Verizon $5/mo renew method has changed?

[Ramblin__Ralph]

Two years ago I got one of the $5/mo Verizon 3G Mifi units on eBay. Has worked great. However, just tried the phone number I've always used to renew it for another month and it wants to connect me to an operator to help me. Previously I just keyed in the info.

Anybody else still using these and what phone number do you use? I've used 888-294-6804 since I got it.

I'm a bit worried this is the end of this "special" plan.

Thanks,

[Tom_M1]

DrWireless did the flash. His support has been great. He has flashed it three times. The 1st time he did a remote flash but it had a Canadian IP which caused problems, mainly would not play Amazon Prime video. The 2nd time I had a bad internet connection so I had to send it to him. He paid for return shipping. It came back with a New York IP but still would not play Amazon Prime video. The 3rd time I had good internet so he did a remote flash and so far all is good. It now has a Texas IP. All this for no additional charge.

I set up auto pay for the 6620 4G for every 30 days and the next payment will occur July 30. I will add $5 for the 4620 3G on Aug 3. I am now two months past the expire date for the 4620 and I still have internet.

[Carl_n_Susan]

Tom_M wrote:

(snip)
....I plan on renewing next month. So far I've been paying $5 every 120 days, or $1.25 per month.

I recently had the 6620 flashed for 4G and am using Callingmart's RTR plan to add $5 every 30 days.
(/snip)

I am curious to hear what your next renewal experience is. The Verizon change seems to have appeared last month. Prior to then everything was hunky-dory with $5 refills.

Who flashed your 6620 to 4G? DRWireless?

[Tom_M1]

Carl n Susan wrote:
I discovered that once you add all the $$$ they are requesting they then give you the next renewal date. I seem to remember you have 90 days to pay up before they shut you off. If that is true or not is to be seen.

I have a 4620L that's 3G and a 6620L that's 4G. I add only $5 each renewal.

Last December I decided to let the account for the 4620 expire then renew in 90 days. I had internet access for the whole period. I added $5 on April 5 and this bumped the renewal date to May 5. I still have internet on the 4620. I plan on renewing next month. So far I've been paying $5 every 120 days, or $1.25 per month.

I recently had the 6620 flashed for 4G and am using Callingmart's RTR plan to add $5 every 30 days.

[pnichols]

We still use Verizon for our flip phone, smart phone, and home phone - as we prefer Verizon's superior cell tower coverage of the U.S. for RV trips.

However, I quit messing with Verizon's hot spot devices and plans - which we used to use for RV trips. Now we just tether our computer and iPad to our Verizon based Galaxy smart phone.

This works like a champ ... if we can connect to a Verizon cell tower with the smart phone.

[Carl_n_Susan]

I discovered that once you add all the $$$ they are requesting they then give you the next renewal date. I seem to remember you have 90 days to pay up before they shut you off. If that is true or not is to be seen.

[DancinCampers]

I have stopped in cities where the 4620L, 3G, doesn't work on this trip. It works in New Orleans area, did not work in Vicksburg MS at the Elks Lodge or in North Little Rock AR at the Downtown Riverside RV Park, did work in Osark MO and Boliver MO and now in Warrensburg MO.

My exp date is today. On 4 July I made a $5 payment on the 6804 number I have always used in the past. It told me I was on the $30/month plan, but after entering my CC info, I selected to pay a diiferent amount, and payed $5 (which is what I have been doing all along). Will see soon if it worked.

The difference I noticed now is that in the past, after entering the Jetpack phone number, it would announce a balance and paid up date. Now it tells me I am on the $30/month plan and says to add money to keep active, but it never says a date the service is good till.

[MrWizard]

at least (1) ebay seller is now listing as a $15 month plan

it might be the wave of the future, just like when verizon added $20 to the price of data for us old unlimited plan holders

and ATT new $7 month administration fee added to my Mobley account
lots of gryping about that on forums, but i think it was across the board to all accounts
either way i'm keeping my Mobley account

[Tom_M1]

Carl n Susan wrote:
I can only conclude Verizon has changed the old plan and it is now $15 per month. It will be interesting to see how long this lasts.

