AT&T to Stop Offering Two-Year Phone Contracts Starting January 8

[ToroidalZeus]

Do you think I should sign 2 year agreements on the lines that aren't in contract right now before contracts are eliminated? Then we can make the switch to T Mobile or another carrier that pays ETF's in the next month or 2 and have phones that are ours to keep therefore no payments when we get going on the new carrier? Does that make sense?

1st) You can switch right now. I switched on Dec 31. and I am having my them credit the ETFs for the 2 unlimited lines.
2nd) If you renew first then legally you won't be able to cancel the lines without paying the ETF. This is because you have already been given notice of the UDP price increase. Now there is always a chance that they will waive the ETF anyways, but ya, that'd be considered getting lucky / loop hole.

IMO, if you are happy with your service and you have a lot of phones to upgrade, then you might just want upgrade and plan to stay with AT&T for the next 2 years. I didn't have any upgrades available so I just used this opportunity to bail.

I heard that cricket users cant use the roaming feature on the att network....so maybe if your in the sticks then u wont have service.not sure about that tho......as far as my case we have 2 accts.....a grandfathered nation 550 with rollover with 2 unlimited lines.....and 3 other lines on the 20 gig mobile,share value plan from last years double data deals....im on an iru fan plan with my company and i willbe losing my subsidies...Retentions will bump me up to 40 gig mobile value for 39 bucks more..... I cud easily dump the 2 udp lines and add them to the mobile share 40 gig deal and save 61 bucks......we will have plenty of data....but i just cant muster up the courage to dump the udp lines....we burn about 10 to 17 gigs each...music ..u tube..netflix. .slingbox....hbo go....waze.....etc...also its 15 bucks per gig overage charge on the mobile share value plans....no overage with udp...my son had a 5 gig plan for awhile and i was always gettin hit with 10 buck overage fees.....
...if i were u i wud hang on to your udp lines..they are a rare breed now...and with no more throttling til maybe 22 gigs it makes them even better.......just use yor phones longer and buy insurance on them during february open enrollment period....so u will never have to pay full price for a phone.....yor data comsumption may go up in the future and you will be all set...also some companies wifi networks block netfllix and other streaming services..

Is that 61 per month? Cuz that equals the cost of a brand new iPhone each year. Would you rather have the future proofing of UDP or a brand new iPhone each year in your hands? Personally I'd pick the latter.

You are semi-right about UDP. AT&T and Verizon have scrapped them but T-Mobile and Sprint still offer them. Sprint is ridiculously expensive for UDP but T-Mobile is actually a deal. 180 per month right now for 4 lines, 40 each extra line. I gave up my AT&T UDP for T-Mobiles last week and so far I don't regret it. I might be lucky tho because in LA T-Mobile has good. Moral of the story is if a carrier is no longer good for you, then it's okay to switch.

 

[Rayfire]

Do you think I should sign 2 year agreements on the lines that aren't in contract right now before contracts are eliminated? Then we can make the switch to T Mobile or another carrier that pays ETF's in the next month or 2 and have phones that are ours to keep therefore no payments when we get going on the new carrier? Does that make sense?

I don't see why not, better take advantage of the subsidized phones - you may either flip them at eBay or Craigslist if you really don't want the new phones. If you end up switching to T-mobile afterwards, like the other poster said, you'll have to go through the process of ETF reimbursement (trading in a phone and buying one from them). At the end of the day, it all boils down to which one would benefit you before AT&T removes the option to do two year agreements.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

2nd) If you renew first then legally you won't be able to cancel the lines without paying the ETF. This is because you have already been given notice of the UDP price increase. Now there is always a chance that they will waive the ETF anyways, but ya, that'd be considered getting lucky / loop hole.

Safe to say there's no chance of this because at&t has the following:

"However, if you enter into a new term commitment after receiving notice of this price increase, and cancel thereafter, you will be subject to the usual early termination/cancellation fee."

