Grandfathered Unlimited Verizon Internet Gone w/iPhone 5 upgrade: Workaround?

You have to buy the iPhone at full retail price to keep unlimited data.

No workaround. It's been pretty clear for a while now that you have to pay full price to keep unlimited data on VZW. You have to return it, try to get the upgrade reversed, and pay full price for the iPhone. Only way to get it back (even then, I doubt they'll give it back after the upgrade went through)

HappyDude20 said:

I have an iPhone 4 on Verizon with unlimited internet. Because of this and the lack of home internet i tether my iPhone 4's 3G to my iPad and macbook pro all the time. Specifically to the tune of 30GBs a month.

I want to take advantage of the best buy free upgrade to iPhone 5 but i don't want to lose my unlimited data, which i tether jailbrokenly with tetherme.

Aside from buying an iPhone 5 outright do you think theres a way to upgrade with best buy and still keep my unlimited data?

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My understanding of Verizon's policy is the same as Teh Don Ditty above. I don't believe there are any legitimate work arounds.

Unfortunately I don't think there is a workaround. Our plan was changed when my mom got an iPad 4th gen even before I got my iPhone 5. I think you lose the grandfathering as soon as you change anything.

Even if you get the 5, you cannot jailbreak it to tether once more because it will probably come preloaded with iOS 6.1.4.

Open another line on your account. Activate the iPhone 5 on that line then go to a Verizon store and have them swap phones (5 to your old line vice versa).

Then put a dumb phone on the new line. That way you only pay $10 extra a month. That's what I did to get an iPhone 5

Be sure to specify that you do NOT want a share everything plan.

Yes.
You can either add a line or pay full price.

HappyDude20 said:

Aside from buying an iPhone 5 outright do you think theres a way to upgrade with best buy and still keep my unlimited data?

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^ What he said.
Otherwise, nope.

HappyDude20 said:

Luckily I have not yet ordered the iPhone 5. I've only asked her on the floor, and I intend to hold out on a purchase until I can figure out a solution to keep my unlimited Internet.

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Your solution is to buy the iPhone at full retail price. Not sure what workaround your hoping for. It's pretty simple, IMO.

chumawumba said:

Even if you get the 5, you cannot jailbreak it to tether once more because it will probably come preloaded with iOS 6.1.4.

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You can tether on Verizon. It's either $20/month with the old plans or taken out of your data allotment. I do it with my MBP. No extra apps or jailbreaking.

You have three options:

1. Buy your phone at full price.
2. Assuming you have a family plan with two or more lines, you can transfer your upgrade to another line on your account and upgrade with that line and after activating the phone on that line, you can move the phone back to your unlimited line.
3. If you're on an individual plan, it is still possible to turn it into the old style family plans. Which the new line will be eligible for 2 year pricing. (This cannot be done in stores and has to be done over the phone)

taedouni said:

Open another line on your account. Activate the iPhone 5 on that line then go to a Verizon store and have them swap phones (5 to your old line vice versa).

Then put a dumb phone on the new line. That way you only pay $10 extra a month. That's what I did to get an iPhone 5

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it's an additional $10 if you already have a family plan. if he's on an individual line, adding a second line would require him to subscribe to a more expensive family plan, which i believe starts at $59.99 (for 700 minutes vs $39.99 for 450 minutes). add the extra $10 for the new line, and i think he's looking at an additional $30/mo going this route.

JoshGlzBrk said:

You have three options:

1. Buy your phone at full price.
2. Assuming you have a family plan with two or more lines, you can transfer your upgrade to another line on your account and upgrade with that line and after activating the phone on that line, you can move the phone back to your unlimited line.
3. If you're on an individual plan, it is still possible to turn it into the old style family plans. Which the new line will be eligible for 2 year pricing. (This cannot be done in stores and has to be done over the phone)

Click to expand...

is it possible to combine options two and three? calling verizon to to create a new line without using a subsidy and signing a contract, transferring his upgrade to the new line, and then canceling the new line and reverting back to an individual plan after the upgrade is complete?

the only issue i would see is that he'd need a phone (any phone) to take over the new line so that it can receive the transferred upgrade.

siurpeeman said:

is it possible to combine options two and three? calling verizon to to create a new line without using a subsidy and signing a contract, transferring his upgrade to the new line, and then canceling the new line and reverting back to an individual plan after the upgrade is complete?

the only issue i would see is that he'd need a phone (any phone) to take over the new line so that it can receive the transferred upgrade.

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I thought about that as another option, but I'm not 100% sure on how it works in that situation. I'm assuming that when an upgrade is transferred from one line to another, and the line receiving it uses the upgrade, it locks that line into a new 2 year contract so you can't just remove that line after you get the new phone at 2 yr pricing. So unless he wants to pay an ETF... I don't think it would work.

JoshGlzBrk said:

I thought about that as another option, but I'm not 100% sure on how it works in that situation. I'm assuming that when an upgrade is transferred from one line to another, and the line receiving it uses the upgrade, it locks that line into a new 2 year contract so you can't just remove that line after you get the new phone at 2 yr pricing. So unless he wants to pay an ETF... I don't think it would work.

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i might be wrong, but i thought the line whose upgrade is transferred gets re-upped for a two year agreement, not the line that receives the upgrade.

siurpeeman said:

i might be wrong, but i thought the line whose upgrade is transferred gets re-upped for a two year agreement, not the line that receives the upgrade.

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I might be wrong too on that detail as well. I'm not sure which line receives the contract, which is why I left it out as an option earlier.

JoshGlzBrk said:

I might be wrong too on that detail as well. I'm not sure which line receives the contract, which is why I left it out as an option earlier.

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when I think about it further, it makes more sense that the contract would get renewed for the line that qualified for the upgrade. imagine a family plan with two lines, A and B, and let's say both lines are upgrade eligible. B upgrades and gets a new phone, while A transfers the upgrade and B gets another new phone. if the contract was renewed for the line that got the upgrade, B would be the only one under contract (but got two upgrades). A could cancel at any time and not be penalized for early termination, or both lines could cancel but only one etf fee would be charged. it gets worse when you imagine a family plan with five or six lines.

all said, I think the add a line, transfer, then cancel is worth looking into for the op. he gets a subsidy, stays with just one line, and is tied to a two year contract (as he should be).

siurpeeman said:

it's an additional $10 if you already have a family plan. if he's on an individual line, adding a second line would require him to subscribe to a more expensive family plan, which i believe starts at $59.99 (for 700 minutes vs $39.99 for 450 minutes). add the extra $10 for the new line, and i think he's looking at an additional $30/mo going this route.



is it possible to combine options two and three? calling verizon to to create a new line without using a subsidy and signing a contract, transferring his upgrade to the new line, and then canceling the new line and reverting back to an individual plan after the upgrade is complete?

the only issue i would see is that he'd need a phone (any phone) to take over the new line so that it can receive the transferred upgrade.

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He can call Verizon and ask about the 550 minute loyalty Verizon plan.