Switching from ATT to T-Mobile

stiloverx · May 21, 2015

Long story short, i get awful reception with ATT at my workplace. T-mobile offers an unlimited plan text/talk/data for 80$ and also offers wifi calling.

The big questions is, i always order the new iPhones on pre order day from the apple store online, would i be able to still do that when I'm on t-mobile? I don't remember seeing tmobile on the pre order iPhone screen, but i might be wrong.

Also if any of you guys have switch from ATT to t-mobile, it will be great if you let me know your thoughts, thanks!

DaveMike11 · May 21, 2015

I recently switched from AT&T to T-mobile. I Was using the launch day preordered iphone 6+. I unlocked my phone & made the switch. Everything works well so far. Im happy with my decision & no regrets .

BruiserB · May 21, 2015

You could get a T-mobile phone on pre-order but only for full price. T-mobile no longer has contracts and no longer sells subsidized iPhones. You could pre-order from Apple for full price or order through T-mobile with payments. I think those who ordered through T-mobile ended up waiting a long time to get their phones. You could also go to an Apple Store on launch day and get either a T-mobile, ATT, or VZ iPhone "Device Only" for full price and all were unlocked from day 1 and could use a T-mobile SIM.

So there are plenty of opportunities to get a T-mobile phone on launch day if you are prepared to shell out the full price. Of course you can then sell your previous unlocked phone to help defray this cost. If you want T-mobile's financing, you can't do that through Apple, only through T-mobile and you may not get your phone right at launch. Also financed phones are locked to T-mobile and will only be unlocked after pay off. Even if you pay full price from T-mobile, there is a period (I think 60 days) where your phone will be locked. So it's best to pay full price from Apple and get it unlocked from the beginning.

This was how the 5, 5S and 6 launch worked with T-mobile. Of course it could change with the next launch, especially since the rules regarding locking have changed since the last launch.

duaneu · May 21, 2015

Yes, you can preorder T-Mobile phones at launch. In the past, they've been in short supply because they've been the only contract free phones available to order online initially (until the sim free version comes out a few months later).

stiloverx · May 22, 2015

BruiserB said:
You could get a T-mobile phone on pre-order but only for full price. T-mobile no longer has contracts and no longer sells subsidized iPhones. You could pre-order from Apple for full price or order through T-mobile with payments. I think those who ordered through T-mobile ended up waiting a long time to get their phones. You could also go to an Apple Store on launch day and get either a T-mobile, ATT, or VZ iPhone "Device Only" for full price and all were unlocked from day 1 and could use a T-mobile SIM.

So there are plenty of opportunities to get a T-mobile phone on launch day if you are prepared to shell out the full price. Of course you can then sell your previous unlocked phone to help defray this cost. If you want T-mobile's financing, you can't do that through Apple, only through T-mobile and you may not get your phone right at launch. Also financed phones are locked to T-mobile and will only be unlocked after pay off. Even if you pay full price from T-mobile, there is a period (I think 60 days) where your phone will be locked. So it's best to pay full price from Apple and get it unlocked from the beginning.

This was how the 5, 5S and 6 launch worked with T-mobile. Of course it could change with the next launch, especially since the rules regarding locking have changed since the last launch.

thanks of the info, paying unlocked prices for the iPhone every year seems very expensive. Tmobile did mentioned that they can give me money for my iPhone, but i think i can make more from eBay

CEmajr · May 22, 2015

stiloverx said:
thanks of the info, paying unlocked prices for the iPhone every year seems very expensive. Tmobile did mentioned that they can give me money for my iPhone, but i think i can make more from eBay

You can now do the T-Mobile payment plans at the Apple Store. I bought my 6 Plus 64GB for $0 at my local Apple Store. They didn't start doing it until a little while after the 6/6 Plus launch though so I'm not sure if they'll be doing it at the 6S launch this year for preorder.