 

[mr99]

I don't see why not, better take advantage of the subsidized phones - you may either flip them at eBay or Craigslist if you really don't want the new phones. If you end up switching to T-mobile afterwards, like the other poster said, you'll have to go through the process of ETF reimbursement (trading in a phone and buying one from them). At the end of the day, it all boils down to which one would benefit you before AT&T removes the option to do two year agreements.

My real issue is that I have upgrades available now. If I burn them and don't have any for over a year then I can't get the next iPhone in October without adding payments to my bill on 1+ lines which I don't like since my plan already has baked in subsidies.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

My real issue is that I have upgrades available now. If I burn them and don't have any for over a year then I can't get the next iPhone in October without adding payments to my bill on 1+ lines which I don't like since my plan already has baked in subsidies.

After today, you'll have to pay full price for all future iPhones: either upfront or through monthly payments (+ NEXT $15 upgrade free). Your plan won't change so you'll have to keep paying those baked in subsidies without ever getting to use them.

 

[mr99]

After today, you'll have to pay full price for all future iPhones: either upfront or through monthly payments (+ NEXT $15 upgrade free). Your plan won't change so you'll have to keep paying those baked in subsidies without ever getting to use them.

Yeah understand that too. I really should've said should I burn all of my available 2 year upgrades now before they're gone? Might as well maximize my subsidy while I have it.

On the flip side, 2 lines are out of contract and 2 lines are on unlimited data which ATT will let me get out of soon. This leaves only 1 line that's in contract, expiring in October. This makes leaving ATT pretty easy, only paying 1 ETF. If I sign 2 new contracts then leaving becomes difficult and expensive. I have to make up my mind today before contracts go away.

Safe to say there's no chance of this because at&t has the following:

"However, if you enter into a new term commitment after receiving notice of this price increase, and cancel thereafter, you will be subject to the usual early termination/cancellation fee."

With this being said, the 2 lines that are up for upgrade are not on the UDP. My way out of these (if I sign new agreements today) would be going to T Mobile next month and having them pay the ETF's. My next 2 lines are on UPD and can get out of them easily. My last line is in contract set to expire 10/2016 so T mobile would pay that ETF too.

If I follow the game plan above, and T Mobile pays all my ETF's, the phones are GSM and would work on T Mobile therefore I would have all new phones to bring with me to their service and not pay any monthly payments for new devices. Is this possible?

 

[kagharaht]

Today may be the last day to renew. After reviewing every option out there, with my 5 members family plan, $52 a month can't be beat.

LTE Unlimited $35 Month
Unlimited Text/MMS $30 for 5 users. = $6 each user
Family Talk 700 Min. with rollover (I'm at 2800 Min for far lol) $60 for 5 users = $12 each user

Monthly is $53 each user.

iPhone ONE TIME DOWN PAYMENT $199 or $299 or $399

 

[mr99]

Today may be the last day to renew. After reviewing every option out there, with my 5 members family plan, $52 a month can't be beat.

LTE Unlimited $35 Month
Unlimited Text/MMS $30 for 5 users. = $6 each user
Family Talk 700 Min. with rollover (I'm at 2800 Min for far lol) $60 for 5 users = $12 each user

Monthly is $53 each user.

iPhone ONE TIME DOWN PAYMENT $199 or $299 or $399

The problem is when you need to renew after today. You need to add device payments or pay up front. No more $199 phones therefore the plan price increases drastically. That's my big issue.

 

[kagharaht]

The problem is when you need to renew after today. You need to add device payments or pay up front. No more $199 phones therefore the plan price increases drastically. That's my big issue.

I'm fine with that. I'll just sell the iPhone (unlocked) when I upgrade if I stay with AT&T or T-Mobile if I switch. It was nice having the option to keep the old phones. For the future, I'll just turn it in for a recycle credit to AT&T to apply for the new iPhone. Better yet sell it off unlocked. People pay premium for pristine unlocked iPhones.

