Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

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willthrill81
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Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

For many years, we've been on Verizon's 'unlimited' plan (i.e. unlimited talk and texting), which they refer to internally as a postpaid plan, and have had between 4 GB of monthly data shared between two lines. Including an 18% discount for being a university employee, the total monthly cost, including taxes and fees, was $106.

We have just switched to a prepaid plan that also includes unlimited talk and texting and 6 GB per line, triple the total data we had before, with a total cost of $66. Part of the savings includes autopay of the plan going forward, although we are in no contract and can cancel service any time.

So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by taurabora »

I switched to Xfinity Mobile from Verizon. My bill went from ~$90 for 4 GB to ~ $30 for 3 GB. I’m generally always on Wifi, but even if I went over, it is only $12/GB.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

taurabora wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:23 pm I switched to Xfinity Mobile from Verizon. My bill went from ~$90 for 4 GB to ~ $30 for 3 GB. I’m generally always on Wifi, but even if I went over, it is only $12/GB.
If you select autopay, the price for Verizon's 6 GB prepaid plan (3 GB of which is a 'bonus') is $35 plus tax right now.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by unclescrooge »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm For many years, we've been on Verizon's 'unlimited' plan (i.e. unlimited talk and texting), which they refer to internally as a postpaid plan, and have had between 4 GB of monthly data shared between two lines. Including an 18% discount for being a university employee, the total monthly cost, including taxes and fees, was $106.

We have just switched to a prepaid plan that also includes unlimited talk and texting and 6 GB per line, triple the total data we had before, with a total cost of $66. Part of the savings includes autopay of the plan going forward, although we are in no contract and can cancel service any time.

So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
:shock:
How does one switch to prepaid?
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

unclescrooge wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:00 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm For many years, we've been on Verizon's 'unlimited' plan (i.e. unlimited talk and texting), which they refer to internally as a postpaid plan, and have had between 4 GB of monthly data shared between two lines. Including an 18% discount for being a university employee, the total monthly cost, including taxes and fees, was $106.

We have just switched to a prepaid plan that also includes unlimited talk and texting and 6 GB per line, triple the total data we had before, with a total cost of $66. Part of the savings includes autopay of the plan going forward, although we are in no contract and can cancel service any time.

So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
:shock:
How does one switch to prepaid?
I originally tried doing it online through the chat feature, but it didn't work out well. I called a rep on the phone, and they straightened it out very easily. So I would recommend either calling them or going to a store.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by OCDinvestor »

I pay $59 with taxes and fees for a “postpaid” 4 GB plan, including phone line fee. The actual phone is owned outright.

If I were to switch to $35 prepaid plan, will my university discount work to bring it down any further?

Are there any hidden fees or taxes on these $35 prepaid plans?
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

OCDinvestor wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:22 pm I pay $59 with taxes and fees for a “postpaid” 4 GB plan, including phone line fee. The actual phone is owned outright.

If I were to switch to $35 prepaid plan, will my university discount work to bring it down any further?

Are there any hidden fees or taxes on these $35 prepaid plans?
No, TMK they don't offer any university discount on the prepaid plans. But the prepaid plans were still far cheaper for us, despite our 18% university discount on the postpaid plan.

The only fees or taxes they charged me were the 911 fees and state and local sales tax.

Note that your first month for one line will be $40 but $35 thereafter since you can't enroll in autopay until you're on the plan.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by rbrand1 »

We did the switch from Verizon post paid to prepaid about 9 months ago. We found that our LTE speeds were greatly reduced, and many times I couldn’t get any data when inside buildings. Never had that problem before. It got to be too frustrating for us, so we switched to T-Mobile’s 55+ plan, with unlimited talk, text, data. It cost only slightly more, but the data speeds, and coverage is fantastic.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by beyou »

I just moved my post paid plan to unlimited data and with paperless billing/auto pay discount, paying Verizon 35, 41/line with taxes/fees. Have 4 lines but no indication of any volume discount (no family plan) on the bill.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

beyou wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:44 pm I just moved my post paid plan to unlimited data and with paperless billing/auto pay discount, paying Verizon 35, 41/line with taxes/fees. Have 4 lines but no indication of any volume discount (no family plan) on the bill.
At least right now, additional lines are $25 each.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Housedoc »

