What is the best Verizon data plan?

[Roxabox]

I really want to switch to Verizon since I get a 20% discount through work and I really need a new phone. I currently have Virgin Mobile and was grandfathered into their old 25 dollar a month plan so after tax I'm only paying 27 dollars a month for my phone with unlimited data, unlimited text, and 300 minutes a month. Trust me I love paying only 27 dollars a month but the quality of their phones are **** and since it's a no-contract plan I have to pay in full for a phone so if anything ever happens to my phone I have to pay out the *** for a new one. I really want the Galaxy S5 but it's like 600 bucks through Virgin Mobile. That's half a months pay for me. NO THANK YOU.

For all you tl;dr-ers what is the cheapest plan I could have for two people on Verizon with a Galaxy S5? There are so many different options on their website so freakin' confusing.

[bcartervol98]

I know nothing about Verizon plans but absolutely love AT&T but thats where I get my GM discount lol. I have 3 Iphones 10g data shared and unlimited talk and text for about $150.

[Roxabox]

I know nothing about Verizon plans but absolutely love AT&T but thats where I get my GM discount lol. I have 3 Iphones 10g data shared and unlimited talk and text for about $150.

I just looked into them and the plan I would want is the same as the Verizon plan with my 20% discount the only difference with ATT is that the phones themselves are 100 dollars more.

[jerryjoe]

Data plan for you would depend on how you plan on using the internet. two phones will use more data than one. surfing the web isn't too bad on data. streaming audio (pandora) is moderately heavy and streaming video (netflix) is really, really heavy. If both phones were going to be using netflix and youtube on a daily basis 10 gigs might not be enough.One streamed movie will use up to 5 gigs (2-5 on average).

[bcartervol98]

I used my phone as a hotspot on the lake all Memorial day weekend for my son to watch movies on his Kindle and used about 1.5g of data and probably had the HotSpot on for 5-6 hours total.

[Roxabox]

Data plan for you would depend on how you plan on using the internet. two phones will use more data than one. surfing the web isn't too bad on data. streaming audio (pandora) is moderately heavy and streaming video (netflix) is really, really heavy. If both phones were going to be using netflix and youtube on a daily basis 10 gigs might not be enough.One streamed movie will use up to 5 gigs (2-5 on average).

I would probably only need 2GB to share between my fiance and I. I never play video.

[jerryjoe]

I watch baseball games with my MLB.TV account. My data plan is "unlimited" but governs at 2.5G. I get reduced speeds after a few games. Baseball games are roughly equivalent to a long movie.

[Earthling789]

My company sub-contracted for Sprint for years, and I've had plans with Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile... they're all about the same in price and service, and if you're in a "city", price is the factor, rather than coverage.

That being said, I can tell you that your pro-rated plan costs to cover your "free" phone over the 2-year term will have you paying for that phone twice, if not more...

One thing to look for in any data-plan is the fine print... some are truly "unlimited", some will throttle-you back to dial-up speeds after you pass the first GB of data (shared or single)... so read the fine print!

NEVER get a plan that charges you or limits you for Texts. Texts are piggy-backed on the voice-carrier, and cost the company NOTHING... so if anyone is charging for excessive texting, they're just robbing you blind.

There are plenty of companies out there where you buy your phone upfront and pay $5 / $10 / $25 per month. My son has a "plan" with Republic Wireless for $25/month and unlimited everything, including 3G voice/data service. The phones seek wifi for all calls and data, but roll-over to Sprint if there is no wifi, and their plans start at $5/month... but you pay upfront for a phone through them... Moto-X is their flagship... for $300 or $350, IIRC, and they have other phones too (but no Apple products). There's not a lot of phone-choice through them, though... because all of their phone are specially designed to work on wifi in addition to standard cellular service

Another good one is TING. They're a division of Verizon and you pay for ANY phone you want, upfront, and then buy packages of the service you use each month... a buddy of mine has them and his monthly rates run from $18 - $30. But if you use voice/text/data a lot, you'll not be any better off than a standard plan from the big-four.

Just be aware of any contracts and free phone deals, and what they entail on the monthly costs... have them break EVERYTHING down for you... Sprint wanted to charge me $100 upfront for my newest Google Nexus, and over the next 2-yrs I would have paid another $700 towards the phone (plus $7.99/month for insurance, which equals $192)... That's $992 total for a phone I can buy straight from Google for $350 (or less), all day long!! I bought my phone upfront, had them remove the phone fees and insurance, and cut my monthly bill by $40... roughly half what I was paying for the same, unlimited everything plan when I had a "free phone".