by MyRatePlan Staff on January 18, 2011
Sprint has announced that subscribers activating smartphones on its network on or after January 30, 2011 will need to subscribe to a $10 Premium Data add-on feature. Previously, this add-on was only required for 4G phones. See the Sprint press release.
For those considering Sprint, particularly those interested in a 3G smartphone, we suggest signing up before January 30. Otherwise, you’ll be on the hook for an extra $240 over your two year contract. Compare Sprint rate plans and cell phones here.
MyRatePlan Analysis
Price increases have been pretty rare in recent years, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. For consumers, the impact is that the minimum monthly charge to have a Smartphone on Sprint will be $79.99, reflecting the lowest price Everything Data plan ($69.99) plus the $10 add-on. $79.99 is well above the minimum cost for carrying a smartphone on the other carriers (see our new smartphone data calculator to find your best data plan) so it is likely the pricing will be very unattractive to light consumers of data who can carry a smartphone for $54.99 a month or less on the other major carriers. For heavier users, the pricing is actually competitive, as Sprint’s plan includes unlimited text messaging.
What strikes us as a little peculiar is that Sprint is making this a required add-on to their “Everything Data” plans instead of just increasing the price of those plans. Although the impact is the same, we’re thinking perhaps they have a different dictionary definition of “Everything” than we do: As of 1/30, you won’t be able to buy an “Everything Data” that actually includes data if you want to have a smartphone. Looking forward to seeing how their marketing department spins this one.
Tagged as:
data calculator,
data plan,
sprint
by Administrator on November 30, 2010
CellularSouth, a regional carrier offering nationwide service for subscribers based in Memphis, most of Mississippi and the Gulf Coast of Alabama and Northwest Florida, is running an innovative promotion where they will pay the contract termination fee (up to $200) for a new subscriber who breaks their existing contract with another carrier to sign up for service with them.
This is the first time we’ve seen this type of promotion. Although it may significantly add to CellularSouth’s cost of acquiring a new customer, it is a way for them to stand-out and compete against the four giant national carriers. With much more for those carriers to lose in a price war over termination fees, it is unlikely that this type of program will spread to the big carriers. However, with industry growth rates slowing, it can’t entirely be ruled out.
We’ve always wondered when someone would try this kind of marketing program. It has been 7 years (and one week) since number portability arrived in the U.S. The ability to move one’s number created a much more competitive cell phone industry, as carriers were forced to compete more on price and service quality — not on holding a customer hostage because he or she couldn’t take their phone number with them. It also led to a lot of industry consolidation which, on balance, has also probably been good for consumers as national networks are much more seamless today, with national plans the norm. However, it also led to two-year contracts, and termination penalties of up to $200 (now up to $350 for some smartphones). These financial penalties now are the biggest impediment to customer migration to a new carrier.
CellularSouth says this promotion is valid for “a limited time”. This gives them maximum flexibility to adjust (or end) the promotion, depending on how successful it is and how much competitive response they see.
Tagged as:
cellularsouth,
termination fee
by MyRatePlan Staff on November 29, 2010
Here are the top 10 cell phone deals we’ve found for Cyber Monday. Some may go beyond today (11/29), but many will not. All are for new service, but some may also apply for those looking to extend their contract. In most cases, the phone price is good for up to 2 phones (i.e., will allow for a family plan); additional lines may be extra. The waived activation fees apply for up to 5 lines.
Click a deal for more information, terms and restrictions
- Refurbished iPhones from as low as $19. Not sure how long this will last (look in 2nd row)
- AT&T: All 3 Windows 7 phones at a special low price (which we’re not allowed to show on this page). In addition, get free activation and a $30 bill credit, which will pay for a month of data: HTC Surround, LG Quantum, Samsung Focus.
- T-Mobile: The brand new MyTouch 4G just $48.88 plus free activation.
- Sprint: HTC Evo in both the original black color and now in white. This 4G phone is at its lowest price to date (again, we can’t show it here, but you can see it if you click one of the links).
