AT&T -> Verizon Questions

Hi there, indirect rep here. Verizon did away with annual upgrades. Everything is locked down to a two year contract (in less you provide your equipment then you would be month to month).
Porting a number only takes a few minutes but I'm unsure when it comes with pre orders. Sorry I can't help you there.
Verizon offers free mobile hot spot with our new shared everything. Used to be a $20 charge but now it's free for all capable devices. It would just eat into your monthly data allowance. Just a heads up: it kills battery life

Hope this helps!

 

Oh and lte is simultaneous voice+data.

 

1. Neither carrier does that any more. AT&T stopped it last year. It was nice while it lasted though.
2. when preordering usually the port takes place when you receive the device and activate it with itunes.
3 I believe they do but we gotta wait for details on what the next iphone will have for hardware and how it will be used.
4. I know the AT&T shared plans do, not sure about verizons.

 

No, Verizon won't give you upgrade eligibility until 20 months into your two-year contract. Yes, the shared plans include "free" tethering.

 

1. I highly doubt you're going to see EITHER carrier dole out early upgrades for iPhones this year. The consensus of MR posters report that those days are behind us and that Apple has put restrictions on carriers' abilities to offer early upgrades (solely on the iPhone). Some have had luck with other phones, though.
   
2. There are also several threads that discuss this. From the thread Switching from AT&T to Verizon,
   
3. The short answer is "yes, probably" the long answer involves lots of acronyms, speculations, and potential features on the new iPhone.
   
4. Yes, all of the new VZW "Share Everything" plans include free tethering/hotspotting.

Hope this helps,
will

 

I've upgraded every year on ATT also, and also considering Verizon. And I'm in Houston too.

Anyway, I think you've been eligible each year because your bill has been over a certain amount ($150?) and you are the primary account holder. Or because you use a corporate FAN discount. I would bet the other iPhones on the account aren't eligible.

Even if we don't know exactly WHY, we can say that going forward it's going to be very rare to get a discount sooner than every 2 years. On att or Verizon.

 

That's odd, the yearly iPhone upgrades ended on AT&T a while ago. You are definitely lucky lol.

 

The one thing keeping me on AT&T are those horrible mandatory Verizon "Share everything" plans. I'd be paying about $15 more per month with Verizon because of it, compared to what I pay now with AT&T.

They make sense, I guess, if you have 2 or more devices on one account that you're sharing data with, but if you want to be in charge of your own, individual account, it's not worth it.

 

I just want to spit out there that AT&T will still randomly move forward some upgrades. My family all got the 4S and their upgrades were pushed to May 2013 instead of October of 2013.

 

Mine shows may 2013 also.
But I dont think that'a s pushed up upgrade.
If you got the 4S around release date in October or 2011 then around 20 months later would be May 2013 to renew your contract.

 

Just make sure that you're reading it right and that it's a FULL early upgrade and not just a discounted upgrade. (which is about $250 more on top of the fully-subsidized price). AT&T has been giving those out a lot more generously than the fully-subsidized "real" upgrades.

I'm not saying it's not possible, I'm just saying make sure.

 

I have AT&T as well as Verizon, both are corp accounts, AT&T has always been flexible. Verizon on the other hand never varies. They have not allowed any exceptions despite the fact that I'm a long time account holder with several lines.

 

This is kind of off-topic, but do any of you know if I can pre-order the new iPhone on a line in my family plan on AT&T that is eligible for an upgrade and then just swap the sim in my iPhone 4S to the new iPhone? Or do I have to go through the hassle of going to the AT&T store?

 

I guess that's true

Wouldn't August technically be 20 months, though?

 

The iPhone is no longer special enough to warrant early upgrades like when the iPhone was still "the new thing"...now it is treated by the carriers as just another smartphone. Remember when it used to say iPhone plan on the data portion of your bill? Now it just says Smartphone-Data Pro 2GB etc...

 

Not sure, by doing my calculations with the calendar I get June. Since october 2011 till October 2012 would be 24. 4 months before October is June. But pretty close either way.

I know, I dont feel special no more

 

Not to steal OP's thread, but can you comment on how FAN discounts work - I'm a government employee and I believe I receive a whopping 15% discount...

If I decide to do two iphones, or i do iphone/android, and one dumb phone + an ipad, what does the discount apply to?

I am soo confused but haven't had time to stop in a store and find out.

 

20 months, not 2yrs.. FYI mr indirect rep.

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There is a whole several page thread that states otherwise..

 

The contract is for 2 years/24 months.
They usually let you upgrade and sign a new contract around 20 months to lock you in again before you contract expires
But if you do try to cancel you are tied in for the full 2 years from the day you singed the contract.

 

I'm aware, but they do upgrades at 20 months, not 24 like he stated. Thats the end of your contract at the very minimal.

 

Correct.
But he didnt say 24 months for upgrade he just said you're locked down to a 2 year contract.
But kinda confusing since we are talking about upgrades