Verizon Wireless adopts Alltel's My Circle as 'Friends & Family'
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 12th 2009 8:32AM
posted Feb 12th 2009 8:32AM
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
A Minute With Mike – Introducing Friends & Family
The advantages of being a Verizon Wireless customer just keep growing.
We offer the most reliable wireless network and our merger with Alltel enabled us to create America's largest Mobile to Mobile calling family.
Now we're turning Alltel's successful My Circle option into our new Friends & Family option – giving current and future customers a flexible way to control wireless spending.
Before customers find out and even before the media reports on this industry milestone, Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman gives us the scoop on our new Friends & Family feature in the latest Minute With Mike.
Be among the first to know about this exciting new customer option – another surefire way to sell the value of Verizon Wireless.
Too bad 90+% of my friends are on AT&T.
That's not really a problem. Alltel's My Circle (and I assume the future Friends & Family from Verizon) allows you to add any phone number into your "circle." Any home phone, any cell phone from any provider, etc.
AT&T is also cornered with Centennial Wireless' MyVIPs ($9.99 for unlimited calling to 5 numbers).
With Centennial Wireless being bought out by AT&T, I'm hoping they still offer the same services: 5PM nights/weekends for $5, MyVIPs and unlimited incoming calls. I don't count on it though... =(
Cause your friends are smart. No intelligent person uses Sprint or Verizon, or any CDMA network.
Verizon and Sprint are trash. Go AT&T!
Why go AT&T?
So you can have less 3G coverage?
Spottier overall service?
But hey, you can get a 3G Iphone. Then turn off the 3G so you can actually have some battery to make a call...
@scarse3
VZW may be a customer service nightmare and have crap for phones, but they've got the best signal where I live. I've tried AT&T and T-Mobile phones with the intention of switching, but got zero signal in my apartment and spotty service until up to 2 miles away. No point in signing with a service provider who doesn't provide service.. *That* would just be stupid.
@scarse3
I'm an intelligent person, and I wouldn't even think to use a GSM network. Why?
1. EV-DO Rev. A blows HSPA out of the water in speed.
2. Sprint (my network) and Verizon both have massively built-out EV-DO networks compared to AT&T's HSDPA roll-out.
3. CDMA phones don't interfere with speakers and microphones, GSM does.
4. Sprint's data plan (and other plans in general) is a steal.
So next time you think about being a mindless GSM/AT&T/iPhone fanboy, think your argument through a bit.
So, does this mean Alltel customers are now IN? As in, both calls and text messages to previous Alltel customers are now free?
I'm think Alltel customers have been "IN" for about a month. That's what those Verizon commercials with the stereotypical "wiseguy" are about.
@ Jon A
Can you hear me now?
Wow, Verizon allowing something that saves their customers money? I don't believe it....
That's because they don't, you have to be on a higher plan to even start to get the benefits. If I was on a higher plan I wouldn't need my circle.
They're not. Having worked for them for just under 2 years - I know they'll find a way to F over the customer somehow....someway.
So wait does this mean that current Verizon customers will be able to do this as well (I'd like to have 5 favs)
Also, if we already have In-Calling, would we not be able to have both? (Cuz 95% of everyone in the Washington, D.C. area has VZ, its those random people with T-Mobile/ATT that throw it all off)
You didn't actually read the article did you? What part of "it's bringing the circle to current and future customers [read: both VZW and Alltel] as a flexible way to control wireless spending." did you not understand. So the answer to your question is YES.
That being said, this is AMAZING news. Now all Verizon has to do is add rollover minutes, and we'll be set. That and maybe get some competent customer service.
"Verizon Wireless, now the country's largest cellular carrier, is calling the feature "Friends & Family." It will be available starting Sunday. Customers on single-line plans starting at $60 per month will get five free numbers, and those on family plans starting at $90 per month for two lines will get ten free numbers."
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090212/ap_on_hi_te/tec_verizon_wireless_plan_4
Ahhh, but what about the cost? No one says anything about the cost. As with all Verizon crap this will be 200% more expensive than it should be.
Jon, when I moved to verizon I was a little upset by the increased rates compared to Cingular (who I had at the time) but I wasn't disappointed by the service. Its like do you want to buy a Ford or a Toyota, sure the toyota might cost more the the car just works better.
