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AT&T iPhone Customers Can Keep Unlimited Data Plan for Next iPhone
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So, I just sold off my 3G and removed my data plan while I use a regular phone. What's the best way to get grandfathered into the unlimited plan for me? I suppose I could try and find someone with an iPhone, stick my SIM in that and then go about adding the iPhone data plan to my account but will using someone else's IMEI number mess their plan and mine up? What if I use an unlocked iPhone on T-mobile to do this? Will I have any issues there?
I would tell you, but then I would have to kill you...
Haha, just kidding... Let me see, I am a poor, starving artist without a home Internet connection. Additionally this poor, starving artist likes to My-Wi teather his MBP and iPad, and consume video media on them while doing so...
AT&T FTL. They are crazy if they think I'm going to switch to some plan that's only $5 cheaper over my unlimited plan. I don't come close to using 1GB of data per month, but these new plans are stupid and ridiculous. An extra $15 if I go over 200MB's???? OMG, talk about a mark up. Make the 2GB $10 cheaper and we'll talk. Until then, kiss my black a...
You're exactly the reason that AT&T and other companies are changing their plans. You grossly overuse the service and we end up paying the price due to these restructured plans, which luckily don't really affect me as I'm well under the 2GB cap per month. iPhone was never priced to allow tethering and you're gobbling up 10GB+ per month by obviously doing just that. Is there any wonder why things like this change?
Exactly. I use MyWi as well, however only in moderation, on trips and such. I've never used more than 500 MB of 3G data per month.
Pandora, Rhapsody, Slingbox.... The 3 most used apps on my Iphone. I can go through 2 Gig after only a few sessions of sitting in my car waiting for my kids' (fill in blank) practices to end. Was waiting for Fathers day for Ipad but now i need to get one before Monday.
I don't think that's the reason and its stupid to blame people based on pure speculation. I think the reason is because providers are shifting away from unlimited. We have already seen some Cable providers like comcast place caps on service.
The industry changing and well like it or lump it. Its going to happen. You can always cancel and go to sprint but capped usage will eventually be on sprint too.
Saving me $20!
I looked back at my last 6 months of billing, and my wife uses very little data...the 200 MB plan will work great. I use under 2GB, so that's even more savings. Thanks ATT! You're making it harder to switch to VZW.
I looked back at my last 6 months of billing, and my wife uses very little data...the 200 MB plan will work great. I use under 2GB, so that's even more savings. Thanks ATT! You're making it harder to switch to VZW.
Well that makes me feel better. I couldn't imagine how someone could use 10GB with only the iPhone. I thought you might be watching videos on the iPhone all day long.
This does make me wonder how much bandwidth the new video chat will require....???
Hey, I forgot to ask you this morning at breakfast... What time are you, my mom and the pope getting together tonight to pray to Jesus to protect a corporate monster like AT&T from the evil that is a dirt-poor heavy data user? Dad? Dad? Are you still listening to me? ; )
This makes me feel a lot better because I have a $30 unlimited data plan on my "smart" Palm Centro, so according to this and the answer I received from AT&T, I will be able to keep my unlimited plan! Woooooo!
I'm a fan of the new changes. I think it's great for three of the iPhone four lines on our plan...they used a little over 200MB this month, but if I set them up on their home wifi, they may be able to keep under that 200MB, and we save $45 a month. Not insignificant.
Now, I run Slingplayer and Pandora on a non-jailbroken iPhone at least an hour a day. My usage this month, with 5 days left in the cycle is 2.35GB. But, I never turn on wifi, mainly for spite. Most of my use is at home, so if I turn on the wifi, I could easily get under 2GB.
But yeah, tethering for $20 more a month is absolute insanity on a metered data plan. That I don't understand. I could understand the charge on an "unlimited" plan, but if I'm buying 2GB of data a month from AT&T, as everyone says, I should be able to do what I please with it. I don't need tethering though, so I'm not bent out of shape about it right now.
Now, I run Slingplayer and Pandora on a non-jailbroken iPhone at least an hour a day. My usage this month, with 5 days left in the cycle is 2.35GB. But, I never turn on wifi, mainly for spite. Most of my use is at home, so if I turn on the wifi, I could easily get under 2GB.
But yeah, tethering for $20 more a month is absolute insanity on a metered data plan. That I don't understand. I could understand the charge on an "unlimited" plan, but if I'm buying 2GB of data a month from AT&T, as everyone says, I should be able to do what I please with it. I don't need tethering though, so I'm not bent out of shape about it right now.
