Are Unlimited Calling Plans a Bargain or an Up-Sell?

Thu Feb 21, 2008 7:13PM EST

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I love it when big companies vie for first place. You know who the winner is, don't you? That would be us.

The latest buzzword in mobile phone-speak is unlimited calling. The first salvo came from Verizon Wireless earlier in the week. It introduced an unlimited calling plan for $99.99 a month. On the plan, you get unlimited minutes, no domestic roaming or long distance charges, and mobile Web 2.0. (This doesn't include surcharges, taxes, and fees or activation fees.)

Within hours, AT&T Mobility offered its version of the $99 unlimited plan. For the moment, Sprint's unlimited plan remains at $119.99 a month, but it includes unlimited web use, email, and messaging. The company has not announced a price, cut but the week's still young. Engadget is already hot on the rumor trail about a $60 a month unlimited calling option from Sprint.

And T-Mobile USA also announced its price-cutting week, too. For $99, it offers unlimited nationwide calling, but ups the ante by adding unlimited messaging, including text messages (SMS), picture messages (MMS), and instant messages (IM).

Is $99 for unlimited calling right for you? Possibly not. The carriers can substantially increase their revenue by upselling you to a more expensive plan than you need in the name of "unlimited." You know the sales speak: "For just a few dollars more a month than you're already spending you can have unlimited use."

BusinessWeek quoted a communications and media consultancy practice, that reported only 5 percent to 15 percent of the combined customer base of the three of the four largest U.S. cell-phone service providers would probably save by converting to the all-you-can-talk calling plans.

If you're in the 5 percent to 15 percent, then hooray for you! If you're not, you might be spending more than you need to spend. Before you sign on the dotted line, do an inventory of a few months of bills. My hunch is that most of the people who will benefit from the new $99 unlimited game are those who are either always over their minute limits or already pay $99 for a fixed number of minutes. In other words, heavy volume callers.

If you're paying $39 a month and stay within your minutes, there's not a lot of reason for the "unlimited" word to lure you.

 

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  • 6 Posted by cellphoneuser1202 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    I just inquired about a new battery, yesterday, before you knew it they were going to give me a new c-phone and renew my contract. They also tried to sell me an unlimited package This was from AT&T I was in a hurry,said i would be back Monday, glad i read this artical

  • 7 Posted by huskwimple on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    Sprint will probably come out with something is a week or so, I would wait if you want an unlimited plan. http://www.cell-stuff.net

  • 8 Posted by edvaquiz on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    I dont think is fair for consumer to pay a penalty for early termination I think that FCC should banned this early termination fee its good for all of us to have the right to percieve with new provider when ever we can because not all provider have powerful signal and yet if for us to try different company see who is the best, verizon is one of the company that even if I dont use the phone for a period of time they still charge me over the limit am sure you get to have this problem with them and some others, their data is not accurate as it should be we are getting over charge for service that we dont use

  • 9 Posted by growlnroar on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:13PM EDT Report Abuse

    Unlimited plans are far from new. I was quite happy with SunCom and their unPlan (60$ a month, which was an awesome deal at the time). Until they got swallowed by Cingular which got swallowed by AT&T. I've never been happy since. I'm almost at the point of paying the exit fee just to get a new carrier that can offer a solid unlimited plan (without internet, I really don't need it.)

  • 11 Posted by bravsfn1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    Youre wrong, Verizon shows that 60-65% of their customers ARE going over their minutes. Thats why they did this.

  • 12 Posted by qwamac2000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    if they didnt have 2 year contracts then the phone would cost their origginall price. With contracts you can get quite new phones for about 30 dollars, so contracts have an upside and a downside.

  • 13 Posted by blackf1501 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    The pricing above is incorrect , Sprint has all unlimted for $99, the rest of them are 119.99.

  • 14 Posted by workingathomeworks on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    I work with SunCom who is becoming T-Mobile and for years we have had unlimited for 49 to 79 and an unlimited national plan for 149.99. Everybody wants to buy the plan because of the words unlimited, but when you look at the bill a lot of the people only use about 12 to 1500 minutes, and in my opinion it is not worth it. It is only $59.99 for unlimited calling in the NE part Ga, SC, NC, West VA, which is not bad.

  • 15 Posted by ladie2005bug on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS METRO PCS $50 A MONTH FOR ALL THAT GOOD STUFF HALF THE PRICE

  • 16 Posted by bluebludedalien on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:09PM EDT Report Abuse

    okay first of all verizon isn't the "FIRST" HELIO has offered on a couple occasions, (not sure if it currently does but i am on it, just got a couple months ago) 99$ (usual price 140$) and not only does this plan have UNLIMITED CALLING, but it has unlimited texting and unlimited internet usage. So at 99$ for all this i'd say its still better than any other plan out there, these guys are still going to charge you for unlimited texting and internet (probably anotehr 40$)and its all on the speedy sprint network. and number 2, i just heard on the radio the other day that sprints plan is 99$ as well. www.helio.com

  • 17 Posted by mads_mut on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:03PM EDT Report Abuse

    I just got an unlimited plan with sprint, and the cost is only $90.00 + tax for unlimited talk, tex, web, and pic mail. I hope when my first bill comes in that i wasent lied to....

  • 18 Posted by chicagosdarkknight on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    sprints unlimeted pla is $99.99 for everything (voice, text, picture and video messaging, web, email,tele-nav, t.v., and music) deffenitly the best around!

  • 19 Posted by muf_zur on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    i think t-mobile is the best,no hidden fees

  • 20 Posted by odawg218 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    to pwdrskir: you should never go to a "re-seller" for anything that has monthly services. i work at AT&T and have people trying to get issues like that resolved thru us alllll the time. we hate re-sellers!

  • 21 Posted by puffinpanther on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    yeah, i thought helio was only 60 dollars a month for unlimited everything.

  • 22 Posted by ddavidsmiles on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    I is a value if you use your cell phone a lot and pushing the $60-$75 package and could go over your minutes then the $99 unlimited is a great value. Of course if you are on a plan that is over $99 and your bill exceeds that each month then you are going to save a lot of money. Carefree usuage has advantages. David http://www.VegasBookmarks.com Request Free Info: $99 Vegas Vacation

  • 23 Posted by larrylopez01 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    Paying $99 for unlimited calls is still expensive. I'm from california and I'm using MetroPCS for a year and a half now. I'm only paying $50 a month for unlimited calls,unlimited text, unlimited international text, no long distance charges and unlimited web use.I don't get out of California that much so I'm not affected by roaming charges.

  • 24 Posted by zewster162 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 11:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have been getting unlimited minutes on cricket for over 3 years for 44 bucks a month....99$ lol...gg

  • 25 Posted by cucuzza_stefano on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    What it says for Sprint being $119.99 is absouletly wrong. I am a Sales Rep. for Sprint. It's $99.99/ month and it includes unlimited voice calling, unlimited text messages, picture messages, long distance and no roaming charges, and best of all unlimited internet and e-mail.

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