FMCA Verison phone plan

[jcsb]

Late 2017 FMCA announced a phone plan with Verison. Interested in feedback from those who switched to this plan. Worthwhile? Any issues as a result?

Thanks in advance.

[67Cutlass]

jplante4 wrote:
I tried to sign up for this. I went through the FMCA web site and filled out the order form. Verizon sent me this email.

Your order is on hold.
Hi,
Thank you for letting us take care of your wireless needs. Your order was received but cannot be processed because it appears you are already an existing customer. Please log in and place your order through My Verizon.
Our Credit and Order Review Team is available for questions at (866) 338-7390.

Mon – Fri: 8AM to 10PM EST

Saturday: 8AM to 8PM EST

Sunday: 10AM to 7PM EST

You have not been charged at this time, and your order will be held for up to 7 days from today's date. Remember that you can check your order status online at any time. We look forward to hearing from you.
Verizon Wireless Credit and Order Review Team

So I went to the my verizon portal, but the FMCA plan was nowhere to be found. After several hours on hold with VZW I was told to purchase a Jetpack and call them back. I went to the VZW store and bought one, but they cannot sell you a jetpack without activating it. When I called VZW back, I was told that because the jetpack was already activated, they could not switch it over to the FMCA plan.

So, if you're a Verizon customer, you can't order a jetpack through FMCA, and unless you have a jetpack, you can't get the FMCA data plan.

I'd like to believe that VZW isn't this stupid, but I have my doubts. Has anyone who is already a VZW customer gotten this plan? How do you do it?

I went through the same BS and could never get anywhere trying to order online. What worked for me was to contact FMCA directly and they give me a Verizon phone number and a contact person to call.

I called the number and the Rep, Steve, that answered knew about the plan an got me setup. The original offered a Jetpack/MiFi or what every they are called for $0.01. I had my own modem/router and did not want what they were offering. Steve set me up using my own moded/router. Being I did not get their equipment I do not have the 2 year required comment to that plan.

Call FMCA at (800) 543-3622
They will provide you with the info you need.

[STBRetired]

I was already a VZW customer with 3 phones, 1 tablet, and 1 jetpack. I have the unlimited data plan which gives me 15GB high speed data on the jetpack. I wanted to switch to the FMCA plan for the MiFi and ditch the jetpack. When I tried, I got the same message that you did. When I called VZW, they did not know about the FMCA plan (it was new at the time I called) so I gave them the URL and they looked it up. What they did was sell me a WiFi for the $.01 that FMCA offers and waive the activation fee. They then added it as another device on my plan for $20 per month just like my jetpack. what I ended up with is 30GB of hotspot high speed data for $40 per month with the 2 devices. The only hassle is switching devices when the limit is reached. What has worked so far is to have the laptops on the MiFi and the smart TVs on the jetpack for streaming. So far, that has worked out.

[Bill_Satellite]

I have had a Sprint MiFi for 2 years (stuck in a contract). After about a year it became clear that the coverage was terrible compared to Verizon or AT&T. I cancelled as soon as I could.

[jplante4]

jcpainter wrote:
It might be simpler (when there's a second user) to put the FMCA plan in the person's name that is NOT the owner of a traditional Verizon plan. Keeping the plans in separate accounts may prove useful down the road.

I though of this. FMCA sends the primary email address of the member to Verizon to ensure that just anyone can't use the plan. This is the same email address I have on account with VZW.

The obvious answer is to get the Sprint plan instead which is the same price but no contract, $40 for the Jetpack. Sprint's coverage isn't as good as VZW's where we're going (across the top of the US to the PNW).

Edit: I used my wife's email address when ordering from the FMCA site and on Verizon it appears that this worked. So the answer is to set up a separate VZW account.

[jcpainter]

jplante4 wrote:
I tried to sign up for this. I went through the FMCA web site and filled out the order form. Verizon sent me this email.

Your order is on hold.
Hi,
Thank you for letting us take care of your wireless needs. Your order was received but cannot be processed because it appears you are already an existing customer. Please log in and place your order through My Verizon.
Our Credit and Order Review Team is available for questions at (866) 338-7390.

Mon – Fri: 8AM to 10PM EST

Saturday: 8AM to 8PM EST

Sunday: 10AM to 7PM EST

You have not been charged at this time, and your order will be held for up to 7 days from today's date. Remember that you can check your order status online at any time. We look forward to hearing from you.
Verizon Wireless Credit and Order Review Team

So I went to the my verizon portal, but the FMCA plan was nowhere to be found. After several hours on hold with VZW I was told to purchase a Jetpack and call them back. I went to the VZW store and bought one, but they cannot sell you a jetpack without activating it. When I called VZW back, I was told that because the jetpack was already activated, they could not switch it over to the FMCA plan.

