Update, I got a confirmation from Verizon that they went ahead and charged my credit card for the iPhone 5. Upon looking at the confirmation, it included the number that I transferred my Upgrade to. So let's see if I do get to keep my unlimited plan once I activate it.
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Carrier [Confirmed] Verizon Unlimited Loophole
- Thread starter CoolBradG
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Hey, just wondering if you had an update about how this went? I'm in the exact same boat as you once were.
So I have 4 lines:
1. Droid X (3g, unlimited data), 2. HTC Thunderbolt (4glte, unlimited data), 3. dumb phone 4. dumb phone
One of the dumb phone is ready for an upgrade. I currently own the HTC Thunderbolt but it is crap so I need a new phone. I want the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. So In order to do this and keep my unlimited data from my htc what is the process? Correct me if I'm wrong. I must upgrade the dumb phone to the galaxy note 2. When that phone arrives I activate it on the dumb phone plan which has no data package. (But when I upgrade it they'll give me a data package on it?) Then I'll deactivate the note 2 and activate the dumb phone back on the same number. Then activate the galaxy note 2 on the HTC thunderbolt phone number? And I'll still have unlimited data on the plan with two dumb phones still?
Does this sound about right? Thanks!
1. Droid X (3g, unlimited data), 2. HTC Thunderbolt (4glte, unlimited data), 3. dumb phone 4. dumb phone
One of the dumb phone is ready for an upgrade. I currently own the HTC Thunderbolt but it is crap so I need a new phone. I want the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. So In order to do this and keep my unlimited data from my htc what is the process? Correct me if I'm wrong. I must upgrade the dumb phone to the galaxy note 2. When that phone arrives I activate it on the dumb phone plan which has no data package. (But when I upgrade it they'll give me a data package on it?) Then I'll deactivate the note 2 and activate the dumb phone back on the same number. Then activate the galaxy note 2 on the HTC thunderbolt phone number? And I'll still have unlimited data on the plan with two dumb phones still?
Does this sound about right? Thanks!
iPhone 5 shipped. so I've never reactivated an old phone. When I receive the iP5, I can just activate the iP5 on dumb phone line first and then go back to my dad's dumb phone and reactivate that on his original line, correct?
I want to do all this without going to the store. So I guess I can do this all from the phone or the website?
I want to do all this without going to the store. So I guess I can do this all from the phone or the website?
If the old dumb phone isn't too old then it should be okay. I had an old dumb phone that was on my sons line ( probably five or six years old ) and it would not let me. I called in and they said it was too old so I had to activate a different phone we had that was about four years old. If you have problems call in, and they will do it for you.
I'm on a family plan and had an upgrade. I didn't want to loose unlimited data so my dad switched the upgrade to my mothers line so she would loose unlimited and not me then he ordered the phone.
When the phone is delivered does it have to be activated on my mothers line?
How long does it have to be active on her line for?
Do I need to do anything with the sim card?
When the phone is delivered does it have to be activated on my mothers line?
How long does it have to be active on her line for?
Do I need to do anything with the sim card?
This is exactly what i want to do on my daughter's dumb phone line. Did you have to upgrade her line to a data plan when you activated the phone on her line?
Also, why couldn't we just activate the phone on our line directly?
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I'm sure this has been asked but a search didn't help me.
Is creating a dummy line a one time thing for this upgrade or will it allow upgrades and allow you to retain unlimited data forever?
For example, could I do it this year for the iPhone 5, and then next year for the new iPhone on my other line, etc.
Is creating a dummy line a one time thing for this upgrade or will it allow upgrades and allow you to retain unlimited data forever?
For example, could I do it this year for the iPhone 5, and then next year for the new iPhone on my other line, etc.
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Yes. You would have to add a data plan to your daughter's line. But you can remove it right after you remove the iPhone. You're not required to keep it. So it shouldn't cost you anything.
You can't activate the phone on your line directly because when you buy the phone they make you activate it on the line you are upgrading.
Ah I see. It's nice to know that I can do all of this online without adding more people to muddle the process. Thanks!
