Alltel and roaming

[GiGi1977]

One of my family members has activated 2 phones with Alltel and the phones keep showing roaming. They called and they said that if the roaming is flashing on the phone then it doesn't charge you but if it's a solid roam, you would be charged! I called and the Alltel Rep. said that you don't get charged for roaming with the Nationwide My Circle Family Choice Plus plan. Is that true? We don't want to be charged for something that AT&T didn't charge us for. They are working outside of our home state (FL) and that's the reason we wanted to get the better plan and coverage (our area has great coverage with Alltel!). Should we wait for the first bill or send the phones back now?! The Rep. made a note on the account that we should not be charged for roaming but you can never be sure!
Thanks!

[KyleAndMelissa22]

Originally Posted by GiGi1977 They said that if the roaming is flashing on the phone then it doesn't charge you but if it's a solid roam, you would be charged! I called and the Alltel Rep. said that you don't get charged for roaming with the Nationwide My Circle Family Choice Plus plan. Is that true?

Yup, as long as the phone blinks roaming, then you will not be charged for roaming.

The PRL on your phone will always select the preferred roaming systems, which blink roaming.
Only if none are available, which is very rare,
then a non-preferred system hitting your phone is possible,
in which case you will be charged 59 cents per minute & 40 cents long distance per minute.

Bottom line, throughout Florida, and most of the US, you should be fine.

But, If you ever somehow get charged roaming by accident, just call Alltel CS,
explain the situation, and they should credit your account.

[GiGi1977]

Originally Posted by KyleAndMelissa22 Yup, as long as the phone blinks roaming, then you will not be charged for roaming. The PRL on your phone will always select the preferred roaming systems, which blink roaming. Only if none are available, which is very rare, then a non-preferred system hitting your phone is possible, in which case you will be charged 59 cents per minute & 40 cents long distance per minute. Bottom line, throughout Florida, and most of the US, you should be fine. But, If you ever somehow get charged roaming by accident, just call Alltel CS, explain the situation, and they should credit your account.

Right now we're in the Indiana/Kentucky area and apparently there isn't that many Alltel towers in this area. The Rep. told me that we wouldn't know for sure until we got our 1st bill BUT that's an outrageous amount to pay. From all that I have read, they'll charge you for what you've used if you decide to cancel, so .99 cents a minute is high!

Can I look online after 48 hrs. and see how the calls are being billed?
Thanks!

[KyleAndMelissa22]

Originally Posted by GiGi1977 Right now we're in the Indiana/Kentucky area and apparently there isn't that many Alltel towers in this area.

OK there are no Alltel towers in Indiana, only roaming systems,
and only few areas in Kentucky have Alltel, like Owensboro & Paducah, otherwise roaming.
now there are parts of Kentucky that have no preferred systems,

like Bluegrass Cellular SID 6490 near Corbin & Somerset, KY
or Appalachian Wireless SID 1290, near Elliott, Powell & Lee Counties in KY.

Most bigger cities in the area should be covered by a preferred system.

Originally Posted by GiGi1977 Can I look online after 48 hrs. and see how the calls are being billed? Thanks!

No, but you may check your minutes by calling #668 on your Alltel phone.

On My Account, you can check your call records (reports)
and are updated monthly around the time you get your bill.

[UFO]

Originally Posted by GiGi1977 Can I look online after 48 hrs. and see how the calls are being billed? Thanks!

Most of the payable-roaming areas in KY are east of I-75 running up the middle of KY and generally only in quite rural areas. On the western side around the KY/IN border it should be all free roaming.

The unfortunate thing is that alltel's website, when you log into your account, does not show a list of roaming calls until your actual monthly bill is generated. The only real way to know if you've hit a payable-roam, is to keep an eye on the roaming display on your phone to make sure it doesn't stay solid, or by a result of the bill showing up. If you're really concerned about it, you could add 100 free-to-roam minutes for $10/month for the first few billing cycles, and they can be shared among all lines on your account. Alltel also only allows returns for 15 days if you decide that's the best action for you to take. But in the areas you're describing, I really wouldn't expect any roaming problems.

When I go to the alltel website and pull up the Nationwide My Circle Family Choice Plus, it shows me a map of the National Freedom coverage area, so I would think that it would be possible to get roaming charges. But in the western half of Kentucky, Indiana, and most of Fla., it looks like you should be good.

[GiGi1977]

Originally Posted by KyleAndMelissa22 OK there are no Alltel towers in Indiana, only roaming systems, and only few areas in Kentucky have Alltel, like Owensboro & Paducah, otherwise roaming. now there are parts of Kentucky that have no preferred systems, like Bluegrass Cellular SID 6490 near Corbin & Somerset, KY or Appalachian Wireless SID 1290, near Elliott, Powell & Lee Counties in KY. Most bigger cities in the area should be covered by a preferred system. No, but you may check your minutes by calling #668 on your Alltel phone. On My Account, you can check your call records (reports) and are updated monthly around the time you get your bill.

What does it show for Madison Indiana, Bedford and Carrollton Ky? I'm not sure where those that you have mentioned are located at.

[KyleAndMelissa22]

Originally Posted by GiGi1977 What does it show for Madison Indiana, Bedford and Carrollton Ky? I'm not sure where those that you have mentioned are located at.

Those areas are south and southeast of your area, at least 100 miles away in East Central KY.
You are right along the KY / IN border, so your area will be ok for roaming.