FreeUp Weekend Minutes

Its a matter of symantics. Nights starts are 9PM. Weekends start at midnight. In the period of Friday night, from 9PM to midnight (Saturday morning) you are in that magical time where you are on "nights" until the start of the weekend minutes which is really the same charge amount and pool of minutes.

Verizon has been famous for some of their double talk over the past several new plan offerings. I have written at least two posts complaining about the double talk. If you need to understand this further, read "Dilbert" by Scott Adams.

P.S. I just came from an IT organization "revamping the way we do business" meeting. In it, the lecturer said: There are now two specific "touch points" for the client. Then the speaker turned to me, put me on the spot in front of everyone and said: Do YOU know what "touch points" are? I stuttered a moment and then said: "Well, based on context, I would venture that a touch point is a means for the client to contact IT operations." (Guess what? I was right! No brownie button though.)

 

so true

Jack

 

and hence the reason Verizon specifies the exact terms.

We ask ourselves: "What is the definition of weekends?" We answer: "From midnight Saturday until...."

We ask ourselves: "When can I take advantage of the extra 200 weekend minutes?" We answer: (Same as above.)

(Now it makes sense to me why Verizon did that in the first place. It was so they could further limit and define blocks of time for usage of specific minutes.)

So though your "nights" starts at 9PM, this special block of bonus minutes they are adding ONLY applies to the span of time defined as "weekend."

So far, ATT (just as an exemple of a contrast) has not resorted to this tactic, but I suppose it is possible. Currently ATT has unlimited "nights and weekends." "Nights" is defined as 8PM until 7AM (or is that 6AM, I forget). Weekends is defined as starting at 8PM Friday and running through 7AM Monday. But if ATT started to split out "weekends" from "nights" then I would forsee the same type of scenario where the time for the start of "weekends" is not adjunct to beginning of "nights" on Friday evening.

If you have any experience or exposure to programming (espcially windows) then you can understand the concept of "objects." Once you define an object, you then also define properties and methods. In this case, Verizon defined a new object called "weekends" that has the property of an extra 200 minutes. Though "weekends" also shares some of the same properties of "nights" such as being "off-hours" and sharing another pool of minutes, it is still a separate and distinct object.

too much information????

 

Confusing but understanable Kevin. I really wish Verizon would change how they state there Night and Weekend minutes on there plans. If you read it yes it makes sense but none the less I still think they could change and re-word them a bit. SunCom (Triton PCS) has a simpler and better Night and Weekend minute time I think.


SunCom's Night and Weekend Minutes:

Weekends: Fri. 7pm-Mon. 7am
Nights: Mon.-Thurs. 9pm-7am

 

Dan that's very nice about suncom--but if you noticed--you're in the northeast forum here,
why don't you take a minute to think about suncom's coverage up here

Mooby--maybe you should try putting two and two together--even though verizon "double talks" all you need to do is think of it this way "off peak"

 

Suncom does have coverage--but.............the coverage is very questionable like Att depends on where you are

 

We've noticed how these thinking minds at cellphone companies are burning brain cells to develop these new marketing strategies that not only confuse people but make their offerings look like a lot more usable minutes than what they really are.

If Sprint tells you that you that you get 4000 minutes for $39.99 but Cingular says that you have 500 minutes for the same price and they will give you 3500 bonus night and weekend minutes, the Sprint plan sounds much better, right? Well, it all depends on how they distribute their minutes. If you do the math they are giving you the same (4000 minutes) for the same price. So what's the deal? What if when you look at the details Sprint's plan gives you 350 minutes for the day mon-fri until 9PM and cingular plan already says 500 minutes for that same period? Cingular's plan sounds better now. But wait! Voicestream says they'll give you 600 minutes for the same price! In addition, they throw in unlimited weekend minutes. But be careful with voicestream. Those unlimited minutes are only Saturday and Sunday. They don't give you nighttime minutes which makes your 600 minutes fly by quicker than you think if you are not careful. So we really have to read the fine print with these new plans coming out everyday.

