy. I was a customer from late 2014 to late 2016, for exactly 2 years. I qualified to "renegotiate" my contract when every new plan came out. None of them ever had mobile hotspot included, it was always an addon that I could pay inyo.

[79wjd]

1 minute ago, Drak3 said:

Those are new plans, none of which existed as they do now prior to Verizon adding unlimited. Past 2 years, Verizon has been restructuring their plan hierachy. I was a customer from late 2014 to late 2016, for exactly 2 years. I qualified to "renegotiate" my contract when every new plan came out. None of them ever had mobile hotspot included, it was always an addon that I could pay inyo.

The "Verizon Plan" is two years old and the "My Everything Plan" is four years old. 

[Drak3]

Just now, djdwosk97 said:

The "Verizon Plan" is two years old and the "My Everything Plan" is four years old. 

The names are, the actual plans are rather recent.

[79wjd]

Just now, Drak3 said:

The names are, the actual plans are rather recent.

And yet, somehow I've gotten free mobile hotspot for the last four years on those plans. 

[Drak3]

Just now, djdwosk97 said:

And yet, somehow I've gotten free mobile hotspot for the last four years on those plans. 

And somehow, no one else has without rooting to install updates without Verizon's involvement or running custom roms.

[79wjd]

30 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

And somehow, no one else has without rooting to install updates without Verizon's involvement or running custom roms.

http://techland.time.com/2012/06/13/verizon-share-everything-plans/

2012, the "More Everything Plan" includes free wifi. 

And it was still true in 2014: http://techland.time.com/2014/02/04/hotspot-share-your-phones-mobile-data-with-other-devices/

Still free in 2015: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-201509100800--tms--kplngmpctnkm-a20151002-20151002-story.html 

 

.... 

 

And I'm sure I'll see the exact same things for any version of the More Everything and Verizon Plan regardless of what year I look at between 2014 (if not earlier) and now. 

[Zodiark1593]

3 hours ago, Drak3 said:

And somehow, no one else has without rooting to install updates without Verizon's involvement or running custom roms.

I thought a factory unlocked phone wouldn't give two craps about carrier hotspot restrictions, like with custom roms.

[Drak3]

4 hours ago, Zodiark1593 said:

I thought a factory unlocked phone wouldn't give two craps about carrier hotspot restrictions, like with custom roms.

Stock ROMs verify if hotspot is an available feature. Both my S8s, and technically every S8, are manufacturer unlocked, and they verify that I can use hotspot or tethering every time I use it.