dartmouth01 Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 Hi all, this question is a little different than the standard "which carrier" to use for fulltiming. My current carrier is T-Mobile, but I am planning on adding some backup plans on the other carriers. Since these will be backup, I'm not looking for monthly plans, but rather pay as you go plans. I have an old ATT Galaxy S4 that I plan to use with their GoPhone $2/day plan (which only gets charged when you use it, perfect for a backup it seems), but I'm having trouble finding a Verizon equivalent. Verizon Prepaid plans are monthly pay as you go, and I also checked Straight Talk and it seems they are the same. Are there any other options that I have to be able to get a backup phone on Verizon? I have a Verizon Pay as You Go LG Optimus Exceed phone, which I actually never activated with VZ, only bought it to use as a smart remote for my entertainment system (cost me $10!). I'd love to use this as my backup. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_12078 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Have you looked at Tracfone's "Bring Your Own Phone" plans? Dutch 2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS 2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technomadia Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Verizon used to have a 'pay only when you need it' plan that was pretty much what you're looking for - however they discontinued it a while back. We used to keep it ourselves as our emergency phone option, as we use AT&T as our primary phone. I'm afraid I don't know of any alternatives at present time for Verizon. Now, we have a Verizon unlimited data plan (that we use in a dedicated mobile router) that includes a small bucket of minutes each month - so if we need to call out on Verizon, we can just pop the SIM card back in a compatible phone. However with WiFi calling now pretty common, even that likely isn't needed if we have a data connection somewhere to use. Here's a list of Verizon MVNO plans to consider for finding your cheapest monthly plan option: https://bestmvno.com/verizon-mvnos/ If you're looking for a mobile internet solution (ie. mobile hotspot use), no MVNO includes the feature. Only the direct Verizon prepaid plans include it. - Cherie Cherie & Chris (and Kiki *meow*) / Personal Blog: Technomadia.com Technomads (technology enabled nomads) since 2006Our Nomadic Fleet: RVs: Zephyr: 1961 GM 4106 bus conversion / Blooper: 2020.5 Winnebago Travato GL Boat: Y-Not: 1999 Bayliner 4788 Hosts of the Mobile Internet Resource CenterMobile Internet Information for RVers, Cruisers & Nomads Proud to be recognized as Escapee's Commercial Partners #773 / Escapees RVOU Instructors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaDawg Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 If you want Verizon's network, you can't beat Selectel's yearly plans. $75 a year for a 3g phone, or $100 a year for a 4g phone. We use an older Motorola 3g bag phone on their yearly plan for our backup emergency phone. The 3g plan includes CDMA 1X roaming on all of Verizon's partners, like US Cellular.http://www.selectelwireless.com/product/yearlyplan/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VallAndMo Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Howdy, If you want Verizon's network, you can't beat Selectel's yearly plans. $75 a year for a 3g phone, or $100 a year for a 4g phone. We use an older Motorola 3g bag phone on their yearly plan for our backup emergency phone. The 3g plan includes CDMA 1X roaming on all of Verizon's partners, like US Cellular.http://www.selectelwireless.com/product/yearlyplan/Enticing! But how many GBs/month (year?) of 3G data does it include? Couldn't find that info on the linked page... Cheers, -- Vall. Getting ready to join the RV full-time lifestyle in 2017! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Enticing! But how many GBs/month (year?) of 3G data does it include? Couldn't find that info on the linked page... Reading their website, I'm not sure it does include any data. Some of their monthly plans specifically talk about how many GB per month are offered, but the yearly plans don't talk about data at all, just voice and texts. You might want to give them a call if you're considering going this way and need a data plan. LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiljoball Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 I have Verizon and use the prepaid plan - I put $100 on the plan and it is good for a year and I add another $100 at the end of the year so that any unused balance rolls over. So I just pay for the time I use. This works great as an emergency phone. John JohnTitanium 29EX 29/34 Fifthwheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaDawg Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Howdy, Enticing! But how many GBs/month (year?) of 3G data does it include? Couldn't find that info on the linked page... Cheers, -- Vall. Vail, It's a voice and text plan, not a data plan. Dartmouth posted that he was looking for a backup phone plan. I suppose if you have the right phone you might be able to use data, but at 1X speed it's going to be excruciatingly slow. This plan is more suited for making sure you have a way to call a tow truck when you break down in the middle of nowhere, or have a medical emergency and you need to call for help,. etc.. Get your self a Motorola M800 bag phone with an external antenna on the roof and your good to go: http://www.boxcarcabin.com/m800bp.