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- 02-21-2008, 10:53 AM #1SMSGuest
For the cost of one of those $99 unlimited plans (which will be about
$115 after taxes and fees), you could buy about 2150 minutes on a
prepaid network (at about 5.3¢ per minute). That's about 35 hours a
month. Other than certain business people, i.e. realtors, field service,
etc., how many users actually use over 2000 minutes per month?
PagePlus charges as low as 5.3¢/minute for voice, and as low as 3.5¢ per
text message (when you buy the $80 "1400 minute" card at a discounted
price of $74). They also offer unlimited voice minutes for $2.49 a day,
or $75 for a 30 day month.
It seems that too many consumers look at the "unlimited" part, without
understanding that $99 is a) not really $99, and b) not such a great
deal compared to non-unlimited plans, and c) a lot more than they have
to pay for unlimited voice.
› See More: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
- 02-21-2008, 11:02 AM #2Ben SkverskyGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
Great post. You are 1000% correct. I don't even need the 1000 minutes I get
from T-mobile, but I'm only paying $39.99 & that includes free nights &
weekends.
"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For the cost of one of those $99 unlimited plans (which will be about $115
> after taxes and fees), you could buy about 2150 minutes on a prepaid
> network (at about 5.3¢ per minute). That's about 35 hours a month. Other
> than certain business people, i.e. realtors, field service, etc., how many
> users actually use over 2000 minutes per month?
>
> PagePlus charges as low as 5.3¢/minute for voice, and as low as 3.5¢ per
> text message (when you buy the $80 "1400 minute" card at a discounted
> price of $74). They also offer unlimited voice minutes for $2.49 a day, or
> $75 for a 30 day month.
>
> It seems that too many consumers look at the "unlimited" part, without
> understanding that $99 is a) not really $99, and b) not such a great deal
> compared to non-unlimited plans, and c) a lot more than they have to pay
> for unlimited voice.
- 02-21-2008, 11:10 AM #3SMSGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
Ben Skversky wrote:
> Great post. You are 1000% correct. I don't even need the 1000 minutes I get
> from T-mobile, but I'm only paying $39.99 & that includes free nights &
> weekends.
Yes, T-Mobile is a great deal for a lot of peak minutes. Unfortunately
they have no coverage yet where I live, and poor coverage where I
usually travel to.
I pay $30 for 300 minutes and unlimited N&W on Verizon, and I just don't
get into long gab fests during peak times.
- 02-21-2008, 11:45 AM #4RonGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:02:25 -0500, "Ben Skversky"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Great post. You are 1000% correct. I don't even need the 1000 minutes I get
>from T-mobile, but I'm only paying $39.99 & that includes free nights &
>weekends.
>
>
>"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> For the cost of one of those $99 unlimited plans (which will be about $115
>> after taxes and fees), you could buy about 2150 minutes on a prepaid
>> network (at about 5.3¢ per minute). That's about 35 hours a month. Other
>> than certain business people, i.e. realtors, field service, etc., how many
>> users actually use over 2000 minutes per month?
>>
>> PagePlus charges as low as 5.3¢/minute for voice, and as low as 3.5¢ per
>> text message (when you buy the $80 "1400 minute" card at a discounted
>> price of $74). They also offer unlimited voice minutes for $2.49 a day, or
>> $75 for a 30 day month.
>>
>> It seems that too many consumers look at the "unlimited" part, without
>> understanding that $99 is a) not really $99, and b) not such a great deal
>> compared to non-unlimited plans, and c) a lot more than they have to pay
>> for unlimited voice.
>
ATTs previous plans offered 2000 minutes for $99.99
4000 for $149.99 and
6000 for $199.99
Many folks prefer the greater convienence of post-paid plans,
so anyone with any of those three previous plans would be a candidate
for a $99.99 unlimited plan, as would anyopne one the 1350 minutes
$79.99 plan that ever went over and paid 35 cents a minute for that
overage.
- 02-21-2008, 12:17 PM #5SMSGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
Ron wrote:
> ATTs previous plans offered 2000 minutes for $99.99
> 4000 for $149.99 and
> 6000 for $199.99
>
> Many folks prefer the greater convienence of post-paid plans,
> so anyone with any of those three previous plans would be a candidate
> for a $99.99 unlimited plan, as would anyopne one the 1350 minutes
> $79.99 plan that ever went over and paid 35 cents a minute for that
> overage.
I suppose, but if I were those people I'd definitely choose the PagePlus
unlimited at about $75 per month, plus it's not "plus taxes, fees, etc."
Actually you can get it for about $2.30/day or about $69/month, if you
buy the refill cards at a discount. I.e. the $80 card can be purchased
for $73.72, a discount of 7.85%.
The biggest benefit is that it's on Verizon, which has the best coverage
of any U.S. network.
- 02-21-2008, 12:20 PM #6Richard B. GilbertGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
Ron wrote:
> On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:02:25 -0500, "Ben Skversky"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Great post. You are 1000% correct. I don't even need the 1000 minutes I get
>
>>from T-mobile, but I'm only paying $39.99 & that includes free nights &
>
>>weekends.