I had a chat session with ATT awhile back. Told them I wanted to pay off wife's phone and get it unlocked. T Mobile had a deal for 2 lines $70. ATT adjusted my account to the same offer. $140 for 4 lines unlimited. I was on a 15gb plan. Seems all carriers are ready to make a deal to keep you.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by SchruteB&B »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:09 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:00 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm For many years, we've been on Verizon's 'unlimited' plan (i.e. unlimited talk and texting), which they refer to internally as a postpaid plan, and have had between 4 GB of monthly data shared between two lines. Including an 18% discount for being a university employee, the total monthly cost, including taxes and fees, was $106.

We have just switched to a prepaid plan that also includes unlimited talk and texting and 6 GB per line, triple the total data we had before, with a total cost of $66. Part of the savings includes autopay of the plan going forward, although we are in no contract and can cancel service any time.

So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
:shock:
How does one switch to prepaid?
I originally tried doing it online through the chat feature, but it didn't work out well. I called a rep on the phone, and they straightened it out very easily. So I would recommend either calling them or going to a store.
I tried to switch online as well and it was very glitchy. Went into our nearest store and they were very helpful in getting it done.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by clemrick »

I have been using AT&T prepaid plans for the last 15 years. One downside I have found is that prepaid plans are not considered "real" accounts by the IRS and other governmental organizations. When I tried to order a tax transcript and entered my phone to verify who I am, the system didn't take it and I had to order mail delivery. I ran into this one other time with a federal department, but can't remember which one.

I don't know why AT&T can't verify my account since I am on auto-pay.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Goal33 »

The other issue with the prepaid plan on att is no international (outside of North America) service. I realize it would be $10 a day, and normally I get a SIM card...

But still it was a long way to Sunday to get a SIM card someplace reasonable when you land in Israel on a Friday night without service.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Just sayin... »

rbrand1 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:14 pm ...our LTE speeds were greatly reduced, and many times I couldn’t get any data when inside buildings. Never had that problem before...
I considered switching, but was afraid of this happening. Is this Verizon’s way of dialing back what you get when you try to pay less?
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by petulant »

Great post OP. I also switched to Verizon prepaid a couple months ago. I'm on the $35 6GB plan. I have been very satisfied.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Colorado14 »

taurabora wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:23 pm I switched to Xfinity Mobile from Verizon. My bill went from ~$90 for 4 GB to ~ $30 for 3 GB. I’m generally always on Wifi, but even if I went over, it is only $12/GB.
I switched to Xfinity in late Feb/early March. There's only been one incidence when I had network issues. Customer service was absolutely no help in this instance, but one blip in 7+ months is acceptable to me. I generally pay $9/month.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by mtwhmemn »

Look at mintmobile.com

Each 3GB line is $15 per month TOTAL prepaid. Each 8GB line is $20 per month TOTAL prepaid.

My wife and I have used it for around 9 months now and have had zero problems. (Mint use T-Mobile towers.)

I ported both our phones (phones have to be unlocked) over myself in less than an hour on a Sunday. It was seamless.

It may sound too good to be true but it isn't. After doing it I felt like an idiot for not doing it sooner. We had been with AT&T forever.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

Just sayin... wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 11:09 am
rbrand1 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:14 pm ...our LTE speeds were greatly reduced, and many times I couldn’t get any data when inside buildings. Never had that problem before...
I considered switching, but was afraid of this happening. Is this Verizon’s way of dialing back what you get when you try to pay less?
They state that prepaid plans have "high-speed data" and that speeds aren't lowered until you reach your monthly data limit. We don't use much data and aren't concerned about it.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

mtwhmemn wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 2:54 pm Look at mintmobile.com

Each 3GB line is $15 per month TOTAL prepaid. Each 8GB line is $20 per month TOTAL prepaid.

My wife and I have used it for around 9 months now and have had zero problems. (Mint use T-Mobile towers.)

I ported both our phones (phones have to be unlocked) over myself in less than an hour on a Sunday. It was seamless.