Yes. But when you create the dummy line, you will be signing up for a 2 yr contract at $10/month. Each time you use an upgrade from that line, you would tie yourself into another 2 years. So keeping your unlimited data would have to be worth an extra $10/month to you.
Additionally, you will need to have a device that is active on your dummy line. Any crappy old dumb phone would do.
yeah, agree on not doing it in the store, my retail stores are pretty much useless, they wouldn't even honor the $50 upgrade credit on the iPhone 5 in the store they said it had to be done online
Where I'm stuck is if I upgrade this time and use it for my regular line, when the time comes to use the upgrade on my regular line next year, wouldn't they force me off unlimited data?
Yeah, you just can't use the upgrade on that primary line ever again. If you use the upgrade on your regular line to get the subsidized pricing you'll lose unlimited data.
THEN ITS TIME TO SWITCH CARRIERS SAY PEACE TO STUPID ARROGANT VERIZON FOR FRIGGING EVER!! and just pray that sprint get better coverage and 4g speed by the time your next new contract ends.
Honestly I want to move to sprint so bad despite their internet speed. I am so fed up with VZ BS it aint even funny
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well i would assume you can still do it if youve got other lines in your plan and have upgrade available. but "UPGRADE" on your unlimited data line is impossible yes.
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So i just signed up to this site after finding this post + thread, cuz this is exactly what I am thinking of doing right now instead of moving over to Sprint for their unmatched plan (not so much the speed).
Is this loophole still doable ? or, does it still work? TIA for any help!
Well, no. As mentioned above every time an upgrade is available on the none-regular line you can do the same trick until they either say you cannot or they force everyone to get rid of unlimited data.
I successfully exploited this 'loophole' this past weekend. Here's what I did with some possible issues that you might run into:
1) Ordered an iPhone 5 from Apple using in-store pickup. The phone was ordered using a dumbphone line that was eligible for an upgrade. When ordering from Apple I selected the 2GB / month plan.
2) Picked the iPhone up from the Apple store the following day. While at the store I asked an Apple employee about the loophole, but he had no idea.
3) Activated the iPhone soon after leaving the Apple store. The dumbphone line was transferred to the iPhone 5.
4) For about 1 day the iPhone was listed as a 'pending upgrade' or something like that on MyVerizon and the option to transfer the phone was disabled. During this time I just used the iPhone 5 normally, but it had the number previously on the dumbphone line.
5) After about a day the 'pending upgrade' went away and I was able to swap the old dumbphone with the iPhone 5. At this point the iPhone 5 was not associated with any line. I needed to select a data plan for the dumbphone, so i picked the cheapest one ($10/month). I was able to go back and cancel that data plan after deactivating the line.
6) I waited a full 24 hours for the SIM aging. Many people say that you only need to wait until 7 AM EST, but I just waited a full 24 hours. I had the iPhone completely powered down this whole time.
7) Logged back into MyVerizon and did another device swap this time between my old iPhone with unlimited data and the iPhone 5. I needed to enter both the MEID and the SIM ID from the iPhone 5. These numbers are printed on the box. The SIM ID is labeled ICCID on the iPhone box. The website said that I may need a new SIM card, but I did not (presumably because I waited 24 hours). I left the iPhone 5 powered off while doing the transfer.
8) After doing the swap online make sure you power down the old iPhone. You may need to power cycle the new iPhone. When starting back up the phone said that it was activating. It finished activating but still was not able to place/receive calls.
9) I did a complete wipe of the phone. After that it started working correctly.
According to MyVerizon it looks like I still have unlimited data. Hopefully it lasts. There are probably faster ways to accomplish this, but I can at least say that this process did work for me when I tried it.
Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences to make this possible!
1) Ordered an iPhone 5 from Apple using in-store pickup. The phone was ordered using a dumbphone line that was eligible for an upgrade. When ordering from Apple I selected the 2GB / month plan.
2) Picked the iPhone up from the Apple store the following day. While at the store I asked an Apple employee about the loophole, but he had no idea.
3) Activated the iPhone soon after leaving the Apple store. The dumbphone line was transferred to the iPhone 5.
