US Mobile?

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investor1
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US Mobile?

Post by investor1 »

I currently have cell service through T-Mobile. I've been pretty happy with them, but they recently changed their plans and placed me on a new plan which, according to them, isn't eligible for the corporate discount I was receiving. This raised my total bill by about 15%. I already called and spoke to the retention department, but it doesn't seem like they are willing to do anything. At least not without me literally saying cancel the service which I wasn't ready to do since I hadn't shopped around yet.

So, I have been shopping around and noticed US Mobile allows you to create a custom plan by selecting how many minutes, texts, and data you want individually, and they show you the price for each tier of each service (see https://www.gousmobile.com/plans). I don't really talk on the phone very much. I use Google Voice for SMS (plus Hangouts and Facebook for messaging), and I use WiFi at home and at the office. I'm thinking about signing up for 500 minutes and 1GB of data for $26/month plus taxes and fees.

It looks like they use T-Mobile's network, so I'll be able to use the phone I have.

Does anyone have experience with this company (US Mobile)? Is their service good/reliable? The coverage map seems to cover the areas I frequent as well as T-Mobile does. Roughly how much do their taxes and fees end up being? I'm in Oregon if that helps.
furwut
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by furwut »

My assumption is that the cell coverage provided by a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) will be the same as host network they have contracted with. US Mobile is a T-Mobile MVNO so you should be fine there.

The major cell phone carriers now offer 4G network speeds. 4G is slowly making its way down to the MVNO's but if this is important to you you'll have to confirm with US Mobile.

If you are not under contract MVNO's are the frugal way to go. I have H2O (an AT&T MVNO) and pay less than $9/mo. Why so cheap?
1) I don't need to walk around with the cellular data turned on on my phone. If i need to check something I turn it on, load a map say, and turn it back off.
2) I don't need to make many cellular calls. At home I use FaceTime or other WI-FI means to talk.
3) My plan is pure Pay-as-you-Go. So I pay 5¢/minute for calls and each text and 10¢/MB of data.
Topic Author
investor1
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by investor1 »

Are the taxes and fees any higher than ~$5/month?
nordlead
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by nordlead »

Just a few things to watch out for with US Mobile (and any MVNO really). US Mobile has no roaming agreements (voice or data), so that means you get native T-mobile coverage only. If you used to roam onto AT&T you won't be able to do that any more. They cut you off when you reach your limit. If you are in the middle of a call and hit your 100 minute limit, you'll be disconnected. You'll have to add more to your account for the month from there (some places use throttling, or just move you to the next tier automatically). Some MVNO's come and go really fast. That one is new and could be gone in 6 months, just know it may be a small hassle you'll have to deal with later.

I use Ting (choice of Sprint or T-mobile as provider). I wouldn't switch to US Mobile as it would be a few dollars more (US Mobile has no plan sharing option). With the Sprint side, Ting has a voice roaming agreement with Verizon, I don't use the T-mobile side of Ting so I don't know if the roam onto AT&T. If I only had 1 line and I knew the T-mobile native coverage in my area it might be a different story (to save a few $). Currently I pay a little under $24 for two phones with Ting, and that includes ~$5.xx in tax (NY)

You can also get a referral code for Ting ([OT comment removed by admin LadyGeek] do a google search). Right now, you can get a $100 credit. That is enough that I'd go with Ting until the credit is used up and then if you want switch to US Mobile.

I've considered straight pay as you go, but the rates would cost ~2x more than I get with Ting because I use my entire bucket every month. If I didn't (and only used part of a bucket) it would probably work out differently.
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investor1
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by investor1 »

Does Ting allow tethering?

Edit: Nevermind, it looks like they do. Thanks for bringing that up. I'm going to look into Ting a bit more. I like the idea of only being charged for usage rather than picking a plan. Most of the time I use less than 350MB of data (since I'm on WiFi a lot), but sometimes I take road trips where I use my phone as a GPS which sucks up a bunch of data.

