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All iPads Is A 2-Year AT&T Contract Worth A $100 Discount?… With Grandfathered Unlimited Data?

Is.a 2-year AT&T commitment worth a $100 discount on a new tablet?

  • Yes… I've paid this long… I have unlimited data—why not… etc.

    Votes: 12 42.9%

  • No… I hate contracts… I hate AT&T… I want more money… etc.

    Votes: 16 57.1%
  • Total voters
    28
C

christof

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 8, 2002
316
16
Earth
First: with a 2-year commitment, AT&T now offers a $100 discount on LTE tablet devices, including iPad. I assume this also includes iPad mini. Is the $100 new equipment discount worth a 2-year contract?

Second: assuming AT&T would allow for it, is a $100 discount worth even more if you can make the 2-year commitment with a grandfathered $30 monthly unlimited iPad data plan?
 
H

HowardSmith

macrumors 6502a
Sep 13, 2012
863
0
I kept the unlimited iPad account going for about 6 months but found it was cheaper to only buy service when I needed it. I travel or need cellular use in "spurts" and it was simply a matter of math. WiFi is almost everywhere I go and is MUCH faster than cellular service.

I think many are holding on to the "unlimited" iPad thing out of fear of losing it. I do for my iPhone. Just do the math and be practical. I have not used it in over 6 months, that is a lot of money saved.
 
S

sealos

macrumors regular
May 12, 2008
169
21
AT&T would probably tell you that the Unlimited plan is not covered and to get the $100, you would have to switch to a newer plan.

Remember, AT&T hates that you have that unlimited plan and will do everything they can to get you to drop it.

So I would say the $100 is not worth it if you want to keep the unlimited plan.
 
KeepCalmPeople

KeepCalmPeople

macrumors 65816
Sep 5, 2012
1,457
659
Los Angeles, California
If you are on unlimited data, then it's a more difficult decision. As the previous poster says (and I think you know), I'd be surprised if AT&T let you continue with your unlimited data plan. Is losing unlimited data worth $100 for you?

If you already have the mobile share plan, it's a simple question of whether you expect to use the cellular capability for more than 14 out of the 24 months (at $10 a month).

The other consideration is resale - you'd want to check that if you sell your iPad before 24 months, can you fulfill the remainder of the 24 month contract using another off-contract tablet.
 
M

mrcalabash

macrumors regular
Mar 8, 2011
100
0
The AT&T announcement says the discount is at AT&T stores and selected retailers. Will Apple stores be one of those selected retailers?
 
A

Awakener

macrumors 6502
Mar 28, 2011
345
0
Since AT&T now throttles grandfathered unlimited data users at 3gb does "unlimited data" even matter?
 
gnasher729

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
christof said:
First: with a 2-year commitment, AT&T now offers a $100 discount on LTE tablet devices, including iPad. I assume this also includes iPad mini. Is the $100 new equipment discount worth a 2-year contract?

Second: assuming AT&T would allow for it, is a $100 discount worth even more if you can make the 2-year commitment with a grandfathered $30 monthly unlimited iPad data plan?
Click to expand...

Do the sums. For (iPad price - $100) + 24 * (monthly charge) you get an iPad, plus 24 months worth of whatever that contract gives you. Do you need what that contract gives you? Is it worth it? Are there any PAYG deals, and what do they cost? Do you get similar contracts cheaper elsewhere? For example, iPad WiFi is obviously less practical, but an awful lot cheaper.
 
jsw

jsw

Moderator emeritus
Mar 16, 2004
22,910
44
Andover, MA
I don't think it's worth it. As others have said, unless you're going to require that access nearly every month for the entire two years (note: two years ago, the original iPad on 3G was state of the art, so don't plan on your new tablet keeping its appeal), you'll save money by not getting the contract. No matter what, you'll avoid being in a two year contract, which I think is easily worth the $4 a month you're saving.
 
Ladybug

Ladybug

macrumors 68000
Apr 13, 2006
1,874
1,013
I don't think it's worth it. Get a tablet with a pay as you go type plan because in one year there will be another tablet. Cellular contracts should only be yearly in my opinion.
 
A

aka777

macrumors 6502a
Mar 13, 2012
858
421
The only thing that is contracted is the service. After a year, you are still free to take out the sim, then buy another ipad and use the service there too.

For those of us who have a continuous data plan, it's worth it. With the $100 discount, I am now able to purchase the LTE version for only $30 more.
 
Domino8282

Domino8282

macrumors 6502a
Apr 22, 2010
983
196
Southeast USA
Is there any way to pre-order an LTE Mini through AT&T with the discount? Or do we have to wait until Friday and hope they have some in-stock in stores or online?
 
C

christof

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 8, 2002
316
16
Earth
jrlepage said:
Is there any way to pre-order an LTE Mini through AT&T with the discount? Or do we have to wait until Friday and hope they have some in-stock in stores or online?
Click to expand...
I went to an AT&T corporate store today to ask if my grandfathered unlimited session based data would qualify for the two-year contract $100 discount. The small business sales representative said yes. As of today, no preorders are being taken for iPad mini.

The representative expects that iPad mini will be released at the AT&T corporate store the same day Apple releases it. I'm not sure if any iPad mini pre-orders will be taken.
 
bbeagle

bbeagle

macrumors 68040
Oct 19, 2010
3,541
2,981
Buffalo, NY
tbayrgs

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,343
4,867
christof said:
I went to an AT&T corporate store today to ask if my grandfathered unlimited session based data would qualify for the two-year contract $100 discount. The small business sales representative said yes. As of today, no preorders are being taken for iPad mini.

The representative expects that iPad mini will be released at the AT&T corporate store the same day Apple releases it. I'm not sure if any iPad mini pre-orders will be taken.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't count on it, especially considering the AT&T employees I've spoken to in the past haven't always been very well informed. According to this article on TUAW, this discount only will apply to iPads added to existing mobile share plans or tiered data plans. I hope the rep you spoke to is correct as I also have an existing standalone unlimited data plan for my iPad and was planning on switching to a Mini.
 
C

christof

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 8, 2002
316
16
Earth
tbayrgs said:
I wouldn't count on it, especially considering the AT&T employees I've spoken to in the past haven't always been very well informed. According to this article on TUAW, this discount only will apply to iPads added to existing mobile share plans or tiered data plans. I hope the rep you spoke to is correct as I also have an existing standalone unlimited data plan for my iPad and was planning on switching to a Mini.
Click to expand...
When you say tiered, I assume you mean the new capped/metered data plans. If you hear otherwise, or have success, let me know. I'll do the same.
 
C

christof

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 8, 2002
316
16
Earth
I visited AT&T Corporate Stores, called Telephone Sales and Customer Service, and tweeted AT&T Twitter Customer Care.

In order to achieve $100 savings, the customer must sign a two-year agreement. Two-year agreements may be made on post-paid accounts.

Grandfathered $30 iPad unlimited session based tablet data is a pre-paid product. AT&T cannot convert pre-paid accounts to post-paid accounts AND retain unlimited tablet data because unlimited tablet data is not offered to post-paid accounts.

The policy document AT&T Twitter Customer Care pointed me to is: http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB117070

If anyone is successful, please share your experience. Thanks!
 
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