Anyway, my monthly payments will still be the same with AT&T even after the contract expires. It's still much cheaper monthly (unless AT&T starts to nickel and dime us in the future).

 

[mr99]

Today may be the last day to renew. After reviewing every option out there, with my 5 members family plan, $52 a month can't be beat.

LTE Unlimited $35 Month
Unlimited Text/MMS $30 for 5 users. = $6 each user
Family Talk 700 Min. with rollover (I'm at 2800 Min for far lol) $60 for 5 users = $12 each user

Monthly is $53 each user.

iPhone ONE TIME DOWN PAYMENT $199 or $299 or $399

My cost is close to that after my FAN discount however we don't all have unlimited data.

In my case I pay $275.

Looking at T Mobile with data set up for each of my users appropriately based on data consumption history, I'll be at $145 before taxes. Maybe $160 after tax. Big savings for me unless I start adding phone payments but I think I'll be buying phones that are used for most of my lines therefore not adding any payments.

Is there a reason I shouldn't switch to T Mobile? Seems like a clear choice I think?

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

My cost is close to that after my FAN discount however we don't all have unlimited data.

In my case I pay $275.

Looking at T Mobile with data set up for each of my users appropriately based on data consumption history, I'll be at $145 before taxes. Maybe $160 after tax. Big savings for me unless I start adding phone payments but I think I'll be buying phones that are used for most of my lines therefore not adding any payments.

Is there a reason I shouldn't switch to T Mobile? Seems like a clear choice I think?

Whether or not it's a clear choice will depend on how good T-Mobile's reception is in your area, particularly your home. It's not worth it if you get worse reception in your house.

However, these savings are with BYODs and will be less if you factor in the cost of future phones down the line. You won't be keeping your current devices forever.

 

[mr99]

Whether or not it's a clear choice will depend on how good T-Mobile's reception is in your area, particularly your home. It's not worth it if you get worse reception in your house.

However, these savings are with BYODs and will be less if you factor in the cost of future phones down the line. You won't be keeping your current devices forever.

I think coverage is good in my area however don't know for sure without using their towers.

I understand savings with BYOD. For my lines I think I'll be buying devices that are the previous model used for a steep discount and selling current therefore maybe $200 when changing to a new device. For me, I always want the latest iPhone so it'll cost me a few hundred bucks which is what I pay anyway by getting a 64gb 6 plus.

 

[joejordaney]

I stopped with contracts long time ago.
I know people paying £50 per month for an iphone 6 on a 2 year contract. I bought my 6s from apple and put a Three UK sim in it. its costs me £20 per month with unlimited data.

 

[skiphunt]

I think instead of getting my grandfathered unlimited back from ATT that I was tricked out of yesterday by a slimy "customer retention specialist"... I'm going to go ahead and finally kick ATT to the curb and go with Cricket. Even if the lack of U.S. roaming (confirmed with Cricket) there are enough advantages that I want to at least give them a try. I'm not using much of the unlimited data, nor do I think I will in the near future. No sense in paying a premium for something I'm not using.

I've really trained myself to mostly use wifi networks, either at home... in stores... restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc. I've learned to get by fine with using my 4G LTE for basically just checking social media every now and then. And an occasional instagram upload. 85% of my heavy usage is pretty much always on wifi. Got in the habit of NOT using 4G LTE when ATT was throttling folks, and when I travel out of the country.

The folks here with multiple lines... I can see how the big carriers might be a better deal and worth staying in the ATT, etc. cesspools... but for single lines without super heavy data usage, they aren't really a good deal at all.

I'll also enjoy NOT being on a contract with anyone, and free to move to another company anytime I please without penalty.

Cricket will also allow me to put my account in a suspended mode for up to 3 months so I won't even have to pay for service I'm not using while I'm out of the country. I just reactivate when I get back and pick up where I left off.

Cricket (with the mid/high level plans) also allow you to use your phone to make and receive calls without any extra fees while in Mexico/Canada. That's of benefit to me also.

