AT&T on $5 a day

[digby]

This might get me to buy my first iPad. If I could connect via WiFi almost all the time, and only use the data plan for a day or two in a strange city when I wasn't near a coffee place, that'd be perfect.

But I've been pleasantly surprised to see how often I'm able to connect to WiFi with my iPhone while traveling (even that fleabag hotel in the Tenderloin had wireless) -- being enamored of hanging out in cute little bakeries and coffee joints certainly helps.

[silvarios]

250MB for $5? Hope the needs are simple. Don't accidentally start updating podcasts are syncing new photos.

[silvarios]

RAMd®d wrote:
I'd find it tolerable if att defined a "day" as a 24hr period.

But given that carriers define day as about 0600-2100hrs, that won't happen.

The carriers I've used generally start their day at midnight local time. I would hope a day pass would begin at the moment activated and not expire until 24 hours had passed. Maybe too optimistic?

[pqrst]

I have a friend who freelances as a research assistant for a tv writer. Only couple days a month on irregular schedule. She finds herself on location where there is often no public wifi or it is too far away to keep going back and forth. Paying piece meal for internet would suit her just fine since she gets paid cash. Does not have the money for or want to spring for a monthly data plan. At home, she shares service with the mcdonalds next door.

[silvarios]

pqrst wrote:
I have a friend who freelances as a research assistant for a tv writer. Only couple days a month on irregular schedule. She finds herself on location where there is often no public wifi or it is too far away to keep going back and forth. Paying piece meal for internet would suit her just fine since she gets paid cash. Does not have the money for or want to spring for a monthly data plan. At home, she shares service with the mcdonalds next door.

Does she have a cell phone plan? Perhaps tethering would work. If not, Ting, might be a worthwhile alternative. $6+ taxes is the base monthly rate. If she only needs data , up to 100MB is $3 extra. Ting only charges for actual use. Two days of data from AT&T is $10, granted that's 250MB for each day. Ting would be about $23 ($13 for data, $6 for device, probably $4 or so in taxes/fees, but that last bit can vary) for 500MB, granted that covers the entire month of access. Ting does not charge for tethering, just data use.

How much data is your friend using? How much are overages on AT&T?

[space-time]

pqrst wrote:
I have a friend who freelances as a research assistant for a tv writer. ... At home, she shares service with the mcdonalds next door.

I understand that she uses the McDondalds Wifi. Is this legal if you are not a customer? make sure she does not get in trouble.

EDIT: also this is very insecure...

[pqrst]

silvarios wrote:
[quote=pqrst]
I have a friend who freelances as a research assistant for a tv writer. Only couple days a month on irregular schedule. She finds herself on location where there is often no public wifi or it is too far away to keep going back and forth. Paying piece meal for internet would suit her just fine since she gets paid cash. Does not have the money for or want to spring for a monthly data plan. At home, she shares service with the mcdonalds next door.

Does she have a cell phone plan? Perhaps tethering would work. If not, Ting, might be a worthwhile alternative. $6+ taxes is the base monthly rate. If she only needs data , up to 100MB is $3 extra. Ting only charges for actual use. Two days of data from AT&T is $10, granted that's 250MB for each day. Ting would be about $23 ($13 for data, $6 for device, probably $4 or so in taxes/fees, but that last bit can vary) for 500MB, granted that covers the entire month of access. Ting does not charge for tethering, just data use.

How much data is your friend using? How much are overages on AT&T?
Thanks for suggestion. Her cell phone has no data. She wants to activate the service only when she needs it. Sometimes the work days are more then a month apart so no incoming money to pay. And she wants to keep using her ipad, so I do not think Ting would quite fit it that (does not to lug around another device).

[silvarios]

I'm confused, I would assume she actually carries her cell around around, no? If so, that's why a service like Ting might work, you only pay for the data when you use it. Just like calling and messaging. Pay for actual use, not prepaid buckets. If she is an ultralight phone/data user, she might save some money overall. Needs to have Sprint coverage of course.

How much does she pay now for phone service? If it's more than $40/month, we could probably find a better option that includes data.

I always tell my clients to look at the big picture, not just a single individual deal. Sometimes the deal is the way to go, sometimes adjusting current services works better.