I _NEVER_ drop calls with verizion, I used to drop on average several calls a day with Cingular, granted that is a few years ago. From what I've read however with more people signing up ATT service is getting worse not better, their user base is growing faster then they can keep up. So feel free to move to another carrier if you don't like paying more for verizon, but the service is simply unbeatable!
No it's because GSM (which cingular/ATT uses) can't near as many calls as CDMA which EVERYONE except tmobile uses. Sprint won't drop your calls, US Cellular won't, Alltel won't, Metro PCS won't...
Actually to be fair, Sprint drops a lot of calls. Then again, it also depends on what handset you are using. I don't drop nearly as many calls, really if any, now that I am on a better handset. My old Samsung a-640 was a piece of shit...
"Metro PCS won't [drop your calls]..."
I lol'd.
This really puts AT&T in an interesting situation. This is their chance to not be evil. They definitely need to add a My Circle-like plan that isn't ridiculously priced and doesn't come with ridiculous restrictions (such as only using it with a certain minute plan, which is something I could totally see them doing). If they do that and do it right, this could also be used as a good PR move...but let's be honest, when has AT&T ever been concerned with good PR?
When the old at&t broke that was the best PR they ever had
broke up
So now I can add my Skype to Go number and basically call anywhere airtime free?
Oh snap!
Oh but AT&T has rollover minutes. That's a total sell/ *sarcasm*
Yeah I noticed about a month ago that the Verizon guy was gone. Thought it was funny. Would have been better if they had the Verizon guy talk the Alltel guy (er trick him) into putting on a Verizon shirt.
AT&T has free mobile-to-mobile which covers all the numbers I'd put in my Faves plus free nights and weekends. Given that I hate managing lists, I much prefer AT&T's approach. Otoh, I have to keep a $30/month plan with too many prime-time minutes to get those calling features that I actually want. Too much thought required. Yay for Verizon folks!
So the Verizon guy finally hooked up with the Alltel guy? I'm guessing they'll make sweet, sweet love! haha
Because they're gay.
Well that was obvious from the commercial.
Guys who pick on gay guys the most are actually gay themselves!
Cool> Sprint - SUE NOW
Alltel's plans have MyCircle integrated into them.
$39.99 - 1 MyCircle Number, 500 Minutes, Unlimited N/W, M/M
$49.99 - 5 MyCircle Numbers, 750 Minutes, Unlimited N/W, M/M
Have you have heard the new plan Boost Mobile has, its called "MY NIGGAS", you can talk unlimited to 5 10 15 of yo closet niggas for unlimited, YEAH BOIII!!!!
Are you saying only people to refer to other people as "my nigga" can use boost? Dang it. I was going to refrain from talking like that but now...
I'm reading other places that this should be available starting Sunday. I'm really looking forward to this as it will save me and my family a good deal of money! (They stayed on Verizon while I moved to AT&T to get an iPhone)
So they just ignore the people with lower plans huh? Hey VZW you POS, if I got on a higher plan I wouldn't need my circle plans. Can not wait to get sprint, more minutes, feature all one much much lower price.
Sprint, good luck. There service is crappy. Lots of dead spots in my area. My work phone is Sprint and I cannot even get a signal at my house or my office. My father-in-law is on Sprint and is switching when his contract expires next month.
What's the Boost Mobile guy tell the AllTel guy?
I live in MD. Networks are all good somewhere and suck other places.
On my old, completely amazing Sanyo 8100, i had a conversation from the middle of Delaware all the way down I95 through remote areas to my house in Arbutus md. This was in 2005! That phone would not cut out.
I was BEGGING it to cut out. I had a boss with the voice of Fran Drescher and none of the other redeeming physical qualities to fantasize about to halt the unnerving horrendous misuse of my eardrums for an hour and a half.
I have had HTC (6700 and the new Touch Pro) since then, and i have no real issues, unless i'm in my basement.
I had an LG and a Samsung , both from work, and they were complete pieces of Garbage on sprint, in the same area.
My job used ATT for about 6months and that Palm Treo 800w was a complete disaster. I once dropped the call standing with in direct line of sight of a set of cell towers with that thing.
So, for me, it's often the phone over the network, but it can be the network.
Hi guys... I work for VZW so I can help answer a few questions... Here ya go:
Beginning February 15, our new Friends & Family options let customers select 5 or 10 numbers for their calling group, and the calls to or from anyone in this group will not count against their plan minutes.
There's no charge to sign up for Friends & Family and no charge, ever, to make changes to a Friends & Family calling directory.