It may sound too good to be true but it isn't. After doing it I felt like an idiot for not doing it sooner. We had been with AT&T forever.
Unfortunately, T-Mobile doesn't have good coverage in our area.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by mtwhmemn »

willthrill81 wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 4:19 pm
mtwhmemn wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 2:54 pm Look at mintmobile.com

Each 3GB line is $15 per month TOTAL prepaid. Each 8GB line is $20 per month TOTAL prepaid.

My wife and I have used it for around 9 months now and have had zero problems. (Mint use T-Mobile towers.)

I ported both our phones (phones have to be unlocked) over myself in less than an hour on a Sunday. It was seamless.

It may sound too good to be true but it isn't. After doing it I felt like an idiot for not doing it sooner. We had been with AT&T forever.
Unfortunately, T-Mobile doesn't have good coverage in our area.
That's too bad. I understand T-Mobile and Sprint will combine so when that happens I wonder if the combo will improve Mint?
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Cheyenne »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:42 pm
taurabora wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:23 pm I switched to Xfinity Mobile from Verizon. My bill went from ~$90 for 4 GB to ~ $30 for 3 GB. I’m generally always on Wifi, but even if I went over, it is only $12/GB.
If you select autopay, the price for Verizon's 6 GB prepaid plan (3 GB of which is a 'bonus') is $35 plus tax right now.
We did it two days ago. Our bill went from $123 to $65. I used telesales. If you repeatedly ignore their attempts to do it through text or chat a very helpful agent will assist. We didn't need new SIMs either.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Cheyenne »

Just sayin... wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 11:09 am
rbrand1 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:14 pm ...our LTE speeds were greatly reduced, and many times I couldn’t get any data when inside buildings. Never had that problem before...
I considered switching, but was afraid of this happening. Is this Verizon’s way of dialing back what you get when you try to pay less?
Based upon my readings of cell phone forums, all of the Mobile phone companies deprioritize Prepaid customers when a given tower's bandwith is saturated. Postpaid is served first, then Prepaid, then MVNO's come last. That can happen in urban areas and at other concentrations of people, like at the Super Bowl or Disney World, etc.

We live in a rural area where Verizon has the best coverage so it shouldn't be much of a problem for us. However, we did attend a wedding yesterday near a distant major city, and when I attempted to pull up Twitter, it didn't load immediately as it always had on Postpaid. But, it did load and work normally after less than a minute had passed. Perhaps prepaid customers have to wait their turn.

I've never head of Prepaid not working inside buildings as well though. That would present a problem.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by msi »

willthrill81 wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 4:18 pm
Just sayin... wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 11:09 am
rbrand1 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:14 pm ...our LTE speeds were greatly reduced, and many times I couldn’t get any data when inside buildings. Never had that problem before...
I considered switching, but was afraid of this happening. Is this Verizon’s way of dialing back what you get when you try to pay less?
They state that prepaid plans have "high-speed data" and that speeds aren't lowered until you reach your monthly data limit. We don't use much data and aren't concerned about it.
Verizon deprioritizes all prepaid, Visible, and MVNO customers when towers are congested, meaning postpaid customers get faster speeds during those times. You may or may not ever notice it. It's a separate issue from throttling after reaching your monthly cap.

Google "verizon deprioritization" for more info. I also started a thread about it viewtopic.php?f=11&t=289268
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by retire2022 »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm For many years, we've been on Verizon's 'unlimited' plan (i.e. unlimited talk and texting), which they refer to internally as a postpaid plan, and have had between 4 GB of monthly data shared between two lines. Including an 18% discount for being a university employee, the total monthly cost, including taxes and fees, was $106.

We have just switched to a prepaid plan that also includes unlimited talk and texting and 6 GB per line, triple the total data we had before, with a total cost of $66. Part of the savings includes autopay of the plan going forward, although we are in no contract and can cancel service any time.

So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
Willthrill

You may want to consider Walmart's straight talk $45 for 25GB unlimited talk and text and you can select Verizon as your subcarrier or any of the other three ATT, TMobile & Sprint.

You can bring your old Verizon Phone as well

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Tal ... y/45111496
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by ARoseByAnyOtherName »

msi wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 7:56 pm Verizon deprioritizes all prepaid, Visible, and MVNO customers when towers are congested, meaning postpaid customers get faster speeds during those times. You may or may not ever notice it. It's a separate issue from throttling after reaching your monthly cap.

