Author Topic: Cheapest Verizon MVNO plan for iPhone 6s - mail, light browsing, some google map  (Read 3305 times)

RedMaple

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I'm looking for the cheapest Verizon MVNO plan but I'm not sure how many gigs I need - I'm primarily going to be using it for mail and very light browsing. Although I may have to use google maps once a month for a couple of minutes - I think 2 gigs is more than enough no? My company reimburses money for cell phones. But I'd rather keep some than spend it all.

zolotiyeruki

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Daley

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RedMaple, it's seriously the same answer and the same short list of Verizon MVNOs with the same iPhone 6s caveats that I told you three months ago when you last asked this. Really and truly.

Selectel (official recommendation - oldest non-America Movil provider, has roaming) or Puppy Wireless (unofficial - Kitty Wireless owned, but still new and no roaming). The other two options (Tracfone and Page Plus) are owned by the same corporate overlords now, and you know my feelings on Carlos Slim's offerings.

Going 6s may be a PITA for activation with a Verizon MVNO, though, as the IMEI/ESN MUST be in the Verizon database for activation, so no buying the unlocked T-Mobile handset and bringing it over, and buying the Verizon handset requires activating a line and account for at least a month with Verizon postpaid first. Get a used Verizon branded 6 instead with a clean ESN/IMEI that's not under contract or buy a 6 from Selectel directly.

As for plans, Selectel's cheapest LTE plan is their $100/year for 2000 minutes and 2000 SMS messages with 2.5MB of data for MMS, and no mobile data without buying $10 Flex Cards for data billed at 5¢/MB. The annual plan is a use it or lose it, but the Flex Card balance doesn't expire. After the first year, so long as you have Flex Card balance active on the account, you can technically (for the time) get PAYGO going for 5¢/minute/SMS/MB - but the Flex Cards are technically designed to be paired only with an ongoing monthly or annual plan, and not meant to be used alone. It is a billing fluke that others have used, however, with great success in the past.

Puppy's best priced LTE plan is $15/month for 250 minutes, plus 250 SMS messages, plus 100MB of data, and as this is a monthly plan, there's no balance rollover. Strictly use it or lose it, and over-use it, you're going to need to cover overages. There's also a $10/month plan, but it's only 60 minutes, 60 SMS and 2.5MB of data. Puppy does not offer annual plans.

Unfortunately, you're wanting to play with the most expensive phone on the most expensive network. Them's the prices, no matter how little you use. Selectel's probably your best bet between the annual plan and $10 Flex Cards for a rough monthly cost of $9.34 (that's assuming your data use doesn't spike with the new phone). You can potentially get marginally cheaper "per month" [with Tracfone] as has been pointed out, but their service level and account management is something that leaves me incapable of saying nice things, and the actual cost per minute/message/MB isn't that hot. That's also assuming you can even activate a Verizon iPhone 6 on their Android 3x plan on the Verizon network. And I won't even get into the possible nightmare scenarios with them and ESN locking/blacklisting...

About the only thing I might add that I failed to do last time is that even if I were willing to recommend Page Plus anymore, it doesn't really matter because Page Plus isn't even an option if you want to activate LTE service and spend less than $30/month. The same potential nightmare ESN locking issue still hasn't disappeared with any Verizon MVNO option from Carlos Slim's brands, as well. And that's not even factoring if any of the other independent Verizon MVNOs even has your 6S on their whitelist to permit activation to begin with!

This also isn't even taking into consideration the issue of reception. If reception is that spotty for you in your current area, you probably shouldn't be using an iPhone to begin with. They consistently have some of the weakest antenna designs in the industry.

As for data use, 2GB, seriously? You got by on the Airvoice $10/month plan for years on your old iPhone 4, you're still asking for the "cheapest" Verizon MVNO possible to run your redonculous shiny new 6S, and you think you now need 2GB of data? With GPS maps at that!? Hedonic adaptation, much? There's no shortage of offline GPS maps now, even for iPhone. Use one! Especially since the most expensive mobile data on any mobile network is the 4G LTE mobile data from any of the Verizon MVNOs!

I'm quoting myself again here, because it apparently needs repeated:

Unfortunately, you're wanting to play with the most expensive phone on the most expensive network. Them's the prices, no matter how little you use.

You asked for advice in September, you didn't listen then, and now you're about to face the reality headache that I tried to warn you about and help you avoid. You readily accepted my advice with a good outcome years ago, why stop listening to me now? Bottom line, you need to accept what's out there and the restrictions tied to it, or don't. These are your options, you really aren't going to find much better for the money, and ignoring it really isn't going to change anything. My only hope and greatest concern for you right now is that they'll be able to activate your $700 phone at all.



Try this list:
http://bestmvno.com/verizon-mvnos/

Sorry Zolotiyeruki, but that's got to be one of the most functionally worthless lists I've ever seen. No details on which plans work with which handsets, whether BYOD is even permitted with the plans, and their list of Verizon MVNOs and service packages is woefully incomplete, especially on the PAYGO end. It's something that's about as useful as linking to the Wikipedia list of US MVNOs and sorting it by host network, only the Wikipedia article doesn't slip in stealth referral links.
« Last Edit: December 26, 2015, 05:39:24 PM by I.P. Daley »

DeltaBond

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If you stay with that network, I'd say 2 gigs.  That's how much I had, and I never went over.  I was using it for the same things as you, but don't leave the mobile network turned on.  I would also like to add that you might do just as well with Tracfone - they use Verizon's network and you can pay as you go.

HPstache

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Two gigs at the most... and monitor it using the my Verizon ap.  If you find you are consistently staying under one gig Verizon has made it very easy to jump between their data plans. My wife and I share two gigs very easily.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!