Will Verizon prepaid allow the new cdma iPhone?

[Phillip Wooden]

I really don't understand why Big Red wouldn't allow the iPhone to be on prepaid. As of today, you can activate any phone that is a VZW phone on prepaid. You don't have to buy it from Big Red as a prepaid phone. Any of their phones that they currently sale, as of 02-07-2011, will work just fine on prepaid. The only exception, is with Smart Phones they do require the Prepaid Monthly plans and of course the $30/month Data Pack. My idea on this is, if the iPhone is going to be just another phone with an ESN, and if you purchase at full price, what would be the reasoning behind Big Red not alloying us to use on prepaid. There actually making more off of someone on prepaid than they are on Post Paid plans. For one Prepaid customers have to pay an additional $5 a month. Also, your buying the phone out right, which that lands them the full value of the phone. And they should know, that if prepaid customers want service, they PREPAY so their guaranteed the money right off hand.

[fonezfonz]

Phil. Big Red has its own logic, based on Big Green, gobs of it. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple has a hand in it too but that's just a guess on the control freaks from Cupertino.

I don't see why (logically) they don't sell and allow a phone which the user pays FULL price for ($650 and up) and pays for service extra ($5 a month minimum) when they will allow it on month to month.

But at least there is SOME KIND OF non contract option. Att didn't allow anything but the original iphone on any kind of non contract option.

My guess is that a lot of ViPhones will end up on byod Vz mvnos like Page Plus and byod cdma regionals like Cricket once the phone flashers and dealers figure out how to bypass direct Verizon activation.

I don't know if the iphone will ever be offered for prepaid. A live Verizon prepaid operator told me that it may be in the future, just not right now. So the only places you can get iphone on prepaid in the near future short of the hacking succeeding is gsm iphones on gsm mvnos/prepaid carriers like Att Gophone, H20 gsm, Air Voice or even Simple/Tmobile.

If you're in an area that is fine without Verizon coverage, that is an option for a lot of people.

And it hasn't been proven yet if even mighty Verizon can handle what is expected to be millions of new data gobbling ViPhone users being used on their network.

We'll see with a little time.

[webworm98]

AT&T did allow I-phone on a certain prepaid plan only if you failed a credit check. Don't know if they still do that.

[fonezfonz]

Att's going to take a MAJOR BEATING this year because of Verizon's iphone.
While they can't compete with the network and unlimited data things, they can compete by offering prepaid iphone plans. Something Verizon itself doesn't have as an alternative. Encourage byod and boom. Or sell older iphones as refurbs/prepaid. There's definitely a market for that.

[HF305]

True, Verizon has announced they won't let you out of the store without putting the iphone on some sort of postpaid plan.

It is not clear though whether that means it is going to be banned from Prepaid, or is it just not being initially sold as a prepaid option.

[fonezfonz]

Well, as much as it's all about the iphone (hate to say it but it's ONE phone that it takes 70 Androids to battle), Verizon prepaid is still lightyears ahead of a year ago when it had ZERO Droids, Blackberries, Web OS devices.

Month to month is okay I guess. It has the advantage of being slightly cheaper then prepaid and full roaming included (minor advantages as Verizon's native footprint is huge).

Better then nothing I guess. But I'm waiting for the reports from Page Plus on this before I close the books on the ViPhone on a Verizon based prepaid option via mvno or what have you.

[SBdunks]

anyone got one on vzw prepaid yet? i have a chance to get one off contract for a good price but dont wanna spend major bucks on a phone that i wont be able to use.

[Big Blue 023]

Shhhh! If Verizon reads this and someone can get one on, you can bet it will get yanked.

[kc8svs]

Lets make it simple here....

Instead of everyone just freakin speculating, has anyone actually ATTEMPTED to put it on monthly prepaid?

[qipengart]

Yeah I bought it on Verizon and attempted prepaid activation. It failed completely. I exchanged mine for the GSM version now.

[fonezfonz]

There you go. Page Plus has had successful activations but only for talk/text. They are also warning of a ban on iphones over there too (Page Plus, popular Verizon reseller/mvno, uses same network as Verizon prepaid).

[SBdunks]

verizon is losing a lot of potential customers by not letting the iphone on prepaid.

people like us are a solid source of income, and they make an extra $5 off of us.

guess i'll keep my iphone 4 on t-mobile for now :/

[bettyb]

verizon is losing a lot of potential customers by not letting the iphone on prepaid.

people like us are a solid source of income, and they make an extra $5 off of us.

guess i'll keep my iphone 4 on t-mobile for now :/

I completely agree! What is Verizon thinking?

[fonezfonz]

Verizon is known for not regarding prepaid highly: http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=455609

However it is absolutely a fact that they have the best deals in their history on prepaid compared to their previous deals if not to others in the field. They lose compare to a Boost, VM, Gsm mvno but they offer better rates then ever.

But it could be much better. 25 cents a minute flat rate talk? C'mon.

[nwm4ever]

people like us are a solid source of income, and they make an extra $5 off of us.

Seriously? You'd point to that as some sort of selling point when on this very site you'll find folks with old AT&T Blue customers yammering, a thread dedicated to cheaper Page Plus minutes from sites like Callingmart, and some hackintoshers wanting their iPhones to experience unlimted talk, text, and web--provided by a Tracfone company.

verizon is losing a lot of potential customers by not letting the iphone on prepaid.

No, they aren't.