- Verizon: All the various DROID phones, by Motorola and HTC on special. Compare them here. Pay no activation fee if you sign-up today
- AT&T: Samsung Captivate (Galaxy S Phone): Free + Free 4GB Memory Card + No Activation Fee + $30 Bill Credit
- Sprint: Samsung Epic 4G Android slider phone. Special low price (again, too low to show) plus free activation
- Verizon: Samsung Fascinate (Galaxy S Phone): Free + Free Activation
- T-Mobile: BlackBerry Curve 3G Free + Waived Activation
- Verizon: Free LG Vortex and Motorola Citrus… a couple new Android touch screen smartphones.
Tagged as:
Cell Phone,
cyber monday
by MyRatePlan Staff on November 15, 2010
All the major cell phone carriers require data plans for smartphones purchased from them. Until recently, it was one-size-fits-all, with each carrier offering an unlimited or nearly unlimited data plan for $30 a month. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have now gone to tiered data pricing, with a lower-priced data plan offering. T-Mobile and AT&T offer 200 MB for $10 and $15/month respectively. Verizon offers 150 MB for $15. Versus the prior $30/month data offerings, these new plans can save you $180-$240/year, if your data usage needs are light.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t take too much to blow through 150 or 200 MB of data. One way to minimize data use, to stay under the allowance is to use WiFi (assuming your phone has WiFi) wherever possible. This is particularly important for data-intensive activities like streaming video or audio.
If you exceed your data allowance, the carrier will give you another block of data for an additional $10 or $15 to use until the billing cycle ends. If you blow through this block, it will happen again. Obviously, by this point you’ll be paying more than if you had gotten the carrier’s unlimited (or almost unlimited) data plan. Therefore, if you do sign up for light usage data, keep track (you can usually do it on the phone or at carrier website, or your carrier may push you text alerts) of how much data you are using. Of course, for cost certainty, you can opt for the unlimited (or near unlimited) data plan.
Sprint continues to bundle data into its rate plans, limiting their subscribers’ flexibility to reduce those charges. It is worth noting that they require an additional $10 data feature for their new 4G phones, such as the Evo and Epic. There aren’t many 4G options on other networks (a few are starting to pop up on T-Mobile). If Sprint persists in this add-on, and other carriers don’t require it when they launch 4G (T-Mobile is not requiring this), you may be able to save money by going with a different carrier.
One final tip: Turn off Data Roaming on your cell phone when traveling outside the U.S. Accessing data internationally can run up huge bills; this will help you avoid that situation. Use WiFi when traveling internationally.
Tagged as:
data plan,
wireless data
by MyRatePlan Staff on October 29, 2010
 Following the lead of AT&T, but with a few differences, Verizon Wireless has launched tier pricing for data. Until the change, Verizon had two data plans, one for $9.99, the other $29.99. The $9.99 was optional on feature phones, required on multimedia phones. The $29.99 one was unlimited, and required for smartphones, including BlackBerry and Android devices. For feature phones, a $1.99 per MB pay per use option was also available.
The new structure offers the same data plans plus the addition of a $15 for 150 MB plan. For those getting that plan, there is an additional charge of $15 per 150 MB if that allowance is exceeded.
The biggest change is in what data services are required for each phone type:
- Smartphones: Previously requiring a $29.99 unlimited plan, lighter users of data can now opt for the $15 150 MB option, for a potential savings of $180/year. It is worth noting that it doesn’t take much to use up 150 MB of data, however. If you use data to stream music or video or play games… anything beyond e-mail and a few web pages a day, you’ll probably want to opt for the unlimited option.
- Multimedia Phones: These are phones with some advanced features, but no operating system. On its website, Verizon Wireless has done away with this grouping of phones, now including them with the Feature phones. However, they are still requiring a minimum $9.99 data plan on these devices. So, nothing has really changed here in terms of the requirements. However, the $15 data plan for 150 MB may come in handy for those with a multimedia device, as these phones do have some decent data capabilities.
- Feature Phones: These are the simplest phones available, best for those not looking to do much more than talk on their phones. For these devices, the data options are pay-as-you go ($1.99 / MB + $5/month for email), the new $15 data plan or the $29.99 unlimited plan. Most with a feature phone will not sign up for data as the capabilities are so inferior to multimedia or smartphones.
For more information:
Rate Plan Comparison Tool
All Verizon Phones
Tagged as:
data plans,
verizon wireless
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