I've been on the T-Mobile no-contract prepaid plan for eight years now. $100 for
1000 minutes/year just cannot be beat. I purchased the original $100,
then just topped off $50 every year after. The unused minutes
rollover and never expires as long as I top up before the year is up.
With the availability of a land line and wi-fi all day at my desk, I only average
about 40 minutes a month, using it mainly on the road and on weekends. I'm sure I've saved into the thousands
compared to a monthly plan.
Two things I miss most about my prepaid plan are:
- Cannot buy $199 iPhone 5. I have to either buy a $649 unlocked version, or buy a used iPhone 4/4S for around $200
- No
data plan. Hotspots are available at many places like McDonalds,
Starbucks, library, City of Milpitas, JCPenney, but not when I need it:
in my car, at the park, in a restaurant, etc.
To address the first problem, I have reliable germ-free friends that always sell me their used iPhones when they upgrade. They always want the best, and I'll gladly settle for second best. Thanks to them, I've owned every previous generation of the iPhone.
To address problem number two, I ordered the FreedomPop Photon Hotspot.
For the last two weeks, I've been using the Photon for my daily commute and weekends. It supports up to eight devices on it—enough for both our iPhones, iPad and Macbook. And being in San Jose, the speeds are incredibly fast on Clearwire's 4G Wimax. So far, I've been quite pleased. I reply to email quicker, text message, and use maps for traffic and navigation.
Note: In other
places, like along I-880 traveling through Hayward, speeds will drop
50-75%. Also, each speed test eats up 10mb of data, so use sparingly.
500mb for FREE!
With the purchase of the Photon hotspot, you get 500mb for free every month. No strings. The cost of the Photon is $99 + $6.99 shipping and takes two weeks to arrive. They call the $99 a "deposit" because you can return it within a year and get your money back (you pay shipping). What they are hoping is that you will enjoy the service so much, you will just keep the Photon, forfeiting your deposit after a year.
The free 500mb should last about a month if you do moderate levels of email, Facebook and photo uploads. 500mb averages to about 16mb/day. Below is my usage on Friday sitting in a doctor's waiting room, and Saturday at a restaurant. 1mb for checking email, 2-6mb for Facebook updates and light surfing, and 17mb for taking pictures which I set to automatically upload to my photo stream. As demonstrated, it is about 16mb per day, and good enough for me.
If you go over your 500mb, you will be charged 2¢ per mb. Fortunately upon sign up, you are given an extra 1gb to cover any overages. This is a nice perk to relieve any anxiety you might have incurring any surprise charges. If you avoid Netflix, YouTube and other streaming sites, 500mb should be enough.
Earn More Data
You can also pay $10 for 1gb/month, or complete offers to earn additional data. But the easiest way is to just link your friends. If you sign up and find me in your address book,
we both get an extra 50mb/month. Additionally, you'll get another 50mb for every friend you connect with, up to 1gb. Unlike Facebook, on FreedomPop there ain't no shame being a friend collector. This is how they try to lock you up after a year. Let's say, upon the 12th month, you have 10 friend getting you an extra 500mb/month free. You won't want to cancel the plan just to get your $99 back. It's better to just stay on for free.
So hurry up and get your FreedomPop Photon, because I just can't wait to be your friend! Yep, you and I can be buddies in the 50/50 club! Please consider it. I even penned a poem to encourage you:
All through the city I walk it alone
searching for wi-fi I can't call my own.
Discovering the Photon is such a cool treat
Too bad for me it's not all-you-can-eat.
Now searching again for friends to connect
to build up my data, that's all I expect.
We link up online, rewarded with fifty
Can life be this good, while being so thrifty?
Checking in everywhere, and replying to mail
Post pics from a meal, before it gets stale.
Maps for directions, news of weather and crime
How'd we live without data for such a long time?
You long for the day to thank me face to face
But now with my hotspot, I'm never in one place.
You think of me often, but please don't lose sight
'Cause I only needed you for fifty megabytes.
-WFP
External links/reviews:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2013/02/23/freedompop-hands-on-and-unplugged-at-home/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2410839,00.asp
http://www.biblemoneymatters.com/freedompop-review-free-4g-wireless-internet-access-can-help-you-save-on-your-cell-phone-bill/