Google "verizon deprioritization" for more info. I also started a thread about it viewtopic.php?f=11&t=289268
Does AT&T do deprioritization too?
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

msi wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 7:56 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 4:18 pm
Just sayin... wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 11:09 am
rbrand1 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:14 pm ...our LTE speeds were greatly reduced, and many times I couldn’t get any data when inside buildings. Never had that problem before...
I considered switching, but was afraid of this happening. Is this Verizon’s way of dialing back what you get when you try to pay less?
They state that prepaid plans have "high-speed data" and that speeds aren't lowered until you reach your monthly data limit. We don't use much data and aren't concerned about it.
Verizon deprioritizes all prepaid, Visible, and MVNO customers when towers are congested, meaning postpaid customers get faster speeds during those times. You may or may not ever notice it. It's a separate issue from throttling after reaching your monthly cap.

Google "verizon deprioritization" for more info. I also started a thread about it viewtopic.php?f=11&t=289268
Thanks for the info. We'll see how the speeds work for us. No more than we use (we rarely stream anything on 4G), I doubt that it will be a problem for us.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Katietsu »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm
So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
Last time I checked, Verizon prepaid customers only had service where there are Verizon towers. Verizon postpaid customers have the benefit of service in areas without Verizon towers but with coverage on a Verizon roaming partner. This may not make any difference to you. But some people make this change from postpaid to prepaid, then make a weekend trip and find themselves with no cell service at all. The exception would be 911 calls which all carriers must put through.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

Katietsu wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 9:55 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm
So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
Last time I checked, Verizon prepaid customers only had service where there are Verizon towers. Verizon postpaid customers have the benefit of service in areas without Verizon towers but with coverage on a Verizon roaming partner. This may not make any difference to you. But some people make this change from postpaid to prepaid, then make a weekend trip and find themselves with no cell service at all. The exception would be 911 calls which all carriers must put through.
I can't find anything about that. Would you mind providing a link?
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Katietsu »

willthrill81 wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 10:02 pm
Katietsu wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 9:55 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm
So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
Last time I checked, Verizon prepaid customers only had service where there are Verizon towers. Verizon postpaid customers have the benefit of service in areas without Verizon towers but with coverage on a Verizon roaming partner. This may not make any difference to you. But some people make this change from postpaid to prepaid, then make a weekend trip and find themselves with no cell service at all. The exception would be 911 calls which all carriers must put through.
I can't find anything about that. Would you mind providing a link?
Go to the Verizon Interactive Coverage Map.

https://www.verizonwireless.com/feature ... 4glte#maps

Select the menu from the upper left hand corner. You will see that you can choose for the map the show one of 4 types of service. I think the last option on the list, prepaid voice, will show your coverage. This seems to be similar to the 4G LTE coverage. If you choose 4G LTE without 3G CDMA or 3G/1X, you will see a few additional areas get filled in. I think these are likely to be the areas where only postpaid customers will have service. One of these areas is just north of St Louis, for instance. Another is in Western Maryland. I am guessing that postpaid customers are using US Cellular towers in those areas. I don’t know what happens to prepaid in the pink extended roaming areas on the 4G LTE map/prepaid voice map. I think, at least at one point, prepaid had voice but not data in those areas. The differences between pre and post paid coverage has shrunk drastically over the last few years as Verizon has extended its network. But for a small number of people the difference can still be important.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

Katietsu wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 10:41 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 10:02 pm
Katietsu wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 9:55 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm
So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
Last time I checked, Verizon prepaid customers only had service where there are Verizon towers. Verizon postpaid customers have the benefit of service in areas without Verizon towers but with coverage on a Verizon roaming partner. This may not make any difference to you. But some people make this change from postpaid to prepaid, then make a weekend trip and find themselves with no cell service at all. The exception would be 911 calls which all carriers must put through.
I can't find anything about that. Would you mind providing a link?
Go to the Verizon Interactive Coverage Map.