Feel free to message me your referral code. I don't know if I'll signup, but I'll use it if I do.
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batpot
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by batpot »

Browser
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by Browser »

Any reason you want to stick with T-Mobile instead of going to AT&T? Both are GSM, so you should be able to use your phone with either carrier with the appropriate SIM installed. There are a lot of good MVNOs for AT&T you can consider. I use Consumer Cellular which lets you change your plan at will according to your voice and data useage every month. They offer 4G-LTE data and off-network roaming.
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investor1
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by investor1 »

I'm not looking for a T-Mobile MVNO specifically. Just anything that is cheaper and reliable that I can use my phone with. Any GSM provider would do. I don't care if they piggyback off of TMO or AT&T's network.
bloom2708
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by bloom2708 »

Grab a phone from Cricket Wireless and switch to AT&T towers. Much better coverage overall.

$35/month with auto-pay. Unlimited calls and texts. 2.5GB of 4G LTE data and then 3G over 2.5GB.

We have the 5 phones for $100 plan. $86 + $14 in tax/fees. 3 iphone 5/5s, 1 Windows phone, 1 Android.
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investor1
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by investor1 »

I looked at Cricket, but there seem to be cheaper alternatives that meet my needs (at least on paper). T-Mobile now owns MetroPCS which offers a $30/month plan and that includes taxes & fees along with unlimited talk & text and 1GB of data.

Edit: Well, crap. I guess you need to buy the phone from Metro for the $30 plan. It looks like Ting is back in the lead. That will likely come in around $26 with taxes & fees most months. I think I might switch to using Google Hangouts for VoIP for most of my calls.
Browser
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by Browser »

Last I checked, H2O Wireless offered unlimited talk/text and 500 Mb data on AT&T for $27 with autopay. I believe they have gone to 4G-LTE as well. I'd go to them from Consumer Cellular except that my voice and data needs are met on CC for about $20-$25 month typically. And you get partner roaming, at least I think you still do. There was recently a thread about whether CC still had partner roaming. I'm about to embark on my drive from Arizona to the midwest in which I go through some AT&T dead zones, where I've previously had partner coverage on CC. I'll see if that's still the case. In any event, even without roaming the price is the lowest for my needs presently. If you're a heavy data user you'll need to go somewhere else.
We don't know where we are, or where we're going -- but we're making good time.
jfave33
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by jfave33 »

I currently use US Mobile

Main drawback right now is that you have to manually pay each month. There is no autopay. However you can switch plans each month at that time. They do send an email to remind you. You just select your plan online and pay by credit card.

Coverage is tmobile only. Probably the same as what you have now.

you can add extra service at any time and whatever you buy will last 30 days from when you buy it eg you are about to go on a road trip then just add 1gb then. Prices are the same for adding it on as for buying monthly.

The website provides nice charts showing your usage for the month.

Overall quite happy with them. taxes for me are $0.80 on a $7 bill. That is 0.7 for e911 and 0.1 for universal service fund.

When I put in your plan 500min and 1gb the fee was just $1 though that will vary on where you live. So $27 a month ish.
nordlead
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by nordlead »

investor1, you have pm's off.

My goal is to help you, I have a way to save you a few $, but that is frowned upon on this forum. Since the mod's didn't delete my "google" comment, I'll tell you that mrmoneymustache forum that has a Ting referral thread up and running and I'm sure someone can hook you up over there. It won't be me as I stopped using that forum due to massive slow downs at the time (for like a month straight).

As I said, you can probably save a few $ with US Mobile vs Ting or another MVNO depending on your usage pattern, but the big thing to watch out for is missing features that you want that are always included with post-paid.

I also use Voice and Hangouts to divert 100% of my texts, and 90% of my calls. Sure, google gets extra data on me, but I don't really care. The VoIP calling works pretty well and the only person I have a problem with is my wife, so I'm convinced it is my home phone VoIP provider (ooma), who I'm now considering switching away from.
nordlead
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by nordlead »

Oh, thought I'd post this for you too. Taxes are location dependent of course, so this table breaks it down by state.

http://www.mywireless.org/state-issues/ ... -rankings/

Essentially, since you are in Oregon, if anyone were to charge huge taxes/fees on a $30 bill you know they are ripping you off (i.e. hiding the charges as fees). If a provider charges no taxes/fees, then they are baking it into the advertised cost.
bloom2708
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by bloom2708 »

investor1 wrote:I looked at Cricket, but there seem to be cheaper alternatives that meet my needs (at least on paper). T-Mobile now owns MetroPCS which offers a $30/month plan and that includes taxes & fees along with unlimited talk & text and 1GB of data.