The Cricket rep I spoke with said that it's not true that ATT "owns" Cricket. He said Cricket ONLY uses there towers. Not the same company. I sure hope this is true. If there's any downside to going to Cricket, the fact they aren't ATT will be a bonus for me.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I think coverage is good in my area however don't know for sure without using their towers.

I know this is a short notice, but an easy way to test how good a carrier's reception is in a particular area is to get a pre-paid dumbphone on the cheap.

 

[Fernandez21]

Ok, just used my last upgrade, I was able to get it moved a couple of week (originally is was suppose to the end of the month) and got a 6S Plus 64gb. I wanted the 128, but this was the most I could afford on short notice. I really wish they would've told us sooner.

 

[mr99]

Does anyone know if I can burn my upgrades while I have them today and then switch to T Mobile next month with them paying ETF's on those new devices plus a contract that's due to end in October? That's my way to ensure I have all the latest devices when I move to T mobile?

 

[Fernandez21]

I think instead of getting my grandfathered unlimited back from ATT that I was tricked out of yesterday by a slimy "customer retention specialist"... I'm going to go ahead and finally kick ATT to the curb and go with Cricket. Even if the lack of U.S. roaming (confirmed with Cricket) there are enough advantages that I want to at least give them a try. I'm not using much of the unlimited data, nor do I think I will in the near future. No sense in paying a premium for something I'm not using.

I've really trained myself to mostly use wifi networks, either at home... in stores... restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc. I've learned to get by fine with using my 4G LTE for basically just checking social media every now and then. And an occasional instagram upload. 85% of my heavy usage is pretty much always on wifi. Got in the habit of NOT using 4G LTE when ATT was throttling folks, and when I travel out of the country.

The folks here with multiple lines... I can see how the big carriers might be a better deal and worth staying in the ATT, etc. cesspools... but for single lines without super heavy data usage, they aren't really a good deal at all.

I'll also enjoy NOT being on a contract with anyone, and free to move to another company anytime I please without penalty.

Cricket will also allow me to put my account in a suspended mode for up to 3 months so I won't even have to pay for service I'm not using while I'm out of the country. I just reactivate when I get back and pick up where I left off.

Cricket (with the mid/high level plans) also allow you to use your phone to make and receive calls without any extra fees while in Mexico/Canada. That's of benefit to me also.

The Cricket rep I spoke with said that it's not true that ATT "owns" Cricket. He said Cricket ONLY uses there towers. Not the same company. I sure hope this is true. If there's any downside to going to Cricket, the fact they aren't ATT will be a bonus for me.

Have you checked republic wireless? My friend has them and pays less than $20 a month with his Moto X. Not sure if it works with the iPhone, but might be an option if your mostly on wifi.

 

[Fernandez21]

Does anyone know if I can burn my upgrades while I have them today and then switch to T Mobile next month with them paying ETF's on those new devices plus a contract that's due to end in October? That's my way to ensure I have all the latest devices when I move to T mobile?

You might want to check with t-mobile first, I think there is a limit on how much of the etf they'll pay and you have to give them your old phone, though you should be able to give them your current phones and keep the new ones you get.

 

[mr99]

You might want to check with t-mobile first, I think there is a limit on how much of the etf they'll pay and you have to give them your old phone, though you should be able to give them your current phones and keep the new ones you get.

I looked into it and you're correct. You have to trade in your phone and they'll give you credit to use on a t mobile phone. That kind of kills the deal for me. Ugh.

Wondering if I should sign 2 year contracts on my remaining lines then most likely switch to a data share plan on ATT that doesn't have baked in subsidies once my contracts start to expire. Sigh.

Edit:

Looking further with the limitations on t mobiles offer to pay ETF's it's not wise to burn 2 upgrades today.

So my 2 UDP lines I can break free from ATT and ATT will waive the ETF due to the price increase.

The next 2 lines are out of contract. Perfect.

Last line ETF should be minimal since contract expires in October. I can pay this one out of pocket.