>>
>>
>>"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>
>>>For the cost of one of those $99 unlimited plans (which will be about $115
>>>after taxes and fees), you could buy about 2150 minutes on a prepaid
>>>network (at about 5.3¢ per minute). That's about 35 hours a month. Other
>>>than certain business people, i.e. realtors, field service, etc., how many
>>>users actually use over 2000 minutes per month?
>>>
>>>PagePlus charges as low as 5.3¢/minute for voice, and as low as 3.5¢ per
>>>text message (when you buy the $80 "1400 minute" card at a discounted
>>>price of $74). They also offer unlimited voice minutes for $2.49 a day, or
>>>$75 for a 30 day month.
>>>
>>>It seems that too many consumers look at the "unlimited" part, without
>>>understanding that $99 is a) not really $99, and b) not such a great deal
>>>compared to non-unlimited plans, and c) a lot more than they have to pay
>>>for unlimited voice.
>>
>
> ATTs previous plans offered 2000 minutes for $99.99
> 4000 for $149.99 and
> 6000 for $199.99
>
> Many folks prefer the greater convienence of post-paid plans,
> so anyone with any of those three previous plans would be a candidate
> for a $99.99 unlimited plan, as would anyopne one the 1350 minutes
> $79.99 plan that ever went over and paid 35 cents a minute for that
> overage.
35 cents a minute? Gawd! If my mother or my stepmother had lived to
see cell phones, they would have talked sixteen hours per day and the
family would have been bankrupt!
- 02-21-2008, 12:22 PM #7Todd AllcockGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
"Richard B. Gilbert" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> 35 cents a minute? Gawd! If my mother or my stepmother had lived to see
> cell phones, they would have talked sixteen hours per day and the family
> would have been bankrupt!
Really? My mother, after having a cellphone for several years still wonders
why there's no dial tone.
I think she's used 10 minutes in the last 12 months. (Thank you, T-Mobile,
for a $10/year minimum refill policy!) ;-)
- 02-21-2008, 12:32 PM #8SMSGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
> 35 cents a minute? Gawd! If my mother or my stepmother had lived to
> see cell phones, they would have talked sixteen hours per day and the
> family would have been bankrupt!
35¢ a minute is actually pretty low for overage charges.
That's actually one of the big advantages of prepaid, you don't pay
outrageous overages, you just pay the normal per minute rate. Prepaid is
available on Verizon's network for as little as 5.3¢ per minute.
Sprint had a deal for a while that got rid of the huge overage charges,
called "Fair and Flexible."
It's a double-edged sword for the carriers. If they made the overages
reasonable then subscribers would be less careful about going over, and
use more than their plan minutes without much concern. However that
would cause some subscribers to move to lower tiers, which would cost
the carrier money.
- 02-21-2008, 01:21 PM #9John NavasGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:17:24 -0800, SMS <[email protected]>
wrote in <[email protected]>:
>I suppose, but if I were those people I'd definitely choose the PagePlus
>unlimited at about $75 per month, plus it's not "plus taxes, fees, etc."
Deity help us -- you're morphing into a shill for PagePlus!
>Actually you can get it for about $2.30/day or about $69/month, if you
>buy the refill cards at a discount. I.e. the $80 card can be purchased
>for $73.72, a discount of 7.85%.
>
>The biggest benefit is that it's on Verizon, which has the best coverage
>of any U.S. network.
But still a Verizon shill I see.
--
Best regards,
John Navas <http:/navasgroup.com>
"Usenet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhea - massive,
difficult to redirect, awe inspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind
boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it." --Gene Spafford
- 02-21-2008, 02:00 PM #10Ben SkverskyGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
In my job, I go as far west on the Pa. turnpike to Harrisburg, Pa., on the
NJ turnpike I go as far north to Fort Lee, NJ. I have no problems with
T-mobile.
"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ben Skversky wrote:
>> Great post. You are 1000% correct. I don't even need the 1000 minutes I
>> get from T-mobile, but I'm only paying $39.99 & that includes free nights
>> & weekends.
>
> Yes, T-Mobile is a great deal for a lot of peak minutes. Unfortunately
> they have no coverage yet where I live, and poor coverage where I usually
> travel to.
>
> I pay $30 for 300 minutes and unlimited N&W on Verizon, and I just don't
> get into long gab fests during peak times.
- 02-21-2008, 02:56 PM #11SMSGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
Ben Skversky wrote:
> In my job, I go as far west on the Pa. turnpike to Harrisburg, Pa., on the
> NJ turnpike I go as far north to Fort Lee, NJ. I have no problems with
> T-mobile.
Yes, T-Mobile seems to work very well in the eastern U.S.. My mother
switched to T-Mobile prepaid in Florida after AT&T/Cingular converted
her from TDMA/AMPS to GSM and increased the monthly rate by 40%. She
started a movement among her senior friends when they found out how
little she was paying. However now she uses OneSuite for long distance
at 2.5¢/minute, where before she could use free N&W on AT&T.
