Lowest service time cost per month AND low PayGo add-on cost per GB

[PaulCrawhorne]

I am hoping to collect a list of proven reliable providers that will be great for keeping a phone and number active with minimum cost AND EFFORT!

As with Tracfone, which is as low as $3-5/mo, so let's say around $10 maximum.

The KEY differentiator, is that temporary data add-ons, up to say 10GB/mo occasional usage, is at least somewhat reasonably priced.

I consider Tracfone's $10/GB on its traditional PayGo plans to be such, but ONLY because of their reliable policy that the GBs do not expire

so long as the service end date keeps getting pushed out - I have many accounts with GBs still there purchased over a decade ago.

For providers that only let the GBs remain valid "this cycle", then if you happen to need those GBs starting just a few days before end-of-cycle, you're screwed, so their GBs should be say $5-7 max - but obviously lower the better. Personally I'm looking for $2-3/GB if no rollover

Being able to upgrade / downgrade plans easily on the fly in a rational way may be good enough, but having to remember to schedule a downgrade is not so ideal.

As an example UltraMobile PAYGO on TMO is fantastically reliable and easy at $3/mo.

But don't even bother calculating their data cost per add-on GB, horrible policies there.

Those newish eSIM providers for US visitors may qualify, so long as the company bona fides, longevity / reliability have been confirmed in online forums by actual users, not just their PR touts.

Also plans requiring more than monthly payments qualify for this thread, even annual but I hate that trend.

Please do not post trials, or temporary promotion deals that are likely to balloon after a few months.

Note the network used please, any of the main three is OK. Also T&T can be stated, but I will not use that factor for purpose of comparison in this thread.

[PaulCrawhorne]

Relevant thread

https://www.howardforums.com/showthr...hort-term-plan

Also, here are some notes on how to use Tracfone effectively, for mixing PayGo for annual extensions of service time plus UNL plans as an overlay for occasional months of higher data usage:

https://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?p=17258608

Just ignore the ignorant scaremongering, wrt to pure PayGo GBs, nothing has changed, rollover forever still works perfectly well.

But yes Tracfone is getting even worse in general, especially if you don't want VZW's network.

[zapjb]

One example Good2Go Mobile (AT&T) annual $60 UTT & 1GB.

[robbyrobby]

Mobile - X (Verizon network) offers 'custom plans' that are essentially paygo at somewhat reasonable data price($ 2.10 per gig plus a $1.99 platform fee) and a couple inexpensive talk and text bundle options, data does not rollover but unused data is credited back to the user which some may consider even better. if you will not be using in a given month you can cancel the talk and text plan and with no data usage just pay the $ 1.99 'platform fee'

It's a new MVNO from the founder of Boost Mobile and still current owner of Boost Mobile in Australia. He sold the US Brand to Sprint 20 years ago.

[robbyrobby]

i have been considering a shake up of my primary 'work' line setup which is currently on T-Mobile

T-Mobile data works best for me in most places most of the time but not all place at all times. Also T-Mobile call reliability is not the best in many places i travel.

My some what tentative plan is to make my T-Mobile business unlimited tablet line ($ 10.00 month including taxes) my primary data line, its currently in a iPad but I have an unlimited ATT iPad plan as well which can cover all my iPad data needs. This would be supplemented in a dual SIM setup with Mobile-X for talk and text and backup data on Verizon for times and/or places where T-Mobile struggles.

I do not expect the setup to ever go over $ 20 month and to come in around $ 15 most months.

my 'personal' line is on Google Voice and the setup is constantly changing between devices and plans but i keep a stable rarely changing setup for the work line

[PaulCrawhorne]

One example Good2Go Mobile (AT&T) annual $60 UTT & 1GB.

Add-on data is $10/GB

Rolls over? How long? What if you buy the day before end of cycle?

[PaulCrawhorne]

$1.99 'platform fee'

Excellent business model from customer POV

so I can prepay $21 beginning of cycle for 10GB and if I only use 5GB by EoC I get half the payment credited?

[PaulCrawhorne]

My somewhat tentative plan

Very interesting!

