Hey, if you are open to saving money with last year’s phone, and some people will be, check this out. It won’t work for the iPhone 5, but it does work really well for the Verizon iPhone 4S. I mentioned this in a previous post, but I’ve received enough questions that I am going to spell it all out right here.
I have an iPhone 4S and I pay less than $30/month for Verizon service, including 1200 minutes, 3,000 messages & 500 MB data. That cost is including all taxes & fees. So a total of less than $30 per month. I get this through www.KittyWireless.com as a pre-paid plan; the Talk N Text 1200. Since I’m usually on WiFI, 500 MB of data (half a gigabyte) has been more than enough for me to check email, do some web browsing, use the Waze mapping app, check some prices while shopping, and like that. As of Nov 2013;
TalkNText 1200 minutes, 3,000 texts & 500 MB data is $30/month
Unlimited Talk & Text with 500 mb data is $40/month
Unlimited Talk & Text with 2.5GB data is $55/month
Unlimited Talk N Text with 5GB data is $70/month
KittyWireless has been awesome on service & I haven’t had any problems with them at all. They resell Verizon service better & cheaper than PagePlus does.
Verizon coverage is really good, much better than T-Mobile in my experience last year. VZ audio quality is excellent too. I bought the iPhone on eBay, where I got a 4 day old Apple provided warranty replacement 64GB iPhone 4S with some Applecare+ still left on it. I figure I’m saving so much on the monthly plan the phone was more than free. Here’s how I break it down:
NEW & 2 YR Contract:
Brand new Verizon 64GB 5S iphone from Apple store: $400
2 year Verizon contract @ $70/month x 24 months = $1680 (not including taxes & fees, which will increase costs)
total = $2,080 for 2 years & phone.
USED & PrePaid monthly:
Used 64 GB iPhone 4S $300- $500 (often including cases and extra accessories)
no contract.
24 months of Kitty Wireless TNT1200 Verizon service @ $30 = $720 (that is including all taxes & fees!)
Total = $1,120 for 2 years & phone
2 year Savings: = $960
For people who want to save $960 over 2 years by using a iPhone 4S instead of an iPhone 5, this is something to consider! Obviously I’m not a salesperson for any of these services, but a savings this big needs to be mentioned. And the iPhone 4S is an awesome phone.
To get an EVEN BETTER DEAL, sign up for the Kitty emails, and wait for it. If you are fortunate, they will offer a savings club membership. for something like $50 you can purchase a discount of about 7% or 8% off all services. So that $29.99 plan becomes a $27.70 plan!
Key things to know:
Currently this plan is limited to 3G internet speeds. This means the iPhone 4S is great, but the iPhone 5 is not eligible.
iPhones are officially not allowed to be activated on the Page Plus network. That said, KittyWireless will for sure activate it, and nobody has ever been kicked off for having an iPhone.
This is Pre-Paid service. You’ll pay at the beginning of each month.
You may want to sign up for a monthly auto-refill from Kitty. They handle that well, so I recommend it.
When shopping for a used phone, you should check the ESN number with KittyWireless before purchasing to make sure the phone is not stolen or otherwise not activatible. Click HERE for the ESN VALIDATOR. Also make sure that the cellphone you buy:
* is an iPhone 4S (not 5) (the 4S is a lot faster & better than the 4, so get the 4S model)
* for the Verizon network
* in good operating condition and
* has the amount of memory you want (16 is fine, 32 is more than plenty, and 64 is more than almost anybody needs). And of course you may want to
* consider what accessories are included. You’ll want a charger! And maybe a protective case. The iPhone 4S is glass front & back.
Once you get the phone in hand, make sure it is already erased (check the contacts app) and erase it now if needed, before you put your own settings & data into it. Then you can go to the KittyWireless website & “Activate” the phone. If you want a new phone number, that is a simple “Activation“.
If you already have a cell phone number & you want to transfer that cell number over to this phone that is called “Porting in“.
If you already have a cell phone on PagePlus or KittyWireless and you want to transfer your cell number to this new phone, that is called an ESN Swap. Sometimes there is a $20 fee for an ESN Swap, and it is often worth it to avoid any hassle.
Once you have your new phone activated & you have made a quick 1 minute call out & received a call, you are ready to set up your billing. Which plan you choose will depend on your usage, but if you have a smart phone you really should get the TNT1200 plan or higher because that comes with 500 MB of data monthly. A smartphone can easily tear through the tiny amount of data included on the pay as you go by the minute plans, which is very bad because once your data is gone, so are your minutes. Or something like that. Anyway, if you use the phone at all, I’d say go with the $30 plan or higher. It still half the price you’d pay at Verizon and includes a lot more of everything. Once you get used to having a computer in your pocket with internet everywhere all the time, you be surprised you waited so long to join the future!
I have not received any compensation of any kind for this endorsement/recommendation. I like the deal & I think you will too.
UPDATE: Kitty Wireless has formed a new & better company; http://myPuppyWireless.com