https://www.verizonwireless.com/feature ... 4glte#maps

Select the menu from the upper left hand corner. You will see that you can choose for the map the show one of 4 types of service. I think the last option on the list, prepaid voice, will show your coverage. This seems to be similar to the 4G LTE coverage. If you choose 4G LTE without 3G CDMA or 3G/1X, you will see a few additional areas get filled in. I think these are likely to be the areas where only postpaid customers will have service. One of these areas is just north of St Louis, for instance. Another is in Western Maryland. I am guessing that postpaid customers are using US Cellular towers in those areas. I don’t know what happens to prepaid in the pink extended roaming areas on the 4G LTE map/prepaid voice map. I think, at least at one point, prepaid had voice but not data in those areas. The differences between pre and post paid coverage has shrunk drastically over the last few years as Verizon has extended its network. But for a small number of people the difference can still be important.
Thanks for the link and info. There do seem to be a few areas of the country where prepaid limits voice and/or data, but none of them are likely to be an issue for us. Those considering making the switch should definitely look at the map first though.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by clemrick »

ARoseByAnyOtherName wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:19 pm
msi wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 7:56 pm Verizon deprioritizes all prepaid, Visible, and MVNO customers when towers are congested, meaning postpaid customers get faster speeds during those times. You may or may not ever notice it. It's a separate issue from throttling after reaching your monthly cap.

Google "verizon deprioritization" for more info. I also started a thread about it viewtopic.php?f=11&t=289268
Does AT&T do deprioritization too?
Yep, started this summer. I have had AT&T prepaid for four or five years and this summer my phone started to show a "H" instead of LTG. According to online sources, H is supposed to be G3.5, but it ain't. It is slower than molasses.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Blues »

We switched from Verizon post-paid to pre-paid and saved about the same percentage as the OP...plus got more data per month at the same time.

Good deal.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by ARoseByAnyOtherName »

clemrick wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 7:57 am
ARoseByAnyOtherName wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:19 pm
msi wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 7:56 pm Verizon deprioritizes all prepaid, Visible, and MVNO customers when towers are congested, meaning postpaid customers get faster speeds during those times. You may or may not ever notice it. It's a separate issue from throttling after reaching your monthly cap.

Google "verizon deprioritization" for more info. I also started a thread about it viewtopic.php?f=11&t=289268
Does AT&T do deprioritization too?
Yep, started this summer. I have had AT&T prepaid for four or five years and this summer my phone started to show a "H" instead of LTG. According to online sources, H is supposed to be G3.5, but it ain't. It is slower than molasses.
Based on a tip from another thread I was going to investigate switching to AT&T prepaid (from a regular postpaid plan) to save $15 a month but now I’m not so sure. Thanks a ton for the info!
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Maven »

Thanks so much for the info. Never heard of this but I just switched over. My bill just went from $87 to $47 per month. Now we'll see if I experience any service issues. I can handle a little hit based on an annual savings of $480. :sharebeer
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by retire2022 »

Katietsu wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2019 10:41 pm
https://www.verizonwireless.com/feature ... 4glte#maps

Select the menu from the upper left hand corner. You will see that you can choose for the map the show one of 4 types of service. I think the last option on the list, prepaid voice, will show your coverage. This seems to be similar to the 4G LTE coverage. If you choose 4G LTE without 3G CDMA or 3G/1X, you will see a few additional areas get filled in. I think these are likely to be the areas where only postpaid customers will have service. One of these areas is just north of St Louis, for instance. Another is in Western Maryland. I am guessing that postpaid customers are using US Cellular towers in those areas. I don’t know what happens to prepaid in the pink extended roaming areas on the 4G LTE map/prepaid voice map. I think, at least at one point, prepaid had voice but not data in those areas. The differences between pre and post paid coverage has shrunk drastically over the last few years as Verizon has extended its network. But for a small number of people the difference can still be important.
opensignal app will determine your signal, I used it to verify my cell tower in a rural setting, their data is from actual users

check out the website and link

https://www.opensignal.com/networks
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by abuss368 »

Interesting. We moved to Consumer Cellular a while ago and really lowered the cell cost. The resell on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

Maven wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:49 pm Thanks so much for the info. Never heard of this but I just switched over. My bill just went from $87 to $47 per month. Now we'll see if I experience any service issues. I can handle a little hit based on an annual savings of $480. :sharebeer
My sentiment exactly.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

willthrill81 wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 8:38 pm
Maven wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:49 pm Thanks so much for the info. Never heard of this but I just switched over. My bill just went from $87 to $47 per month. Now we'll see if I experience any service issues. I can handle a little hit based on an annual savings of $480. :sharebeer
My sentiment exactly.
Does anyone know if you could easily switch back to the post-paid Verizon contract if there were data issues with the pre-paid? I thought I read there wasn't a contract.

