Prepaid or Low-Cost Verizon Plan Advice

[lady51]

I currently have Verizon's AC service and my contract is ending in March. I am very pleased with the quality of their coverage and customer service, but I just don't make enough calls in a given period of time to justify the cost of the plan I am on. I originally had an analog plan which was grandfathered in from NYNEX/Bell Atlantic which only cost $15 a month (no minutes, but since it was infrequently used it was perfect for me.) Is there a similar plan available now which isn't publicized? Or is pre-paid the equivalent now?

With regards to the pre-paid service, is this actually managed by Verizon or is it a reseller? Is it local or national? (The brochures show it as national but a saleswoman told me it wasn't. Or are there two versions of it?) How is their coverage and customer service? Is it possible to roam on another network in an emergency? Have users experienced any problems with usage tracking or payments? What is the limit on the amount of funds that can be rolled over and what happens if that limit is reached? Is it possible to have an automatic payment each month or does the customer have to remember to pay it himself? Can I use my standard telephone to contact customer service, make payments, check voicemail, check minutes, etc.? If the payments expire, does the account get eliminated immediately or is there a grace period to make a new payment? If I decide to switch, can I transfer my current account or will I have to cancel and start over? Will I need to buy a new telephone? Although there is no contract, are there still penaties if the customer wants to cancel before a certain amount of time? Do I have to make a minimum amount of calls in a given time to keep the service active?

Sorry for all those questions, but I've always had billed service, and the brochure and website aren't very clear on those points. In brief, I have some need for reliable cellular service and really like Verizon Wireless, but I can't afford their plans at this time. Any information or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[kranium007]

Freeup is a great prepay service. i too have a monthly plan, and i have freeup. (i work as an agent for verizon and the freeup phone is one of the demo lines i have)...

it is national. it is run by verizon. and its a very impressive prepaid network. i have been all over with it and it works well. fairly decent rates too. (compared to some other carriers)

30cents peak/ 15cents n&w. good expiration limits on cards too. any trimode verizon phone can be used. you could use your current phone

[jayc]

For example... if you get a $30 card the balance would be good for two months and as long as you add another $30 card within those two it'll extend it another 2 months.

Generally the grace period is around 60 days if you don't reup before your account is wiped.

The rates kranium posted are correct... however in the South area we have a prepaid trial plan. .25 cents connection fee and .10 cents a minuite.

Overall it's been a popular plan here... if you're interested in doing it this way I could probably set it up for you.

Regards

[njsvrzncdma]

prepaid is too expensive and its really for people that have no credit.

[krusty46]

The $30 plan would be a better deal than your original plan since it woudl be good for 2 months ($15 each) and you would actually have minutes included this time--but the phones are expensive and they charge connection fees, which you wouldnt have if you signed a contract.

Other providors offer $19.99 plans, but if you use the phone so infrequently, you'd want the phone to work when you actually do--so stay away from AT&T.

[millenium]

Also, I don't believe that you would be able to use your current number on prepaid service. To my knowledge, there is a separate pool of prepay numbers. In short, you'd have to completely cancel your monthly acct and open a fresh prepay account with a new number. But absolutely, you can use the phone you already have.

[wirelesspr0]

njsvrzncdma, prepaid phones are not only for people that doesn't have credit history. That's a myth. A lot of people use prepaid because they don't talk on the phone too much, students, people on the budget, or people with perfect credit but don't want to pay monthly. Most countries do pre paid because the more flexible plus you can control , how much you spend.

[jrbdmb]

You might want to check with your employer (if you are emplyed at this time). For example, my company has corporate discounts through Verizon, and also offers a $14.95/mo. flat rate plan, I think with $0.25/min airtime.

[daeagle]

I am just curious, which did you end up opting to do?

Thanks

[lady51]

I am giving Virgin Mobile a try. So far it seems to work well enough for my purposes. I must admit I miss my old phone. I'll probably wind up back with Verizon sooner or later.

[Jack]

Try calling Verizon's Customer Service. They might be able to give you a small unadvertised plan.

In my opinion the problem with prepay is that you have to top off the minutes every 2 months or so and if ya forget you have no phone

Jack

[agentHibby]

From what I understand If you are off Verizon's network on prepay "even if it is a free roaming partner" you will charged .99 cents a minute for all of network calls. I could be wrong on this.

[Airb330]

Originally posted by: lady51
I am giving Virgin Mobile a try. So far it seems to work well enough for my purposes. I must admit I miss my old phone. I'll probably wind up back with Verizon sooner or later.

Good choice. They have decent rates, and IMO Sprint coverage isn't too bad. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] My parents both use them and are happy as they don't talk much either.