Verizon Americas Choice vs Nation Single Rate

[smanZ71]

Anyone know the actual difference between these two?
Would the single rate alleviate ANY roaming charges, or is there still charges if you are out of
their network?

[aznmp3]

Being a Verizon Greenhorn [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img], America's Choice provides you service from coast to coast on the Verizon + it's affiliate's networks. The AC also provides you with Night and Weekend minutes. The SingleRate plan allows you to roam anywhere possible, without any roaming charges. But you do not get any Night and Weekend Minutes, or anything like that. The other's will respond to clarify / rectify what I just said.

[smanZ71]

So if the Americas Choice's coverage seems to be enough (Which it is) this would be a better choice, correct?

I am currently debating dropping my Cingular service (well giving to wife and switching mine) to get a better signal in my building/Dulles Area. Others have Verizon with good signal str indoors. Although, other cingular people here can also get a useable signal. Still trying to determine if it is my new V60t. Gonna return it tonight and try a different one before I switch. Wish they had more flip tops to choose from.

Does the Long Distance coverage only for calls made from AND to their network? Would calling my home when I am on travel be charged?

[bobolito]

America's Choice only charges extra when you roam outside the network. While you're in, all US long distance is included, so you can call anywhere in the US, even if the destination of the call is outside the AC limits.

[BillRadio]

smam,
Verizon's web site has a button to compare the America's Choice and SingleRate plans. The biggest difference is the cost. Otherwise, just check the AC map to see if all areas you want service are covered.

There are no long distance charges FROM your Verizon phone (on these plans) to anywhere in the USA. People calling your, say, Dallas cell phone number, would only pay LD if a Dallas call is LD to THEM. It does not matter where you are when they call.

-Bill

Sman,

America's Choice and the National Single Rate are VASTLY different. There is continuous complaint on this and most other wireless forums about the major, major gaps in the AC coverage areas.

Simply, National Single Rate allows you to use your phone ANYWHERE in the USA that there is cellular service. You pay NO ROAMING charges in any of the 50 States (plus DC). It doesn't matter whose tower you are on.

With AC you WILL PAY ROAMING charges if you happen to wander off of Verizon towers -- or those of closely allied companies (the list of which changes constantly). YOU -- and y ou alone -- need to constantly check your phone to see if it indicates roaming -- if it does, you pay if you use it! The exact areas covered by AC are not well defined -- at least from all of the comments on the various forums -- and it keeps changing, sometimes daily. It appears to be difficult if not impossible to find out exactly where the boundaries are. And VZ Customer Service seems to be unable to tell you in enough detail. There are many, many small pockets of "non service" -- such as 5 miles of some Interstate -- surrounded by areas of Verizon service. These little details seem to drive people nuts.

Since you posted on a Southern forum, I assume your interest is the SouthEast. There are many areas in the South -- especially north Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Eastern Tennesee -- that are patchworks of Verizon and non-Verizon services. People in those areas complain constantly about the non-boundaries and the inability to determine exactly where those are.

In addition, as has been said, NSR is viewed as a "business" rate plan. There are NO PROMOTIONS such as free weekend/night minutes, or 'family share' available with NSR.

Having said that, if you don't leave the Verizon service areas the AC plan is fine. The Mid-Atlantic area is mostly Verizon and you would probably be well served by the AC plan. But there are pockets -- West Virginia being a biggy, parts of eastern NC, the odd stretch of I-81 -- where you will roam off the VZ network and you will pay....

If you want a plan that GUARANTEES no roaming charges, you need to get either VZ NSR or a plan such as Cingular's.

As for LD: Long Distance is included in the AC charges as long as you are not roaming. You can call ANYWHERE in the USA on your plan minutes without additional charge as long as you are not roaming. If you are roaming, you pay additional for LD. The recpient phone does not have to be within the VZ AC area. So if you are within the AC area you can phone home (or anywhere else on your plan minutes). If you have NSR, EVERYWHERE in the USA is local to you. You can make and receive calls freely wherever you are and wherever you are calling.

