Finally free from Verizon bill

[VasyaPupkin]

Feels so nice I just to share- just ported the last line over to Ting from Verizon. It's insane how they wanted $130 a month for one smart and two "dumb" phones with no cheaper options and annual increases in baseline costs. Yeah, sure no unlimited nights and weekends, and data will probably be slow (This is VZW LTE town, and Sprint is just getting there), but at $100 a month savings, who cares ;)

"Your wireless account has been disconnected.
You can view, download and print copies of your billing statement and make payments.
If you are enrolled in our Auto Bill Pay program, your automatic payments will continue until your balance is 0.
Upon termination of Verizon Wireless services, your final bill will also be mailed to your billing address."

I wonder what the numbers are of people running away from the traditional cell cos to Ting, Republic etc..

[HokieInPa]

+1

Just finished dumping Verizon. I switched to Airvoice about 6 months ago and waited patiently for my wife's phone to come off contract. We have brought our bill down from $130 to $70 and with a little more work I think we can get it down to $50.

I'm not sure there are a ton of people switching, I have told all my non mustachian friends, but none will switch. I don't get it, it's pretty easy way to save $700+ a year

[VasyaPupkin]

The answer I get from my colleagues (all engineers) is that most don't want to loose their unlimited data or voice plans. I keep asking them if they ever even approach the need for them, but it's the "loosing" aspect that seems to prevail. That and the lack of good 4G coverage on Sprint's network at the moment.

[LadyMuMu]

I am counting 10 months until I can get out of my Verizon contract--and my husband's. It has been a HUGE money suck and I can't even use my iPhone with another network--so once we make the switch I guess it will become a fancy mp3 player. Grrrr. Bad decision to say the least. I am more of an apple user and switching to a different operating system for a phone is a little bit daunting.

[Cromacster]

I switched to ptel a few months ago, just switched the wife to ptel last week!  Adios Big Red!

[Daley]

I wonder what the numbers are of people running away from the traditional cell cos to Ting, Republic etc..

It's not as many as you think as people resist change, are greedy, and prefer to complain over do something productive. Postpaid is on the decline, prepaid is on the increase, but it's not rapid, and part of it is likely directly due to market oversaturation.

I am counting 10 months until I can get out of my Verizon contract--and my husband's.

As I've told others, do the math regarding the cost of breaking contract versus staying.

http://www.techmeshugana.com/tools/wirelessroi.html

[tariskat]

I am counting 10 months until I can get out of my Verizon contract--and my husband's. It has been a HUGE money suck and I can't even use my iPhone with another network--so once we make the switch I guess it will become a fancy mp3 player. Grrrr. Bad decision to say the least. I am more of an apple user and switching to a different operating system for a phone is a little bit daunting.

LadyMuMu, I switched and my iPhone remains my primary texting machine; my fam uses iPhones and the iMessage feature works until you're out of wifi.  So I still use my iPhone for texting, and internet access, and email when I'm at work or home.  And my new dumb-phone is my texter when I'm on the bus or in-transit.  So it's not just an mp3 player! :)

[VasyaPupkin]

It's also funny hearing- "what, I have to PAY for a new phone? But I get it for free with my current carrier".  Well, do the math :)

I wonder what the numbers are of people running away from the traditional cell cos to Ting, Republic etc..

It's not as many as you think as people resist change, are greedy, and prefer to complain over do something productive. Postpaid is on the decline, prepaid is on the increase, but it's not rapid, and part of it is likely directly due to market oversaturation.

http://www.techmeshugana.com/tools/wirelessroi.html

[Retired thks to MMM]

I dumped Verizon this week also, $95 dollars a month for an old 3G Verizon "unlimited" plan.  For $25 dollars a month with Republic I get unlimited everything a base savings of $75 a month!!!

I used the Republic Moto X for the last month and like it in every way as much as the Verizon service that I had.

Gotta admit that I feel a little stupid myself for not switching sooner because I was afraid of losing the "unlimited" Verizon plan that they weren't offering anymore. 

Thanks to MMM for the $19 dollar savings in the first month and glad he gets some $s for the advice (wish there would have been a mustaschian face slap to have done it earlier!).

[Daley]

I dumped Verizon this week also, $95 dollars a month for an old 3G Verizon "unlimited" plan.  For $25 dollars a month with Republic I get unlimited everything a base savings of $75 a month!!!

I used the Republic Moto X for the last month and like it in every way as much as the Verizon service that I had.

Gotta admit that I feel a little stupid myself for not switching sooner because I was afraid of losing the "unlimited" Verizon plan that they weren't offering anymore. 

Thanks to MMM for the $19 dollar savings in the first month and glad he gets some $s for the advice (wish there would have been a mustaschian face slap to have done it earlier!).

I suspect that if you'd given the Superguide a read first (linked in the sigline) and done the math, you probably could have taken your existing Verizon handset (which I suspect is a 3G model given what you said) to Page Plus and comfortably survived on their $30/month plan (closer to what you'll be paying with Republic after taxes and fees, so closer to $70/month savings - but Page Plus only charges sales tax since that stuff is rolled in, which is a fraction of the separately billed taxes) with barely any modification to your usage outside of perhaps some data discipline. Same money saved, but not in the hole for $300 for needless lifestyle inflation, more environmental damage feeding the electronics market, less service coverage, sub-optimal service, and a more draconian terms of service contract. Just remember, "unlimited" is a sucker's game, nobody needs it.