Verizon in no exception. When they say night starts at 9PM and ends at 7AM Mon-Fri and weekends start at 12AM Saturday and ends Sunday at 11:59PM, they are really saying the same that other companies say only in a different way. For instance, Cingular calls them off-peak minutes and they go from 9pm - 7am Mon thru Thurs. and Fri from 9pm until mon 7am. So if you add-up the time, it comes up to the same hours per week. That is:

Mon 12am - 7am and 9pm - 11:59pm
Tue 12am - 7am and 9pm - 11:59pm
Wed 12am - 7am and 9pm - 11:59pm
Thu 12am - 7am and 9pm - 11:59pm
Fri 12am - 7am and 9pm - 11:59pm
Sat 12am - 11:59pm
Sun 12am - 11:59pm

So, when you begin talking Friday night at 9pm you start using your off-peak minutes and at 12am Friday night turns into Saturday but then you are still using off-peak minutes because that's when your weekend minutes start. So the result is a continuous block of off-peak minutes from 9pm on friday night until 7am monday morning. Your 200 bonus weekend minutes are only applied to Saturday and Sunday so they do not apply if you start using your phone at 12:01 am on Monday morning even though you are still in the off-peak period. So if you start using your phone at 11pm on sunday you are using your bonus 200 minutes but after midnight Sunday turns into Monday morning and that's not part of the weekend anymore. Instead that becomes part of the "night" minutes that go until 7am on Monday morning.

Really confusing...sheezz!

 

Good post, bobolito. By the way I was NOT recommending SunCom or anything I was just stating I wish Verizon's night and weekend minutes were less confusing and more like SunCom's there pretty straight forward and easy to understand.

 

Yes, I was thinking of more common analogies to use, but then I decided I was beating a dead horse. The fact is, as one poster indicated, it is just as simple as remembering the terms and how they are defined.

 

By the way Kevin, I saw your analogy and it was pretty good for me since I know Visual Basic...but I bet it sounded like chinese to those without object oriented computer programming skills

 

Nahh I understood it

 

My God! Why in the world would they make this plan so frustrating to comprehend? I mean, cell phones were supposedly created to make life easier, right? Why are peak minutes so expensive, do they cost the carriers more? Is it like the internet and it slows down with more traffic? I don't understand the whole picture apparently. I think it's nuts that you can't get unlimited calling on phones for a flat fee of 79.00-99.00 and the wireless companies are much like the credit card companies, inasmuch as they prey on the people who use more minutes than their plan allows like the cc companies prey on the people who carry a balance.

Just out of curiosity, what makes pre-paid minutes so appealing? (I see what makes it confusing)

I can think of only one reason I would use such a thing........ Going over my monthly minutes and being raped on the price of minutes. I had one instance in my life of going over and my bill went from $42.50 - $210.00 for a difference of 120+ minutes. Now I always keep tabs on my minutes remaining and if I need more, my plan allows me to switch back and forth with my rate plans. Still I have to admit, I don't see the point of having a pre-paid cell phone. Can anyone clarify? Also, which pre-paid phones are the best on the market and which companies are worthwhile?

 

prepaid service is for light users--for ie I can purchase a $50.00 card minutes cost =$.30 and verizon is giving 200 bonus off peak minutes, that $50.00 will give me 166 peak minutes for sixty days and or 500 off peak minutes, and plus that promotion of the free 200 off peak minutes, it's actually cheaper than purchasing a phone for just emergencies. you can also purchase lesser amounts for less minutes. Any phone that you want to spend the money on that the prepaid carrier has is yours if you want. It is not necessary to purchase "packages".

prepaid service is also for those who want a cell phone but can't pass a credit check

 

Thanks, that explains it in a nutshell

 

The people I know who use prepaid all have bad credit, or are high school kids who either want a phone because everyone else has one (but they're under 18) or whose parents got them a prepaid phone because they wanted the kid to have a phone but don't trust the kid not to overuse the phone. Since all prepaid minutes have an expiration date, it makes basically no sense to get prepaid because you still have to spend money every so often even if you never use the phone. If you want a phone for emergencies, just get someone's old used phone... I kept my old phone when I upgraded and gave it to my grandmother so she could use it to call 911 if she needed to. Cingular assured me that the phone will always have access to 911 even without a plan on it. As for non-911 emergencies, just get a calling card and walk to a pay phone if it's not urgent enough to warrant calling 911.

