Virgin Mobile?
July 14, 2017 10:09 AM Subscribe
I'm considering switching to Virgin Mobile from AT&T. Any experiences, good/bad?
My main concern would be the coverage areas -- although I've looked and it seems the places I generally go are pretty well covered. The plan I'm considering is the new Inner Circle plan. Crunching the numbers, it seems like I'd save a significant chunk of money per year (up to $1000). Any insight welcome!
My main concern would be the coverage areas -- although I've looked and it seems the places I generally go are pretty well covered. The plan I'm considering is the new Inner Circle plan. Crunching the numbers, it seems like I'd save a significant chunk of money per year (up to $1000). Any insight welcome!
Note that your AT&T phone won't work on Virgin Mobile. Also note that any phone you buy will only be usable on Sprint or Sprint networks like Virgin Mobile. Additionally, the fine print says their $50 "unlimited" plan includes 23GB of data, and then you're subject to throttling.
On Cricket Wireless (for example), you could keep your current phone, you'd get the same coverage you have now and you would pay $55 per month for 22 GB if you use autopay.
posted by cnc at 10:52 AM on July 14, 2017
On Cricket Wireless (for example), you could keep your current phone, you'd get the same coverage you have now and you would pay $55 per month for 22 GB if you use autopay.
posted by cnc at 10:52 AM on July 14, 2017
I don't think you should do it. I've been using an old flip phone with Virgin Mobile for thirteen years. I can't make a call inside my parents' house, because I can't get a connection. I find the company maddening to deal with when it's time to pay my annual bill again, or when there's any problem. The only reason I still have a phone through them is that I have a grandfathered-in "no plan" plan that costs me seven dollars a month, and all I really need in a phone is emergency access. I would not consider using them without the super-cheap grandfathered plan that I have.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 11:01 AM on July 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 11:01 AM on July 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have Virgin Mobile, and I bought my iPhone 5s from them a few years ago. I pay $40 per month for everything, which includes 3 GB of data. (It would be $45/month but I save $5/month with autopay.) I haven't ever used AT&T so I can't compare them. I'm satisfied with the service and I'm not locked into a contract.
They do use Sprint's network, so you'll want to check whether there's Sprint coverage in places that matter to you, like your house and your workplace. Though you might have Wifi at those places, so you'd still get calls.
posted by tuesdayschild at 11:42 AM on July 14, 2017
They do use Sprint's network, so you'll want to check whether there's Sprint coverage in places that matter to you, like your house and your workplace. Though you might have Wifi at those places, so you'd still get calls.
posted by tuesdayschild at 11:42 AM on July 14, 2017
I have a minimal, dirt cheap grandfathered plan with Virgin Mobile, and it's pretty much ideal for my purposes, but whether it'd work for you or not depends on your usage patterns. Where, how, and how often you're going to use your plan.
I fairly regularly pass through a big dead spot with spotty cell coverage, and Sprint's coverage there seems to be about as good as anyone's. I wouldn't assume that's the case everywhere, though. But if you're inclined, take a little while to evaluate your personal usage patterns, then just look at some coverage maps to see if they cover your personal needs.
The customer service really is annoying, or at least it was the last time I needed it. They are clearly marketed toward kids, so you have to work your way through a bunch of cutesy marketing dreck whenever you need to do something. I almost never need it, so it's not a deal killer for me, but fair warning that, when you are at your peak frustration level and need customer support, you're going to have to navigate a bunch of cartoony shit to get to it.
posted by ernielundquist at 12:12 PM on July 14, 2017
I fairly regularly pass through a big dead spot with spotty cell coverage, and Sprint's coverage there seems to be about as good as anyone's. I wouldn't assume that's the case everywhere, though. But if you're inclined, take a little while to evaluate your personal usage patterns, then just look at some coverage maps to see if they cover your personal needs.
The customer service really is annoying, or at least it was the last time I needed it. They are clearly marketed toward kids, so you have to work your way through a bunch of cutesy marketing dreck whenever you need to do something. I almost never need it, so it's not a deal killer for me, but fair warning that, when you are at your peak frustration level and need customer support, you're going to have to navigate a bunch of cartoony shit to get to it.
posted by ernielundquist at 12:12 PM on July 14, 2017
I had virgin for many years in the Pittsburgh area. Loved it in the city/burbs, but didn't get very good signal if you were in rural areas and wanted GPS or something. So if you plan on driving in sparser areas, it can't be your navigation plan. It didn't have the most blazingly fast Internet connection, but for things like email and metafilter, it was fine.
posted by nakedmolerats at 12:12 PM on July 14, 2017
posted by nakedmolerats at 12:12 PM on July 14, 2017
Check the RootMetrics map for the areas where you live, work, and are likely to visit. Coverage can vary pretty widely; I did fine with Sprint-through-a-reseller in a couple of different places, and am fine with T-Mobile-through-a-reseller where I am now, but there are places I wouldn't be.