I added $5 to my 6620L account via Callingmart's RTR plan on June 30 and it is still working fine.

[Carl_n_Susan]

Latest Updates: As Verizon was saying I needed to make a payment, despite my earlier $5 contribution, I had CallingMart pay them another $15 via the RTR plan. The next day I checked on it and Verizon still says I am on the $15 plan, I have $5 (apparently from my earlier payment) to use however I would like and my next renewal date is 8/2.

I can only conclude Verizon has changed the old plan and it is now $15 per month. It will be interesting to see how long this lasts.

[Ramblin__Ralph]

Just arrived at a USFS campground on Diamond Lake, 20 mi N of Crater Lake, OR. Got a good Verizon signal and my $5 hotspot still works! Guess it must have been a "4G only" situation in Klamath Falls area. Last year I ran into the same problem in Crescent City, CA.

Ralph

[MrWizard]

Carl n Susan wrote:
Well the saga continues. I used the CallingMart RTR technique to renew my plan at $5. Then I waited a few days past the renewal date and called the 6804 again. It told me I was on a $15 plan (not the $5 I had been using) and I needed to make a payment now as I was late in renewing.

I have a Mobely and this plan is just a backup for when the AT&T service isn't available. $5 was cheap enough but $15 (for 3G) v. $20 for the Mobely 4G doesn't make sense to me.

but it is a verizon backup, its not $15 verus $20
its $15 vr $50 or $100 for some other verizon plan

$5 is fantastic even for 3g, and $15 for 3g backup verus more $$ for a new VZW plan is still a good deal for insurance for when ATT won't connect

[Ramblin__Ralph]

I renewed with CallingMart RTR for $5 on 6/17 and my unit still worked 10 days after old renewal date in a campground in NorCal. However, ever since I've been in Oregon (Klamath Falls area), it hasn't worked. Got a good signal, but can't connect. Hoping this is due to only 4G towers, but probably won't be a different area for a while to confirm.

Maybe bye bye $5/mo. (:

[Carl_n_Susan]

Well the saga continues. I used the CallingMart RTR technique to renew my plan at $5. Then I waited a few days past the renewal date and called the 6804 again. It told me I was on a $15 plan (not the $5 I had been using) and I needed to make a payment now as I was late in renewing.

I have a Mobely and this plan is just a backup for when the AT&T service isn't available. $5 was cheap enough but $15 (for 3G) v. $20 for the Mobely 4G doesn't make sense to me.

edit oops..everything restored

[Tom_M1]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Tom, is that a typo? Or is someone actually reflashing for 4G now instead of 3G? My 6620L is 4G capable of course, but the reflash only allows 3G service.

Not a typo. I had my 6620 reflashed about a month ago by DrWireless. Do a search on eBay for "$5 unlimited 4g". I have a couple of issues with mine. I can not stream Amazon Prime video and occasionally some web pages will not load. Their is an eBay seller called missjg37601 that supposedly has a fix. I plan on contacting DrWireless to see if he has a fix. Here's a thread at CheapRVLiveing:
https://www.cheaprvliving.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=30453

[Dutch_12078]

MrWizard wrote:
it might work
or
you might get no we can't, that doesn't exist and '20 questions'

the $5 data plans are dubious at best, i had one for a while, it quit working, and the seller went away

i did not get lucky and find 'other suppliers' for renewal

somewhere some how, this was some kind of 'special' it might have been for virtual re-sellers, government, low income ?

not stolen not illegal, but NOT out on the open market available OTC at the verizon store

and not intended for 'hotspots'

I had my 6620L Jetpack flashed remotely by an eBay vendor about 3 years ago, and it's still working fine. I also have a 4620LE I'm no longer using, but that one was originally flashed by a vendor that disappeared, and it eventually stopped working until I also had it reflashed remotely. I only stopped renewing it recently because the band coverage is not as good as the 6620, and I was finding too many towers that it didn't work with as Verizon continues dropping 3G on some bands.