yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
The sale has been off and on. It's third party sellers. They sell out, then receive more. I ordered it through Amazon Prime, so I'll have the card Thursday and no risk returns. The deal is also on eBay, although today it looks to be more like $230. I won't post any links, as the auctions come and go regularly.

My trick is to use the Camel Camel Camel Camelizer price watcher (Chrome plugin) for Amazon. It notifies me whenever prices drop to my set points.

I'll report back on what I end up with.

BobsBBQ - I'm going with ATT because of my travel habits. Solavei was EXCELLENT with the ATT roaming, however I can't say no to $37/mo service. The data issues with ATT seem to be cleared up. I activated a regular price ($45 + tax = $48.21 in Minnesota) Straight Talk plan today to make sure it's working fine, and no issues yet. I will report back if you like. If I come back to Solavei, I'll be sure to make sure you get the credit again ;)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
Costco MVNO?

I was at Costco this evening and asked when they would carry a SIM only prepaid service option. The rep told me that Costco is in negotiations currently for some sort of new (to Costco, at least) prepaid service. Keep your eyes open on this upcoming potential offering. This could be a great option with their cashback if it's priced competitively.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
I finally received the 6 month card from Amazon today (UPS 2 day turned into UPS 4 day due to the holidays) and it's completely legit. I added the pin to my account in Straight Talk and it now shows my service end date as 7/30/2013 instead of 1/30/2013. I did not have to pay additional money in taxes either, so it was simply $220 even. Unfortunately, that deal is no longer on Amazon. I would still recommend using the Camelizer Chrome extension to watch for more sale prices on the cards.

The best option right now to buy discounted Straight Talk is to goto eBay and get a refill pin added to your Straight Talk account. The 6 month refill PINs are going for ~$230 now, which is still an excellent deal at only $38.33/month and no additional taxes.

Another option I found this week too, for those who don't want to spend $200+ in one pop, would be www.refillmobi.net . I haven't tried them yet, so I don't know if they're safe/legit to use yet, but it's worth a try. If anyone tries them, please post to let us know if they're legit to use. They use PayPal, so if you have any issues you will definitely get your money back.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jazzruby:
T-Mobile's Unlimited talk/text (5GB data) moving to include unlimited data at the same/current price - $70.00 - on January 09, 2013

UNLIMITED NATIONWIDE 4G DATA

source - http://www.tmonews.com/2013/01/t-mobiles-unlimited-data-plan-coming-soon-to-monthly4g/

-JR-
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] colonelcack:
Solavei has been TERRIBLE lately. Incoming calls going straight to voicemail...data network coming up as t-mobile instead of solavei, calls not dialing, calls dropping.

And half the time facebook/google search is USELESS on solavei because it doesn't use enough data to make it switch over from 3G (which has unuseablely high latency) to HSPA+, so about 50% of the time things won't even load. The loading icon will just sit there spinning no matter how many times I refresh.

Not happy.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
I've also started to have some issues with Solavei too, but not as bad as you. My Rhapsody streaming is taking longer to load or skipping songs. But, it is still switching over to HSPA+ properly, with minimal increased data. Needed for the switch. It seems to be a latency issue.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] colonelcack:
Yes...Solavei 3G has latency of 1000ms+

Absolutely terrible, if only there was a way to force HSPA+ it wouldn't be bad.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] phaze3131:
my question is if my verizon number is in my mother's name, can I still port over to google voice without any trouble?

thanks or the help!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
Porting specific questions don't really belong in this thread.

That said, you can typically port a number as long as you have all the appropriate credential to prove authority. This means that you have to be listed as an account manager on your mother's Verizon account. While you're at it, do yourself a big favor and port the number to Google Voice so you never have to worry about porting again. It costs $25 to port to Google Voice, but it's money well spent.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JCreazy:
Here is a speed test I just did on AT&T straight talk. I'm extremely satisfied, I plan on getting a nexus 4 eventually,I think I read there were problems with the N4 and ST; what is that all about?

Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] nibrwr:
No problems here. Input a correct APN and you'll be fine
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
The Camelizer just notified me of a price drop of Straight Talk 6 month cards to $219.99 again on Amazon. It's fulfilled through Prime and sold by the same seller that I just bought my 6 month card through (CardArt). These price drops seem to last less than 12 hours before they run out.

Buying through Amazon is generally safer than eBay (IMHO) as they'll take ANYTHING back if there's an issue and they make returns very convenient.

Note: I'm not affiliated with any of these sellers in any way. I'm just someone looking for cheap wireless and spread the wealth. The more we use the cheap services, the more traction they will gain in the wireless market.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
Net10 is now offering a second line option on their $50 unlimited plan. A second line is only $40/month. The $5/month reduction for autopay unfortunately does not apply to both lines, but only the account. But it's a reasonable deal considering you have a choice of T-Mobile or AT&T. I would speculate that this is the result of the Walmart Family Mobile plans that offer discounts on additional lines.

Basically, you can get two lines for $85, 3 lines for $125, etc.

http://www.net10wireless.com/#/plans/monthly

---------- Post added at 08:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:29 PM ----------

Just ran across a $20 for $40 deal on a MVNO I've never heard of, PTel. It includes a SIM card and $40 of service.

http://www.prepaidphonenews.com/2013/01/free-ptel-sim-and-40-pin-for-20-deal-is.html
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] James554:
Good info, and interesting timing! My pre-paid SIM activation kit for T-Mobile is in the mail to my house right now Shooting for the $30 100min / UL text / UL (5GB) Data.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
the bigger thing is the discount on the 2nd line. if you then use calling mart to purchase the refill cards you might end up better than the $5/auto bill discount because there are promo codes that can be used at callingmart.com

im going to switch and try this out (ordered the sim from amazon for 39 cents.)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] grayson73:
Are the AT&T and T-Mobile speeds the same as Straight Talk? It says Unlimited data, but is it truly unlimited or will the throttling be the same as Straight Talk?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
Don't know. I just ordered the SIM today. I will update this when I switch
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Reuven007:
How do you select with Net10 the carrier? Say I want T-Mobile and not AT&T?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
when you order the SIM it asks what type your phone is. if you say a unlocked GSM phone, it defaults to ATT. you need to pick Tmobile.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
The general rule of thumb is that Net10 should be expected to be similar or likely identical to Straight Talk in terms of the soft data cap and speeds/throttling. It is owned by the same company (Tracfone) and operated on the same networks.

Regardless, it's a heck of a deal.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
Has anyone tried H2o recently? I'm thinking about switching to them and I'm curious about their data speed.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
IMHO, $60 for unlimited talk/text + 2GB data is WAY too much. Straight Talk and Net 10 should let you hit 2 GB, no problem and cost quite a bit less. But, the advantage of H20 and other similar carriers is that they are very transparent in their data limits. I kinda wish Straight Talk and Net10 would just give a specific allowance (2GB please?) rather than have phantom data caps that seem to vary by user or geography. With fixed data caps, there's less concern about "getting away with" things like tethering, which many of us do despite the TOS on the prepaid services.

With that said, their data speed should be very similar to ATT in your area, since they run on ATT and it's a fixed data cap. I have not tried H20, even though I have a couple of their SIM cards.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rock7632:
Has anyone on straight talk tried doing a voice call or video call using Google Talk? when I try I get a message saying I need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network. Anyone else getting this?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] krichek:
So they mean geographic area then? Seems odd. I live in Northern California, less than 200 miles from Google HQ and my area is unsupported lol.

I want to keep the cell phone number I have now, I've had it for almost 10 years now. It seems porting that to GV and then forwarding it to whatever cell provider I'm using this month would be the right choice. Instead I'm currently stuck porting my number each time I want to try out a new provider.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
Can I buy the StraightTalk SIM kit from a local store like Walmart (without the phones)?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
It'll support AT&T LTE, which runs on 1700, so if its similar to some of the other AT&T LTE phones, it'll be able to be hacked to work on T-Mobile HSPA+. We're not sure though...

