$30 unlimited plan switching

[peanutbutter47]

The $30 "unlimited" (5GB) data and text and 100 minute plan says it is for new activations only. Has anyone had any luck switching from, say, the $60 monthly 4G plan to the $30 unlimited plan as an existing customer? Curious, because there are months where I need more minutes, but most of the time the $30 unlimited would cover, but would like to know if I can switch without changing my number.

[acadiel]

The way I had to do it was this:

1) Buy a new SIM from TMobile.com.
2) Activate new SIM with new phone number on $30 plan
3) Call T-Mobile and have them transfer balance and phone number to SIM with $30 plan.

That's the only way I could do it... they could not override my existing SIM to add the plan.

[Chop-Chop]

Or you could just get a Google Voice #. Then every time you switched out of the 30 plan and could not get
back just activate a new sim (99c).

As an alternative just have enough money to cover for the minutes you need unless you need more than 300 minutes there is no point in switching to the 60 plan.

[Hesster]

If you go the Google Voice route, be aware TMO does not allow conditional call forwarding on prepaid lines. This creates some issues with Google VM. When I get a call and it goes to VM, sometimes TMO VM will pick up, and sometimes Google VM will pick up. Since I wanted all calls to go to the same box, I had TMO shorten the ring time and it seems to have helped, but I still have calls going to Google VM occasionally.

[Gumbochief]

My solution was to remove voicemail from my Tmobile account. I called customer service to get that done.
Now all voicemail goes to Google Voice.
For me it is much better in that I get transcriptions sent to my email.
I can also manage voicemails from my PC, and can forward the audio files to anyone.

If you go the Google Voice route, be aware TMO does not allow conditional call forwarding on prepaid lines. This creates some issues with Google VM. When I get a call and it goes to VM, sometimes TMO VM will pick up, and sometimes Google VM will pick up. Since I wanted all calls to go to the same box, I had TMO shorten the ring time and it seems to have helped, but I still have calls going to Google VM occasionally.

[whacker]

I've been using Google Voice (without any smartphone app) for a little over two years now. My understanding is that (knowing the principle of how this works in addition to reading a lot about it) if someone calls your direct cell number and it does not have conditional call forwarding (such as is the case with T-Mobile Prepaid), there's no way the call is going to be routed to any alternate service (i.e. Google Voice voicemail).

And if someone is calling your Google Voice number that you have set to forward to your cell phone, and your cell phone provider's voicemail pickup default timeout (or number of rings) is quicker on the draw, you will have a conflict as to which service gets the voicemail. Typically (and in my case with both my T-Mobile and Page Plus lines of service) with Google Voice's voicemail pickup default (I think it's stated as 25 seconds), it's always been quicker than either of my respective cell's VM services. Obviously, your mileage may vary, as evidenced by posts here.

Hesster, are you saying that when someone calls your GV number, you're getting the mixed results? Seems like if you were able to get your T-Mo pickup time shortened, and someone called your GV number, your T-Mo service would be catching the voicemail (picking up sooner) consistently. I would want mine lengthened if I was wanting GV to win the race. I mean, the point of having GV is to be the central focus of incoming calls, mainly by having people call your GV number. The ability to also take care of calls still made to your direct (old/current) cell number, by intercepting unanswered calls and redirecting to GV voicemail, is kind of a remedial task, helping you hopefully wean everyone off the cell number and onto the GV number for calling you (with certain exceptions, of course).

[Hesster]

Yes, even with the ring time shortened to 20 seconds, GVM still occasionally picks up. I've only had a couple end up in GVM, and strangely enough they've all been election campaign robocalls. I hate those things.

I agree that GVM is better than TMO's VM, but I've heard it's not 100% reliable and I need to make sure I get every VM since it's a business number. If TMO offered conditional call forwarding on prepaid it wouldn't be an issue, but they don't so I have to make due.

[whacker]

Well then, why not dispense with GV altogether, if all you want to do is bypass GV's voicemail? That's the whole point of it! And there's no way to "turn off" GV's voicemail function. As you have it now, any call to the GV number is desired by you to go to the T-Mobile cell's VM, right? I've never heard of an instance of the voicemail on GV being flaky, except in cases where there was a timing problem, and as GV is non-adjustable, we have to rely on the forwarded phones for that. Really, just move the GV number to a phone/service you want, and find a way to get people to call that number. You're putting a layer of interference into the equation, and/or asking the GV product to do something it isn't designed to do (indeed, won't do).

[Hesster]

Mainly because I wasn't aware it was going to be a problem until after I'd ported my number into Google Voice, and because I've heard of problems porting out of GV. So far it hasn't been a big enough problem to go through the hassle and risk of porting out and losing my number. Besides, there are other reasons to have Google Voice. Blocking spam numbers and ringing multiple phone numbers at the same time, for example.

Plus I'm veeeery tempted by the unlimited data deal, and if I go to postpaid I'll get CCF and the problem will go away entirely.

[bobby29]

Question when porting your number to Google Voice - When you make an outgoing call with T-Mobile prepaid, the incoming caller ID to the person you are calling is the T-Mobile number, and NOT your ported Google Voice number correct?

[whacker]

Any call made through the GV system from any forwarded phone (that you've setup as such in your online GV account) to any number, will display as the Google Voice number to the recipient. The whole idea with GV is having an alternate identity for your calling.

How you make your call determines whether or not this happens. You can use the original, more primitive method (but still quite effective), and that is to manually first call your GV number, respond to the prompts (press 2), then input the recipient's number followed by the "#". Or, if you have a smartphone that can run the GV app, and you have a working data connection (cellular or Wi-Fi), you'll be prompted to make the call either using GV or not. Obviously, if you just make a call straight off the dial pad or the contact list directly to the recipient, you won't be going through the GV process.

[ROM66]

The latest Google Voice app for Android is capable of making calls without using data. The app uses an access number instead of the old "ringback" method. Once it establishes the access number for the contact you are dialing, you can make subsequent calls without using data. (Basically you need to call each number you dial once. The app stores the access numbers after that.)

You can set the options within the app to not use GV for any call, prompt you every call, or use GV for all calls. I have one of my phones set up to use GV for all calls. It's pretty transparent from an end user viewpoint. It uses the native dialer, so there is no need to open the app at all when making calls.

[whacker]

You know, I had heard about this newer app version from one other source, and that it somehow figures out the number to use to call a contact and keep your Google identity. I think in the established context that might be the same as the GV "alias" number that you get from a contact when they text your GV number, which you can then use directly to call or text them back (even putting it into your contact list manually, which is what I've done the past three years for the limited group that actually has texted me). Gonna have to give that a try.

I just wish there was a GV app, or at least a versatile dialer app, that would work with no data for my Nokia Nuron. Oh, well.

Thanks for the info ROM66!