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AT&T Sim Cards are $20 Starting Tomorrow

Turtle69Turtle

Turtle69Turtle

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Just had a meeting at work that we are now charging $20 for sim cards. Just a heads up for everyone, they use to be $5.

If you activate a new line and get a new phone or bring your own device over, the sim card will be free.

If you're just walking in asking for a sim, its $20 (unless customer service notates your account for us to not charge you)

Just giving everyone a heads up in case someone buys an unlocked iphone and goes to at&t for a sim
 
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Turtle69Turtle said:
Just had a meeting at work that we are now charging $20 for sim cards. Just a heads up for everyone, they use to be $5.

If you activate a new line and get a new phone or bring your own device over, the sim card will be free.

If you're just walking in asking for a sim, its $20 (unless customer service notates your account for us to not charge you)

Just giving everyone a heads up in case someone buys an unlocked iphone and goes to at&t for a sim
Click to expand...

Not trying to sound like a jerk, but I’ve heard nothing of this and I’m an RSM for AT&T.

Do you work for COR or AR?

Also there’s 0 about it on myCSP.
 
Statusnone88 said:
Not trying to sound like a jerk, but I’ve heard nothing of this and I’m an RSM for AT&T.

Do you work for COR or AR?

Also there’s 0 about it on myCSP.
Click to expand...

no offense taken lol.

I'm an EC at an AR

I can email you what we got today from my DM. may just be a AR thing
 
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Turtle69Turtle said:
Just had a meeting at work that we are now charging $20 for sim cards. Just a heads up for everyone, they use to be $5.

If you activate a new line and get a new phone or bring your own device over, the sim card will be free.
Click to expand...

Yeah the SIM card is free, but the activation fee certainly isn’t. AT&T can pay me $20 to move back to them and I still wouldn’t do it. I switched over to Verizon a few months ago and was amazed that Verizon is actually cheaper overall for my 5GB plan and the service overall is much better both in the city, and when I head out to LI or upstate. The final straw for me was trying to get AT&T to unlock my old Phone 6 a few months ago which I had fully paid off a year ago when I hit the 2 year mark. They actually had the cheek to decline my first request, and then it took me multiple calls and a few more days before they finally unlocked the device for me. I was traveling overseas and wanted to use a foreign SIM card in the phone.
 
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Blondie&Dagwood said:
Yeah the SIM card is free, but the activation fee certainly isn’t. AT&T can pay me $20 to move back to them and I still wouldn’t do it. I switched over to Verizon a few months ago and was amazed that Verizon is actually cheaper overall for my 5GB plan and the service overall is much better both in the city, and when I head out to LI or upstate.
Click to expand...

Coverage is pretty much based on where you are. AT&T works better than Verizon in my area personally and with my clientele.
 
Statusnone88 said:
Not trying to sound like a jerk, but I’ve heard nothing of this and I’m an RSM for AT&T.

Do you work for COR or AR?

Also there’s 0 about it on myCSP.
Click to expand...

Turtle69Turtle said:
no offense taken lol.

I'm an EC at an AR

I can email you what we got today from my DM. may just be a AR thing
Click to expand...

This exchange reminds me of the time I was on a conference call and everyone else on the call started speaking in Danish.

M
 
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Interesting. I used to be able to get a SIM card for free whenever I needed one (I did tech support on iPhones for work). I was just at an ATT store this week to get a new one for my daughter. I am switching her from iPhone 5 to an SE and thought I would get a new card in case there were any issue with the transfer.

ATT told me that they no longer activate SIM's over the phone and it must be done in a store. Anyone else have any experience with this?
 
Newtons Apple said:
Been with ATT for 20+ years and SIM cards have been free the few time I have needed.

If you charged me, me and my 12 lines would walk to Verizon. Not under contract with you any more.

Have a good weekend.
Click to expand...
I'm assuming you either buy your phones outright or go through the Apple Upgrade Program rather than buying on a carrier device payment plan?

As far as the OP, if AT&T is now doing this, I'm surprised Verizon hasn't followed.
 
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Newtons Apple said:
Been with ATT for 20+ years and SIM cards have been free the few time I have needed.

If you charged me, me and my 12 lines would walk to Verizon. Not under contract with you any more.

Have a good weekend.
Click to expand...
Glad Verizon didn't charge me the sim card. Plus Verizon still hasn't charged me the Activation Fee when I got the 8 Plus on IUP or when I got the iPhone X, I know that the site stated that it would tackle on my next bill but nothing showed up, it's been 2 months already and already got my Decembers bill and still shows nothing. One of the reason why I stick with Verizon.
 
suncountry said:
ATT told me that they no longer activate SIM's over the phone and it must be done in a store. Anyone else have any experience with this?
Click to expand...

Think this is so. A couple of weeks ago, ditched my post-paid account for pre-paid. Went to ATT Store and everything was done on their tablet. No new SIM required.
 
Shadowbech said:
Glad Verizon didn't charge me the sim card. Plus Verizon still hasn't charged me the Activation Fee when I got the 8 Plus on IUP or when I got the iPhone X, I know that the site stated that it would tackle on my next bill but nothing showed up, it's been 2 months already and already got my Decembers bill and still shows nothing. One of the reason why I stick with Verizon.
Click to expand...
Did you move the SIM card from your previous device to the new phone? I got a Pixel 2 and Verizon didn't charge me the activation fee either, but I moved the SIM card rather than going through their activation with the SIM card that was already inserted in the phone. So, I'm curious if others just moved their SIM cards and if this is a way to "bypass" the activation charge. Since that SIM is already active, there's really nothing for Verizon to activate so they can't really charge anything.
 
timeconsumer said:
Did you move the SIM card from your previous device to the new phone? I got a Pixel 2 and Verizon didn't charge me the activation fee either, but I moved the SIM card rather than going through their activation with the SIM card that was already inserted in the phone. So, I'm curious if others just moved their SIM cards and if this is a way to "bypass" the activation charge. Since that SIM is already active, there's really nothing for Verizon to activate so they can't really charge anything.
Click to expand...
No, I had to activate a new sim card on both occasions.
 
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rockitdog said:
I’ve found that ARs are a PITA when it comes to dealing at&t. Better off sticking to corporate stores.
Click to expand...

Well, that's what you should do for both ATT and VZW. Don't know if there even *is* such a thing as a T-Mob corporate store.

Never do anything at these here-today-gone-tomorrow mall stores.
 
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Newtons Apple said:
Been with ATT for 20+ years and SIM cards have been free the few time I have needed.

If you charged me, me and my 12 lines would walk to Verizon. Not under contract with you any more.

Have a good weekend.
Click to expand...

That's right, we're sick of getting gouged AT&T.
You try to charge me $20 for a sim that's costing you pennies so I can access your network and keep paying you monthly? I dont think so...
 
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Never understood this “activation” thing. I lived in the US until I retired in 2015. I moved to the Philippines and am still here.
With unlocked phones I can simply use a SIM from any of the carriers here no problem. There is nothing to “activate” simply pop the SIM into the phone from the carrier of choice and boom everything works fine.
SIMs cost around $0.75 but that’s no big deal.
US carriers have been ripping people off since they came into existence.
 
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Here’s the thing, AT&T isn’t charging $20 for sims. The guy said he works for an authorized dealer. A private company that resells AT&T services. So unless you go to his store or any stores the company he works for owns, SIM cards are not $20. In most corporate owned stores, sims are $5. Normally the exception to that would be for new lines that you bring your own device for, or troubleshooting a service issue, or of course if you buy a new phone with a sim included.

Some stores seem to waive the fee by default, most do not.
 
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