So, if you're a Verizon customer, you can't order a jetpack through FMCA, and unless you have a jetpack, you can't get the FMCA data plan.

I'd like to believe that VZW isn't this stupid, but I have my doubts. Has anyone who is already a VZW customer gotten this plan? How do you do it?

It might be simpler (when there's a second user) to put the FMCA plan in the person's name that is NOT the owner of a traditional Verizon plan. Keeping the plans in separate accounts may prove useful down the road.

We have two Verizon accounts: one has a grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan in it and the other has a "traditional" Verizon plan. One is under my soc sec number and the other is in hubby's. Now we can make changes to the traditional plan without fear of jeopardizing the grandfathered UDP. It's always safer to keep any "special deal" plan in its own account.

[jplante4]

I tried to sign up for this. I went through the FMCA web site and filled out the order form. Verizon sent me this email.

Your order is on hold.
Hi,
Thank you for letting us take care of your wireless needs. Your order was received but cannot be processed because it appears you are already an existing customer. Please log in and place your order through My Verizon.
Our Credit and Order Review Team is available for questions at (866) 338-7390.

Mon – Fri: 8AM to 10PM EST

Saturday: 8AM to 8PM EST

Sunday: 10AM to 7PM EST

You have not been charged at this time, and your order will be held for up to 7 days from today's date. Remember that you can check your order status online at any time. We look forward to hearing from you.
Verizon Wireless Credit and Order Review Team

So I went to the my verizon portal, but the FMCA plan was nowhere to be found. After several hours on hold with VZW I was told to purchase a Jetpack and call them back. I went to the VZW store and bought one, but they cannot sell you a jetpack without activating it. When I called VZW back, I was told that because the jetpack was already activated, they could not switch it over to the FMCA plan.

So, if you're a Verizon customer, you can't order a jetpack through FMCA, and unless you have a jetpack, you can't get the FMCA data plan.

I'd like to believe that VZW isn't this stupid, but I have my doubts. Has anyone who is already a VZW customer gotten this plan? How do you do it?

[Bill_Satellite]

With the T-Mobile 55+ plan you can add $25/month to the bill and you get FULL UNLIMITED data but you have to use the phone as a hot-spot. The salesman showed me his phone and his data usage for the month was over 125 Gig and still going. There is also a $10/month add-on for more high speed data but I got a call and had to leave before I got the details. If I have 2 phones around I really don't see where using one of them as a hotspot would be problematic other than having to thing about turning the service on and off.

[wa8yxm]

T-Mobile now has the 55+ plan "Unlimited High Speed" to the phone and 10 Gigs to the computer for 55+ government ****. Two lines.

Only issue... I hit 50 Gigs and they just warned me I may get slowed down on all devices if the tower is "Congested".

[Bill_Satellite]

That's how the plan is advertised and how the plan is supposed to work. If that's not your experience that's great but there are many stories of folks "testing the system" and finding that they are at 2G or less (around 150K).

[rv2go]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
The FMCA plan is quite different than described above. It is a 25GB plan. It's full speed for the entire 25GB and then it is HARD THROTTLED to approx. dial up speeds until the next month begins.
It has nothing to do with phone service and you get a MiFi device for the internet connection.

Bill, in my use, I don't find that I am "HARD THROTTLED" to dial up speed. I use about a gig a day, so the last week is over the 25gb. As stated in my reply to the OP, works great in the morning then slows down some during the day.

[Bill_Satellite]

The FMCA plan is quite different than described above. It is a 25GB plan. It's full speed for the entire 25GB and then it is HARD THROTTLED to approx. dial up speeds until the next month begins.
It has nothing to do with phone service and you get a MiFi device for the internet connection.

[jcpainter]

rv2go wrote:

Also, where I am located, it's pretty fast in morning but as the day goes on, it slows down some as more people start loading up the tower.

When towers are congested, access is slower for everyone.

[rv2go]

Are you talking about the "FMCA & Verizon $50 Unlimited Hotspot Data plan"?

If so, I have that plan. After the first 25g, it does slow down some.
Also, where I am located, it's pretty fast in morning but as the day goes on, it slows down some as more people start loading up the tower.