Edit: Well, crap. I guess you need to buy the phone from Metro for the $30 plan. It looks like Ting is back in the lead. That will likely come in around $26 with taxes & fees most months. I think I might switch to using Google Hangouts for VoIP for most of my calls.
I love Ting but here is why I think you should pick Cricket or something similar.

With Ting you will be rewarded for not using your phone. At first this is kind of a fun game. But at times it is good to be able to use your phone. You want to download a 50mb app and you are not wifi. Do you do it? If you need it, you do and it counts against you. If you don't, Ting "worked" and got you to not use your phone. Your next bill will reflect your willingness to not use it for certain scenarios.

Ting lowered our bills to a point where we could be around $80 to $90 for 5 phones by not using them much (or primarily using them when connected to wi-fi). On Cricket our bill is fixed at $100, but with unlimited calls and texts and 2.5 GB of data, we no longer have to "not use" our phones.

If your goal is to not use your phone, then Ting is the way to go. That may be a bit harsh, but if you want to stream an episode of your favorite show while not on wi-fi or stream music on your daily 30 minute commute, you won't do it on Ting. Plus AT&T coverage is superior to T-Mobile GSM coverage.

You should just be able to get a Cricket SIM and pop it in your phone. If it has the right GSM bands. I think Cricket has a .99 cent sale for SIM cards. Use they IMEI checker to see if your phone can come over. Otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime is only $129.99 and has great specs. Some reviews compare it to the much more expense S5/S6 line.
Browser
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by Browser »

Ting would seem to have two problems: (1) It's on Sprint and (2) It's on Sprint. I used Sprint at one time and didn't much like it.
We don't know where we are, or where we're going -- but we're making good time.
Topic Author
investor1
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by investor1 »

Browser wrote:Ting would seem to have two problems: (1) It's on Sprint and (2) It's on Sprint. I used Sprint at one time and didn't much like it.
Except that it is on T-Mobile.

Anyway, yeah. I've been looking into Cricket more as well. Given they are using AT&T's network, they have much better coverage than Ting for about what I pay now (well, did pay before T-Mobile did away with my discount). I'm considering that as well. It looks like I'll get bumped down to 3G given the bands my phone supports, but like I said, I don't use much non-WiFi data and I've never noticed much of a difference between 3G and LTE anyway (everything is slow).

I might try Ting given the account credit which basically makes it free for a bit. If that doesn't work out, maybe switch to Cricket.
Topic Author
investor1
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by investor1 »

I'm going to continue looking into both Cricket and Ting. [OT comments removed by admin LadyGeek]
Browser
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by Browser »

investor1 wrote:
Browser wrote:Ting would seem to have two problems: (1) It's on Sprint and (2) It's on Sprint. I used Sprint at one time and didn't much like it.
Except that it is on T-Mobile.

Anyway, yeah. I've been looking into Cricket more as well. Given they are using AT&T's network, they have much better coverage than Ting for about what I pay now (well, did pay before T-Mobile did away with my discount). I'm considering that as well. It looks like I'll get bumped down to 3G given the bands my phone supports, but like I said, I don't use much non-WiFi data and I've never noticed much of a difference between 3G and LTE anyway (everything is slow).

I might try Ting given the account credit which basically makes it free for a bit. If that doesn't work out, maybe switch to Cricket.
Gee, that's odd. Wonder how come Ting says this on their website?

We want you to come to Ting. We don't care how you get here. Choose from our selection
of new or used devices or bring an inactive Sprint device* and activate it with Ting.
We don't know where we are, or where we're going -- but we're making good time.
Topic Author
investor1
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by investor1 »

Browser wrote:
investor1 wrote:
Browser wrote:Ting would seem to have two problems: (1) It's on Sprint and (2) It's on Sprint. I used Sprint at one time and didn't much like it.
Except that it is on T-Mobile.

