One of the things I do splurge on is my smartphone. Yes, I know about prepay plans and a more basic phone, and this is entirely a want. I don't go out to for entertainment, so I consider my phone part of my entertainment budget. All in all, I pay $75/mo, which includes unlimited data, and the minimum amount of minutes I can get. The data plan is really important for me, as most of my friends are out of state and we keep up by chat or email.
I've had unlimited data for my phone since I first got it. That is $30/mo. Which is cheaper than all other current offerings. Verizon stopped offering the Unlimited plan last June, but those that still had it were allowed to keep it. Now, it seems that they're making a move to get rid of it.
According to the news, Verizon is trying to force people out of Unlimited plans and into what they call "share data". I won't go into the nitty gritty details of it, but what really affects me is that they MAY let users keep their unlimited plans, as long as they give up the subsidy when upgrading phones. That is, that instead of the $100 phone with a 2yr contract, I'll need to pay $550 for the phone myself. I guess that I will need to create a separate fund to pay for my cellphone at full price.
Thankfully it is payday this Friday, so I'll take a second look at my budget.
Just end it all and go back to your phone with a squiggly cord!
ReplyDeletem.
But I can't talk on the phone! I use less than 40min of voice chat every month. Can you say 'phone shy'?
DeleteNot sure how much data you use but if shared plans are cheaper and you get more data it may be better? Most of my usage is also at home with wifi.
ReplyDeleteHS
Verizon hasn't unveiled the whole product yet, but as of right now, the $30 I am paying for unlimited data only buys 2GB of data. I'm sure the 'share plans' will be more in the 10gb, and that wont be cheap. Cheaper for families, but not for individuals.
DeleteI hate cell phones! I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteMan, if it isn't one thing it's another! I mean we all need a little something in our lives and for you it's your smartphone and now they're messing with that! NOT FAIR!! I sincerely sympathize!
ReplyDeleteThey're kneecapping people for phones these days. I'm hopelessly behind the times with my little phone. Hey, I was one of the first people to send texts, back when they were SMS messages more than ten years ago! But now I don't text at all. I'm such a loser. Anyway, one reason I don't step into the fancy phone world right now is because I know it's getting more expensive every day as they realize people are addicted to it.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually quite aware of what you are talking about with Verizon as I follow smartphone tech news. It may not be as bad as you think.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what kind of smartphone you have but if you have an android, you can get a data tracking app, if you do have android, I can recommend one for you.
I have a 1gb data plan and most of my usage is messaging, email, blog reading and some web browsing. I also youtube a couple videos at times and I download a few apps. Coming up to the end of my monthly cycle, I actually end up trying to use up my remaining data as I always have a lot left. Messaging and email doesn't take up that much data even though you may think so.
My data is also within the limits somewhat because I use wifi sometimes when I am home, but even without it, I doubt I would reach my cap. I think the best thing for you to do is to actually find out how much data you actually use in a month and see if any of the new packages will fit that, with a little extra for emergency. If they cost less, make the switch, if not, stick to unlimited.
In Barbados, we don't get carrier subsidies so to me that is a luxury. We only recently started selling phones on contract, but it is more like you pay the full cost of the phone over 3 months by paying extra on your first three bills.
That idea of the subsidy over a number of months is a different idea, for sure. AS long as they dont lock you for 2yrs and still having to pay the full price for the phone, that's not too bad.
DeleteAlways trying to fix what isn't broken. I feel for you man. I pay about $30 for 4 gb of data. If your close to your contract date and you can upgrade let me know so, I have a buddy who operates a ACN company and could get you a good discount on your monthly payment through verizon.
ReplyDeleteI've been looking into switching to TING when my contract is up in July. I think my phone bill will be cut in half without a drastic reduction in services.
ReplyDelete