BlackBerry Pearl 8130

The $45 plan is if your company has a Blackberry enterprise server (BES). Since you said you will use the Blackberry for personal use (or just regular corporate POP mail as I use it for), then you are good on the $29.99 plan. I have it!

$29.99 is for email and internet access. $45 includes $29.99 plus option for using the phone as a modem for computers.

Thanks. Now if only the VZW folks had a clue. They always steer you to the $45 plan and keep insisting the $29 plan is max 10MB.

Actually it sounds like the person you got hold of just doesnt know anything.

The limited 10mb plan is 25 a month, and unlimited is usually 45, but VZW has a special relationship with BBs so they offer unlimited data for 30.

So unlimited data on all other pda phone (treo, i760s etc) are still 45 a month

Thanks. Sounds like what everyone is saying is that it's definitely $29/month unlimited. The question now is whether I'm still eligible for the $100 advanced device credit for this 'unlimited' plan; VZW told me I need the $45 plan to get that.

Do you know?

My advice, be vigilant of your charges. I went witht he $45 plan and modem tethering when I purchased my 8130. Since then, my average monthly bill has increased 4x. Crazy. Very concerned about this..... May dump Verizon and stick with my iPhone. Cant believe I would ever say ATT is better

Thanks. I always read my bills in detail and will be all over them like flies to fly paper if 'unlimited' turns out to be limited. As for ditching Verizon--while I would concede they're anything but lovable--i had a brief stint with Cingular (now ATT) a few years ago and thought they were horrible. I came back to the mother ship and never left.

Lesser evil, if you know what I mean.

The $29 plan is available only with Nationwide plans, not the grandfathered America's Choice II plans. It is for use with BIS only (blackberry internet service), not with BES (enterprise server). To add the tether feature it is an additional $15/month. If you change to a Nationwide plan the $29.99 feature can be added to your plan.

Not true...when I got the $29 bb plan, the rep left me on the ACII plan. I just got my first bill and all seemed OK.

You don't have to switch to the Nationwide plan, you can stay on the America's Choice. However if you go to a newer non-pda (voyager) you'll have to switch. The $29.99 data plan is for the blackberry's only. All the other pdas are either the $24.99 (10mb) or $44.99 (unlimited-capped). The $29.99 is unlimited (not really unlimited, it's capped at 5 gigs/month....i think) Non of these data plans include the tether option, it's an additional $15.00/month. The $29.99 is called web and email for blackberry. To get any online pricing you have to put the $45.00 data package on, it can be dropped when you receive the equipment. The benefit of the $45.00 data on a blackberry is that it will sync with corporate exchange servers (corporate email....)

I just called in and got set up on this plan. The only thing you lose is the corporate hook up ability.

The girl I spoke with didn't actually see the plan show up in ACS (former employee here), she had to get me to a sup and he was able to hook me up on the plan.

Thanks. That is soooo helpful. I guess that will make me ineligible for the additional $100 advanced device credit (above/beyond the $50 for new every two), but then again I'll save in the end by paying them $15 less a month for my data!

Sorry to disagree but if you talk to someone who knows it's like this.
All pda's data plans are $45 for UNLIMITED use of internet and email including the Blackberrys. There's also the 10MB limited plan for $25 on all pdas including Blackberrys.
Now there's a deal with RIM to provide a UNLIMITED data plan for the Pearl for $30 if you are using it for personal email. If you need the Pearl for corporate use to be connected to a corporate server then the $45 plan is to use.
Also you get the $100 advance credit for signing up to UNLIMITED data plan even if this is $30 a month unless you are a 2nd line on a family share plan otherwise you get both New Every 2 and Advance device credit

All of my email accounts are POP3, although I use one for my own business (I'm a sole proprietor). So I think I can do the $29 all you can eat plan. If I understand your reply, I'm still eligible for the advanced device credit because the plan is of the 'unlimited' type--is this correct? VZW gave me the impression that additional $100 off only applied to the $45 plan.

Read the info on the website or the little displays @ the store. It says you get $100 off when signing up for unlimited data. $30 gives you unlimited on the Pearl. It's not your fault it costs less a month than the business data plan. If they say you dont qualify for a full then call cust care or check with someone else with more knowledge and integrity. Unlimited is unlimited regardless of the price.
In regards to the email addresses sounds like you should be ok with the personal option of $30.
If you worked for a big corporation and you were to sync your Pearl with the company's server then $45 data plan is for you since it syncs your personal info to the server and backs it up for you.
Since you have your own business then $30 will suf...
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Thanks; very helpful. After your reply yesterday and some others confirming the $30 plan and $100 credit, I spent an HOUR on the phone with six different VZW customer service and e-service reps (the latter of which are totally useless) to get the $30 plan AND both the rebates I was entitled to: the $100 advanced device credit, which showed up fine in my shopping cart, and then the additional $50 new/every two which didn't show up. It took them forever to confirm I was supposed to get this additional discount and they said something was wrong with the website that it wasn't showing up there as well. So they then had to take my whole order verbally, again tried (though gently, this time) to get me to take the 'bundled' offer which included the...
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the main reason the $5 messeging packacge doesnt show is probably because most everyone now a days txts and requires more than that. Besides is 250 messages regardless if they are Verizon or not. The $10 gives you unlimited to Verizon only and 500 messages to other carriers. Think of the overages some people will get with 250.

Good point, but it should be there as an option if they offer it and not something you need to be a CIA agent to uncover.

I have the 250 plan for my Treo, which covers the amount of txt/msg I do... but then again, I'm a heavier emailer than texter.

I just think in general they need to make it easier and more transparent to do business with them, not less!