Well that makes me feel better. I couldn't imagine how someone could use 10GB with only the iPhone. I thought you might be watching videos on the iPhone all day long.
This does make me wonder how much bandwidth the new video chat will require....???
It shouldn't require a lot. Especially if they can use hardware encoding and decoding.
Precisely. Everyone wants AT&T to spend billions to upgrade their infrastructure while they, the customers, spend little for unlimited service. The problem here is not AT&T's greed, it's the unlimited greed of whiners who want something for (next to) nothing.
Last I checked, AT&T's profit margins were consistently in the single-digit percentage range. That's hardly "rape."
Personally, I think their new pricing plans are excellent, especially when you factor in the ability to change them on-the-fly as your needs change.
I don't mind tiered pricing and caps, so long as the caps are designed to affect as few people as possible. My mother has an iPhone and consistently uses 400MB per month, and she's far from a power user. She just really likes browsing on iPhone.
I would have been happy with 1GB for $15, 3GB for $25, with the option to double either plan for $15 if you go over. That would still take care of the people using 65GB in a month, but would prevent overages for regular people.
That 200MB is just too low. I suspect it's
designed to be almost exactly how much the average user uses; some months are 190MB, some months 210MB. On the 210MB months, the user pays the $30 they're currently paying anyway.
I would have been happy with 1GB for $15, 3GB for $25, with the option to double either plan for $15 if you go over. That would still take care of the people using 65GB in a month, but would prevent overages for regular people.
That 200MB is just too low. I suspect it's
designed to be almost exactly how much the average user uses; some months are 190MB, some months 210MB. On the 210MB months, the user pays the $30 they're currently paying anyway.
I would have no problem with ATTs pricing if they could actually deliver on bandwidth!! I have never anything close to the iphones 7.2 Mbits per second theoretical max. In fact I would consider myself extremely fortunate to see even half of that.
I like the new plans. It's a savings for me since I don't use more than 2 gigs a month anyways. When I do use data on my iPhone I mostly do it with a wi fi signal anyways.
So bring on the extra savings AT&T
So bring on the extra savings AT&T
What 4G service? Only Sprint has 4G right now.
And I'm glad I can keep my existing data plan. I was debating about getting an iPhone for a no-commit price but this takes that away.
ATT doesn't even have adequate 3G service. 4G will probably not happen for years.
If you are a heavy iphone data user who also wants tethering, this is your best option:
1. Buy a free phone with 2 year contract from AT&T, a nokia or something, but make sure it doesn't require any kind of data/messaging plan.
2. Add the $15 data unlimited plan to it
3. Buy your iphone factory unlocked from europe/asia, not a jailbroken/unlocked AT&T phone from ebay! This step is important. The IMEI of the phone must not be in the AT&T iphone database, so they can't tell that you're using an iphone and change your plan.
4. Jailbreak the iphone and install the unsigned AT&T carrier bundle that allows tethering.
5. Take the sim card out of your free phone and put it in iphone.
Cost comparison:
$799 (unlocked iphone) + $15*24 = $1159
vs.
$199 (contract iphone price) + $45*24 = $1279
My suggestion is already cheaper, and that's with using just 2GB/month. If you're a heavy user and use 4GB/month on the average, you'd pay:
$199 + $65*24 = $1759
This is before any voice plan fees, which are the same for both plans. Also, a factory unlocked iphone can be sold for more money on ebay when you're done with it.
As you can see, even if you use 2GB, my method works out to be cheaper, the savings add up substantially when you use more than 2GB
1. Buy a free phone with 2 year contract from AT&T, a nokia or something, but make sure it doesn't require any kind of data/messaging plan.
2. Add the $15 data unlimited plan to it
3. Buy your iphone factory unlocked from europe/asia, not a jailbroken/unlocked AT&T phone from ebay! This step is important. The IMEI of the phone must not be in the AT&T iphone database, so they can't tell that you're using an iphone and change your plan.
4. Jailbreak the iphone and install the unsigned AT&T carrier bundle that allows tethering.
5. Take the sim card out of your free phone and put it in iphone.
Cost comparison:
$799 (unlocked iphone) + $15*24 = $1159
vs.
$199 (contract iphone price) + $45*24 = $1279
My suggestion is already cheaper, and that's with using just 2GB/month. If you're a heavy user and use 4GB/month on the average, you'd pay:
$199 + $65*24 = $1759
This is before any voice plan fees, which are the same for both plans. Also, a factory unlocked iphone can be sold for more money on ebay when you're done with it.
As you can see, even if you use 2GB, my method works out to be cheaper, the savings add up substantially when you use more than 2GB