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaDawg Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 I have Verizon and use the prepaid plan - I put $100 on the plan and it is good for a year and I add another $100 at the end of the year so that any unused balance rolls over. So I just pay for the time I use. This works great as an emergency phone. John Just be aware that Verizon's in house prepay plans are for their native network only, and do not allow roaming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dartmouth01 Posted May 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Aquadawg is correct, Im looking for a backup plan, so phone connectivity in as many places is a must, data would be a nice addition but not a must have. If Verizon's own prepay does not work on roaming, would Selectel/Page Plus/Tracfone be any better? I will start looking at sat phone options and SPOT type emergency beacons as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirakawa Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 I pay $10 to Page Plus. It lasts for 4 months. If I renew it a couple of days before the 4 months is up, the balance carries over. So, basically I pay $30 per year for Verizon voice and text service as a backup. They use Verizon's native network. $10 is good for 100 minutes of talk time. https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/ Everybody wanna hear the truth, but everybody tell a lie. Everybody wanna go to Heaven, but nobody want to die. Albert King Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiljoball Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Just be aware that Verizon's in house prepay plans are for their native network only, and do not allow roaming. Absolutely not true - I am a Canadian and use the phone in Canada and the US with no problems. John. JohnTitanium 29EX 29/34 Fifthwheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dartmouth01 Posted May 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 John, I can't seem to find a Verizon Pay As You Go option, maybe you are grandfathered in? Cherie had pointed out that this option went away a while back. My main reasons for having the backups on all the networks is for weekend trips with the rig and when I take moto rides off-road. Had mechanical issues on my last ride and no service. Apparently only AT&T worked in that area, VZ or T-Mobile did not. Which got me thinking, what would be the cheapest way to have the security of as many carriers as possible for backups? I'll be checking out Page Plus and Tracphone, both seem to use VZ's network. I'm also looking at SPOT/InReach and other sat options. It may be more pricey, and not as multi-functional, but would be more in line with what I need for riding solo in desolate areas.... Absolutely not true - I am a Canadian and use the phone in Canada and the US with no problems. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiljoball Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 You can buy a Verizon phone for about $10 at Walmart, and buy a $100 card there too. I use the Gusto. http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=verison%20prepaid%20phone&typeahead=verison It costs about $0.25 per minute in the US and about $0.80 per minute in Canada. Plus you can access the internet for about $3 per day when you need it. And at Verizon http://www.verizonwireless.com/prepaid/ John JohnTitanium 29EX 29/34 Fifthwheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaDawg Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 Absolutely not true - I am a Canadian and use the phone in Canada and the US with no problems. John. Straight from the Verizon website: "Where can I use my prepaid service? Prepaid service is available in the Prepaid Rate and Coverage Area. Refer to our Coverage Locator for a map of where prepaid service is available. Calls made or received outside of this calling area will be charged at a roaming rate. See the Prepaid International page for rate details." https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/prepaid-plans-and-service-faqs/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dartmouth01 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 When i click on "Shop Plans" on VZ all I can find are monthly plans, like Cherie has pointed out. Perhaps you had one of their "Pay As You Go Plans" before they got rid of them, so you are grandfathered in, and can use the refill cards accordingly? Anyways, I found an older Tracfone smartphone (LG Lucky) that I never used on the network, just as a wifi device for one of my hare brained experiments. I checked the bands it supports and it looks like it works on the VZ network. I looked at the Pay As You Go options for Tracfone, and the cheapest is a $9.99 plan for 30 mins, and 30 days. I then checked to see if the phone would work on Page Plus through their ESN check, and by golly, it looks like it'll work on there too! And the $10 plan is good for 100 mins and 120 days, so a better deal than Tracfone. I think I'll try out Page Plus and see how it works. If it does, I'll get their $80/year refill, it would be good peace of mind to have when travelling. You can buy a Verizon phone for about $10 at Walmart, and buy a $100 card there too. I use the Gusto. http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=verison%20prepaid%20phone&typeahead=verison It costs about $0.25 per minute in the US and about $0.80 per minute in Canada. Plus you can access