Iphone data plan -- please help

[mydds88]

Currently I am on a family plan. I just bought an iphone and would like to use it as part of the family plan, but without having to agree to a 2 year contract extension. Is it possible just to add the $20/month data plan and use this for however long I want (say I decide I don’t want the EDGE data plan after a month, I’d just remove it and use the iphone as a phone and with wifi)? I already have the voice/texting as part of the family plan so all I really need is the unlimited data add-on but I don’t want to have to agree to a 2 year contract extension and I want to be able to remove this feature at any time. Anyone have any input? Thanks very much in advance

[Soulwar]

Currently I am on a family plan. I just bought an iphone and would like to use it as part of the family plan, but without having to agree to a 2 year contract extension. Is it possible just to add the $20/month data plan and use this for however long I want (say I decide I don’t want the EDGE data plan after a month, I’d just remove it and use the iphone as a phone and with wifi)? I already have the voice/texting as part of the family plan so all I really need is the unlimited data add-on but I don’t want to have to agree to a 2 year contract extension and I want to be able to remove this feature at any time. Anyone have any input? Thanks very much in advanceIt didn't use to be an option. However, it looks like it's changed recently.
http://www.ipodobserver.com/story/33780

[kornyboy]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

I don't believe that you can do that. It automatically signs you up for a two year contract when you activate the phone. This really sucks after paying so much for the phone. You may want to check to see if you could get the phone without the data plan but I doubt that as well.

[mydds88]

It just doesnt seem like if you are buying the iphone at full retail value, you should have to extend your service a full 2 years -- and if so, I thought it was just for new AT&T customers. If you are an existing customer with an existing family phone plan, there is no way to simply add the data plan to one of the lines (the one with the iphone) as needed without involving your contract?

Thanks for the link soulwar, can anyone confirm this from personal experience?

[cyclingplatypus]

You are pretty stuck if you want to use it on at&t with the $20 data plan, you'll have to extend your contract. You could buy it and do that voodoo to allow you to use it with your current SIM but you'd be stuck with a different data plan as the iPhone $20 plan is all part and parcel of the contract for the iPhone.

If you are already an at&t user then why worry about extending your contract?

[mydds88]

I might want to switch and don't want to be stuck for an additional 2 years on top of my current contract. I guess I was just hoping the data plan could be just an add-on, similar to unlimited messaging, that you can just add or remove as needed without the need to extend your contract 2 more years. Is this definitely not the case?

[leodavinci0]

I cancelled my data plan (call 611 with the iPhone to do it) and now save $20/month on my bill. They use to have an option to do this online but removed it. I was assured by the costumer rep that I can always call back and have them turn it on at any time, and the cost is pro-rated. Also, the deactivation or activation of the data plan is immediate. As far as this affecting my contract, it doesn't appear to have affected it, and they never said it would.

I know this doesn't help much, but I just thought I'd clarify it for those who read this post.

[mydds88]

thats great leodavinci, exactly what I was hoping for. So you can just have AT&T enable/disable your EDGE data plan at any time without having it extend your contract in any way?

[SDLSteve]

Yes, you can add the $20 data plan to your existing plan. I did it.

[onlycopunk]

Can't you just use a program like iPwner to activate the phone, nothing more, then jsut call AT and have them add an internet plan?

[mydds88]

right, I won't have a problem adding the EDGE data plan.. but my question is will this data plan lock my contract in for 2 years?

or will I be able to cancel it, say next month if I don't like it, without paying any sort of termination fee, and continue using it as a phone with wifi as I do now?

[leodavinci0]

thats great leodavinci, exactly what I was hoping for. So you can just have AT&T enable/disable your EDGE data plan at any time without having it extend your contract in any way?

I haven't reactivated EDGE yet, so can't say for sure, but what I've heard and read suggest that this is indeed the case. There was no fee for cancelling the data plan.

[mydds88]

Is there a way to add the EDGE data plan to an unlocked iphone?

It seems as thought the iphone needs to be activated through iTunes in order to add the data plan. But when activating the iphone, it requires the data plan for a 2 year contract. Any way around this?