Also, is there any way to compare the pre-paid speed with Xfinity mobile? I thought I read they also use the Verizon network and have been offering lower prices once in a while. Maybe not an apples vs. apples comparison given Xfinity wifi spots. Thanks.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Maven »

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:06 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 8:38 pm
Maven wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:49 pm Thanks so much for the info. Never heard of this but I just switched over. My bill just went from $87 to $47 per month. Now we'll see if I experience any service issues. I can handle a little hit based on an annual savings of $480. :sharebeer
My sentiment exactly.
Does anyone know if you could easily switch back to the post-paid Verizon contract if there were data issues with the pre-paid? I thought I read there wasn't a contract.

Also, is there any way to compare the pre-paid speed with Xfinity mobile? I thought I read they also use the Verizon network and have been offering lower prices once in a while. Maybe not an apples vs. apples comparison given Xfinity wifi spots. Thanks.
I can't answer your second question, but the first is yes. There is no contract, no fee to sign up and you can switch back at any time. I verified that today.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

Maven wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:08 pm
JAZZISCOOL wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:06 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 8:38 pm
Maven wrote: Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:49 pm Thanks so much for the info. Never heard of this but I just switched over. My bill just went from $87 to $47 per month. Now we'll see if I experience any service issues. I can handle a little hit based on an annual savings of $480. :sharebeer
My sentiment exactly.
Does anyone know if you could easily switch back to the post-paid Verizon contract if there were data issues with the pre-paid? I thought I read there wasn't a contract.

Also, is there any way to compare the pre-paid speed with Xfinity mobile? I thought I read they also use the Verizon network and have been offering lower prices once in a while. Maybe not an apples vs. apples comparison given Xfinity wifi spots. Thanks.
I can't answer your second question, but the first is yes. There is no contract, no fee to sign up and you can switch back at any time. I verified that today.
Correct. We have 30 days to decide if we want to reactivate our postpaid account, including the discounts we had. It's not looking like we will though. From our perspective so far, nothing has changed in our service.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by captpete »

Prepaid does not cover "roaming", something I only learned after switching. I work on the lower Mississippi and my phone is constantly saying "Verizon, Roaming, Verizon, Roaming!" Very annoying. Apparently you can still dial out in roaming but it's $1/minute.

I will go days without a solid reliable signal at work but even at home in urban areas I still lose connection. DW has not mentioned having this problem though, she has an iPhone.

I am looking to switch back to postpaid. Prepaid is a much better deal but only if it works.

My brother and his family use straight talk. He said they never lost service from Ohio to the outer Banks last summer. I may consider that.

Good luck
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

captpete wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:52 am Prepaid does not cover "roaming", something I only learned after switching. I work on the lower Mississippi and my phone is constantly saying "Verizon, Roaming, Verizon, Roaming!" Very annoying. Apparently you can still dial out in roaming but it's $1/minute.

I will go days without a solid reliable signal at work but even at home in urban areas I still lose connection. DW has not mentioned having this problem though, she has an iPhone.
Is it only in certain areas that you've encountered the roaming problem?

The interactive map linked to by another poster above shows that the prepaid and postpaid coverage maps have nearly complete overlap with only a few areas of the country where there is the postpaid but no prepaid service.

Also, I'm confused about the $1/minute roaming charge you refer to. Verizon's site says differently.
Will I be charged differently when using my device while roaming domestically?
No, with the exception of a few old plans.