BruiserB · May 22, 2015

stiloverx said:
thanks of the info, paying unlocked prices for the iPhone every year seems very expensive. Tmobile did mentioned that they can give me money for my iPhone, but i think i can make more from eBay

It's not so expensive when you off-set it by selling your previous phone. And if you take your savings on service from ATT and put it aside each month, you'll have a good start towards getting the new phone. You will definitely save money with T-mobile and wi-fi calling is great. Do you really need the unlimited everything service for $80? I use the prepaid $30 plan that gives me 5GB LTE/unlimited low speed, unlimited texts and 100 minutes of calling. Extra minutes are just 10 cents. I don't talk that much and I do most of my outgoing calls over data with Google Hangouts. There's also a Vonage app that can call over data for free and can even spoof your cell-phone's caller ID, so no one would even know you're not calling from your regular cell number. Saving an extra $50 per month can almost buy you your next phone for free!

kupkakez · May 22, 2015

I just buy mine unlocked. I'd rather pay full retail, sell the old phone to recoup some and only pay $55 a month for my phone bill for unlimited talk/text and 10GB of data.

Woochifer · May 22, 2015

Wound up going with T-Mobile, because at the time I bought my 5s (on the release date) they were the only major carrier that had attractive contract-free and prepaid plans. The T-Mobile iPhones are unlocked. Because of this, on the release date they are usually the first models to sell out.

I also use the T-Mobile 100 min/5 GB LTE $30 prepaid plan. Even with all the other plans that have become available over the last couple of years, this plan still matches my usage pattern the best. In the last couple of years, T-Mobile has made big network improvements in my area. The coverage is still spotty in the outlying areas, and will likely remain that way until they get their 700 MHz network up and running.

But, the options are a lot better now than they were two years ago. If I choose to combine plan options with my wife, daughter, and/or parents, then the shared data plans from other carriers look a lot more attractive.

scaredpoet · May 22, 2015

stiloverx said:
thanks of the info, paying unlocked prices for the iPhone every year seems very expensive.

While it does seem that way, keep in mind that when you're on contract with AT&T and other carriers, you're usually paying higher plan prices. Or, you can buy your phone using an installment plan, but often that ends up costing about as much, just spreading the cost out over time.

The real barrier here is putting the money for the phone out up front, instead of making payments. But, you can sell that unlocked phone you have when the time comes, and that helps a lot.

Tmobile did mentioned that they can give me money for my iPhone, but i think i can make more from eBay

Absolutely. I avoid using trade-in deals when possible, because they are shortchanging you. You can always get more if you sell it yourself, sometimes 30-50% more.

That said, there IS some convenience in that you're not dealing with the risk of fraudsters on eBay, some of which are good at buying a legit phone off eBay and then claiming fraud to get their money back at your expense. There are ways to protect yourself if you're willing to go through the hassle, but some people prefer to just trade-in and let someone else deal with that.

Bananas Ananas · May 23, 2015

BruiserB said:
It's not so expensive when you off-set it by selling your previous phone. And if you take your savings on service from ATT and put it aside each month, you'll have a good start towards getting the new phone. You will definitely save money with T-mobile and wi-fi calling is great. Do you really need the unlimited everything service for $80? I use the prepaid $30 plan that gives me 5GB LTE/unlimited low speed, unlimited texts and 100 minutes of calling. Extra minutes are just 10 cents. I don't talk that much and I do most of my outgoing calls over data with Google Hangouts. There's also a Vonage app that can call over data for free and can even spoof your cell-phone's caller ID, so no one would even know you're not calling from your regular cell number. Saving an extra $50 per month can almost buy you your next phone for free!

Copy that! Using my iPhone 6 with the same plan and am more than happy to the service. The $30 plan on T-Mobile is probably the best value plan in the U.S.

Whatwhat91 · May 24, 2015

Bananas Ananas said:
Copy that! Using my iPhone 6 with the same plan and am more than happy to the service. The $30 plan on T-Mobile is probably the best value plan in the U.S.

So based on your post I am going to switch to T-mobile!

I'm on month to month with ATT. This prepaid plan would be perfect for me, but how do I sign up?

I found the link on T-mobile's site, but it's kind of vague. I already have an unlocked iPhone 6. Can you help?!

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans

BruiserB · May 25, 2015

Switching from ATT to T-Mobile

Whatwhat91 said:
So based on your post I am going to switch to T-mobile!

I'm on month to month with ATT. This prepaid plan would be perfect for me, but how do I sign up?

I found the link on T-mobile's site, but it's kind of vague. I already have an unlocked iPhone 6. Can you help?!