With Friends & Family, customers don't have to use up their minutes to call the people they talk with all the time, even if they use another wireless carrier or a landline.
Single line customers can select up to 5 numbers to add to their Friends & Family calling group.
Family SharePlan customers can select up to 10 numbers that will be shared among plan members.
Requirements
To take advantage of Friends & Family, customers need to be on a qualifying Nationwide Single Line plan with 900 or more Anytime Minutes.
Family SharePlan customers will need to be on a Nationwide plan with 1,400 or more Anytime Minutes.
But....Verizon and Sprint are trash. All CDMA networks are trash. That's just how it is. GO AT&T!!!
Why go AT&T?
So you can have less 3G coverage?
Spottier overall service?
But hey, you can get a 3G Iphone. Then turn off the 3G so you can actually have some battery to make a call...
Thank You! I was really hoping this would happen.
I only have a handful of friends who aren't on Verizon so now I'll basically never be using any minutes.
Well, my AT&T plan already gives me free mobile-to-mobile minutes. That's anybody's mobile. So I don't have to pick and chose.
And when I go overseas my phone still works.
And my family plan has 900 minutes. With the rollover minutes, the whole family of four can talk for 4,100 minutes to nonmobile prime time numbers before we get charged an overage. In other words, we don't use our minutes much with our plan. I've only noticed one month where we ever dipped into rollover minutes, and I was cheering. We're using the phones!
So if I do have to make a call that uses minutes I never think about it.
same here. i love my rollover minutes. i never have to worry!
it looks like for $39.99 on alltel you get 1 fav.
for $39.99 on at&t you get rollover!
Hey guys,
I'm a rep at a Verizon store and I wanted to clear a couple of things up.
First I saw someone mention that with their carrier they get free mobile to mobile "Well, my AT&T plan already gives me free mobile-to-mobile minutes. That's anybody's mobile. So I don't have to pick and chose." THIS IS WRONG. Free mobile to mobile includes mobile numbers ONLY ON THAT NETWORK. In your case, AT&T. If you called someone on TMobile it would cost your minutes (even though it is technically a "mobile" phone. Verizon offers this same "mobile to mobile" service (which is now the largest customer base with 80 million) AND these extra 5/10 numbers!
here are a few points:
YOU ARE NOT LOSING ANYTHING. All plans will still have free nights/weekends, mobile to mobile calls/texts, etc.
IT DOES NOT COST ANYTHING. If you're already on a 900+ minute plan then you will still pay the same rate, but you'll also get the benefit of frinds and family calls. Some people on the edges will be able to move down and save $20 or so a month because of these free calls.
THIS IS FOR ALL CUSTOMERS. Old and new. Sign up with us Sunday, it will be automatically added to your account for free. If you're an existing customer you'll have to sign up through MyVerizon online (they're trying to get more people educated on this system to decrease customer service calls methinks.) You can change your favorite numbers once a month I think.
THIS IS FOR ANY HOME, MOBILE OR TOLL FREE NUMBER. The only numbers I can see that it excludes are paid numbers like 411 or 900 numbers, etc.
No, now this is just stupid, yea they should of kept the circle shit for the remaining of the Altel customers but once they came into a store to upgrade or whatnot they would then migrate over to Verizon. Verizon already has a unlimited package for how much, like a hundred right, I dont know, Im on T-Mobile, so how much will you really be saving after you put call any 50 people for free on your contract, lol. but whatever, atleast Im not with them
as an alltel customer in northeast ohio, I'm not breathing any sighs of relief.
A) I've got a 500 minute plan with 10 my circle numbers and unlimited data - so unless I'm missing something I'll need to upgrade to a more expensive plan (to get at least 800 minutes) in order to just get 5 free numbers back? that's not cool in my opinion
B) I think they're already making some technology changes in this area, because all this week I've been having really poor luck getting on the evdo network, whereas before I never had a problem.
C) I switched AWAY from verizon because of poor service and poor signal quality in this area. unless they're completely absorbing all things alltel around here (which I haven't heard/read anything to the effect of what actually IS getting absorbed) I may be left with worse service, worse signal, and a more expensive plan for less value.
Ahh well, I'm probably going to be a tiny voice of complaint about the whole deal, and will have to suck it up and deal with it, or maybe try somebody else when my contract comes up.
Alltel and Verizon had a recursive roaming agreement so using one or the other should have afforded you the same exact service. Perhaps you just needed to dial *228 on your mobile set to update the PRL?