Note that when talking about "long Distance' and 'cellular', a call is considered to be 'Long Distance' if it terminates outside of the area from which it was made. Not from where your phone is based. For example, if you live in Fairfax Virginia and are traveling to Los Angeles, a call back to Virginia would be Long Distance; a call to a phone in Los Angeles would not. (You would not be charged for the call since LA is within the AC area.)

Another note: If you are roaming, you pay for all INCOMING calls -- and will almost assuredly pay long distance FROM your home area. If, for example, you are traveling in Bend Oregon (outside of the AC area and thus roaming) and someone calls your phone number in Virginia, you will pay for the AIRTIME used in Oregon to answer the call plus you will pay the long distance charges for the call to be sent from your home number in Virginia to your phone which is now in Bend.

[bobolito]

I am not sure if I understood correctly that extensive previous post. However, this is what I understood:

1) If I live in NYC and have a NYC cellphone number but I am in Los Angeles inside the AC network and my wife calls my America's Choice phone from my home phone in NYC, she will not be charged for long distance because she is calling a local NYC number, and I will not be charged for roaming or long distance because I am inside the AC network and all incoming and outgoing calls only count my plan minutes.

2) Same scenario as above, but I am outside the AC network. This time my wife will not be charged for long distance because she is calling a local NYC number, but I will be charged for BOTH roaming and long distance because both incoming and outgoing calls are billed for roaming and long distance while outside the AC network.

3) Same scenario as #1 but I am calling my cousin's home number in Los Angeles and I am standing in front of his apartment door waiting for him to open the door. I will not be charged for roaming or long distance since I am inside the AC network and all incoming and outgoing calls only count my plan minutes.

4) I picked up my cousin and drove to a suburb outside LA and my NYC phone is not in the AC network anymore. I am calling my cousin's daughter to tell her I am a block away from her house and that she can come outside. I will be charged BOTH roaming and long distance to call her house because I am outside the AC network, therefore all incoming and outgoing calls are billed for roaming and long distance.

Are all of the above statements true or false?

[BillRadio]

bobolito,
1. True

2. False. While roaming, the .69/min. roaming fee INCLUDES LD. However, Verizon says they will charge an additional fee of .20/min. for INCOMING calls. But I haven't heard of anyone complaining about paying this fee.

3. True

4. False. See #2.

-Bill

[smanZ71]

Thanks for the information. I figured it was like that but was a little unclear.

The question is not important to me now, since I went back to Cingular and got a replacement phone and it was indeed the phone that was causing my signal strenght problem. New phone I am getting a decent 2 bars digital at my desk which is on the interior of the building. Beats no service at least.

I also found out I couldn't have moved my wife's number to my plan even if I wanted to. Especially since that specific Nationwide plan is no longer being offered. Which I knew that was comign I may have upgraded to the next one up to get more anytime minutes.

Thanks for all the information.

[bobolito]

Ok Bill, so does that mean that while roaming outside the AC network incoming calls will cost $0.89/min (0.69+0.20) but outgoing calls will cost only $0.69/min? That will make a lot of people say: "Let me call you back."

[BillRadio]

Bobolito,
You are correct, if you believe Verizon's web site. I have not read of one person experiencing Verizon's "Call Delivery Fee". But just for the reason you mention, this seems to be just a silly annoyance. If callers know of this in advance, like someone calling you from home, they can call, you don't answer, they hang up, you look at caller ID and call back. This pretty much defeats the purpose of this charge. It just becomes an annoyance. I doubt if it ultimately will make ANY extra income for Verizon.

But as I have pointed out, either people just aren't answering, or they really aren't charging this fee, because nobody has mentioned it in any newsgroup since Verizon started 'charging' it this Spring. It doesn't apply to my plan.

-Bill