Onepass miles with no usage requirement or fees
Aug 21, 2002, 10:22 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Posts: 9,989
Onepass miles with no usage requirement or fees
The FCC now requires all long distance companies to post on their websites a copy of their tariff. The tariff is the document that lists all of the rate plans a company offers and the fees, terms, and conditions associated with those plans.
Several years ago, I used to play the game of switching long distance companies frequently in order to get maximum miles. Thus, the phone companies quit offering me such great deals, so for the last few years I have laid low and not switched. This was easy to do because during the same period, rates for long distance from dial-around 1010-xxx services went through the floor, and my cell phone provider begain offering very attractive rates. Hence, for most of the past several years, I had no pre-subscribed long distance company, only local service. I thus avoided many of the associated fees.
Anyhow, when NWA came out with their crazy Sprint offer, it was too good to pass up. Then I switched to MCI and got more miles. Well, I'm addicted again. Now that MCI is in bad financial trouble, I thought I would see what kind of deal they would now make to come back to them if I left them. (As I stated above, back years ago they quit making any kind of offer because I came and went so frequently.)
As a result, today I switched to AT&T for 5000 Onepass miles, which I am scheduled to get at the rate of 1000 per month for five months. I dialed 800-255-4600 and used the promo code 11124, which I got from the Onepass site. Before calling, I went to the AT&T website to see what calling plans they offer. I found that AT&T still offers plans that have no monthly fees and no required minium usage. These plans also have very high per minute charges, but if you are like me, and do ALL of your inter-state long distance calling from cell phones and 1010-xxx dial around service, this is not a problem.
I looked at this page from the tariff which lists all of AT&T's currently offered plan:
http://www.serviceguide.att.com/ACS/ext/osg.cfm
I decided that this plan: DDD01002DD was best for me. It offers a rate of 19.5 cents per minute 24/7 with no fees or minimum usage requirements. Also no Universal Connectivity Charge (UCC)if you make no calls (otherwise AT&T will charge 11% for UCC).
I called up and requested this plan. The agent laughed, because she saw what I was doing -- no one ordinarily requests this plan and AT&T ordinarily never mentions it if you just naively call in and ask what plans they have. Basically, the only people who have this plan are either suckers who don't know they are being taken advantage of, or people who just can't find the time to call in and switch to a better plan.
Anyway, since it has been years since I last switched away from MCI (and that was with a different address and telephone number) I expect that MCI will call me up within several weeks begging me to come back. If the offer is good enough, I will, even if I have not yet received all of MCI's miles. In the meantime, I will study MCI's tariff, so if the call does come I will be prepared with knowledge of the MCI plan that best suits me. As I noted earlier in this message, I am hopeful that since MCI is bankrupt, they will offer me a REALLY GOOD plan to switch back. If they do, I plan to post a follow-up to this message at that time.
[This message has been edited by amanuensis (edited 08-21-2002).]
Several years ago, I used to play the game of switching long distance companies frequently in order to get maximum miles. Thus, the phone companies quit offering me such great deals, so for the last few years I have laid low and not switched. This was easy to do because during the same period, rates for long distance from dial-around 1010-xxx services went through the floor, and my cell phone provider begain offering very attractive rates. Hence, for most of the past several years, I had no pre-subscribed long distance company, only local service. I thus avoided many of the associated fees.
Anyhow, when NWA came out with their crazy Sprint offer, it was too good to pass up. Then I switched to MCI and got more miles. Well, I'm addicted again. Now that MCI is in bad financial trouble, I thought I would see what kind of deal they would now make to come back to them if I left them. (As I stated above, back years ago they quit making any kind of offer because I came and went so frequently.)
As a result, today I switched to AT&T for 5000 Onepass miles, which I am scheduled to get at the rate of 1000 per month for five months. I dialed 800-255-4600 and used the promo code 11124, which I got from the Onepass site. Before calling, I went to the AT&T website to see what calling plans they offer. I found that AT&T still offers plans that have no monthly fees and no required minium usage. These plans also have very high per minute charges, but if you are like me, and do ALL of your inter-state long distance calling from cell phones and 1010-xxx dial around service, this is not a problem.
I looked at this page from the tariff which lists all of AT&T's currently offered plan:
http://www.serviceguide.att.com/ACS/ext/osg.cfm
I decided that this plan: DDD01002DD was best for me. It offers a rate of 19.5 cents per minute 24/7 with no fees or minimum usage requirements. Also no Universal Connectivity Charge (UCC)if you make no calls (otherwise AT&T will charge 11% for UCC).
I called up and requested this plan. The agent laughed, because she saw what I was doing -- no one ordinarily requests this plan and AT&T ordinarily never mentions it if you just naively call in and ask what plans they have. Basically, the only people who have this plan are either suckers who don't know they are being taken advantage of, or people who just can't find the time to call in and switch to a better plan.
Anyway, since it has been years since I last switched away from MCI (and that was with a different address and telephone number) I expect that MCI will call me up within several weeks begging me to come back. If the offer is good enough, I will, even if I have not yet received all of MCI's miles. In the meantime, I will study MCI's tariff, so if the call does come I will be prepared with knowledge of the MCI plan that best suits me. As I noted earlier in this message, I am hopeful that since MCI is bankrupt, they will offer me a REALLY GOOD plan to switch back. If they do, I plan to post a follow-up to this message at that time.
[This message has been edited by amanuensis (edited 08-21-2002).]
Aug 22, 2002, 11:24 am
#2
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Santa Monica, CA, USA
Posts: 1,013
You might also try onesuite.com - as your choice for actually making the calls, instead of a 1010 number. Their rate is 2.9 cents a minute to the 48 (unfortunately more to Hawaii and I assume Alaska) - and it can be set up that when you dial their access number (programmed into phone) it already knows your PIN.
My guess is that MCI might have a good deal - they called me the other day and it sounded like a good deal was coming where they would eliminate the monthly fees. I told them to call back in a month, hopefully my Alaska miles from Sprint will show up by then.
My guess is that MCI might have a good deal - they called me the other day and it sounded like a good deal was coming where they would eliminate the monthly fees. I told them to call back in a month, hopefully my Alaska miles from Sprint will show up by then.