I currently have an AT&T family talk plan with 1 blackberry and 1 dump phone and pay ~$130/mth all in for 1400min with a business premier discount, too many rollover minutes to count, and 1000 regular texts/mth on the one phone (not picture messages). I plan to upgrade my Blackberry to the iPhone 5S when it comes out.
I chatted with an AT&T rep online and they said I can upgrade to the 5S and keep my unlimited data plan as long as I don't change rate plans to the Mobile Share. However, I have a couple questions to help me decide if I should keep my unlimited data or switch to the new Mobile Share Plans which will save some money...
1) How do I actually purchase the iPhone and switch if I want to upgrade and keep same rate plan? Directly through Apple, call AT&T and order, etc.? Are there benefits of going through Apple vs. AT&T (taxes, price, availability/wait time, etc.)?
2) Does my old unlimited data plan include free tethering/hotspot? My blackberry didn't have that option but the iPhone does, don't think they can only provide tethering/hotspot if I switch to Mobile Share Plan?
3) The unlmited talk and text includes picture messages? I end up paying a couple extra bucks on my bill when people send me picture messages, and this month I went $5-10 over on regular texts too even though I pay $15 for the 1000 texts plus the dumb phone doesn't have a text plan
4) It will be about the same price or actually somewhat cheaper for us to switch to the Mobile Share plan get get 2gb-4gb of data but also includes unlimited texting for both phones. Does it make sense to keep my unlimited data (don't use that much now but I have a crappy blackberry) or switch to the Mobile Share plan?
5) When AT&T says I can keep my data plan, I can upgrade with the subsidized price vs. having to pay full retail right (assuming same as it was for the iPhone 5)?
I chatted with an AT&T rep online and they said I can upgrade to the 5S and keep my unlimited data plan as long as I don't change rate plans to the Mobile Share. However, I have a couple questions to help me decide if I should keep my unlimited data or switch to the new Mobile Share Plans which will save some money...
1) How do I actually purchase the iPhone and switch if I want to upgrade and keep same rate plan? Directly through Apple, call AT&T and order, etc.? Are there benefits of going through Apple vs. AT&T (taxes, price, availability/wait time, etc.)?
2) Does my old unlimited data plan include free tethering/hotspot? My blackberry didn't have that option but the iPhone does, don't think they can only provide tethering/hotspot if I switch to Mobile Share Plan?
3) The unlmited talk and text includes picture messages? I end up paying a couple extra bucks on my bill when people send me picture messages, and this month I went $5-10 over on regular texts too even though I pay $15 for the 1000 texts plus the dumb phone doesn't have a text plan
4) It will be about the same price or actually somewhat cheaper for us to switch to the Mobile Share plan get get 2gb-4gb of data but also includes unlimited texting for both phones. Does it make sense to keep my unlimited data (don't use that much now but I have a crappy blackberry) or switch to the Mobile Share plan?
5) When AT&T says I can keep my data plan, I can upgrade with the subsidized price vs. having to pay full retail right (assuming same as it was for the iPhone 5)?