I currently have 3 lines of service with AT&T: 2 iPhones with Unlimited Data and one dumb phone that still has a year left on contract. I plan on opening 4 lines when I switch over to T-Mobile and plan on upgrading my iPhones when I switch. Since I'll be giving T-Mobile all my business, and I'm willing to pay the ETF on the dumb phone line, got any tips so I can get the best deal with them? For example, any chance I could get them to pay that ETF, or waive activation fees and the like? Thanks in advance for any tips, even if the tip is "stay with AT$T". For reference, I'll be using their service in the San Diego area, and sometimes in the Imperial Valley. Any opinions before I switch are welcome.
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Switching from AT$T to T-Mobile. Any tips?
- Thread starter djuarez03
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Tmobile will not pay your etf i already called them on that, but you will be paying $100 a month for 4 lines and all of them will have data plan by default.
Highly recommend unlocking a phone or two if locked (swiftunlocks.com if AT&T won't do it), pick up a TMO SIM and try out their $30/mo or $3/day prepaid service in your area to see if coverage meets your needs before committing. FYI: I've been told prepaid doesn't get quite as good coverage as postpaid, but thats just from mentions here on MR.
Don't cancel and pay the etf, sell your unlimited data lines to someone, that way they take your contract.
Just to add, I've already requested unlocks through AT&T for the iPhones (4 & 4S) and had no problems getting them unlocked since they are off contract. Great suggestion to try a pre-paid one month to try out. Never thought of that. I have heard service is pretty great here in SD, but since I visit the Imperial Valley quite often, I was more worried about the coverage down there. Although, really, service down there is pretty spotty with any carrier. My main gripe with AT$T is the throttled data speeds, so I'm looking forward to paying for actual Unlimited with T-Mobile, since apparently they don't throttle anymore. I only really need Unlimited on my line, since I love to stream Netflix & video. Plus, unlimited minutes will finally let me get rid of my home line that I hardly ever use.
Where Tmobile LTE works it works well, just make sure it works for you. Coverage maps are a start.Best decision ever TC. I've saving tons of money and getting way better reception than with ATT.
Just get those iPhones unlocked (less than $5) , pop in a T-Mobile nano sim, and you're off to the races with insane LTE speeds.
Yeah you can just get the iPhones unlocked for like $2 over at swiftunlocks. All the lines come with a default of 500mb of data but I'd recommend at least 2.5GB for the iPhones.
I'm currently paying about $180-$190/month for my 3 lines. With T-Mobile, I calculated that I would be paying the same thing with unlimited minutes/texts, and upgrading my two iPhones to the 5S if I financed with them. Also, I'll be upgrading the dumb phone to the 4S, and just adding a bit of data to it, since my mom is not an avid internet user. Cost goes down by about $20 if I only upgrade one iPhone. Either way, since I have limited minutes with AT&T, it's still a better deal if I switch and pay the same I'm paying now.
When I first switched from AT&T to T-Mobile that is exactly the plan I first went with. The 100 minute call limit proved just a bit too small for me (which surprised me), and the 4G limit before throttling was also a bit tight (since I like to stream music and on heavier months can get up to 6gb or so.)
I ended up going for their $70 everything unlimited plan (well, everything but mobile hotspot which they give you 1/2gb of) and noticed a slight bump in speed. (I had good coverage at work/home either way) Now that I have unlimited I even use their LTE at home rather than wifi because it's noticeably faster.