 

hey anon--guest your just a young-on--there are many people that I know with excellent credit who use prepay and also have regular service---

 

the question is... when can prepay be cheaper than a monthly plan? Before I got my phone and became instantly addicted, I had considered prepay, not expecting to use my phone much. At the time, omnipoint (pre-vs) was the only prepay in my area that was under 50 cents per minute (about 42 cents when bought in $50 increments). That meant $50 every other month (minutes were good for 60 days). I signed up for Cellular one (Cingular) at $30 per month and MUCH less cost per minute... I'm sure prepaid must have gotten at least a little cheaper since then, but since the minutes expire and you end up with a monthly (bi-monthly, whatever) cost, it seems pretty, well... stupid. Unless you can't get approved for a monthly plan or you can't sign a contract or plan to use the phone a few times and throw it out (without a cancellation fee).

 

minutes don't really expire--as soon as you re-up the minutes you had left on your phone carry over--so you actually don't lose any minutes--unless you don't use the phone

 

Pre-paid can be cheaper for the emergency type of user. Here is an example lets say you choose Cingular Wireless Pre-paid well there cards start at only $20 and are good for 90 days, thats only $6.66 per month if you don't use more then just the one $20 card. Rates are 10 cents a minute with them on the night and weekend and 35 cents any other time. Now granted most of the time people use more minutes then they think, and for anything other then light usage pre-paid is more expensive I will agree but if you just need a phone for an emergency use or light use pre-paid can be cheaper.

 

one of the negatives that I see with pre-pay is that the minutes do expire. Most of the people that have prepay for just emergencies may forget to re-up their prepay minutes and then not be able to ust the phone anyways.


Jack

 

nice post TNDan21

if people forget to re-up then they have to pay again to have the phone activated--but you constantly have reminders-so by not reupping I would say that it would just be negligence--or hopefully not some other disaster that may have happened..........................you just need to be AWARE

 

Well, if I have to keep reupping my prepaid phone so I don't loose them, I still have to keep paying anyways. In that case, if I was I light user I would be better off getting a $20 dollar/month plan from Cingular or Voicestream and not have to worry about my minutes expiring. However, if I needed an emergency-only phone just to call 911, I would be better off not getting a plan at all and getting my friend's old analog phone and use it for 911 only since calling 911 still works even if you have no subscription, so it's free. And frankly, I don't see myself having a 911 emergency every 60 or 90 days.

With Cingular or Voicestream plans starting at just $19.99, it would make more sense for me to go that way. Although not Sprint, Verizon or Nextel since they start at $35, and AT&T starts at $29.99.

I can only see myself using prepaid if I had no credit and did not qualify to get a phone at all.

 

also on prepaid you are not charged any taxes fcc, state or otherwise---but yes the cost per minute (peak hours) is definitely more----and one nice thing----is you never ever have a problem with carriers billing problems..............like we read so much about

 

minutes do not really expire as long as you do not forget to re-up, they just keep going and going and going......again as long as you do not go past the expiration date--they roll over

prepaid is somtimes cheaper for ie I have only spent $15.00 from 4/5 to 5/5 (no hidden cost or fees)--so some times usage could cost as little as $5.00 a month and of course you could go to thousands as with any plan---the holder of the phone should be the responsible one

I may, or may not take advantage of verizons family share plan--switching my husbands current plan that would incur a cost of $20.00 plus taxes which is really no big deal (but why should I pay for what I'm not using--I'd rather pay a little more for what I do use)

There are many light and occasional users--having to dial 911 should be for an emergency only--but there are many other type of emergencies also---need to pick a child up from school--and mom is grocery shopping or at the doctors with another child, etc..etc..etc..

 

Well, I think Mooby has a point when he says he wasn't sure which provider to pick. Its a good way to find out if the provider is gonna work for you before you get stuck with a 1-year contract.