Cell phones forum: Could this be a work around to Data Plans??

I know that it is possible to get a smart phone activated without a data plan because my housemate worked for Verizon this summer in Texas. He informed me you do no actually need a data plan, it is just verizon's normal policy... much like Time Warner says the lowest rate they can offer is 100 until you cancel the service and they call you back later offering 69.99 for 12 months. He was unsure if canceling the data plan however would work because he had never had it happen to him.

I was just wondering if anyone out there had heard of any one doing this, not looking for misinformation. Thank you tho

But why are you asking if your friend can do it? That is, go ahead and try it. Sounds expensive to learn this way. Early Termination Fees and all.

Check out my reply.
Bob

....and I gave my opinion. You can take it for what it is worth and I really don't care. My opinion is based on my prior experience as a CS rep for another carrier. You asked for opinions/feedback. If you knew differently, why post a question in the first place?

Have a good day.

Just because I am already on Verizon's plan. We have a family plan, and yes I know switching to a pre pay would be better for some people... but right now I get 700 min (I only use about 40 a month), and unlimited txt/picture messaging for $10 bucks a month.

You didn't reveal the total cost. Here for 450 minutes, unlimited (read the FINE PRINT) data and text is 30 a month USD. I picked up a new smart slider phone with Android 4.0.

Sprint's phone was 3 times the price and never updated past Android 2.3. Monthly fees were close to 80 a month.
Bob

...your plan could work. You would have to buy an unlocked smartphone though, which will cost more up front. If you want any sort of subsidized (read, much less expensive) smartphone from any of the major carriers, you will be mandated to keep a data plan on that line. The loopholes are gone for the most part. A few folks are either grandfathered or lucky to not have mandatory data plans for their post-paid iPhones, etc.

You unfortunately lose the free family plan calling, etc. when you move to prepaid, so you have to factor in all of those features you might want/need vs. switching to prepaid and lowering your monthly cost just to get a wifi only smartphone.

Merely having an unlocked GSM phone means nothing. If the carrier detects it as a smart phone, a data plan will be requied.

You can still bring in an unlocked, unbranded smartphone device (not all makes/models, but some) and avoid the mandatory data plan with both ATT & T-Mo. ATT still mostly looks for their own devices, along with iPhones & Nexus variants. Not even all the HTC models w/ ICS (etc.) get flagged, believe it or not. I didn't go into this much detail since the OP seems to be fixated on sticking with his big 'V' family plan.

I realize you used to work for them, but that's *still* currently the situation w/ ATT. Ask around if you don't think it's true. Merely placing your SIM card into a smartphone doesn't necessarily mean they will send you the dreaded 'upgrade to a data plan' message. Right now I can bring in quite a few handsets with no issues <pointing to the table full of various smartphones>. Obviously the OP's asking about Verizon, which is a different situation altogether.

FWIW, Plenty of folks are using unlocked iPhones with Prepaid too, FWIW. You just have to be willing to give up all the post-paid feature you would get otherwise. Even the MVNOs using ATT's network, such as H2O, make good places to keep a unsubsidized or hand-me-down smartphone on the line but w/o spending an extra $20-30 each month.