[mydds88]

anyone?

[cyclingplatypus]

You are trying to skirt around activating the iPhone and getting the $20 data plan, not going to work. If you want that data plan (whether or not you want to cancel in the future) you have to activate it via iTunes and enter the contract. There isn't a way to get the ($20) data plan without committing.

[mydds88]

yea I want the $20 data plan, just not locked in for 2 years. I'd like to be able to cancel the data plan whenever I want without any sort of termination fee

[cyclingplatypus]

yea I want the $20 data plan, just not locked in for 2 years. I'd like to be able to cancel the data plan whenever I want without any sort of termination fee

Kind of stuck then, you can't get the $20 data plan (which you can cancel with no termination fee) without signing a two year contract. You aren't going to get the $20 plan a la carte.

[mydds88]

Wait, so you can cancel the $20 data plan with no termination fee? Sorry if I'm missing something, just a little confused...

[cyclingplatypus]

Yes, it has been written here and other places about people who have called up at&t and have canceled their data plan with a CSR, you might have to go through one or two of them to get it done but it can be done. You aren't signing a contract with them for a call and data plan you are signing a two year contract for a calling plan, the data plan is an add-on just like a text messaging package.

[SDLSteve]

Wait, so you can cancel the $20 data plan with no termination fee? Sorry if I'm missing something, just a little confused...

He's right. You can cancel anytime with no fee.

[mauigizmo]

Hi all, first post here. I also just found out about being able to cancel the data plan without penalty yesterday. I spoke to a couple of reps on the phone , however they both insisted that if I want to cancel the data plan, I would have to use another phone saying that the iPhone will not work without it (which I know is not true). They said they would send me another sim card to use in my spare phone.
So my question is , what will really happen once data is turned off? Will they be able to tell if I continue to use the iPhone? What are you all saying to get them to cancel it, no questions asked?
Thanks for your help everyone.
Aloha!

[leodavinci0]

Hi all, first post here. I also just found out about being able to cancel the data plan without penalty yesterday. I spoke to a couple of reps on the phone , however they both insisted that if I want to cancel the data plan, I would have to use another phone saying that the iPhone will not work without it (which I know is not true). They said they would send me another sim card to use in my spare phone.
So my question is , what will really happen once data is turned off? Will they be able to tell if I continue to use the iPhone? What are you all saying to get them to cancel it, no questions asked?
Thanks for your help everyone.
Aloha!

You should be able to just request it and they will do it. Although, make sure they know what you are asking; one guy thought I was trying to turn off EDGE on my phone, which I know can't be done. Once you cancel it the only thing that changes on the iPhone, other than the obvious lack of mobile internet, is the lack of visual voicemail. You need them to switch you over to the standard voicemail. Once they do that, going to voicemail on the iPhone will give you the option to set it up. Once it's done (just follow the directions, it's not hard) when you go to Voicemail on the iPhone a message will pop up saying "Voicemail Unavailable" but there will be a new "Call Voicemail" button to push. Pushing it takes you to your voicemail (push 7 to erase messages).

Other than those two things, nothing else changes on the iPhone after cancelling the Data Plan. No new SIM card is required.

[mauigizmo]

Thanks for your help leodavinci0.
I'm still getting nowhere with the 3rd person I've talked to in 2 days by simply asking them to cancel the data plan and still use my iPhone.
Should I just tell them cancel my data because I'm going to use a different phone and just see if my iPhone still works? Is there anyway they can tell?

[mauigizmo]

Update! Well I thought I'd give it one more shot and sure enough no problem, the rep informed me what would not function with the removal of the data and just did it. Moral of the story....If at first......

[leodavinci0]

You can cancel the data plan now, as of today, on the website again without the need to call a customer service rep.

[leodavinci0]

I forgot to mention above, you can not SMS after you turn the data plan off either, since messaging is part of the data plan. I forgot to mention this since I rarely SMS.

[CFused]

If you cancel the data plan and use another phone for a few weeks.....are you able to buy the iphone and add it back to your plan at the discounted price?