AT&T Microsim

[rumorman69]

Hey guys. Do you know if it's possible to call AT&T and ask for a free microsim? I've heard you can call them and get free sims (regular kind). Here is what I want to do. I want to buy an iPhone 4 without a contract (or buy one with a contract, cancel after 1 month and pay the ETF) and then use my current number AT&T number on it. Of course, my current number is on a regular sized sim and I don't want to have to cut it down to a microsim size. I would like to ask AT&T for a (free) microsim and then have them switch my number from my old sim (on a non-smart phone) to the new microsim. Is this possible? Would I be able to still used the old large sim as well? I think I read on this forum you could basically ask AT&T for sim clones/backups and have the same number on two seperate sims.

Ps: Would it be possible to buy an iPhone 4 , cancel the contract. And then once that microsim becomes useless (deactivated) call AT&T (or do this online) so they can port my old number to this new (deactivated) microsim? Has anyone done this or something similar? It would be nice to have my same number on both a microsim and a regular sim so I can use my number on my iPhone 4 and on another phone without any adapters. What would happen if both phones are on at the same time if they have cloned sims? Seems like that would be a problem... Thanks

 

[dave006]

Well you answered you own question. The last sentence explains why you can only have one active SIM per line of service.

Once a SIM of any type is deactivated, AT&T will not reactvate it for any reason.

Dave

 

[Goldinboy17]

Hey guys. Do you know if it's possible to call AT&T and ask for a free microsim? I've heard you can call them and get free sims (regular kind). Here is what I want to do. I want to buy an iPhone 4 without a contract (or buy one with a contract, cancel after 1 month and pay the ETF) and then use my current number AT&T number on it. Of course, my current number is on a regular sized sim and I don't want to have to cut it down to a microsim size. I would like to ask AT&T for a (free) microsim and then have them switch my number from my old sim (on a non-smart phone) to the new microsim. Is this possible? Would I be able to still used the old large sim as well? I think I read on this forum you could basically ask AT&T for sim clones/backups and have the same number on two seperate sims.

Ps: Would it be possible to buy an iPhone 4 , cancel the contract. And then once that microsim becomes useless (deactivated) call AT&T (or do this online) so they can port my old number to this new (deactivated) microsim? Has anyone done this or something similar? It would be nice to have my same number on both a microsim and a regular sim so I can use my number on my iPhone 4 and on another phone without any adapters. What would happen if both phones are on at the same time if they have cloned sims? Seems like that would be a problem... Thanks

You can not have two functioning SIM cards using the same number at the same time. MicroSIM or regular SIM, it will not work. I know they hand out free regular SIM cards, but they're very averse to handing them out to non-iPhone 4 owner. If you were to purchase your iPhone 4 beforehand, show it to them at the store, then they would give you one. An iPhone 4 costs about $370 (32GB, with taxes) in CA. Cancelling your contract would cost $355. It's the same to just buy it no-commitment from them.

 

[rumorman69]

Well you answered you own question. The last sentence explains why you can only have one active SIM per line of service.

Once a SIM of any type is deactivated, AT&T will not reactvate it for any reason.

Dave

So I couldn't activate the deactivated microsim with my old number even if I deactivate my old regular sized sim?

Could I call at&t and get a free microsim and then have them port my number from my old regular sim to the new microsim? Can I do this online?

 

[Goldinboy17]

So I couldn't activate the deactivated microsim with my old number even if I deactivate my old regular sized sim?

Could I call at&t and get a free microsim and then have them port my number from my old regular sim to the new microsim? Can I do this online?

You can definitely port over numbers from different SIMs. You can not do this online. You have to go in-store, or call them to do this.

 

[HOiYA]

I use a microsim adapter to switch between the IP4 and other phoned. Do a quick web search and you will find plenty. I purchased mine from the German site instead of ebay.

 

[rumorman69]

I use a microsim adapter to switch between the IP4 and other phoned. Do a quick web search and you will find plenty. I purchased mine from the German site instead of ebay.

Right, but I want to port my non-iPhone number from a regular sim to a microsim... Is there a way I can get a free microsim from AT&T and have them port my old number to it?

 

[HOiYA]

Right, but I want to port my non-iPhone number from a regular sim to a microsim... Is there a way I can get a free microsim from AT&T and have them port my old number to it?

Well the iPhone already comes with a microsim so I am not sure why you would need another one. Anyways, I was able to get a free microsim for my phone. I swapped my 3GS with my wife's IP4 since she was upgrade and I was not. Used the adapter for the microsim that came with the IP4.

 

[ecschwarz]

Right, but I want to port my non-iPhone number from a regular sim to a microsim... Is there a way I can get a free microsim from AT&T and have them port my old number to it?