Of course, T-Mo is starting to push towards HSPA+ on 1900mhz anyways, which will make everyone in this thread's life much easier.

---------- Post added at 12:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:37 PM ----------

They'll sell it to you online w/ free shipping. Just the SIM, or SIM + 1 month usage refill card. Its kinda steep at $15 though.

So I just completed my first month on the $30 walmart T-Mobile plan, and I'd thought I'd throw out one quick observation on refills. I had gone onto the MyT-Mobile site and set up an "every 30 days" recurring payment for my plan from my debit card, thinking it'd handle it just fine. Well the issue is that my service stopped at about 12:25am this morning (March 1), but they didn't process a payment from my debit card till about 8:30am. So that means I was ~8 hours without service. Now not a big deal considering I was sleeping, but from now on I'm going to have it refill the account 2 days early so that the account has $$ in it when I'm charged for the new month. Take a look at the screenshots I've attached for reference. You select "every 30 days", but then it says its in your best interest to have it charge 2 days early, so I've set it to charge on the 29th instead of the 31st when its due.

I'm in the process of writing a blog post on my experience too, I'll let you guys know when I knock it out.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] xJeganx:
As somebody who is switching over to this plan hopefully tomorrow (or whenever USPS feels like delivering the SIM card) this is a great piece of information. I would have hated to wake up and find I didn't have any service one morning.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JCreazy:
I just started up a T-Mobile $30 a month plan to see how well it works before I cancel my ATT contract. I get no 3G coverage at my house so I can't use GrooveIP for calls, fortunately I do have Wifi for that (along with an Obi100) at work I have full 3G coverage which is far faster that AT&Ts. I can use GrooveIP for phone calls. I think I am going to port my number that I have had for years to Google Voice, then I can have it forward to my tmobile sim numbers and grooveIP so I can choose to answer it over internet or cell towers. Does this sound good?

Edit: just checked and my number is not portable, bummer. Don't know how to handle it now.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
sounds like a plan to me!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
I'm guessing you're using the AT&T ST sim card because T-Mobile doesn't block GTalk video chat over mobile data. Use this app and reboot. Should work fine afterwards. I had to do this, too, after moving from T-Mobile to AT&T.

https://market.android.com/details?...DUwMCwiY29tLmlubm9kcm9pZC5ndGFsa2VuYWJsZXIiXQ..
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rock7632:
Yes I am using the At&t sim. And thank you, I will try it out right now
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
I forgot to mention that you have to be rooted :p
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Glad I could give some info.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr. Shickadance:
Well, I'm saying goodbye to contracts. Amazon just shipped my Galaxy Nexus, should arrive at my office tomorrow. I really appreciate the information in this thread as it's been very helpful. Thanks for the help!

I see this question was asked on the last page, but let me rephrase it:

Does anyone know if you can buy Straight Talk sim cards from a brick and mortar store? Can I buy a cheap straight talk phone and move the sim to my new Nexus?

It just stinks because of the timing, if I order online I won't get the sim card until next week. I have an ATT card to let me use the phone this week so its not too big a deal, but I'd like to walk into a store and get a SIM to start a Straight Talk account.

Thanks!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
Well I dropped by a local Walmart in the Austin area and they do not carry the SIM by itself. So you'd have to buy the right StraightTalk phone, activate it and transfer the SIM... hassles. So I ordered the SIM's from the website and just have to wait for the shipping. Oh well...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Simple enough, though. Did you buy a refill card with it?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] JCreazy:
So as anyone tried both the $30 a month tmobile and the straighttalk plan? Pros and cons of both?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
I'm using the $30 plan, haven't used the ST plan but I think it's pretty clear based on the features. The T-Mo Prepaid plan offers lots of data at a known rate: 5GB full speed, unlimited throttled... but offers few minutes.

The ST plan can have the same coverage and speed (if you choose T-Mo SIM) as the T-Mo plan, or slightly better coverage and maybe less speed (if you choose AT&T SIM). It offers unlimited minutes, but far less data: unknown/assumed 2GB cap. And is $15 more.