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans

You just need to get a SIM card & activation kit from T-Mobile. Sometimes they're $15 sometimes they're free depending on what promotion T-Mobile is running. You can order these kits online. (They're 0.99 now if you enter the promo code shown)

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phones?icid=WMD_PD_Q115CYRN_SSEYGTGLE11410

Then just go through the online enrollment process included with the kit and select the plan. The $30 plan may not be featured as prominently as other plans so be careful to look for it. This is your only chance to sign up for the plan, if you choose something different initially you can't change to this plan later. You can choose to port your number during the signup and that will immediately shut off your ATT service. It's good to do this near the end of your ATT monthly cycle as they don't give prorated refunds for discontinued service. You can also choose to get a new number and try it out for a day or two if you aren't 100% sure you want to switch. If all is good then call T-Mobile customer service and tell them you want to port your old number and they can do it immediately.

Good luck!

xneezzy · May 25, 2015

stiloverx said:
Long story short, i get awful reception with ATT at my workplace. T-mobile offers an unlimited plan text/talk/data for 80$ and also offers wifi calling.

The big questions is, i always order the new iPhones on pre order day from the apple store online, would i be able to still do that when I'm on t-mobile? I don't remember seeing tmobile on the pre order iPhone screen, but i might be wrong.

Also if any of you guys have switch from ATT to t-mobile, it will be great if you let me know your thoughts, thanks!

I used to have AT&T and switched to T-Mobile, I love the unlimited everything plan! It's way cheaper than AT&T, but with my experience, AT&T had better service than T-Mobile, in some areas I have no internet access, but that's rare. With AT&T I never experienced no internet signal anywhere (talking general area though).

JackieInCo · May 25, 2015

Back in January, I bought three phones:

Note 4
Note Edge
iPhone 6+

They are all T-Mobile phones and officially unlocked by T-Mobile.

Here in the Denver area, I've noticed that in areas where my 6+ will not load data in an app or website, my Note 4/Edge will. It seems like the two Note phones have no trouble anywhere I go and according to those phones, T-Mobile has wall to wall LTE coverage anywhere I go in Denver.

I wish my 6+ could do the same thing. Obviously, there are differences in the radios for this to happen.

I pointed this out on one of the Android forums and was directed to several threads on the Apple forums where people have the same things happening to them.

T-Mobile has HD calling here and turning that off does not affect the data signal like some people suggested trying on the Apple site.

I have just been using the Note Edge as my daily phone and bring the 6+ with me sometimes when I know it can get a good data signal where I will be.

I tried AT&T for a month on my 6+ but I can't get data at my house or even make a call due to no signal at my house. The signal is fine everywhere else, just not at my house so I had to rule them out years ago. I tried them out last month again and the service is still bad here after seven years.

imlynxy · May 25, 2015

JackieInCo said:
Back in January, I bought three phones:

Note 4
Note Edge
iPhone 6+

They are all T-Mobile phones and officially unlocked by T-Mobile.

Here in the Denver area, I've noticed that in areas where my 6+ will not load data in an app or website, my Note 4/Edge will. It seems like the two Note phones have no trouble anywhere I go and according to those phones, T-Mobile has wall to wall LTE coverage anywhere I go in Denver.

I wish my 6+ could do the same thing. Obviously, there are differences in the radios for this to happen.

I pointed this out on one of the Android forums and was directed to several threads on the Apple forums where people have the same things happening to them.

T-Mobile has HD calling here and turning that off does not affect the data signal like some people suggested trying on the Apple site.

I have just been using the Note Edge as my daily phone and bring the 6+ with me sometimes when I know it can get a good data signal where I will be.

I tried AT&T for a month on my 6+ but I can't get data at my house or even make a call due to no signal at my house. The signal is fine everywhere else, just not at my house so I had to rule them out years ago. I tried them out last month again and the service is still bad here after seven years.

iphone6 and 6 plus have no lte 12 low band 700 MHz, ,apple is as usual behind here.

oldhifi · May 25, 2015

I just switched to TMobile. I had my iPhone 6 and I bought my wife one from TMobile. NO contract Unlimited data, works nicely, 2 lines $100 month.

Bananas Ananas · May 25, 2015

Whatwhat91 said:
So based on your post I am going to switch to T-mobile!

I'm on month to month with ATT. This prepaid plan would be perfect for me, but how do I sign up?

I found the link on T-mobile's site, but it's kind of vague. I already have an unlocked iPhone 6. Can you help?!

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans

Like said earlier, you need to buy T-Mobile prepaid SIM and once you go through set up process there is an option for the $30 plan. Pick that one and enjoy your savings!

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Switching from ATT to T-Mobile

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