AT&T MVNO Airvoice Wireless finally updated it's Web site today to reflect lower data prices on its Pay as You Go and $10 plans.
According to the site data on the Pay As You Go plan costs 6.6¢/MB rather than 6¢/MB as previously reported. The data price on the $10 plan (which is also a pay as you go plan) is
Update 9/6/2013: Yesterday the Airvoice site said data on the $10 plan was 2.5¢/MB. That's was apparently an error and and the site has been updated to indicate that the price is actually 6.6¢/MB.
The new rates went into effect five weeks ago but until today the site was still listing data as priced at 33¢/MB on both plans.
Airvoice, which was founded in 1999, is among the oldest prepaid MVNOs. It is noted for superior US based customer support although support hours are limited.
In addition to pay as you go, Airvoice offers a variety of competively priced monthly plans. The table below summarizes the current Airvoice plan lineup.
| Plan | Validity | Cost | Voice | SMS (US / Intl.) | MMS (US / Intl.) | Data | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay as You Go | 90 - 365 days | $10 90 days, $20 120 days, $30 150 days, $50 180 days, $100 1 year 1 | 8¢ - 10¢ per minute | 10¢ / 20¢ each | 10¢ / 20¢ + data used | 6.6¢ per MB | |
| $10 Plan | 30 days | $10 | 4¢ per minute | 2¢ / 20¢ each | 10¢ / 20¢ + data used | 6.6¢ per MB | |
| Unlimited Talk, Text, MMS with 100 MB Web 2 | 30 days | $30 | unlimited | unlimited / 20¢ | unlimited / 20¢ | 100 MB, overage 2.5¢ per MB | |
| Unlimited Talk, Text, MMS With 1 GB WEb 2, 3 | 30 days | $40 | unlimited | unlimited / 20¢ | unlimited/ 20¢ | 1 GB, overage 2.5¢/MB | $10 internation call credit, 100 international SMS |
| Unlimited Talk, Text, MMS & 3 GB Web 2, 3 | 30 days | $60 | unlimited | unlimited / 20¢ | unlimited/ 20¢ | 3 GB, overage 2.5¢/MB | $10 internation call credit, 100 international SMS |
2 $10 Cash Card required to use pay per use features
3 On the $60 plan data is cut off at 1.5 GB, rather than the advertised 3 GB. The user has to call Airvoice after 1.5 GB and ask them to release the last 1.5 GB! On the $40 plan data stops after 500 MB and the users has to call in to get the second 500 MB.
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on the $10/monthly ... funds still roll over and it still has auto-pay, right?
ReplyDeleteThat's correct.
DeleteRight now Airvoice CS times are longer due to them switching plans and customers needing to call it to change to them. It is expected to get better by next month once most customers plans have changed over.
ReplyDeleteI am already on the $10 monthly plan. Will I need to call airvoice to get the lower rate? Or do nothing and it will automatically give me the lower data rate?
ReplyDeleteYou should have been getting the new rates since the end of July.
Deletewhat is the best way to use the $10 monthly plan? if you run out of minutes/txt/data, do you go get a $10 cash card for pay-per-use for the rest of the month? or do you just pay $10 to start a new month?
ReplyDeletefor me, it's been a question of using ptel or airvoice. looks like airvoice will it.
Minutes, text and data pull from the same cash bucket. When your balance approaches zero or the thirty days is nearly over (whichever comes first) you need to add $10.
Deleteyeah, understand that, have to pay the $10.
Deletebut does that mean get the $10 cash card to get through the rest of the month?
or does that mean you pay $10 to start the monthly clock again at that point?
I don't think the cash card even works with the $10 plan. In any case it makes more sense to use a $10/Plan/Pay As You Go Refill as that would extend your plan by 30 days whereas a cash card would not.
DeleteData is also cut in half on the 1GB plan. 500MB first then you have to call in or email for the other 500MB. [email protected]
ReplyDeleteThis can be inconvenient if you run out after hours on Sunday and have a Holiday Monday. This just happened to me. Had to get it fixed Tuesday.
this is a very stupid business practice...in my opinion
Deleteyes I agree it is very stupid indeed.
DeleteNo different than if you paid for a tank of oil to heat your house and you only get half of what you paid for, then you have to call to get the other half delivered after you've used up the first half, which inevitably will happen when CS is closed and you desperately need to use your phone. It does seem like a very shoddy way of doing business. People rave about how good AV is, but this alone would make me wary of doing business with them.
DeleteDefinitely. It uses more employee time to handle calls from people wanting the rest of their data, something already paid for. This equals lost profits. Give them all the data right off the bat, this is not going to stop someone from using the 1g they paid for. Makes no business sense.
DeleteA guess as to why they do this. I have read that many (or most?) people don't utilize the full data allotment they pay for. Therefore AV pays for a lot less data than they sell--for those who do need the data, obviously they have to give it to them, but making them call further discourages people from using the full amount. Still, in the long run your business will fail if you don't give consumers what they want, and they don't want hassle.
DeleteData speeds 3G or 4G HSPA+?
ReplyDelete3G (throttled to 2Mbps) on Pay as You Go and $10 plans, HSPA+ on plans $30 and higher.
DeleteThe $10/month plan pricing has been updated to match the $10/paygo plan. Both are now listed at $0.066/mb.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.airvoicewireless.com/PlansC.aspx
Airvoice is kicking themselves in the foot. It took me 25 mins hold time to reached a CS agent, and then 5 minutes for her to add the 2nd 500mb. This will cause customers to leave, and it's wasting CS time that can be spent with new customers. Why not just automate this with 611 or website?
ReplyDeleteOr is it a ploy to not give the allotted data stated since all other ATT MVNOs are giving just 500mb on $40 plan?
If you ask me forcing people to call in to get the other half of the data they paid for is very deceptive and borders on fraud. There are enough AT&T MVNOs that we don't have to reward their trickery and can use another company.
ReplyDeleteCharging $1/mo account maintenance fee is a turn-off for me.
ReplyDeleteMay buy new or used Samsung galaxy express SGH-i437 gophone but it is not clear whether it needs to be unlocked to use on airvoice. the airvoice CS rep I talked to said it would work as is (ie. locked?) but radioshack folks who sell this gophone say no way!!someone is wrong!! p.s. I do know that although this phone is 4g lte capable airvoice at this time does not support 4g lte(earliest next year per one of owners).
ReplyDeleteAT&T phones do not need to be unlocked to use them on Airvoice.
Deleteeven if phone is unactivated gophone?
DeleteYes, even with an "unactivated" GoPhone.
DeleteDennis on 9-6-13 u stated that the airvoice $10 & pay as go plans have different data speeds (ie. slower) than higher priced monthly plans. I have no concrete data on that conclusion since I have only used pay as go option on airvoice but I can say the data speeds on airvoice vs. AT&T gophone plans are much more inconsistent ( using speedtest.net ) & slower but I attributed that to tower priority considerations & not throttling!
ReplyDeleteThe international rates are also different , on AV ILD website the rate is $0.02 / min for India calling, but if you use the $40 plan, the rate is $0.07 / min.
ReplyDeletePlus the $10 does not get automatically added, you have to call in to get it added.
And the website is really bad, no info, cant see the IDL balance, or dial in numbers, or the rates ... :)
But for $40 , I am ok.
The next alternatives are ST $45 plan + tax + Calling card that are in the region of $55/month.