Update: In case you missed it, it looks like those Zact Mobile users out there who feel like they were left stranded now have an official new service option in Virgin Mobile. Recently Sprint announced that Virgin Mobile users, come August 9th via Walmart, will have the option to customize their plans with a la carte pricing for text, data and voice.
The service will be powered by the same platform that handled Zact Mobile, and in fact you can test out the plan selection interface here. Those of you who are familiar with Zact mobile will instantly feel at home. There are some new options available that differ from Zact for instance they are offering add-ons such as unlimited Facebook, Twitter or music for $5 each that don't count against your data cap. Initially the plan will be offered on 3 less than stellar smartphones. I'd have to imagine they'd let you port your previously purchased Zact phone to the service. Instead of switching to this service though, I recommend you take a look at RingPlus and FreedomPop whose plans seem to offer far better value unless you need those special add-ons.
07/08/2014
Update: Sprint MVNO Zact Mobile is officially shutting down come August. Zact mobile was powered by a startup company called ItsOn and now Sprint plans to use the ItsOn technology to offer something similar although not quite the same as Zact. According to ItsOn Sprint will allow them to do far more and have greater reach compared to what they could accomplish with Zact alone. No specific launch dates or pricing have been announced yet for the new service.
07/05/2014
Judging by what was found in the Howard Forums it appears that Sprint MVNO Zact Mobile could be rebranding itself or merging with another MVNO. Prior to this change though, current Zact users will get 1 month of free service starting on or after July 4th depending on when your next billing cycle starts in relation to that date. You won't have to do anything special to receive the free service, your credit card simply won't be charged for that month. According to the forum, a current customer received an email which in part stated:
"WWe are pleased to let you know that there will be exciting changes coming. A new wireless service that offers the same features as your Zact service will be available very soon. This new service will include additional service plan options and choices to help you get the most out of your mobile experience. If you’re interested, you will have the ability to move your Zact phones to the new service."
So unless the poster is a fraud, it seems big changes are in store for Zact, if it even retains that name. A partnership with Ting would certainly make a lot of sense to me as their plans are somewhat similar as they offer a la carte texting, data, and voice as opposed to bundling all the features together. This is purely speculation on my part though, but we'll see what happens in the next month.
I received a similar email, & wondered what might be happening. Hope i don’t end up being forced to switch providers. Also i noticed that Zact’s Samsung S3 is on sale today for half price at best buy Fire sale?
Also saw that Zact’s bottom of the barrel Awe phone is on sale for half price. Zact has a lower monthly per line charge than Ting. Zact also has more “buckets” than Ting. Ting is way better in phone selection, as it’s essentially most Sprint phones.
Looks like Zact is shutting down. Yikes. Oh well. Looks like Zact customers like me will be shuttled to Sprint or another Sprint MVNO, like Ting.
Apparently Zact’s CEO doesn’t understand business 101. Never tell customers you’re dumping thme into the unknown. They clearly needed to have the Sprint plan details available for customers when they made this announcement, instead of leaving everyone wondering what’s coming next month and searching for possible alternatives.
Also worth noting is that the CEO is now being quoted as saying that the company never intended to be a MVNO, but wanted only to use Zact to show the capabilities of their model. How many people would have shelled out $300 for a phone that only works on Zact a couple months ago if they knew that? That new plan from Sprint better be close to Zact;s or I smell a class action lawsuit a brewing….