Are Unlimited Calling Plans a Bargain or an Up-Sell?
Thu Feb 21, 2008 7:13PM EST
See Comments (97)
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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87 Posted by karen_tipp on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:47PM EDT Report Abuse
It appears that only Sprint/nextel are the other ones that offer family connections or something even related to it. I do wish Sprint would come down before the others do offer some similar programs.
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88 Posted by htownguy009 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:21PM EDT Report Abuse
I personally love cricket, im from the houston area and for $45 a month i get unlimited local, long distance, text messaging, pictures messaging, unlimited web, and unlimited directional assistance with tax i have never paid more than $53 a month. And is no contract, no deposit, no credit check.
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89 Posted by tracy.wills on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:19PM EDT Report Abuse
This article has only listed the expensive cell phone providers. I have BOOSTMOBILE and pay $45 a month for unlimited local and long distance calling 24/7. If you don't live in the BOOSTMOBILE area then there is also CRICKET in some other areas. And there is NO CONTRACT. Lets represent this accurately. These other companies are a rip off.
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90 Posted by arsaltman on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:58PM EDT Report Abuse
That's why I go with Cricket. No contracts and unlimited everything for roughtly $50-$60 a month. I have unlimited, talk, US long distance (including Hawaii, Alaska, Canada & Puerto Rico), voice mail, text, pix/video messaging, no extra charge in nationwide calling areas, and 30 minutes of nationwide roaming (I always have a signal) all for only $57.30. I've been with them for a year and I have no complaints. It's perfect for me but others may have to look into it before deciding. If you're really interested you can always go to the Cricket website and check it out. Mind you they don't have calling areas everywhere in the US. The thing to keep in mind with them is to read all of the fine print and buy a good phone.
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91 Posted by bsandbill2@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:14PM EDT Report Abuse
THEY ARE ALL TOO HIGH-A BUNCH OF RIP OFF ARTIST.
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92 Posted by scla_reddbone on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:08PM EDT Report Abuse
Do Any One Know About "Boost unlimited" Or "Metro PCS" With Plans From $35 to $70 A Month Go Check Em' Out.
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93 Posted by jd2316@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:31PM EDT Report Abuse
i have "boost mobile" and for just $57 a month i have unlimited everything and my plan never changes....."boost" doesnt have the greatest selection of phones but you just cant beat the price....im 23 years old and not having to sign any contracts and never having to pay any security deposit worked out for me.....o yea....i have been with verizon,cingular,sprint and t-mobile....and "boost" has been the best.....dont continue to pay more when you can pay less for better service..... justin daniel....california
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94 Posted by gilbert.lopez@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:09PM EDT Report Abuse
I have been a field tech with Sprint for nine years, and I can tell you first hand, that things are definetely changing for the better around here, finally got rid of Forsee, although at least 3 years to late for me. But Sprint is making a comeback. All we talk about in our weekly meeting, is how to make our customers happy, customer service, best prices, quality phones, most to offer, and the least dropped call's, we take our work very serious in the field every day, to make sure the network is up 100 percent of the time as much as possible. We are improving in all areas, and we will be proving it to our valued customers.
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95 Posted by karen_leichtle on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:47PM EDT Report Abuse
This article is out of date. Sprint launched the new Simply Everything plan in March!! $99 UNLIMITED everything(voice, text, picture and video, direct connect, group connect, unlimited mobile internet (music, tv, GPS Nav, Email, Web surfing and exclusive downloads like NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile and NFL Mobile.)
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96 Posted by ramirez2491 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:27PM EDT Report Abuse
I got this unlimited plan from Cricket wireless1 Everything is unlimited calling texting picture and video and web for 50 bucks it is the best plan ever.
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97 Posted by cindy_zucco on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:25PM EDT Report Abuse
To the guy who said "nobody pays $35"... i pay 30 haha unlimited Local and free caller id, though no txt or voicemail and certainly no internet/email. Worth it though... it couldn't be cheaper. I go with Cricket btw.
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86 Posted by quaysean_reynolds on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:24PM EDT Report Abuse
What all of the "major carriers" are going to find out in the very near future is, the "HELIO" brand is going to really hurt their sales. With the only true $99 Unlimited plan on the market, ( calling,text,data ) the "majors" are going to find it extemely hard to compete. Not to mention, "HELIO" has incorporated a "NO CONTRACT" option to their services. Having had negative experiences with the "majors" and their contracts, the opportunity to get "Unlimited" everything, with no contract, was too much to pass up. I dont know about you guys, but im very much into getting the most "BANG! for my Buck".