the internet for about $3 per day when you need it. And at Verizon http://www.verizonwireless.com/prepaid/ John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dartmouth01 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 So it looks like a prepaid phone will work on roaming networks, you just have to pay more to use it..... Straight from the Verizon website: "Where can I use my prepaid service? Prepaid service is available in the Prepaid Rate and Coverage Area. Refer to our Coverage Locator for a map of where prepaid service is available.Calls made or received outside of this calling area will be charged at a roaming rate. See the Prepaid International page for rate details."https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/prepaid-plans-and-service-faqs/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaDawg Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 So it looks like a prepaid phone will work on roaming networks, you just have to pay more to use it..... Well Dartmouth, You'll have to ask yourself when you find yourself in a roaming only area, how do you call Verizon and add more money to an account that you've already paid for the month... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaDawg Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 When i click on "Shop Plans" on VZ all I can find are monthly plans, like Cherie has pointed out. Perhaps you had one of their "Pay As You Go Plans" before they got rid of them, so you are grandfathered in, and can use the refill cards accordingly? Anyways, I found an older Tracfone smartphone (LG Lucky) that I never used on the network, just as a wifi device for one of my hare brained experiments. I checked the bands it supports and it looks like it works on the VZ network. I looked at the Pay As You Go options for Tracfone, and the cheapest is a $9.99 plan for 30 mins, and 30 days. I then checked to see if the phone would work on Page Plus through their ESN check, and by golly, it looks like it'll work on there too! And the $10 plan is good for 100 mins and 120 days, so a better deal than Tracfone. I think I'll try out Page Plus and see how it works. If it does, I'll get their $80/year refill, it would be good peace of mind to have when travelling. I used to have Pageplus too, but I found it problematic that when the phone leaves Verizon native coverage I could not get out while in US Cellular's native coverage (VZW roaming partner). Beats the hell out of me how you get a hold of Pageplus when in a roaming area and add money to your account for roaming. Service works fine in Native Verizon though. I said screw it, and switched over to Selectel the next month.. I don't have to worry about roaming anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFDR3116 Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 We have a "Go" phone from AT&T and was notified that they will not be providing support for that phone after December 2016. I mentioned this because I think the OP mentioned this as one of his options to use. Pat DeJong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VallAndMo Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 Hi LindaH and AquaDawg, Reading their website, I'm not sure it does include any data. (...) Vail, It's a voice and text plan, not a data plan. (...) Oh, my. I would have thought that a plan called "3G" would have included some amount of 3G data... Seems I was just fooling myself :-\ Thanks for pointing it out to me, folks! Cheers, -- Vall. Getting ready to join the RV full-time lifestyle in 2017! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWharton Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 We uses T-Mobile as our backup. $3/month. That was the cheapest when we looked about a year ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaDawg Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 Hi LindaH and AquaDawg, Oh, my. I would have thought that a plan called "3G" would have included some amount of 3G data... Seems I was just fooling myself :-\ Thanks for pointing it out to me, folks! Cheers, -- Vall. It's just a matter of semantics Vali. The carriers no longer sell CDMA 1x only phones. The 3g plan is for phones that are only capable of CDMA 3G/1X, and the 4g plan will work with phones that are LTE/CDMA 4g/3g/1X capable. The description on their website clearly tells you what features the plan includes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfaa Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 Just a question as I never thought about it. Why do you need a backup phone???? Helen and I are long timers ..08 F-350 Ford,LB,CC,6.4L,4X4, Dually,4:10 diff dragging around a 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky SKP 100137. North Ridgeville, Ohio in the summer, sort of and where ever it is warm in the winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWharton Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 There is not one network that works all over North America. The backup phone should be on a different network in high hopes it will work when your primary does not. No guarantees on this. It is not just a different company but you need to make sure the second company does not use the same network as your primary. For example: ATT, Straight Talk, Net 10 and Cricket are all on the ATT network(I assume Tracfone is also as the parent of Net10 and Straight Talk). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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