Cheap Verizon Service? Great News for ICW and Chesapeake Cruisers!

 June 24, 2020

Lucy and I work online from our boat and need constant, good access to the internet. Having found that only two networks have reliable coverage in some parts of North Carolina and the Chesapeake, we are always on the lookout for a good deal when it comes to internet service. 

Both companies that provide coverage in these areas are way too expensive for us, and they have restrictions on them that are entirely non-starters for our lifestyle. Contracts? Not going to happen? Throttling of high-speed data? No, you can keep that. 

As a result, we're always shopping around for MVNOs that meet our needs. They lease time from AT&T or Verizon and sell it to us lowly consumers much cheaper than we can get it from AT&T or Verizon. 

AT&T Network on Finally Wifi

AT&T is undoubtedly the best network to have. Unfortunately, they aren't into playing the MVNO game. We use an unlimited and unthrottled hotspot on the AT&T network for all of our work and internet needs. We pay $99 per month for the privilege through UnlimitedtoGo, which we started using about three years ago. Unfortunately, UnlimitedtoGo doesn't seem to be selling anything anymore, so we're worried! 

Another alternative option is the unlimited and unthrottled US option from the same people who supply MyIslandWifi in The Bahamas. Finally Wifi sells for $85 a month and operates on the AT&T network. Winning!  

Verizon Network Service on Ting

Verizon is the other nationwide network that has good coverage along the ICW and Chesapeake. But Verizon's plans are expensive. We have kept the prepaid plan as a backup unit should the AT&T service get slow or not work in an area. This was costing us about $70 per month, just for a backup!

Here's the best news of the day for us. Ting, one of our favorite MVNO providers, now uses the Verizon network! They still also sell SIM cards for T-Mobile…but if you are in a rural area with no T-Mobile service, then Verizon is the ticket. 

Ting bills a little differently than other companies. You pay a flat fee to have an active phone line ($6/mo), and then you pay extra for how many minutes of talk, number of texts, or MB/GB of data you use. Beyond the $6, you only pay for what you use. For light internet use, occasional voice calls, and about 150 texts a month, we pay $24. Remember, we do most of our internet surfing on the UnlimitedtoGo hotspot!

Conclusion

We're always on the lookout for the best deal when it comes to cell phone plans. With Ting now on the Verizon network, we've got a reliable backup to our primary internet connection on board and a phone with reliable voice service. 

 

 

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