Anyone using a prepaid phone plan?
 

I really want to stop paying $145/mo for Verizon for Mrs. Lee's and my iPhones. I'm researching Page Plus and Straight Talk and both look like better options. I'm fine with my iPhone 4s and don't need a new phone every two yrs. with Verizon. Are any of you guys using a plan like PP or ST? Opinion, please?

Consumer cellular, Greatcall/Jitterbug, T-mobile are reputable companies, IMO.
Or, Magic jack or Skype to go through a laptop/pad.

I thought Apple data-plans were cheap.

They should be: If one has to repurchase everything dependent upon the Apple platform, and live entirely in the Apple world.

T-Mobile has bad reception in my area. I mention PP and ST because they use Verizon's network, which is the best and I want to stick with it, but not pay their high prices.

Virgin Mobile

I went with AIO Wireless a month ago on an iPhone 5S and couldn't be happier. It uses AT&Ts network, so coverage is good. $55 a month all in for unlimited everything, although data is throttled after 2GB.

$145 a month isn't bad... I was paying $120 a month EACH for my 2 phones until recently.

AT&T does not work in my house without a Microcell and I am not buying another one of those.

They give you one for free if you beyotch enough.

I use Straight Talk with my iPhone 4S. Been using since the day AT&T contract expired a year and a half ago. Kicked them to the curb the first chance I could and I've been living blissfully contract-free and much less expensively ever since. My monthly bill with AT&T was around $100-$110 and it's now $45 for "unlimited" talk, text & data. In practice I know the data is actually limited to about 2GB a month which most people will never come close to (I only did once and it's because I tethered the crap out of it and used it to download a bunch of stuff on my laptop, which you're really not supposed to do).

Functionally, it's been pretty much flawless. I did experiment with Simple Mobile for a month and it was terrible comparatively, so I went back to ST. ST works fine just about everywhere (including the Caribbean and FL and TX and remote parts of Pennsylvania and New England and other places I've been in the last few months).

I'd recommend it. Why anyone continues to pay market rate for the major carriers' rates is completely unknown to me. Those guys are raping people blind and it really doesn't take much to be able to sidestep it. The only caveats I'd give is that it can be a little bit quirky to set up depending on what phone you have and you have to be at least somewhat technologically competent (know or be able to learn what an APN setting is, find it in your phone's configuration menu and make a few easy edits). For a while it required iPhone users to jailbreak, run a Cydia app like TetherMe and edit the APN settings but now it (I think) natively supports ST APN settings (when I upgraded to iOS7 it worked right away before I got around to re-jailbreaking). Most phones have the APN settings easily accessible in the configuration menu but its hidden on the iPhone which makes things a bit more difficult although once you know how to do it, it's easy and very reliable.

I'm not sure about using ST SIM cards with newer phones like the iPhone 5, 5S and 5C which take "nano" sims as opposed to "micro" SIMs. I use an iPhone 4S and really don't see any compelling reason to "upgrade". The new phones (particularly the Samsung Galaxys) are obnoxiously large but I know a lot of folks like them. I personally hate anything larger than the iPhone 4. Nice, compact, light, etc. Your mileage may vary. Anyway the newer phones take the "nano" SIMs - my understanding is that you can cut down a micro SIM (such as you buy right out of the box from ST) to fit a nano profile but I've not done this and it seems a little bit risky to me (if you mess it up you could be out a few bucks for a new SIM). I believe there are people using ST with nano-SIM phones though, so it's been done. I'm sure at some point ST will offer nano SIMs, maybe they do already - haven't checked. Every one I've ever seen is a micro profile out of the box.

I say go for it. I have no love or loyalty for the telco companies that are just smugly and blatantly ripping people off. Make the switch and liberate yourself I say. And I've no affiliation, just a public service message.

Hmmm. ST is sounding very tempting. I am not, however, very tech savvy about fussing with my iPhone. I will probably need to find a retail location and have one of their folks walk me through things.

I use T-Mobile PP, but ST is the same kind of deal. Go to WalMart and talk to them about doing it. They can fix you up and set you up.

$50/mo saved, times 12, equals $600/yr saved, times 10 years, equals a free vacation.
('We're gonna need a bigger piggybank.')

On a related note, I am looking at Republic Wireless for my son and wife. Any users?

Thanks,
Larry

I looked into prepaid and no-contract plans, but for a family of four iPhones, none were appreciably cheaper than our ATT family plan, and they didn't have the subsidized phone. It looked like for just one or two users who don't mind buying older used phones, the numbers would be better ( for the no-contract plan ).

Note , I carry a Verizon MiFi and have noticed the service has deteriorated considerably in certain big cities w/ dense 4G usage .

If you have a Verizon phone and don't want to change phones, they have unlimited talk/text for $60/mo prepaid-no contract. That is my wife's plan. I am not nearly so chatty and needed a new phone anyways so I went Virgin Mobile. 300 min talk, unlimited text and 3G internet for $30 mo prepaid-no contract. Both plans are working well for us with good coverage in greater LA. This switch saved us about $100/mo.

That sounds pretty good, but Straight Talk still seems like a better deal for the same features. I am fine with my iPhone 4s and don't need to upgrade.

Beigephone.com Switched from verizon which was 90 a month to 32. I'm happy!!

Yes, unfortunately Verizon puts a bomb in their iPhones so they won't work on another carrier unless you jailbreak the phone and turn it into a science experiment. I am unaware of users being able to jump from Verizon to any other carrier and take their existing unmolested iPhone. Since I needed an iPhone anyways, I got one from Virgin configured for Virgin Mobile for the lowest monthly rate. I paid more up front but my monthly service is 1/2 my wife's rate. Payback on the phone is about 8 months and it's all gravy from there.

Most unfortunate. Beigephone.com will flash ANY phone and you still use the network your were previously with!

T-Mobile PP $60/mo.
Crap signal out here on the island. Have to route call through wifi.
I drive over the bridge if I don't want to drop a call.
Scheiss Deutsche Telecom!!
Carter