Rather than derailing this thread's topic, started a new one

https://www.howardforums.com/showthr...ost-high-GB-mo

[PaulCrawhorne]

Just to be clear, the Tracfone PayGo model is pretty darn good. For those not familiar, comes out to $3-4/month prepaid annually (which is increasingly available elsewhere too)

Then $10/GB adding Data, with (uniquely?) never-expiring rollover.

My purpose here is finding a lower cost per PayGo GB, $10 is now getting to be a very high price if you need say 10-20GB on a given line for occasional high-usage months.

And also with Tracfone's chaotic systems, sloppy CS execution, and increasing trend to convert users to VZW-only service, I would prefer to migrate many lines away to other providers as their service time expires.

[robbyrobby]

Excellent business model from customer POV

so I can prepay $21 beginning of cycle for 10GB and if I only use 5GB by EoC I get half the payment credited?

sort of works that way. there is no prepaid 'cash bucket' like a traditional paygo. but if you build a customer plan with 10gb and don't use it all according to official policy you keep it, reports from users is you actually get a refund for the unused portion. in my opinion thats even better. you can also just buy 1 gb plan monthly and add data as you need/want it which is what i will likely do.

[dmart]

I am hoping to collect a list of proven reliable providers that will be great for keeping a phone and number active with minimum cost AND EFFORT!

As with Tracfone, which is as low as $3-5/mo, so let's say around $10 maximum.

The KEY differentiator, is that temporary data add-ons, up to say 10GB/mo occasional usage, is at least somewhat reasonably priced.

I consider Tracfone's $10/GB on its traditional PayGo plans to be such, but ONLY because of their reliable policy that the GBs do not expire

so long as the service end date keeps getting pushed out - I have many accounts with GBs still there purchased over a decade ago.

For providers that only let the GBs remain valid "this cycle", then if you happen to need those GBs starting just a few days before end-of-cycle, you're screwed, so their GBs should be say $5-7 max - but obviously lower the better. Personally I'm looking for $2-3/GB if no rollover

Being able to upgrade / downgrade plans easily on the fly in a rational way may be good enough, but having to remember to schedule a downgrade is not so ideal.

As an example UltraMobile PAYGO on TMO is fantastically reliable and easy at $3/mo.

But don't even bother calculating their data cost per add-on GB, horrible policies there.

Those newish eSIM providers for US visitors may qualify, so long as the company bona fides, longevity / reliability have been confirmed in online forums by actual users, not just their PR touts.

Also plans requiring more than monthly payments qualify for this thread, even annual but I hate that trend.

Please do not post trials, or temporary promotion deals that are likely to balloon after a few months.

Note the network used please, any of the main three is OK. Also T&T can be stated, but I will not use that factor for purpose of comparison in this thread.

https://prepaidcompare.net/

[PaulCrawhorne]

reports from users is you actually get a refund for the unused portion

Sounds good!

Can you please post links to good discussion threads on Reddit or other forums where they go into more details than what's been posted here?

[PaulCrawhorne]

https://prepaidcompare.net/

Yes very familiar, great tool

but it does not get into any of data addons, the per-GB cost nor rollover etc policies this thread is specifically about.

[robbyrobby]

Sounds good!

Can you please post links to good discussion threads on Reddit or other forums where they go into more details than what's been posted here?

one thing i'm in agreement with on the poster of this reddit is a dislike for needing to use an app to signup instead of the website.

the founder is pretty active on twitter and when questioned about it there has been pretty firm to never expect web signup despite many requests, this seems to be a trend in the industry with Boost Infinite requiring app to signup, textnow requiring now for all new signups and a push to use the app even when a web option is available but many others. there are reports many of the early biugs in the app have been fixed and it performs much more reliably than at launch

you do get some initial free service as long as you go with the custom plan option instead of one of the unlimited options, i think it may of changed but initially the unlimited option were only at initial signup and not a 'switch too' option

i am old fashioned though with a strong web site preference for account management, billing, etc.

my reason for not having already switched is Verizon is actually not great for me as a primary data service, but i am very seriously considering it for my main work talk and text number with being able to paygo on Verizon as needed with T-Mobile as my primary data service in a dual SIM setup.


https://www.reddit.com/r/NoContract/...obilex_review/

[robbyrobby]

also an official Mobile X sub reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/mobilex/