4) For about 1 day the iPhone was listed as a 'pending upgrade' or something like that on MyVerizon and the option to transfer the phone was disabled. During this time I just used the iPhone 5 normally, but it had the number previously on the dumbphone line.
5) After about a day the 'pending upgrade' went away and I was able to swap the old dumbphone with the iPhone 5. At this point the iPhone 5 was not associated with any line. I needed to select a data plan for the dumbphone, so i picked the cheapest one ($10/month). I was able to go back and cancel that data plan after deactivating the line.
6) I waited a full 24 hours for the SIM aging. Many people say that you only need to wait until 7 AM EST, but I just waited a full 24 hours. I had the iPhone completely powered down this whole time.
7) Logged back into MyVerizon and did another device swap this time between my old iPhone with unlimited data and the iPhone 5. I needed to enter both the MEID and the SIM ID from the iPhone 5. These numbers are printed on the box. The SIM ID is labeled ICCID on the iPhone box. The website said that I may need a new SIM card, but I did not (presumably because I waited 24 hours). I left the iPhone 5 powered off while doing the transfer.
8) After doing the swap online make sure you power down the old iPhone. You may need to power cycle the new iPhone. When starting back up the phone said that it was activating. It finished activating but still was not able to place/receive calls.
9) I did a complete wipe of the phone. After that it started working correctly.
According to MyVerizon it looks like I still have unlimited data. Hopefully it lasts. There are probably faster ways to accomplish this, but I can at least say that this process did work for me when I tried it.
Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences to make this possible!
So after you deactivated the 5 from the dumb phone line you still needed to have a $10/mo data plan for the dumb phone?
You cancel the data plan on the dumb phone line after you put the phone back on there since it doesn't require a data plan but you have to pay for that line for another two years.
Yea so we have confirmed you can do it that way. But we have conflicting opinions on what happens when the dumbphone line needs a new phone. Some people say transferring the unlimited upgrade to the dumbphone will not affect the unlimited and others say it will. I feel like we need a poll to find out from those who actually did it in an orderly fashion.
I've been following this thread for 4 weeks. Here's my experience (so far):
- My wife & I just did a Transfer of Liability with my in-laws' - we merged their account into ours (old Nationwide Talk Share w/ UDP on Line 1). They had an upgrade available on one of their (basic) lines & after merging, they let me use it to get the iPhone5, which I am about to transfer to my UDP Line 1, as many on this thread are doing.
- 3 weeks ago is when I merged the accounts, set all this up & ordered the iPhone 5. I did this over the phone with someone in VZW teach support, who had a lot of experience & knowledge (in my 10+ years experience w/VZW, it is crucial to keep calling tech support until you find someone who is experienced & knowledgable - e.g. A tech who does not have to put you on hold to look up info on the issue you are calling about). Having read some of the stories on this forum, I just flat out told the tech what I wanted to do (use an upgrade on dumb phone line to get iPhone 5, & then switch to my UDP line). He knew all about the process, said no problem, & told me to make sure to call tech support before turning the phone on when it arrives.
- Yesterday the iPhone 5 came (in a horribly disfigured FedEx box, but thankfully internal phone box was fine). I called VZW 4 times, each time I got a rookie tech. I also got 3 different answers on how to activate iPhone 5 on my UDP line, with one answer being what I have seen here: activate phone on basic line, switch line back to basic phone, wait a day, then activate on my line.
- On my 5th call, I finally got a good tech. I explained what I wanted to do & confirmed what I had seen on this thread: I need to activate iPhone 5 on basic line 1st. He said no need to do that, he could just do a straight activation on my line. I told him that's not what I heard - and that I want to make sure I am not losing UDP. I even told him other VZW techs told me to activate it 1st on dumb line. He laughed & said you could do that but it's unnecessary. He knows about that process, & said "there are ways in our system to do what you want to do without waiting a day. Some techs just don't know how to do it. I'll fix you up." Bad news is that I had to be at an appointment & could not continue activation w/that tech. He made a case note & is supposed to call me back this afternoon to finish setting me up. Really nice guy. Anyway, long story to say that it sounds like getting a good tech = not having to do the 24 hr. activation dance between 2 lines. Hope this helps...
