Just curious as to how are you people planning to do pre-ordering in Sept when new iPhones are unveiled? I used to do it in apple app store, but now apple is not giving that option unless you switch to next plan. I have older plan and have a conventional 2 year upgrade I would like to use. Anyone in the same boat?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
AT&T upgrading to iPhone
- Thread starter lyutin
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Since ATT messed up preorders last year I'll be purchasing through Apple's application with the NEXT program. Soon as the phone arrives I'll walk into att and pay it off in full. That way I have the phone right away and unlocked before they start selling unlocked devices outright.
I was in a 2 year last year, just switched to NEXT and lost my unlimited because it saves me almost 200 a month in payments for all the devices on my account. Makes a lot more sense to switch when I'm saving that kind of cash.
Take some time and price it out.
We gave up the "upgrade" thing and save lots of money.
How are you saving money without the upgrade thing?
I'm on an old grandfathered unlimited data plan. If I don't take the 2 year contract subsidy I'm leaving like $400 on the table.
Last edited:
We did AT&T Next at launch last year. We aren't eligible for this years upgrade until late October now! October 21st to be specific. If that's the case, I assume if we upgrade every year the date will keep getting moved back a month. So, next year we won't be eligible until late November.
You can still do it this year you will just need to make those last one or two payment and your done.
My preorder thru AT&T went very smoothly last year. It arrived at 9:50AM on the morning of launch day. It doesn't get any better than that. While others waited in line at the Apple Store I drive by on the way to work, I chuckled since I already had mine activated and fully charged.
I am in the same boat.. kind of.
I had a phantom line so that I could upgrade to the new iPhone each year. Now I have one line that is off contract and the other still on. I have unlimited data and do cherish it... but I am thinking of giving up my unlimited data and switching to mobile share so that I can do the NEXT program so that I can order on the apple site (I had the worst experience pre-ordering a phone via ATT website). I called retention and threatened to leave to go to T mobile and they offered me to give me 20 gigs of data with mobile share for less that what I am paying now. This way I can still get a phone each year.
Would love to hear from people who left unlimited data - any regrets? Are people happy with NEXT?
I had a phantom line so that I could upgrade to the new iPhone each year. Now I have one line that is off contract and the other still on. I have unlimited data and do cherish it... but I am thinking of giving up my unlimited data and switching to mobile share so that I can do the NEXT program so that I can order on the apple site (I had the worst experience pre-ordering a phone via ATT website). I called retention and threatened to leave to go to T mobile and they offered me to give me 20 gigs of data with mobile share for less that what I am paying now. This way I can still get a phone each year.
Would love to hear from people who left unlimited data - any regrets? Are people happy with NEXT?
I've been with AT&T on a family plan since the original iPhone, and therefore have a grandfathered unlimited plan that I really don't want to lose.
Does anyone have any experience swapping upgrades with other members in your family plan? I'm not eligible until next year, since I upgraded to the 6 last year. My grandma however is, and I figured I would just pay for the new phone and give her my current one.
The problem is that I want the phone shipped to me since we live in different states, and I don't want her sim to be deactivated. Can AT&T just move her upgrade to my line?
EDIT: Just figured this out. If anyone's wondering, you can just sign into your AT&T account online, then go to "Upgrade Device" or whatever. From there, you go to the phone you want to upgrade, and there should be a button that says "Upgrade Options," or something like that. Then it gives you the option of using the upgrade from another line in your family plan that is eligible and applying it to your own line.
Does anyone have any experience swapping upgrades with other members in your family plan? I'm not eligible until next year, since I upgraded to the 6 last year. My grandma however is, and I figured I would just pay for the new phone and give her my current one.
The problem is that I want the phone shipped to me since we live in different states, and I don't want her sim to be deactivated. Can AT&T just move her upgrade to my line?
EDIT: Just figured this out. If anyone's wondering, you can just sign into your AT&T account online, then go to "Upgrade Device" or whatever. From there, you go to the phone you want to upgrade, and there should be a button that says "Upgrade Options," or something like that. Then it gives you the option of using the upgrade from another line in your family plan that is eligible and applying it to your own line.
Last edited:
Wow this is confusing, so many of us in different variants and conditions. We are on Family Plan AND Unlimited Grandfathered, AND we got Next about two years ago. When we got Next they tried to tell us to give up Unlimited and my husband told them absolutely not. They still gave us Next and I gave them my beloved IPhone 4 for a $100 off my iPhone 5s. (Big regrets about that, I loved that phone).
We upgraded me to iPhone 6 last fall but I never turned in my iPhone 5s. We paid the 5s off and gave it to my daughter.
We had to order on AT&T site last year and it was a disaster. Apparently during the first few minutes that orders came in they had a problem and ended up writing orders on Post-It notes or something. Those who were first in the queue ended up among the last to get their iPhones. There was a huge thread of us on the forum cheering each other on every time somebody finally ended up leaving processing limbo.
I'm not sure how AT&T will let me place my next order.
We upgraded me to iPhone 6 last fall but I never turned in my iPhone 5s. We paid the 5s off and gave it to my daughter.
We had to order on AT&T site last year and it was a disaster. Apparently during the first few minutes that orders came in they had a problem and ended up writing orders on Post-It notes or something. Those who were first in the queue ended up among the last to get their iPhones. There was a huge thread of us on the forum cheering each other on every time somebody finally ended up leaving processing limbo.
I'm not sure how AT&T will let me place my next order.
No walking needed. Just pay it off online the same day. Or if you already have an account just do a full price upgrade. Then you will have an unlocked device and won't have to ask AT&T to unlock it for you.
Why would you do Next if you have a grandfathered unlimited plan therefore eligible for 2 year subsidies?
2 year subsidies is probably the biggest benefit. If you don't use your subsidy you're leaving $400 on the table.
In the ideal world, I would sign another 2 year contract.. but won't contracts be a thing of the past after this year? OR once I am on contract, I can always renew my 2 year contract?!?
Doesn't matter whether or not they will last. If you don't take advantage of the subsidy if you're grandfathered then you're leaving $400 on the table.
You are right.. that is the hardest thing for me to accept considering I have had a phantom line and have upgraded every year and sold my iPhone for 400 so every year I am only paying tax to get a new phone. Ultimately, I have to decide to either risk dealing with ATT's website and ordering a new phone with a 2 year contract, hoping I will be able to continue to do the same next year. Or give up unlimited data, do a mobile share plan and buy on next.
Last year was a mess. I was one of those people who ordered at the stroke of midnight PST and my phone did not arrive for a week after the launch date. I am assuming that the ATT website process will be even worse now that they are the only way to get a 2 year contract. And what is the point if this is the last year to get two year contracts?
It was shipped a week after the launch day and then took another week to get to me because they shipped it ground. By that point, I bought another phone and when I returned it, it got lost at the post office and it took att 6 additional weeks to credit back my card. And every time I called them, it took 30-45 min to get a rep on the line because I have an enterprise account.
I've got unlimited and intend to keep it but I also think I'll just pay full retail for a sim free version. I realize I'll be taking a $400 hit, but I won't be under a contract and the iPhone will be easier to sell next year. The only hitch in my plan is that the true sim free version generally isn't available for awhile. I realize the T-mobile version is also unlocked, but it doesn't include all the international LTE bands the sim free version has--at least historically. Maybe that will change this year and all iPhones will have all bands--ala iPad.