Kinda choose your way. These are clearly the 2 leading plans ITT. Just decide if you need data or minutes.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] LionAR10:
No, no stores carry the SIM card. You can only get it online from Straight Talk themselves. You should not buy a throwaway phone to get a SIM, the SIMs that come with some of the Straight Talk phones (and be aware that some ST phones are CDMA on VZW and Sprint!) may not be eligible for the $45 plan, so you may end up not being able to get the full package.

If you need the SIM right away, ST does ship 3-day for free (and it is 3-day, or has been for me, I've ordered 2 and received them on time) and next-day for a reasonable price.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] reuthermonkey:
Just for clarity, there's no guarantee for this.

Just because a phone has AWS support for LTE does not mean it'll have AWS support for UMTS/HSPA+. They're distinctly separate networks like GSM is to UMTS. Until something is confirmed, I wouldn't drop the cash for a phone you're not sure will even get 3g.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
No I didn't since I'm still on T-Mobile until 3/22, so figured that I'd activate the ST plan about a week or so before that. Should I have bought the refill card too?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rock7632:
Yes I am running a custom rom
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
Is anyone on solavei or another mnvo? I'm able to get data and send MMS on simple without updating any of the APN settings. This wasn't always the case, bit has been for the last month or so...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Reuven007:
I have one of my phones on Ptel.com. They are a very classy service and truly great customer service. They recently switched to the T-Mobile network and have competitive rates.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] foghelmut:
What happens if I let my Straight Talk lapse? In a month, or 3 months, can I resupply it? Or would I need to buy a new SIM?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Reuven007:
Normally, yes... If your 60 or 90 days expires you need to buy a new SIM card.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
There are varying reports regarding Straight Talk expiration. I let my SIM go about 110 days (was trying out other MVNOs and chasing the cheapest service) and I was able to reload it when I started using Straight Talk again. But, you will lose your number within 30 days of letting the plan for the SIM lapse. They'll just assign a new number when you reactivate the SIM. The number change doesn't matter if you use Google Voice (the smartest route for frequent carrier hoppers).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] foghelmut:
That is good news. I don't mind losing the number, because I use Google voice, and whoever had that number before owes some people money. I'm trying out the TMobile $30 plan.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
I had the same issue with my Solavei number. I kept getting collection calls and they wouldn't stop. My current Straight Talk number seems pretty clean.

Next time I have a number with a tarnished past, I'm going to have some fun with it. I'll start telling callers that the person is deceased, in prison, or other fun things to mess with them! I got quite annoyed with the unsolicited calls and figure it's fair game.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
I always answer unknown, private, or numbers I'm not familiar with by saying "Pizza Hut, can I take your order?" They usually don't call back anymore, and if it's someone I know, they would tell me to shut the hell up and stop playing.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] tmobilenoob:
Hey guys, I signed up for this sites forums just to get some help with one of these plans because T-Mobile is apparently completely ignorant of how their own plans work. Not sure where else to go for help

I have spoken to 6 or 7 Customer Service people through phone, web chat, and in person. None of them can give me a straight answer about how to get on the T-Mobile $30 100m / Unlimited Text / 5 GB data plan.

I used to have a classic plan, and the contract ended a few weeks ago, so I decided to try and make the switch. For a while they were not being helpful and were refusing to switch me from Post-Paid to Pre-Paid. I finally got to a manager who switched me to a $30 plan, BUT THE WRONG ONE. They placed me in the $30 1500 minutes / Unlimited Text / 30 MB data plan...

So at least I am now a pre-paid customer, but I have no idea how to get on the right plan.

Some T-Mobile representatives tell me I have to buy an Activation Kit from Walmart (I called my local Walmart stores and they had no idea what I was talking about), some reps tell me I can buy a SIM Activation Kit from the T-Mobile site , and other people tell me that I can just call them and ask them to change me to the right plan (which I tried doing, with no luck)

What steps do I need to take next?

Also, after I change to the correct plan, I may buy a new phone. How would that work? If I get a Nexus or a Note II, wouldn't I need a MicroSIM? would I need to go back to T-Mobile.com and buy a MicroSIM card?