Even if you bought into the "unlimited" trap and paid Page Plus $40 a month, so long as you kept your data under 500MB (which is easy to do with minimal planning), by keeping your existing phone versus the $300 Moto X, it would take over two years with Republic before you'd even approach breaking even with that additional buy-in cost versus the easiest available alternative to switch to.

The good news is, you're only a week in. It's not too late to save even more money. Look at Kitty Wireless, and give it some thought.

[wtjbatman]

Still fighting the good fight against Republic Wireless, huh Daley?

Wondering if a RW truck ran over your cat or something ;)

[Daley]

Still fighting the good fight against Republic Wireless, huh Daley?

So long as this is supposed to be a community who eschews blatant consumerism and needless lifestyle inflation for betterment of self and community, and allows logic and mathematics to lead in the decision making process... yes.

I thought someone boasting to be the World's Greatest Detective would've already figured that out.

[greenmimama]

Are all of these more affordable plans you all talk about available to me too, I live way out in the country and the only carrier that we can get service from is Verizon, is their one of these places that uses the verizon towers, or  away I would be able to know for sure before switching over? We get our phones at a pretty good discount through my DHs work, but it's not as cheap as what you are talking about.

[Rollin]

+1

Just finished dumping Verizon. I switched to Airvoice about 6 months ago and waited patiently for my wife's phone to come off contract. We have brought our bill down from $130 to $70 and with a little more work I think we can get it down to $50.

I'm not sure there are a ton of people switching, I have told all my non mustachian friends, but none will switch. I don't get it, it's pretty easy way to save $700+ a year

I did the switch to Ting regardless of penalty (early cancellation fees) on two phones.  By the time I figured in the savings I was even after 4 months.  Had I stayed with Verizon I would still be paying very high rates until the contracts cancelled - over a year from now!

Also, Ting will refund you part of your early termination fees.

[Daley]

Are all of these more affordable plans you all talk about available to me too, I live way out in the country and the only carrier that we can get service from is Verizon, is their one of these places that uses the verizon towers, or  away I would be able to know for sure before switching over? We get our phones at a pretty good discount through my DHs work, but it's not as cheap as what you are talking about.

Page Plus = Verizon towers.

[LadyMuMu]

I am counting 10 months until I can get out of my Verizon contract--and my husband's.

As I've told others, do the math regarding the cost of breaking contract versus staying.

http://www.techmeshugana.com/tools/wirelessroi.html

Thanks for the advice and link. Unfortunately I have done the math and since our devices are both locked iPhone 4S there's a significant loss in having to get new devices PLUS buying out our contract. It doesn't even come close to making sense for another 5 more months. These so-called "free" phones have cost us an arm and a leg. HUGE mistake. Lesson learned for me.

Not sure the hubs is on board yet which also make buying out of one contract more expensive. I'm taking this as a learning opportunity to really do some thorough research so the day our contract is up, I can switch with certainty. I suspect after a month or so, I can convince my husband to jump ship too. Until then, I just grit my teeth and smile as I point to the big number in our budget meeting each month.

[mm1970]

The answer I get from my colleagues (all engineers) is that most don't want to loose their unlimited data or voice plans. I keep asking them if they ever even approach the need for them, but it's the "loosing" aspect that seems to prevail. That and the lack of good 4G coverage on Sprint's network at the moment.

Lucky for me (I'm an engineer) I got my first smart phone for my birthday 6 months ago.  And I never had unlimited data.  I use WiFi at home and at work.

But I do have coworkers who love their data, but then they complain about using it for work.  I rarely use my phone for work.  I don't have my email on it, and I only answer texts from a few people who work for me.  And they know I pay $0.20 per text, so they try not to abuse it!

[iwanttobelive]

I've been doing really well with Airvoice's $10 monthly plan and my unlocked smart phone (Google Nexus). I make all my calls at home and at places with free wifi on Google Voice on the same phone. I switched about 6 months ago on this, its been working great so far. Keep in mind I have no data when I don't have wifi. I try to avoid making calls when I can't use Google voice. But that $10 plan (The unused portion rolls over too, every month) has been lasting very well each month.

My cell phone bill is only $10 a month with this (I do have high speed cable internet at home though).

[FIreDrill]

Congrats on getting free from that Verizon bill!  I get 2 cell phones, unlimited cable internet, and cable TV free from my employer.  Whenever I leave my job I will definitely be looking into some of these cheap cell plans.

[JessieImproved]

Verizon to Pageplus, two lines, went from $150/mo to $42/mo.  I'm on the 12 and hubs is on the 30 (marriage=compromise). 

[lizzzi]

In April, I'm going to get rid of my iPhone 4s and just get the simplest, cheapest, cell phone that is only a phone…does anyone have any suggestions? Or should I buy those pay as you go phones that I see in the supermarket? (Like a tracphone.) I do very little shopping, so have just not been into WalMart or places like that.  I have read I.P. Daley's information, and am a little overwhelmed by it.