Please refer to the My Plan page in My Verizon for the roaming details of your specific plan. If no information about roaming is listed, then there are no additional charges for roaming domestically.
https://www.verizonwireless.com/support ... 9b0a1c0e11

When I've reviewed the details of the prepaid plan, it says nothing at all about roaming or roaming charges in the fine print, so I don't think that they could charge you. Further, the plan explicitly says "Unlimited Talk and Text within the U.S."
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by dodecahedron »

willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm For many years, we've been on Verizon's 'unlimited' plan (i.e. unlimited talk and texting), which they refer to internally as a postpaid plan, and have had between 4 GB of monthly data shared between two lines. Including an 18% discount for being a university employee, the total monthly cost, including taxes and fees, was $106.

We have just switched to a prepaid plan that also includes unlimited talk and texting and 6 GB per line, triple the total data we had before, with a total cost of $66. Part of the savings includes autopay of the plan going forward, although we are in no contract and can cancel service any time.

So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
Hmm, I currently have a Verizon unlimited talk/text and 4 GB shared data three-line postpaid plan (two lines are for phones and one is for an iPad). With 19.5% employee discount it costs me about $104/month. And this includes the capability for the two phones to be used as hotspots.

Does your prepaid plan allow the use of hotspots?

Edited to add: also does your unused data carry forward month to month?
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

dodecahedron wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:02 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm For many years, we've been on Verizon's 'unlimited' plan (i.e. unlimited talk and texting), which they refer to internally as a postpaid plan, and have had between 4 GB of monthly data shared between two lines. Including an 18% discount for being a university employee, the total monthly cost, including taxes and fees, was $106.

We have just switched to a prepaid plan that also includes unlimited talk and texting and 6 GB per line, triple the total data we had before, with a total cost of $66. Part of the savings includes autopay of the plan going forward, although we are in no contract and can cancel service any time.

So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
Hmm, I currently have a Verizon unlimited talk/text and 4 GB shared data three-line postpaid plan (two lines are for phones and one is for an iPad). With 19.5% employee discount it costs me about $104/month. And this includes the capability for the two phones to be used as hotspots.

Does your prepaid plan allow the use of hotspots?

Edited to add: also does your unused data carry forward month to month?
Yes, hotspots are allowed with the prepaid plan (unless you go with the unlimited data plan).

No, there is no carry forward with data, but each line has 6 GB of data with our plan, which is significantly more than your existing postpaid plan. For an additional $10/month/line, you can get 16 GB of data.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by willthrill81 »

unclescrooge wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:00 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:15 pm For many years, we've been on Verizon's 'unlimited' plan (i.e. unlimited talk and texting), which they refer to internally as a postpaid plan, and have had between 4 GB of monthly data shared between two lines. Including an 18% discount for being a university employee, the total monthly cost, including taxes and fees, was $106.

We have just switched to a prepaid plan that also includes unlimited talk and texting and 6 GB per line, triple the total data we had before, with a total cost of $66. Part of the savings includes autopay of the plan going forward, although we are in no contract and can cancel service any time.

So if you have Verizon service with a postpaid plan, you might want to consider switching to a prepaid plan.
:shock:
How does one switch to prepaid?
My parents just made the switch to prepaid as well. They tried to do it via the chat feature on the website as well (despite my advice to the contrary), and they wound up having to call them to get it straightened out, but it will save them $500/year. Verizon definitely doesn't seem to be making it easy to switch plans, and it's easy to see why.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by jbuzolich »

I'm glad to see so much interest in prepaid and MVMO services. We switched probably 2 years ago to mvno is it been great. we're currently with total wireless having two lines for $60 total and sharing data. Huge savings
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by BeachPerson »

I have been using Verizon Prepaid and love it!!!

Walmart Straight Talk has bad customer service. I would avoid them. If there is a problem, not good using them.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by Cruiser »

I switched from T-Mobile to Mint Mobile and cut my bill from $70 to $25 with the same coverage. Sure, there are some downsides (no roaming to AT&T, no international data), but those attribute to about 0.5% of my time using my cell phone, so I can deal with it.
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Re: Switched from Verizon's postpaid plan to prepaid: Saved 38%

Post by abuss368 »

Consider Consumer Cellular - reseller of AT&T and T-Mobile. This morning I was helping family who are considering changing to them from one of the major providers.
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