In the western U.S., T-Mobile took over the horrid Cingular/Pac Bell
1900 MHz GSM network, which has poor coverage. They've been trying to
improve things, but have run into a lot of opposition to suburban cell
sites. Still, it's slowly improving. Sometime in 2008 I should get
coverage at my house, but there are still a lot of areas of the Bay Area
with coverage holes, much more than with Verizon or AT&T.
- 02-21-2008, 02:59 PM #12John NavasGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:56:57 -0800, SMS <[email protected]>
wrote in <[email protected]>:
>In the western U.S., T-Mobile took over the horrid Cingular/Pac Bell
>1900 MHz GSM network, which has poor coverage. They've been trying to
>improve things, but have run into a lot of opposition to suburban cell
>sites. Still, it's slowly improving. Sometime in 2008 I should get
>coverage at my house, but there are still a lot of areas of the Bay Area
>with coverage holes, much more than with Verizon or AT&T.
Nonsense. The old Cingular now T-Mobile actually has good coverage.
Will you stop the trolling when you finally get coverage in your house?
Or must your wife get coverage at work too?
--
Best regards,
John Navas <http:/navasgroup.com>
"Usenet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhea - massive,
difficult to redirect, awe inspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind
boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it." --Gene Spafford
- 02-21-2008, 03:06 PM #134phunGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
On Feb 21, 11:53*am, SMS <[email protected]> wrote:
> For the cost of one of those $99 unlimited plans (which will be about
> $115 after taxes and fees), you could buy about 2150 minutes on a
> prepaid network (at about 5.3¢ per minute). That's about 35 hours a
> month. Other than certain business people, i.e. realtors, field service,
> etc., how many users actually use over 2000 minutes per month?
>
> PagePlus charges as low as 5.3¢/minute for voice, and as low as 3.5¢ per
> text message (when you buy the $80 "1400 minute" card at a discounted
> price of $74). They also offer unlimited voice minutes for $2.49 a day,
> or $75 for a 30 day month.
>
> It seems that too many consumers look at the "unlimited" part, without
> understanding that $99 is a) not really $99, and b) not such a great
> deal compared to non-unlimited plans, and c) a lot more than they have
> to pay for unlimited voice.
I think that with a low enough price point that unlimited becomes
useful for those who want to drop a landline and go all cellular all
the time.
Unfortuantely I think that getting Magic Jack is a bigger bang for
the buck in dropping a old fashioned landline then trying to cut the
cord using a cell phone plan. You can't beat unlimited calling in the
US and Canada 24 X 7 for only $20 a year. Plus you get all those
advanced phone services thrown in for free also .
Magic Jack is one kick ass phone company when it comes to net cost!
Now if AT&T could drop the cell bill to only $20 a year that would be
something.
- 02-21-2008, 03:07 PM #14SMSGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
Todd Allcock wrote:
> I think she's used 10 minutes in the last 12 months. (Thank you,
> T-Mobile, for a $10/year minimum refill policy!) ;-)
Well maybe Richard meant that if those family members had had cell
phones when they were between 20 and 50 years old!
My mother's also on T-Mobile prepaid and probably uses 20 minutes a
month. She went from $50 a month on AT&T to about $2/month on T-Mobile.
First she got conned into switching from AT&T TDMA to AT&T GSM, which
resulted in loss of coverage at the places she travels to the most as
well as higher prices, then Cingular took over and raised the prices
again. She was most concerned about having to learn to use a new handset
and re-enter her contacts, so I walked her through unlocking her Nokia
handset.
The downside is that she has no T-Mobile coverage at my house in
suburban Silicon Valley or at my sister's house in suburban Atlanta.
- 02-21-2008, 03:24 PM #15Todd AllcockGuest
Re: How many users actually benefit from $99 unlimited?
At 21 Feb 2008 13:06:23 -0800 4phun wrote:
>
> I think that with a low enough price point that unlimited becomes
> useful for those who want to drop a landline and go all cellular all
> the time.
>
> Unfortuantely I think that getting Magic Jack is a bigger bang for
> the buck in dropping a old fashioned landline then trying to cut the
> cord using a cell phone plan. You can't beat unlimited calling in the
> US and Canada 24 X 7 for only $20 a year. Plus you get all those
> advanced phone services thrown in for free also .
Magic Jack is an interesting option, but it's probably doomed.
The "$20/year" is a money losing proposition for them- they don't own their
phone numbers, so thy have "rent" them from a provider like Level 3 for
maybe $3 or even more depending on the amount of incoming calls. Then they
have to pay termination fees of $0.01-0.05/minute (depending on where you
call.)
Magic Jack is hoping to make it up on sales of banner advertising you'll
see on the softphone display, which may or may not cover their costs.
> Magic Jack is one kick ass phone company when it comes to net cost!
Sure. Anytime you give a product away, consumers will be happy! Magic
Jack will be a heck of a bargain...
....until the VC money runs out! ;-)
> Now if AT&T could drop the cell bill to only $20 a year that would be
> something.
Maybe after they start running 30-second commercials on your iPhone display
before and after each call they will!
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