Lesser Known “bonuses” That Come With Your Cell Phone Contract

Choosing a mobile operator is usually associated with finding the best price , but since most of the packages are pretty much the same, it is advisable to search in more detail. In fact, the four major carriers each add a few lesser known bonus features to their plans to make them stand out. Some of them are actually pretty good too.

If you don’t visit your carrier’s website often, it’s very easy to miss out on everything on your mobile phone plan. Most of these features launch with a subtle press release, but most of us rarely pay attention to the finer details of the bonus because we’re so used to our carriers just ripping us off.

Of course, when you buy a mobile data plan, you should always start by making sure your area has good service, they have the phone you want, and the price is reasonable. This could mean switching to an out-of-contract plan or choosing a plan with fewer benefits, but if you work for one of the big four, Verizon , AT&T , T-Mobile, and Sprint , you might as well milk them for everyone. they are standing. These “bonus” features won’t tip the scales to one side or the other, but they’re good to know about.

Verizon

Most of Verizon’s bonus features are packaged in their MORE Everything Plan , which, despite its name, is the basic mobile phone plan that most contract users have. Verizon’s biggest perk is free access to NFL Mobile, but there are a few other perks worth knowing if you’re already a customer:

• Free NFL Mobile Access: Verizon contracts include a premium NFL Mobile subscription, which gives you access to live game footage on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday nights, as well as local games. Simply put: you get a lot of soccer matches, but not every soccer match. You also get access to shows and features on the NFL network throughout the year. One caveat: As cool as the service is, it still counts in your data, so make sure you have a big data plan if you want to stream all of these games to your phone.
• Free Tethering: The Verizon MORE Everything plan includes a free tethering , so you can turn your smartphone into a mobile hotspot at no additional cost. However, any data you use counts towards the monthly data limits, so don’t abuse it.
• Extra Data Bonus Every Month with Auto Pay : If you are a prepaid customer, you can get an extra 1GB of data every month for your Auto Pay subscription only. It’s a small thing, but if you ditch your cell phone contract and stick with Verizon, it’s a nice bonus.
• IndyCar Access: If you’re a fan of IndyCar racing, Verizon customers get free access to premium features in the IndyCar Apps . It gives you interactive, real-time 3D views, car camera video feeds, and more.
• Cloud storage: You have tons of cloud storage options these days , but if you want to go with Verizon’s solution, every customer gets 5GB of free storage. MORE Everything Plan members get 25GB free. At the very least, this is an easy way to back up your text messages, call logs and contacts.

Who’s Verizon Best For: Football fans who can’t stay at home all day on Sundays will appreciate the NFL Mobile subscription. If you are prepaid, you will also need a free 1GB of data.

AT&T

AT&T has resisted the trend to include useful bonus features with almost no useful extras. They do have a couple of bonuses that some people might like.

• Free Wi-Fi hotspot access : Many stores, from Home Depot to Starbucks, provide free Wi-Fi hotspot access for AT&T customers. Your phone will automatically connect when you’re near Wi-Fi and you don’t need a password. You can find a map of thelocations here . Of course, finding free Wi-Fi anywhere in the world is easy, so the only real bonus here is the fact that your phone connects automatically so you don’t have to look for a password.
• DirecTV Merger : AT&T just merged with DirecTV, which means bundles, which is a nice bonus if you’re a DirecTV subscriber. Starting August 10th, they are offering a discount on DirecTV for $ 200 a month , unlimited talk and text messages on four lines, and 10GB of data. Sure, it’s a promotion that comes with a contract, but if you’re an AT&T wireless customer and a DirecTV customer, you can get a decent deal with the package.
• Rollover data, international texting, and 50GB of cloud storage for Mobile Share : If you subscribe to AT&T Mobile Share Value plans , you get several bonus features, including rollover data, unlimited international text messages from the US, and 50GB of cloud storage AT&T Locker .

Who AT&T is best for: People don’t want to ask for a password for free public Wi-Fi. DirecTV subscribers can save some money with packages, although it’s hard to see how this will affect the long term right now.

T-mobile

T-Mobile has many different small benefits for anyone who subscribes to their Simple Choice Plan with at least 3GB of data. Music streaming is a big advantage here, but there are several other useful features as well.

• Music streaming doesn’t count against data usage: if you stream a lot of music to your phone, you know how quickly it eats up your monthly data. T-Mobile gives you unlimited streaming options from Apple Music , Spotify , Rdio , Pandora , iHeartRadio , Rhapsody and more . Basically, music streaming doesn’t count towards data usage, which is a huge boon for music service subscribers.
• Free Modem: T-Mobile offers a free modem via hotspot, so you can connect any device to your smartphone at no additional cost. Any data you use still counts towards your limits (and even if you’re on an unlimited plan, they limit you to 7GB).
• Free calls and text messages to Canada and Mexico: T-Mobile subscribers can call and send free text messages to and from Mexico. This means that if you have a US data plan and travel to Canada or Mexico for the weekend, you will not receive roaming charges. Likewise, you can call people in Canada and Mexico at no additional charge.
• Free UnRadio Access: T-Mobile users who subscribe to Unlimited 4G LTE plans get free access to Rhapsody ‘s UnRadio , an online radio app that works like Pandora. You get unlimited passes and no ads. It’s not quite as good as Pandora, but considering it’s free for T-Mobile subscribers, it’s a nice bonus to try.
• Data transfer: if you do not use up all the allocated data in a specific month, it will be extended in the same way as unused mobile phone minutes for up to a year.
• Free in-flight text messages : If you are flying with the Gogo Internet , you can access free in-flight text messages, visual voicemail, and image sharing. It’s not as good as free internet access, but it’s better than nothing.
• MLB At Bat Subscription : You also get a free MLB At Bat subscription that includes game of the day streaming, pitch tracking, game highlights, and more.

Who is T-Mobile best for : People who stream a lot of music and people who travel frequently to Mexico or Canada.

Sprint

Sprint also has a few slightly hidden features, although their usefulness depends on how much you care about sports and live streaming. They talk the most about their NASCAR and NBA packages, but if you’re not into any sport, that’s not enough to separate Sprint from other providers.

• Unlimited International Data and Text Messaging : Sprint has a “roaming cost” package that gives you free, albeit slow (2G) data and SMS access when traveling abroad. You can enable it for free here . Alternatively, you can also get higher 3G speeds by paying for it ($ 15 per day or $ 25 for 7 days for 200MB). However, prepaid cards are usually cheaper if your phone is unlocked .
• Nascar Mobile: If you’re a NASCAR fan, Sprint gives you a free premium account for NASCAR apps when you sign up for any of their Sprint Everything plans. It gives you a live in-car audio system, live broadcasts, and more.
• NBA Game Time: You also get access to the exclusive NBA app, where you can access home and away radio, game videos, and other statistics.
• Sprint TV: Sprint TV is a package that comes with any data package on Sprint and Android phones. You can watch live TV from sites such as NBC News, Disney Channel, and USA. A word of warning, however, the reviews say the app is pretty awful .

Who sprints best for: NASCAR and NBA fans. Anyone who travels the world and doesn’t mind lowering data rates.

Of course, most of this stuff won’t affect you from carrier to carrier, but if you’re already a customer it’s good to know all the features you have that you might not be using. Or, if you’re on a fence between a pair of carriers with the same price tag, that might be enough to push you over the edge one way or another.

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