- My wife & I just did a Transfer of Liability with my in-laws' - we merged their account into ours (old Nationwide Talk Share w/ UDP on Line 1). They had an upgrade available on one of their (basic) lines & after merging, they let me use it to get the iPhone5, which I am about to transfer to my UDP Line 1, as many on this thread are doing.
- 3 weeks ago is when I merged the accounts, set all this up & ordered the iPhone 5. I did this over the phone with someone in VZW teach support, who had a lot of experience & knowledge (in my 10+ years experience w/VZW, it is crucial to keep calling tech support until you find someone who is experienced & knowledgable - e.g. A tech who does not have to put you on hold to look up info on the issue you are calling about). Having read some of the stories on this forum, I just flat out told the tech what I wanted to do (use an upgrade on dumb phone line to get iPhone 5, & then switch to my UDP line). He knew all about the process, said no problem, & told me to make sure to call tech support before turning the phone on when it arrives.
- Yesterday the iPhone 5 came (in a horribly disfigured FedEx box, but thankfully internal phone box was fine). I called VZW 4 times, each time I got a rookie tech. I also got 3 different answers on how to activate iPhone 5 on my UDP line, with one answer being what I have seen here: activate phone on basic line, switch line back to basic phone, wait a day, then activate on my line.
- On my 5th call, I finally got a good tech. I explained what I wanted to do & confirmed what I had seen on this thread: I need to activate iPhone 5 on basic line 1st. He said no need to do that, he could just do a straight activation on my line. I told him that's not what I heard - and that I want to make sure I am not losing UDP. I even told him other VZW techs told me to activate it 1st on dumb line. He laughed & said you could do that but it's unnecessary. He knows about that process, & said "there are ways in our system to do what you want to do without waiting a day. Some techs just don't know how to do it. I'll fix you up." Bad news is that I had to be at an appointment & could not continue activation w/that tech. He made a case note & is supposed to call me back this afternoon to finish setting me up. Really nice guy. Anyway, long story to say that it sounds like getting a good tech = not having to do the 24 hr. activation dance between 2 lines. Hope this helps...
So I'm confused.. I'm on a family plan right now with an HTC phone and a regular flip phone. Depending on when we ugprade the 28th, I want to do one of these in order to keep my unlimited data (depending on if the flip phone line wants a smart phone):
1: flip phone upgrades to the iphone 5(which ill take), I don't upgrade anything, then I give my smart phone for that person to use. - What would be the process to do this so I get the iphone and keep my unlimited data?
2: If flip phone line doesn't want a smart phone- They upgrade to the iphone 5 (which i'll take), I don't upgrade anything, they activate the iphone on their line and add some data, then afterwords reactivate their flip phone, remove data (can you remove the data online?), then I wait a little bit and activate it on my line. Right? - They won't force us into some shared data plan stuff will they?
1: flip phone upgrades to the iphone 5(which ill take), I don't upgrade anything, then I give my smart phone for that person to use. - What would be the process to do this so I get the iphone and keep my unlimited data?
2: If flip phone line doesn't want a smart phone- They upgrade to the iphone 5 (which i'll take), I don't upgrade anything, they activate the iphone on their line and add some data, then afterwords reactivate their flip phone, remove data (can you remove the data online?), then I wait a little bit and activate it on my line. Right? - They won't force us into some shared data plan stuff will they?
I'm not sure about your 1st question, but regarding your second question, see my post above. Take it for what it's worth, but in my experience if you find a tech that knows their stuff, you may not have to mess with activating on the basic phone line first. If I were you, I would just call tech support and ask them these 2 questions - but make sure you have a tech that knows their stuff. Ask them if they've ever handled this issue before. And with something like this - just in case - I always ask them to make a notation on my account of what I have asked for & how they have handled it, and also I ask for their name & employee ID. That way I have a source in case I need to dispute something later (which has only happened to me once in 10 years). Plus, if the tech is knowledgeable and friendly & has helped me out, I use this employee ID to contact Verizon & give the tech a good review. My opinion is that this is good practice because it helps out a deserving tech in his career & it lets VZW know to keep hiring people like that; thus everyone wins, including the customer.