Any Opinions on Virgin Mobile in Bay Area?
I’m thinking of switching from my AT&T cell phone plan with an Android phone (Samsung Captivate, AKA SGH-I897, AKA Galaxy S) to Virgin Mobile.
What is your experience?
It looks like the difference is:
AT&T (monthly)
$75
200 MB data
1000 texts
450 Rollover minutes
Unlimited talking with other AT&T cell phones
Virgin Mobile
$45 ($30 less!)
unlimited MB data (I dunno if I could use more than 500 MB/month)
unlimited texts (I sometimes use 500 texts/month)
1200 minutes (plenty)
It looks like I can sell my phone on eBay for $100, buy an LG Optimus Elite for $150, and start saving $30/month.
Why shouldn’t I do this? Leave a comment.
Some more info…
Boost Mobile is owned by the same company on the same network, sold in the same stores. Their billing is a little different though it works out similarly. For example, they just (yesterday) started offering a snazzy Android phone (the HTC EVO Design) with 4G for $55/month with unlimited everything (talk, text, internet). And with their “Shrinkage” program, you get up to a $15/month discount (for every 6 on-time payments they reduce your bill by $5/month, up to $15). So in a year you’ll be paying $45/month for unlimited everything including 4G on a snazzy Android phone.
“Unlimited data” means 2.5 GB at full speed, then they throttle you. Err, they throttle your bandwidth. Honestly, that is way plenty data.
Neither Boost nor Virgin Mobile phones (AKA Sprint phones) work outside the US. But hey.
Most reports from the googles say the phone service is great.
Doing a little math, my Early Termination fee is such that I should ride out my 2 year contract. It ends in January 2013. After that, I’ll be knocking on world playboy Richard Branson’s door.
Here is the Early Termination math:
comparing switching before my contract is up:
Early Termination Fee is $325, minus $10/month, starting January 2011.
switch June 1 2012
$155 early termination fee
$150 phone
$1200 for 2 years at $50, ending 6-1-14
$1505 paid on June 1, 2014
or
don’t switch
$1800 = $75 for 24 months ending 6-1-14
or
switch in January
$450 = 6 months at $75
$150 phone
$900 for 18 months ending 6-1-14
$1500 paid on June 1, 2014