This leaves me 5 GSM devices that can be moved to T Mobile and I can use these on their network right? They don't make me trade in unless they are paying ETF's correct?

If so this is a huge savings for me, $150ish instead of $275. Of course no phone payments factored in but that's another topic.

Someone help chime in if I am missing something?

 

[Yardman1977]

1st) You can switch right now. I switched on Dec 31. and I am having my them credit the ETFs for the 2 unlimited lines.
2nd) If you renew first then legally you won't be able to cancel the lines without paying the ETF. This is because you have already been given notice of the UDP price increase. Now there is always a chance that they will waive the ETF anyways, but ya, that'd be considered getting lucky / loop hole.

IMO, if you are happy with your service and you have a lot of phones to upgrade, then you might just want upgrade and plan to stay with AT&T for the next 2 years. I didn't have any upgrades available so I just used this opportunity to bail.



Is that 61 per month? Cuz that equals the cost of a brand new iPhone each year. Would you rather have the future proofing of UDP or a brand new iPhone each year in your hands? Personally I'd pick the latter.

You are semi-right about UDP. AT&T and Verizon have scrapped them but T-Mobile and Sprint still offer them. Sprint is ridiculously expensive for UDP but T-Mobile is actually a deal. 180 per month right now for 4 lines, 40 each extra line. I gave up my AT&T UDP for T-Mobiles last week and so far I don't regret it. I might be lucky tho because in LA T-Mobile has good. Moral of the story is if a carrier is no longer good for you, then it's okay to switch.

Yea its 61 per month....and yor right....its 1 shiny new iphone 6 per year......i heard tmo has lots of holes in their coverage when traveling thru rural areas. ...and their inside of structure signal is kinda weak.....but guess all depends where your at...that is a good deal tho.......im goin back and forth here betwen keeping udp or .switching them over to my mobile share.......but i just streamed just one 44 minute episode of netflix and burned thru about 400 megs data.....so it does go real fast..do that every day and thats 12 gigs per month...just for 1user and 1 netflix tv episode..so for lotta streaming u cant beat a udp..

 

[Yardman1977]

Today may be the last day to renew. After reviewing every option out there, with my 5 members family plan, $52 a month can't be beat.

LTE Unlimited $35 Month
Unlimited Text/MMS $30 for 5 users. = $6 each user
Family Talk 700 Min. with rollover (I'm at 2800 Min for far lol) $60 for 5 users = $12 each user

Monthly is $53 each user.

iPhone ONE TIME DOWN PAYMENT $199 or $299 or $399

Call retentions..tell them money is tight and u dont wanna cancel but u really need to lower yor bill. ..tell them u kno people with 20 dollar family messaging and u would like them to switch u to that plan....they will do it....

 

[kagharaht]

Call retentions..tell them money is tight and u dont wanna cancel but u really need to lower yor bill. ..tell them u kno people with 20 dollar family messaging and u would like them to switch u to that plan....they will do it....

Didn't have to got it all done at the ATT store. All is good.

 

[imlynxy]

Today may be the last day to renew. After reviewing every option out there, with my 5 members family plan, $52 a month can't be beat.

LTE Unlimited $35 Month
Unlimited Text/MMS $30 for 5 users. = $6 each user
Family Talk 700 Min. with rollover (I'm at 2800 Min for far lol) $60 for 5 users = $12 each user

Monthly is $53 each user.

iPhone ONE TIME DOWN PAYMENT $199 or $299 or $399

call retention and ask them for 20 dollars SMS plan. Also tell them that people were teansfered to unlimited talk, i have the sane plan, they transfered me.

Call retentions..tell them money is tight and u dont wanna cancel but u really need to lower yor bill. ..tell them u kno people with 20 dollar family messaging and u would like them to switch u to that plan....they will do it....

+1

 

[Natzoo]

making an effort now, requested that my phone be unlocked with att and got a good deal with t-mobile. Lets hope this works