Help Suggestions for data-only plan

[The_Chief]

Okay folks, I need your advice.

After scrounging around online, I can find scant few US carriers that provide a data-only plan. Those that do want to charge outrageous amounts that I refuse to pay. Here's the deal:

I crowdfunded a new dashcam. I have a 4K dashcam and love it - but this new one will record 4K in 360 degrees! No matter what happens to my vehicle, from any angle, this thing will have it recorded. It's in production and scheduled to ship next month.

It has cellular connectivity: so if it detects motion (ie, collision or break-in), it will record the event and send me a notification, along with the video. The problem I have is that I'm a Verizon customer... no other carrier comes close to their coverage here. The dashcam is GSM only... so a Verizon SIM won't work.

Does anyone here know of a CHEAP, data-only plan that I can use just for the dashcam? The cheapest I've found is US Mobile at $6/month for 1GB... but add all the taxes and fees to that, and the price just doubled. Let me know your thoughts, thanks!

 

[kate]

You can get this FreedomPop 1 year kit ($40 on sale today):
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/freedo...e-3-in-1-sim-card-kit/6187400.p?skuId=6187400

That's $3.33 per month ($4.16/month not on sale) and includes 1GB of data each month. It's a regular plan with talk/text, would that work? Not sure what happens after the 12 months is up.

FreedomPop has a pretty bad reputation so I don't normally recommend them.

Red Pocket has a yearly plan for $5 per month, but it's only 500MB a month.

 

[The_Chief]

Thanks Kate - I generally refuse to buy anything through Best Buy... but I'll give it a look

 

[MoodyBlues]

@The_Chief, I switched carriers last year, from AT&T to Consumer Cellular, and I can't say enough about how much I like them.

After a cursory look at their plans, I didn't see one for data-only, but it might be worth a try to ask them about it. I, for example, after explaining what I needed, was offered a package that was no longer officially available, grabbed it, and have since been grandfathered in with it. Plus, I get a 5% AARP discount! (As do all old geezers who are AARP members.)

Their US-based customer service is great, and that's a nice extra these days.

Might be worth a try.

 

[The_Chief]

Thanks, @MoodyBlues I will check to see if they offer data-only SIMs. Not many carriers do.

And then we need to talk about AMAC and why so many "geezers" find them preferable over AARP...

 

[MoodyBlues]

Thanks, @MoodyBlues I will check to see if they offer data-only SIMs. Not many carriers do.

You're welcome.

Please let us know what you end up with, okay? That way when someone else inquires about data-only plans, we'll have something good to recommend.

And then we need to talk about AMAC and why so many "geezers" find them preferable over AARP...

Um...how out of the loop will I sound by admitting I have no clue what AMAC is?

As for AARP, I remember being shocked/offended/gobsmacked when I received its first mailing. "I'm only 49!" I said to myself. Little did I know that 50 is the magic number for joining. But who [by choice] retires at 50?! These days, people work into their 80s and beyond. Oh well. It has given me substantial savings on things you'd never think of, like my ADT alarm system. Who knew?

 

[The_Chief]

Um...how out of the loop will I sound by admitting I have no clue what AMAC is?

OFF TOPIC RESPONSE:

Spoiler

The Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) was born out of the rage that ensued when AARP threw every senior in America (including all of its members) under the bus by enthusiastically endorsing the Affordable Care Act... even though the PPACA (aka Obamacare) took $700 Billion out of Medicare to pay for its own program. This resulted in higher copays, deductibles, and lower reimbursements to doctors, many of whom stopped taking Medicare patients. That made it harder for seniors to find a physician. AARP's rationale? The potential to earn billions of dollars selling Medicare Supplemental Insurance plans! Ask yourself: when was the last time you saw a commercial for AARP as a senior advocacy group, and not a Medicare insurance company with an old folks' club on the side?

(I have just started seeing ads, in the last 6 months or so, for AARP as a senior advocate. That's only because ACA is imploding and AARP sees the writing on the wall. But the damage is done at this point: and AMAC members are content to never go back.)

AMAC is a rapidly-growing force for seniors, and it's an actual senior advocacy group. There are chapter presidents in every Congressional district, as seniors represent a power voting block. Our benefits are not only comparable to AARP's, they often exceed them. Membership is insanely reasonable, and spouses are enrolled free. Just take a look at their website - if you want to stick with AARP, that's fine. You might be surprised, though, by the alternative. We get wonderful discounts too, like a free security camera and a month of monitoring from SimpliSafe.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Thanks for the very informative post, @The_Chief.

I can honestly say I'd never heard of AMAC until yesterday. It's funny--I get every imaginable type of mail aimed at, *cough* seniors, but AMAC isn't one of them. Burial plans? Yes. AMAC? No.

I can't say I've been negatively impacted by anything AARP has done and, frankly, I rarely ever think about them--usually only when asked if I'm a member, like when having the ADT system installed.

I've been on Medicare for years [due to disability, not age], and I just have no complaints about my healthcare or its insurance.

But I'm going to take a look at your link and see what they can offer. Who knows, maybe I'll switch!

Edit: won't be switching; one key issue was a deal-breaker for me--and would be for everyone I know.

 

[The_Chief]

That's fine, no harm in looking! If what you have works for you, then it's a win all the way around

Meanwhile, I need to get back to the business of finding a data SIM...

 

[Steven58]

This is so exciting, bro! Good luck! Make a lot of money!!!

 

[The_Chief]

It's not easy finding a GSM provider that sells a 1GB data only plan! I found US Mobile does, but it's 1.5 GB for $10/month. I think there is another one I found that's 1GB for $6/month. Of course, with all the taxes and "fees" that price doubles...

EDIT: @MoodyBlues I contacted Consumer Cellular and they never responded. Apparently either they don't need my business, or they don't have what I want and they're too rude to reply and tell me that. Oh well, I have a few weeks to lock down a plan...