Prepaid w/my own phone?

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

I'm thinking of switching from AT&T (Cingular) TDMA service to Verizon
when my contract is up, since TDMA service is steadily degrading and
GSM doesn't cover the remote areas where I like to go bicycling.

I'd like to take Verizon for an extended spin--a 15-day trial just
won't cut it--so a prepaid plan seems like the safest option.

A few questions:

1. Will my experience with a prepaid plan give a good indication of
coverage under a ~$40/month postpaid plan?

2. Verizon wants $129 for the cheapest prepaid phone package. If I
buy a used phone from someone else, is there some way to use it with a
new prepaid plan? If so, any recommendations on phones to look for?

3. (This really only applies to postpaid plans, I suppose.) I keep
reading that Verizon charges extra for "detailed billing." Is this as
nuts as it sounds? Do I really have to pay them extra to provide me
with a list of the calls I made and how much I paid for them?

--Ed
--
--
Ed Swierk
eswierk@cs.stanford.edu

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Buy a $20 ST7868W Verizon StarTac off of eBay.

Not the hottest receiver around, but a decent tri-mode phone to play with.

Dean
______________________________________
"Ed Swierk" <eswierk@cs.stanford.edu> wrote in message
newsb93r8$dkr$1@xenon.Stanford.EDU...
> I'm thinking of switching from AT&T (Cingular) TDMA service to Verizon
> when my contract is up, since TDMA service is steadily degrading and
> GSM doesn't cover the remote areas where I like to go bicycling.
>
> I'd like to take Verizon for an extended spin--a 15-day trial just
> won't cut it--so a prepaid plan seems like the safest option.
>
> A few questions:
>
> 1. Will my experience with a prepaid plan give a good indication of
> coverage under a ~$40/month postpaid plan?
>
> 2. Verizon wants $129 for the cheapest prepaid phone package. If I
> buy a used phone from someone else, is there some way to use it with a
> new prepaid plan? If so, any recommendations on phones to look for?
>
> 3. (This really only applies to postpaid plans, I suppose.) I keep
> reading that Verizon charges extra for "detailed billing." Is this as
> nuts as it sounds? Do I really have to pay them extra to provide me
> with a list of the calls I made and how much I paid for them?
>
> --Ed
> --
> --
> Ed Swierk
> eswierk@cs.stanford.edu

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

> 1. Will my experience with a prepaid plan give a good indication of
> coverage under a ~$40/month postpaid plan?
>

Usually it will, postpaid probably has more free roaming areas than
prepaid


> 2. Verizon wants $129 for the cheapest prepaid phone package. If I
> buy a used phone from someone else, is there some way to use it with a
> new prepaid plan? If so, any recommendations on phones to look for?
>

It must be a Verizon phone, GPS E911 capabile (which is why the Startac
no longer qualifies), and must support 800/1900 CDMA. I'd also
recommend AMPS capability since you want rural bike path coverage.


> 3. (This really only applies to postpaid plans, I suppose.) I keep
> reading that Verizon charges extra for "detailed billing." Is this as
> nuts as it sounds? Do I really have to pay them extra to provide me
> with a list of the calls I made and how much I paid for them?
>

Yes, for any new contracts as of June 2004, but you can see minutes for
free online.


-MVL

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon (More info?)

Dean wrote:
> Any idea why? It is tri-mode, takes PRL OTA updates, etc
> etc.
>
> I had no idea they wouldn't activate it for pre-paid.
> They will on my postpaid plan...

A few years ago I used my postpaid plan phone for prepay.
I had a discontinued promotional Local Digital Choice plan.
I was going to the East coast for a week. If I switched to
AC and then switched back I would have lost the promotion.
(I didn't think of the revert within 30 day thing...). So I went
for a $30 to start FreeUp plan. It came with a second $30
card as a promo. I did this with my wife's phone too. We
both had dual NAM capable phones so I told them what
I wanted to do was use the existing phones and program
the second NAMs for the FreeUp plans. No problem, they
did mine in the store and I did my wife's when I got home.
Since we used existing phones already on a postpaid plan
there was no activation fees. When we got on the plane to
leave we switched to NAM2 and switched back to NAM1 on
our return.

that was all a few years ago.

I agree, I'd think if it's working on a postpaid plan it should
be fine for a prepaid plan.

-Quick