I would appreciate any help.

p.s. I do not want to lose my phone number, do I need to take any additional steps to keep it when I change to the correct plan?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
its for new customers only and you have to activate online.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jlczl:
1. Order SIM activation kit from tmobile.com

2. Activate and choose option to port your number (yes, eventhough you're already with TM)

3. Go to your local store and request whatever sim size you need.

P.S. There is some retail locations that have the kit (including Wal-Mart and Best Buy but you'll have to find it yourself. Don't expect anyone who works there to know what you're talking about. )

P.S.S. If they don't allow it because you're an existing customer then just port your existing number to Google Voice. Sign up as a new customer with T-Mobile $30 prepay plan and take whatever number they give you and use it with Google Voice.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] tmobilenoob:
Are you sure it is safe to activate it online? This is what a T-Mobile Community Forum Moderator told me. He says that activating it online could end up creating a new line on my account:

I'll order the SIM Activation Kit from T-Mobiles site like you recommend. After I receive it I'll try and activate it online, if that doesn't work I'll give Customer Service another call.

Thanks for the info
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] nibrwr:
I ordered the activation kit from the website, then called to activate. Worked fine.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
Worked fine for me
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
So simple mobile and I are through. Today I got a text from simple saying they were terminating my data service.

I have only two days left in my plan, so I went to T-Mobile and am now on the 70/mo unlimited plan.

You get what you pay for. Simple sucks. At least I have real unlimited data now..
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Reuven007:
Did they explain why they are terminating you?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
While it is bogus (and illegal) that unlimited data prepaid services are not truly unlimited, it's well documented across many forums and blogs that there are phantom data caps. If you're a heavy data user and don't have good access to wifi, then MVNO prepaid services might not be for you. The T-Mobile plans are some of the best right now when it comes to heavy data users that need prepaid. You probably made the right choice for your situation going to the T-Mobile $70 unlimited plan. Also, Solavei was generally good when I tried it and they have a 4GB softcap before throttling. (There are plenty of people on XDA who could sign you up for Solavei). I particularly like how Solavei is very transparent on what they consider "Unlimited" data.

I use about 1GB a month, or a little less. This keeps me off the radar as an excessive user. If I didn't have wifi at home and work, I would easily blow through 10GB a month or more and the prepaid MVNOs would boot me. I also carry a Virgin Mobile Overdrive Pro hotspot in my laptop bag, so if I need excessive amounts of data some day (conventions, events, etc.), I just buy 1 day of unlimited WiMax data for $5.

I used Simple for a month and I absolutely loved them. The T-Mobile network in my area is superb and beats ATT in both speeds and coverage in the MSP/STP metro area. The only negative was I only got EDGE at my cabin in northern Minnesota. With Straight Talk ATT I actually get HSPA+ at my lake cabin.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
^ This.

I have no home internet, land line, or cable service. $20 extra per month for unlimited consumption, payable to one entity each month (tmobil) is a deal.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
Alright guys, I activated an H2o sim and ran a speedtest.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
Second H2o speedtest.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
What drew you to H2O instead of other ATT MVNOs like Straight Talk or Net10? Are you on the 2 GB plan?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
The 100MB a day limit really turned me off. I was away from home earlier this month, and racked up 1GB tethering for 3 days.

I have 10 or so days left on my MEdia Net plan, so I only added $10 to this H2o account.

My Nexus 4 was just flagged, so I have to switch to a Verizon iPhone 5 or switch to H2o.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Travis Broich:
I love this thread.

I have been with both Verizon and Sprint, and I hate them both. Getting my GSM Galaxy Nexus, and going with T-Mobile prepaid is the best decision I've ever made. Cheaper bills, no commitments, a "non-raped" smartphone, and total control.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] noneone:
no home internet? hmm ..

The $30 a month tmo plan 5gb allows hotspot ... the $70 tmo unlimited does not .... so what's your set up?

thanks!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
The speeds are pretty awesome too.