So you already have AT&T and just want to buy an iPhone 4, but aren't due for an upgrade? Go into a store, tell them that, pay the amount for a new iPhone (I forget what the non-upgrade price is), and they'll transfer your service over to the new SIM card. Essentially your SIM card is just tied to your account, just as your number is. Therefore, AT&T can reassign a different SIM card to your account, just as they can change your number. This is often done if a SIM card were to fail (I had this happen once).

If you already have AT&T, you do not need to "port" your number. Apart from the extra costs for the device, you are no different than any other customer who already had AT&T and wanted to get an iPhone 4 (I went from a non-iPhone "dumbphone" to an iPhone 4) - they activate the micro SIM, remove the old SIM from your account and deactivate it, and add an iPhone data package to your account. Really easy and should take you about 1/2 hour tops at an AT&T retail store.

And also, you do not need to sign another contract and then cancel it if you are paying the non-upgrade price for the phone.

 

[rumorman69]

So you already have AT&T and just want to buy an iPhone 4, but aren't due for an upgrade? Go into a store, tell them that, pay the amount for a new iPhone (I forget what the non-upgrade price is), and they'll transfer your service over to the new SIM card. Essentially your SIM card is just tied to your account, just as your number is. Therefore, AT&T can reassign a different SIM card to your account, just as they can change your number. This is often done if a SIM card were to fail (I had this happen once).

If you already have AT&T, you do not need to "port" your number. Apart from the extra costs for the device, you are no different than any other customer who already had AT&T and wanted to get an iPhone 4 (I went from a non-iPhone "dumbphone" to an iPhone 4) - they activate the micro SIM, remove the old SIM from your account and deactivate it, and add an iPhone data package to your account. Really easy and should take you about 1/2 hour tops at an AT&T retail store.

And also, you do not need to sign another contract and then cancel it if you are paying the non-upgrade price for the phone.

Thanks, but I don't want to pay for an iPhone data plan. Also, it's cheaper to pay $199 and then the ETF (and first month of service)...

 

[ecschwarz]

Thanks, but I don't want to pay for an iPhone data plan. Also, it's cheaper to pay $199 and then the ETF (and first month of service)...

AT&T will force you to have a data plan on your iPhone. In fact, if you were to take a SIM card from another phone and put it into an iPhone, their servers will force you to have a data plan on that line. This doesn't matter if the phone was purchased with a new contract, given to you, or purchased off of eBay/Craigslist.

It sounds like you want an iPhone for phone calls and text messages anywhere and to use as a full-blown iPhone when near a Wi-Fi network. AT&T doesn't exactly consider this a viable option, so you either should keep your current phone and get an iPod touch or wait until you can afford a data plan - it sucks, I know.

The only other option is that you jailbreak your iPhone, change some settings so that it masquerades as something other than an iPhone and try to remove the data plan from your account. Some are saying with iOS 4, AT&T will periodically send updates over the air to kill this off, but it's about the only way to accomplish what you want.

I was in the same boat earlier (hated having to carry an iPod touch and flip phone around everywhere with me), but bit the bullet and got an iPhone since I was due for an upgrade and found a buyer for my iPod touch.

Bottom line, if I were you, I'd wait until I was upgrade eligible and just get the iPhone at the upgrade price (therefore you're avoiding the non-upgrade price and can put the money you were going to use for an ETF+first month charges towards over a year's worth of data).

 

[rumorman69]

AT&T will force you to have a data plan on your iPhone. In fact, if you were to take a SIM card from another phone and put it into an iPhone, their servers will force you to have a data plan on that line. This doesn't matter if the phone was purchased with a new contract, given to you, or purchased off of eBay/Craigslist.

It sounds like you want an iPhone for phone calls and text messages anywhere and to use as a full-blown iPhone when near a Wi-Fi network. AT&T doesn't exactly consider this a viable option, so you either should keep your current phone and get an iPod touch or wait until you can afford a data plan - it sucks, I know.

The only other option is that you jailbreak your iPhone, change some settings so that it masquerades as something other than an iPhone and try to remove the data plan from your account. Some are saying with iOS 4, AT&T will periodically send updates over the air to kill this off, but it's about the only way to accomplish what you want.

I was in the same boat earlier (hated having to carry an iPod touch and flip phone around everywhere with me), but bit the bullet and got an iPhone since I was due for an upgrade and found a buyer for my iPod touch.

Bottom line, if I were you, I'd wait until I was upgrade eligible and just get the iPhone at the upgrade price (therefore you're avoiding the non-upgrade price and can put the money you were going to use for an ETF+first month charges towards over a year's worth of data).

I used my 3GS without a data plan for about 9 months on AT&T without any problems. They only reason I'm not using the 3GS anymore is because I sold it (and made a profit).