[sub]shhhhh, hey buddy you wanna see something freaky? look over here behind this dingy tent flap.
I have unlimited on AT&T 
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[/sub]
They grandfather contracts all the time.I think that AT&T killed unlimited 5 years ago, and scared people to other contracts. They announce deadlines to get the floppers to panic, but let you stay if you pay. My data panel shows you have used 3.6 MB of [unknown data plan]
Except that dingy tent is so dingy that about 3 years ago, AT&T paid for my shiny new smartphone…on Verizon. Yes, they paid for my equipment to go to one of their competitors.
Read your contract, arbitration can be wonderful! (Especially because the Big Red has better coverage than the blue ball in my area.)
The catch is that you’re paying through the nose for an unlimited data plan. I have one and I love it, but I’m also paying 80 bucks a month for the privilege of having Pandora and Netflix wherever I go without worry about caps.
If you have someone that needs a line, I believe you can add the extra phone for like $10 a month, purchase the discounted smart phone and shift it over to your number. I was able to do that last summer when mine broke. Fortunately I was ready to add a line for my son.
I’m with Virgin Mobile and I’ve got 300 minutes and unlimited text/data for $35 a month (no contract) after buying my own phone. So far I’m very happy with their service, but I’m not a very heavy data user (no video/music streaming) so I can’t speak to throttling or anything.
I’m never going back to a 2-year contract with a cell service provider, ever.
But with Verizon, it’s not like there’s a better option. You can’t drop to a cheaper data plan, just a 2GB capped plan that costs the same.
Well, I took the bait and sold my soul yesterday. I no longer have unlimited data, but I do have a shiny new Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD. The phone allows me to switch off updates and stuff when Wi-Fi isn’t available or when I hit my limit, plus several apps allow me to monitor my usage. Not bad actually.
The ability of the newer phones to handle WiFi gracefully and automatically is why unlimited data plans are no longer as essential. I pull a LOT of data through my Note II… and use less than 100k network data a month.
I just bit the bullet and upgraded to and iPhone 4 for free with Verizon.
I don’t think you’re correct that your plan goes up $20. I was assured by the person at the store that my price for the month would stay the same, I just would get reduced to 2GB. I don’t use that much data, so no big deal.
You can check how much data you use. The Verizon web site has a tool to help you look at you data usage.
There are a few ways around this with Verizon that will usually work IME. Supposedly, the features only change when you actually activate the phone, not when you order it. Because of that, you can sometimes do the following:
If have more than 2 lines, and only need unlimited data on one, you can continually upgrade with each line, but only activate the new phone on the line w/o unlimited data. Then, you just call to switch phones between lines. Some people even add a basic line for $10/month just for this reason. Google “cross upgrade”.
Sometimes if you get the phone from a retailer like Best Buy, then call to activate the phone, they will not take away your unlimited data. It’s nest to order it online and have it delivered to your house. Then, call and say you want to switch phones on your line.
Call and complain until you get to speak to a someone higher than middle management. They will sometimes let you keep it just so that you stop bothering them.