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AT&T to Stop Offering Two-Year Phone Contracts Starting January 8
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ToroidalZeus, I switched a few days before you did. But I kinda figured that I might be screwed with the whole ETF thing because the notice had come a week or so earlier. What do you figure the cutoff date is?
You should renew the lines under 2 yrs and have T-Moble pay your ETFs. You will have to pay the ETF upfront but T-Mobile will reimburse you.
T-Mobile 180 for 4 lines unlimited everything + 40 per additional line = 220 for 5 lines / 5 = 44 per month. So cheaper.
$9 a month isn't a great savings tho. If I was in your shoes, I would try to get a FAN discount added, like you can get them for just being a college student. Then you really would have the cheapest option.
Legally you have from the time you receive the notice to the date the bill change does in effect to cancel. AT&T was nice tho and gave us an additional 60 days after the change goes into effect too.
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But with the TMO ETF pay off offer, they require you to trade in your ATT devices and purchase TMO devices. They won't let you bring your own device if they're paying the ETF. Probably their way to recoup the money.
https://www.switch2tmobile.com/?icid=WMD_TM_Q115CRRRFR_RZQFH4HBBS61835
If you read the steps there, It doesn't even say you are required to purchase a device. The thing is, you submit your final bill to T-mo for the ETF reimbursement--i know it says to buy a device and trade another one in but I am not 100% they actually check that.
Regardless, if you wanna play it safe then you can buy an old crappy phone off craigslist (trade in value not $0??) and trade that in instead. Then buy the lowest end flip-phone.
http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-trade-in.html
http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phones/lg-450.html
From my understanding you can give them your current phones. So if you say have 2 iPhone 5s currently, you can get the 6S and trade give tmo your 5S to get them to cover the etf. You might want to double check with them, but I think that's something you can do.
I tried and tried to get AT&T to let me upgrade with full subsidy but they wouldn't budge. They kept insisting that I had to go on the Next plan or use my partial 2-year contract upgrade. I finally got a nice gal who told me she could give me unlimited texting/mobile-to-mobile for free "for as long as have my plan" and she'd waive the upgrade fee. I got tired of dealing with the rejection and the calls, so I took the offer.
Question for you all: have any of you heard of retentions giving the unlimited texting for free for as long as one has their plan? If she told me accurately, I will have unlimited talk/data/text for 69.99 (soon to be 74.99) without including my 21% FAN discount. I fear my bill will come and the texting fee won't be removed (I was paying $10 unlimited texting/mobile-to-mobile).
Question for you all: have any of you heard of retentions giving the unlimited texting for free for as long as one has their plan? If she told me accurately, I will have unlimited talk/data/text for 69.99 (soon to be 74.99) without including my 21% FAN discount. I fear my bill will come and the texting fee won't be removed (I was paying $10 unlimited texting/mobile-to-mobile).
But what I mean is I went ahead and re-upped my 2 year agreement on December 27 or 28. So I figure they'll say no to the ETF waiver. We'll see, though!
I Do know I have 3 lines with 6 gigs of data with unlimited talk for $120 and that's without my company discount
165 or 120 I'll keep my 120 I had the unlimited data but at 30 just for the data on that line not worth it at all when most of the
Well if you get 15 gigs data Mobile share plan. you PAY $15 for each phone line if you don't have a contract on the phone. If you HAVE a contract on the phone you PAY $40 for each phone.Where you come up with that?
People on 2 year contracts pay $20 extra a month? Where?
Lol craziness in this thread. The koolaid flows
I WOULD suggest you go to att.com and LOOK at the Mobile share plans and prices.
Well ATT is not willing to pull ahead eligibility of 2 lines from April and June of this year to today for me to upgrade. Really what I'm trying to do is make the date today which would make the contract end date today therefore eliminating 2 ETF's. I'm trying for the 3rd time now.
Edit: Not happening
Edit: Not happening
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Keep on trying the chat link, always ask to be transferred to the customer relations department. Then just politely ask for an early upgrade. Mine took several hours, I'd say over 9 reps (via phone and chat combined) before I got a really helpful rep to do an early upgrade for me plus credits. You still have a few hours left, good luck!Well ATT is not willing to pull ahead eligibility of 2 lines from April and June of this year to today for me to upgrade. Really what I'm trying to do is make the date today which would make the contract end date today therefore eliminating 2 ETF's. I'm trying for the 3rd time now.
Edit: Not happening
Of course I can do early upgrades but these are subsidies plus a portion of your ETF built in. Not interested in paying any ETF.
Oh, you want the rep to terminate your contract to make the end date today - that I'm not sure of. Of course their goal is to keep you as their customer, so only the UDP plans can get the ETF free next month with the price increase.
I'm all set with the mobile share plans. Those are a rip off.
I been on family talk nation 700 for many years. Getting ready to switch up to Tmobile in February.
Not labeled as such but for example, a $199 phone is now $399 or something. Basically you're paying for a $199 phone plus whatever remaining money you owe on the phone that's why it's more expensive. They may do some rounding but that's the general concept.
It's because you are only getting a partial subsidy, nothing to do with previous phone.
It has everything to do with your previous/current phone. You are upgrading early therefore not completing your subsidy therefore paying it out then buying your new device for full subsidy.
Well, it looks like that may be a wrap on subsidies, AT&T website no longer showing 2 year contract options.
No cuz the early upgrade fee isn't rated monthly like the etf fee.
So you are just getting a partial subsidy.
I left AT&T for T-Mobile (3 lines grandfathered unlimited data since 2007). The price increase combined with the loss of three subsidies would have cost me nearly $2K extra every 2 years if I continued to stay on the same cycle. Felt good too, since I felt devalued by them once they started treating all grandfathered users like thieves.
Even if I continue to upgrade all three phones every other year as I've become accustomed to, I still save $2K every 2 years by switching to T-Mobile. If I keep phones longer, I save even more.
Even if I continue to upgrade all three phones every other year as I've become accustomed to, I still save $2K every 2 years by switching to T-Mobile. If I keep phones longer, I save even more.
They also increased the "monthly access charge" for basic & messaging phones to $25 per month from $20 per month for plans <5Gb.
You're exactly right. I too have been receiving free upgrades since the iPhone was released. Not sure what we'll do next time we need to replace phones since we're now a multi-line home. I hate to think of what it's gonna cost me.
Outside of unlim data, I could make an argument the price can be beat, or at least closely matched and give some flexibility you currently don't have with your plan.
According to the media we pay less now, why you are going to switch ?!
http://www.vox.com/2016/1/7/10730384/cellphone-obama-t-mobile
I'll do the same, guys. I called Att 2 times and was confirmed , if you don't like T-mobile(the carrier you switch to) you have 59 days to come back to Att and reactivate your account with UDPs. I'm a customer with Att since 2005. When I called them they told me right away that I'm free to switch. I also feel that they treated me that I was stealing something.
Att wants to build "Smart Cities", good luck, but not out of my pocket!!!!