Last time we visited this topic, I wondered who needed a prepaid BlackBerry. That came a little less than four months ago, and at the time there weren’t a ton of options. Only two prepaid carriers, MetroPCS and Boost Mobile, actively carried BlackBerry devices. Others offered them, but there wasn’t that level of direct carrier support — i.e., you could bring a BlackBerry to some prepaid carriers and activate it, but you might not get all the features. Since then we’ve seen some further developments. I think they’re significant enough to revisit the question of who could use a prepaid BlackBerry. The short answer is that a lot more people than before.
Not only have the options for prepaid BlackBerry service expanded, but the devices have gotten an update. Previously the carriers offering a BlackBerry had the 8330, a good model for sure but one that was released over two years ago. The Curve 8530 provides a bit of an update, and that’s what most prepaid carriers offer right now. The only one remaining with the 8330 as its primary offering is Boost Mobile, and their plans also haven’t changed since last time we checked. We’ll skip them for now and move onto the newer, more exciting offerings.
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is one of the oldest prepaid wireless carriers in America. For years they had operated on the Sprint network, buying airtime wholesale and reselling it to customers. But in June 2009 Sprint bought Virgin, making it the company’s second independently branded prepaid service, along with Boost. Virgin didn’t make many moves from 2009 into early 2010, but with the Sprint buyout it was clear something was going to change. In May we saw their new plans and came away nothing but impressed.
The focus for Virgin is on non-voice services, and to that end all of their new plans feature unlimited data and unlimited messaging. For BlackBerry service it costs $10 more, something that we’ve grown used to seeing from smaller carriers. It’s just the normal cost associated with BIS. Still, for $35 you can get those unlimited services plus 300 minutes. That’s not going to get you through a long distance relationship, but it’s enough for sporadic talking and tons of messaging. For heavier talkers, $50 gets you 1,200 minutes and $70 gets you unlimited everything.
When Virgin announced its new plans it also announced the availability of the BlackBerry Curve 8530. This was an easy get for them, since Sprint already carried the device. It costs $299.99, which is quite a deal more than what you’ll get it for on contract. But for comparison’s sake, if you go with the $35 per month deal you’d end up spending $1,140 for two years. With a contract carrier you’d be paying around $80 per month at the lowest for the same features. Even if the device were free that would cost $1,920 for two years.
Cricket
For years we dealt with rumors of Cricket and MetroPCS, two regional CDMA carriers, merging to form a fifth national brand. That didn’t happen earlier this year, with each company putting focus on its own, independent future. MetroPCS came out swinging with LTE plans, while Cricket sat in the back and bided its time. Last week we heard their big plans, and they mean a lot for prepaid, especially for prepaid smartphones.
The biggest part of the announcement involved the company’s coverage. It already had roaming agreements in place, offered free to customers, that covered most of the country. The drawback was that customers in those roaming markets could not activate Cricket service. The company announced last week that it was signing an MVNO agreement with Sprint that would allow them to not only offer coverage in more places, but also offer activation nationwide. In other words, they’ve become something like what Virgin Mobile was before the buyout. The positive there is that Cricket also has its own spectrum.
The Cricket BlackBerry plan costs $60 per month, which is the final rate. That is, all fees, except possible sales tax, are included in the monthly price. This buys you unlimited everything, basically. That was a good deal before, now superb because of the Sprint partnership.
Cricket also offers the Curve 8530, though they and MetroPCS had to wait a bit to get it. Since they have employed AWS spectrum bought in a 2006 auction, their network runs a bit differently than the Verizon and Sprint CDMA networks. But they have it approved and it’s available now. Cricket offers the 8530 for $279.99 after $20 web-only discount.
Shop for a Prepaid BlackBerry from Cricket here
MetroPCS
MetroPCS made our last list, though I did not write glowingly of them at the time. Not only did they offer regional service that missed a few major markets, but they had even more limited BlackBerry service. Because they used the stock 8330 they could not offer it to customers in their expanded AWS markets, which included East Coast behemoths New York City and Boston. But now that the AWS version of the 8530 is available they’re free to bring you BlackBerry service.
Basically, what you get at Cricket is what you get at MetroPCS. The BlackBerry plan is the same price, $60, and it also includes taxes and fees. Metro does offer a few software perks, such as unlimited Pocket Express, but all in all the offering is the same. The only difference, of course, is that you can only activate MetroPCS service in a primary coverage area. You can roam nationwide, but if Metro doesn’t have spectrum in your market you’re out of luck. You can view the MetroPCS coverage map here.
Also, just like Cricket MetroPCS offers the Curve 8530 for $279, though they have a $50 mail-in rebate that brings the cost to $229. So if you live in a primary MetroPCS coverage area you can save a few dollars on the handset. But head to head the two services are nearly identical.
Shop for a Prepaid BlackBerry from Metro PCS here
Will the prepaid BlackBerry work for you?
Last time through the prepaid BlackBerry options were not so attractive. The handsets were outdated and expensive, and there just weren’t that many carriers offering it. Now we have three relatively major players with competitive offerings. Best of all, it looks like customers in nearly every market in the country can pick up a prepaid BlackBerry. With cheaper devices, better plans, and more comprehensive coverage, I can now see far more people interested in prepaid BlackBerry services as a way to break free from the binds of a contract.
