Choices, we can never have too many of them. Fortunately, there are always options for cellular providers for when we become disenchanted with our current one. MVNO’s, or Mobile Virtual Network Operators, are one such option that many people have never heard of, nor do they completely understand what they do. Companies like GIV Mobile, Net10, PTel Mobile and Red Pocket Mobile are such operators. Other, more well known MVNO’s are companies like Boost Mobile, Straight Talk and Simple Mobile.
What usually happens with MVNO’s, is that they are locked to a particular network. PTel Mobile for example, uses the T-Mobile LTE network. Their plans start at a cost saving, $20 a month, but if you live in a bad T-Mobile coverage area, you don’t have a way to switch networks. Boost Mobile runs on Sprint’s network, which is great if you are in a strong Sprint coverage area, but not so good if they don’t have coverage there. This is where stronger MVNO’s like Red Pocket Mobile can fill the gap for you. Red Pocket Mobile operates on all 4 major networks, so a simple handset change and an online chat to customer service has you moved to your new network in a few simple steps.
Red Pocket Mobile has a few different options to choose from as far as plans go. First you have your basic “Flagship Plans” that are available on any network you choose. These include a $29.99 plan with unlimited talk and text, with 500MB of data. This is great for the lighter smartphone user, or the person that is constantly around Wi-Fi, but might need data occasionally. Moving up $10, you move to unlimited 2G data (about 128kbps) and the same 500MB of LTE speeds. If you opt for using the T-Mobile network, you get your LTE data allotment doubled to 1GB on this plan. For $49.99, you double up the LTE data on the plan to 1GB on Verizon, Sprint or AT&T or 2GB on T-Mobile. For $59.99, you move to a full 3GB of LTE data before throttling kicks in.
When you move to the carrier specific plans, the deals can get even better. For example, if you aren’t much of a talker, you can snag the Red Pocket Mobile Web & Texter CDMAS plan on Sprint’s network for $34.99 a month. This plan includes 300 minutes of talk, unlimited text and unlimited data with 2GB at LTE speeds. With the Red Pocket Mobile T-Mobile plans, you can snag a $19.99 pan that includes 300 minutes of talk and unlimited text and 2G data. Red Pocket Mobile even has GSMT (T-Mobile) plan that is data only for those that have made the move to Google Hangouts for their talk and text services. For just $10 a month, you get 1GB of LTE data. Additional data can be purchased a la carte during the month as you need more.
Of course, all the savings in the world won’t amount to anything if the service doesn’t live up to the standards you are used to. This is where MVNO’s have their biggest struggle since the do no have a store you can just stop in and visit when you need assistance. Although their website does a pretty terrible job of point them out, there are many independent Red Pocket Mobile dealers in many areas of the country. We recommend checking Facebook or Google for a dealer in your area that can help with account issues if you have any. If there’s not a dealer near you, skip the phone call and log on to the Red Pocket Mobile website and begin a chat session. We’ve found that hold times on the phone can reach 20-30 minutes compared with the 5 minute holds online.
While you can use any handset, well, almost any handset with your Red Pocket Mobile service, if you need a new one, Blu Products makes some amazing handsets in the sub-$200 range. These unlocked GSM handsets work with both the T-Mobile and AT&T plans on Red Pocket Mobile. The better part, the items are fulfilled by Amazon, so you are able to exchange them if you aren’t happy with the quality of the device right off the bat. You can also find some amazing deals on Sprint Prepaid devices that can be activated with the CDMAS service as well.
As far as the actual service goes, Red Pocket Mobile coverage and service depends on the network and device you are using. While we wish we could say that it will always be a perfect experience, we have to be honest and say it won’t be. In the 3 years one of our editors has had Red Pocket Mobile service, there have been two instances where there were some problems with his account. The first was a plan change from a higher priced offering to a lower priced offering. It took about an hour online to get it worked out, but it was cleared as quickly as they could figure out what was happening. The second was a voice mail issue after an account ‘refresh’ and a new device was put on the account. The baffles were cleared and apparently the voice mail system setup disappeared. Another somewhat quick chat had the voice mail number reset, manually input into the device and away it went. We cannot state enough how much faster online support is than phone support in cases like this.
There is a small trick to accessing the ‘online chat’ support. First things first, you have to enter your question into the online search of the HELP section. This keeps the Red Pocket Mobile reps from having to answer the same questions over and over again. Once you’ve entered your question, a page will show if anyone has asked it before. If there’s no good answer, or no answer at all, the “online chat” button will appear on the left of this screen. Simply click it and enter your information. Within a few minutes, a representative will pop-on and help you out with your issue.
Refilling your Red Pocket Mobile plan couldn’t be easier. Simply visit Red Pocket Mobile’s website, click the refill link, enter you phone number and choose your plan. It’s that simple. If you are one that doesn’t like to deal with all the remembering and going online to pay thing, you can also pay with your handset or even just sign up for auto-refills. Any way you go, Red Pocket Mobile makes keeping your plan active very simple.
Overall, the total two year cost of Red Pocket Mobile depends entirely on which network and which plan you use. For the average user though, you can pick up one of those amazing Blu Vivo Air phones with two years of the unlimited GSMT 1GB LTE plans for under $1150. This doesn’t quite beat the deals you’d get from the Sprint MVNO FreedomPop, but you also are running full LTE speeds and unlimited talk and text on this plan. You even have international calling and texting included. Plus, for a limited time, you can grab the GSMT starter kit for just $1.00 at the Red Pocket Mobile website.
To grab this deal or any of the other amazing Red Pocket Mobile services, scoot on over to www.4gfastdata.com and check out the options you have to start saving cash.
Links: www.4gfastdata.com - Red Pocket Mobile - Blu Products - FreedomPop
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