Verizon and their "required" data package!

[pasharain]

I got a Net 10 (Pay as you go) smart phone from Best for $29. It is a LG. All the features and good looks of a Blackberry type device and you can choose to "pay as you go" and only have a few minutes of call time deducted when you get online or $50 a month unlimited call/text/internet. Best part you can rotate between the two plans as you buy a "calling card" whenever you need time and just choose the card you want.

Minutes are 10 cents each, (texts only deduct 1/2 a minute) but I found out that many of those 10% coupons Best Buy puts out are good on phone cards so I always make sure I have one in tow when buying a calling card.

Also, I read horror stories about Net 10's customer service online, but in the a little over a year I have been with them, I have had to call customer service 3 times for things or questions that came up and was very happy with their help.

[fungirl2727]

I got verizon and pay way too much money for 2 phones! I pay 160 a month I have 2 droids with internet on them. My hubby and me don't even use comuter anymore just use are phones.
I don't have internet anymore at my house can plug a cord in from my phone that has it and play on it on cumputer. We also don't have house phones anymore. The internet on my phone has been great to play on.

[mom23teens]

I got verizon and pay way too much money for 2 phones! I pay 160 a month I have 2 droids with internet on them. My hubby and me don't even use comuter anymore just use are phones.
I don't have internet anymore at my house can plug a cord in from my phone that has it and play on it on cumputer. We also don't have house phones anymore. The internet on my phone has been great to play on.

Oh my goodness I have at&t and i pay that for 5 lines plus unlimited txting

[Jasmin71]

we have 5 Phones unlimted Texting, free calling to verizon...and so many free minutes ( lots of them we never used them all yet)

we pay $ 170 a month that includes all taxs and stuff

[Chrysalis101]

I hate that Verizon makes you have to have a data plan on some phones. My current phone falls into their "smart phone" data-plan deal, but I don't have a data plan. I bought my phone before the required data plans. As soon as I get rid of my phone I'll have to either buy one of their cheap phones with crappy cameras and zero features or suck it up and buy a data plan. I really want an iPhone but have held out. I too am a SAHM and spend almost all the time at home or the store *grin*. But I loved my iPod touch until it took a tumble and I miss it so much now.
The iPhone 5 is slated to come out this summer and I'm trying to be patient. DH said he'd get it for me for our anniversery. But I do feel bad about having to spend the extra $30/month.
The up side (and this goes for droids too), is that there are so many aps that you can use in the store only with smart phones like droids and iPhones. Save money with iPhone apps - AllYou.com Those are just a hand full, there are many more with verying degrees of worth. There's even one that will pay you for just walking into stores, even if you don't buy anything. It's called shopkick. You may be able to partly offset the cost of that data plan.

[clippyclippy]

we have 5 Phones unlimted Texting, free calling to verizon...and so many free minutes ( lots of them we never used them all yet)

we pay $ 170 a month that includes all taxs and stuff

Sounds like our home. 3 teens, 5 phones - unlimited texting, 750 minutes (which we don't use all of) and one data plan ... me , because I'm the mom
$184/mo....sigh.

[#1RobThomasfan]

I had Alltel for years then they sold out to Verizon. I hate Verizon but At &t stinks worse as they were formerly Cingular.And Tmobile doesnt work as well all over the country. So we are stuck. I pay 149$ for two phones..one Droid and one simple little Motorola. 20$ of that is required they claim because my phone requires it so I must pay for it on Dh's phone to. Plus I had one of the RUDEST customer service people call my phone and ask for my husband. I get so tired of soliciting telemarketers I tell them he's unavailable and can I help them. This guy was such a jerk. I told him so to. Plus Verizon came in and got rid of some great folks who were previously Alltel employees at our local store. I wonder if that's because I heard that some of the plans were the same as Alltel but cost more and good customers like myself were being warned to stick with their grandfathered Alltel plan? I have them because I have to not because I want to.

[CJOVANALST]

I used to work for an outsource company that provided customer service for Verizon. I mainly worked in the "credit escalation" department... where all the BIG credits back to customer accounts had to be approved. The reason they tell you it is required is because most smart phones use the internet to send picture messages, download games and ringtones, and etc. Customers would have the data package removed and then call and say "I didn't use the internet, why am I being charged $125 for internet usage?" but they downloaded 10 free ringtones, played tetris for 5 hours, and sent a dozen picture messages. That uses MB... which requires the use of the internet. The only way to completely block the internet requires that you block picture messaging... and god forbid you suggest such a thing to most people. Now with the Blackberry, it is a requirement for a data package because your phone is constantly connecting with RIM via the internet.

We personally are with Sprint. We both have a BlackBerry (DH's is both the business line and his personal line). Unlimited data and text, 1500 minutes, and free cell phone to cell phone calls on any network for around $140/month.