Anyway, yeah. I've been looking into Cricket more as well. Given they are using AT&T's network, they have much better coverage than Ting for about what I pay now (well, did pay before T-Mobile did away with my discount). I'm considering that as well. It looks like I'll get bumped down to 3G given the bands my phone supports, but like I said, I don't use much non-WiFi data and I've never noticed much of a difference between 3G and LTE anyway (everything is slow).

I might try Ting given the account credit which basically makes it free for a bit. If that doesn't work out, maybe switch to Cricket.
Gee, that's odd. Wonder how come Ting says this on their website?

We want you to come to Ting. We don't care how you get here. Choose from our selection
of new or used devices or bring an inactive Sprint device* and activate it with Ting.
Because they offer CDMA service through Sprint. GSM service is provided through T-Mobile.
Browser
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by Browser »

Found this in Wikipedia. Pretty recent. Ting used to be Sprint only:
In March 2015, Ting announced support for GSM networks via the T-Mobile network.
We don't know where we are, or where we're going -- but we're making good time.
bloom2708
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by bloom2708 »

Browser wrote:Found this in Wikipedia. Pretty recent. Ting used to be Sprint only:
In March 2015, Ting announced support for GSM networks via the T-Mobile network.
This spring Sprint turned on a "Financial Eligibility Check" on all Sprint devices being brought over to Ting. Newer devices from Sprint fall under a 2 year window where they "financially" belong to Sprint. So a new iPhone 5s or iPhone 6 that was purchased on Sprint and bought out of a contract would still be financially tied to Sprint. This really hit Ting hard. They were already planning the GSM/T-Mobile coverage, but this pushed it to the forefront much faster than they intended.

Someone would buy a used phone off eBay and attempt to bring it to Ting. If it failed the financial eligibility check, there was nothing the user could do but return the phone if that was an option. I bought a 5s for one of our kids that failed the check. I ended up having to return it. You can read up on this on the Ting site or other blogs/discussion sites.

These issues along with better coverage and landing on a fixed monthly cost tipped the scales and we moved from Ting to Cricket.
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investor1
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by investor1 »

Does anyone know if Ting does a credit pull? If so, is it a hard pull or soft pull?

Same questions for Cricket.

That $100 credit for a referral to Ting is tipping the scales at this point. That's free cell service for months. I can always switch if I don't like it.
bloom2708
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by bloom2708 »

If there is a credit check it must be a "soft pull". I won't read into the Ting $100 referral/$50 referee bonus. That is a pretty good incentive. The Sprint issues and GSM switch may have them in kind of a slump financially.

Ting also makes it very easy to port out. In your Account Settings you have all the information (Account number, password) to port out. You do not need to talk to anyone to port out. Not all companies are like that.

So you could try Ting GSM, get your $100 credit, use your credit for 3 months and then port out. In that breaking in period it is fun to see your usage and try to minimize your bill.
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mikestorm
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by mikestorm »

You're a prime candidate for the $30 Wal-Mart plan. It's on T-mobile. 100 minutes of talk, unlimited text and 5GB of data. If you use the hangouts dialer, which consumes data and not minutes, you can really stretch that 100 minutes.
Browser
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by Browser »

mikestorm wrote:You're a prime candidate for the $30 Wal-Mart plan. It's on T-mobile. 100 minutes of talk, unlimited text and 5GB of data. If you use the hangouts dialer, which consumes data and not minutes, you can really stretch that 100 minutes.
I tried the Hangouts dialer but people I called complained of the poor call quality, so I quit using it. I have yet to find a VOIP caller with my cellphone that is any good. Funny, because I use google voice with an Obi for my home phone and it is fine. I guess smartphones just don't work as well as an Obi device.
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investor1
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by investor1 »

I went ahead and ordered a SIM card from Ting with the $100 account credit. I'll try that out for the next few months since the account credit makes it free. If I want to switch to Cricket or somewhere else afterward, I can always do that. Thanks to everyone for the advice!
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runner9
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Re: US Mobile?

Post by runner9 »

There is no credit pull for cricket as far as I know, they don't ask for your SSN, you prepay one month in advance.
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