The Wirecutter has a good summary of things to look for, though their math isn't my math, and since most of my mobile data use is maps and MetaFilter, I don't need to pay more for a plan that claims to be unlimited. It's cheaper just to pay for what I actually use.
posted by asperity at 12:17 PM on July 14, 2017
The Wirecutter has a good summary of things to look for, though their math isn't my math, and since most of my mobile data use is maps and MetaFilter, I don't need to pay more for a plan that claims to be unlimited. It's cheaper just to pay for what I actually use.
posted by asperity at 12:17 PM on July 14, 2017
We've used Virgin Mobile for our 'non-critical' phones for years. Within an urban area, without heavy usage, they're a great value for the price. I wouldn't trust it in rural areas, or trying to do a lot of data-heavy stuff through Virgin, though, they may have the Sprint network but it's not as nice as the full-branded Sprint network (which we use for our regular phones, also for years, and haven't had a problem either, we haven't had a problem with roaming charges ever).
posted by AzraelBrown at 2:08 PM on July 14, 2017
posted by AzraelBrown at 2:08 PM on July 14, 2017
I've used Virgin Mobile for several years now. For what I use it for--light calling, checking email or whatever while on the go--it's fine. I've never had a problem maintaining a connection or hitting dead spots. However, there's no roaming at all, so it's useless out of the country unless you go to Skype, and their phone selections are pretty limited (plus you can only use their phones).
posted by thomas j wise at 3:48 PM on July 14, 2017
posted by thomas j wise at 3:48 PM on July 14, 2017
I used it for a while across the northeast, and in Wisconsin, and it had a pretty decent signal. I want to echo artistic verisimilitude, though - the customer service is horrible to deal with. I was trying to switch my phone number over to Cricket and cancel my autopay, and it took me a grand total of 7(!) hours, spread over four days, on the phone with customer service before I finally got them to cancel my auto-pay. The website frequently crashes when accessing your account - not *generally* a problem if you're on auto-pay, but a huge PITA if you're trying to cancel it or change cards.
posted by oxfordcomma at 5:43 PM on July 14, 2017
posted by oxfordcomma at 5:43 PM on July 14, 2017
We've had it for a few years. We live in a city and never had a problem with the signal. I don't go driving around the countryside a huge amount, but I've never noticed a big problem. It's cheap as heck. We have unlimited everything but they do throttle if you go over the monthly 4G data cap (which I usually do a few days before the end of the month because of my podcast streaming habit).
I've never had to do anything complicated though. Never contacted customer service, nothing like that, so I wouldn't know what that's like. We've bought and activated a few phones (both new and used--just make sure you get a Virgin phone if you buy used, there's plenty on eBay) with no problems.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:05 PM on July 14, 2017
I've never had to do anything complicated though. Never contacted customer service, nothing like that, so I wouldn't know what that's like. We've bought and activated a few phones (both new and used--just make sure you get a Virgin phone if you buy used, there's plenty on eBay) with no problems.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:05 PM on July 14, 2017
Just chiming in here to note that "Inner Circle" doesn't include data/tethering unless you pay an extra $10/month. The "1 year for $1" thing is just for the phone itself, you can't hotspot on that plan.
posted by mccxxiii at 9:02 PM on July 14, 2017
posted by mccxxiii at 9:02 PM on July 14, 2017
We had four people in the family on Virgin for four years, and two of them are still there. No complaints at all (we live in the Seattle area). Two of us moved to Cricket because we desperately needed new phones and it was hard to pass up a middlin' LG X Power for $10. Cricket has been fine as well, and is a little cheaper.
My youngest son is the most enthusiastic in staying with Virgin because of the data-free music streaming over Pandora. He got a new LG a couple months ago; now it appears that Virgin is going all-iPhone, so that's something you might want to keep in mind.
posted by lhauser at 10:15 PM on July 14, 2017
My youngest son is the most enthusiastic in staying with Virgin because of the data-free music streaming over Pandora. He got a new LG a couple months ago; now it appears that Virgin is going all-iPhone, so that's something you might want to keep in mind.
posted by lhauser at 10:15 PM on July 14, 2017
« Older KitchenAid snafu - should I be worried about... | Adult ADHD Counselling in San Francisco Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
AT&T is pretty @#%^@%#$ expensive, and their "customer service" is a trainwreck and as far as I can tell has always been, but at least their network is pretty solid.
If you're considering a pre-paid option like Virgin Mobile, you might be well served by Cricket wireless; AT&T recently acquired them, and Cricket users get to access AT&T's network (at somewhat reduced speeds / priority of access; you get what you pay for.)
Source: I'm stuck on Sprint until January of next year because I promised my wife I'd do it. I've been regretting that promise for almost 14 months now.
Also source: I live in the Austin, TX area.
Also also also source: I've been researching alternatives for a while now. I'm also looking at T-Mobile / Metro PCS; their coverage is pretty good where I live.
posted by ZakDaddy at 10:48 AM on July 14, 2017