Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

ATT 2 Year Contract

S

seanerin

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 14, 2010
56
4
So, I am eligible for phone upgrade via ATT. I am considering upgrading to the 6s+ taking advantage of the subsidized price. BUT, I keep hearing about a monthly access fee that will be applied to my bill. This confuses me! I don't recall ever seeing an access fee on my bill.

Most recently (last year) I paid for the iPhone 6 in full. But the year before that (2013), I bought a subsidized iPhone 5s by signing a new two year contract. Even then, I don't recall ever seeing an access fee. My bill has been the same for as long as I can remember. The breakdown is below:

NAT P 1000R
$39.99

International Roaming - Expanded
$0.00

Mobile Insurance Premium
$6.99

Mobile Protection Pack - Support
$3.00

Data Unlimited for iPhone on 4G LTE with VVM
$30.00

Messaging Unlimited
$20.00

National Account Discount
−$13.30

Total Monthly Charges
$86.68

So, if I were to upgrade to the 6s+ by signing a new two year agreement, will my monthly bill increase by $40 per month? Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Thanks, Fred. Why won't I be charged the access fee? Also, I was told that if I sign a new 2 year agreement, I will lose the grandfathered unlimited data plan. Is this correct? Thank you.
 
If you're on the unlimited plan, nothing changes if you use the upgrade. Sounds like you tried to add a new device in addition to your primary on unlimited. There's an access fee for extra devices and they don't get unlimited.
 
seanerin said:
Thanks, Fred. Why won't I be charged the access fee? Also, I was told that if I sign a new 2 year agreement, I will lose the grandfathered unlimited data plan. Is this correct? Thank you.
Click to expand...

No you won't. You just need to order subsidy phone online at att.com. I just upgraded my line UDP is still there. No problem for now, but I think they change it in nearest future
 
bigcstyle4 said:
Everything will stay the same and you won't lose your unlimited data. The $40 access fee is for Mobile Share plans.
Click to expand...
Exactly what he said.
I just upgraded and keep my unlimited.
No access fee for our old plans
 
Thanks for the responses. So, I began the process of upgrading via the ATT website, then I noticed that on the 2 year commitment link the following fine print: "may impact data plan savings"
I talked with an ATT rep online who said:

"For the 2 year commitment, you will loose the $25 discount in your line. However, If you will do the ATT next, you will carry the $25 discount in your upgrade.
That is for the line charge for the device."

I told him that I have always been on a 2 year contract and that in the past renewing my contract did not result in a change to my bill. He then said that I should call in to talk to customer support.

Could someone clarify the fine print "may impact data plan savings?" And what is that rep talking about? Thank you!
 
seanerin said:
Thanks for the responses. So, I began the process of upgrading via the ATT website, then I noticed that on the 2 year commitment link the following fine print: "may impact data plan savings"
I talked with an ATT rep online who said:

"For the 2 year commitment, you will loose the $25 discount in your line. However, If you will do the ATT next, you will carry the $25 discount in your upgrade.
That is for the line charge for the device."

I told him that I have always been on a 2 year contract and that in the past renewing my contract did not result in a change to my bill. He then said that I should call in to talk to customer support.

Could someone clarify the fine print "may impact data plan savings?" And what is that rep talking about? Thank you!
Click to expand...
They're once again referring to Mobile Share Value plans which you're not on. The $25 data plan savings are referring to the user losing the $25 discount on the $40 access fee when they take the subsidy & sign the contract. This does not apply to you.
 
Thank you! So, to ask a somewhat tangental question, if I do not plan on leaving ATT wouldn't it just make sense to renew the 2 year contract getting the new iPhone at a subsidized price and owning it outright rather than signing on with the Apple Upgrade Plan?

And, if I did that, would I still be able to sign on with the apple upgrade plan once the iPhone 7 comes out (at which point I could sell the 6s+)?
 
seanerin said:
Thank you! So, to ask a somewhat tangental question, if I do not plan on leaving ATT wouldn't it just make sense to renew the 2 year contract getting the new iPhone at a subsidized price and owning it outright rather than signing on with the Apple Upgrade Plan?

And, if I did that, would I still be able to sign on with the apple upgrade plan once the iPhone 7 comes out (at which point I could sell the 6s+)?
Click to expand...

Good questions.

1. Right now, the iPhone Upgrade program is not tied to a carrier. So theorectically, yes, you can jump on the iPhone Upgrade program at any time. So you can buy your subsidized phone now, and then use the iPhone Upgrade program next year.

2. It depends on what makes sense to you. A lot of people think I'm crazy but I actually cancelled my AT&T orders and went with the iPhone Upgrade Program this time around. I figured, I never keep/sell the phones myself. I usually just trade them in for whatever price they give me. So my wife and I decided to go with the IUP, and now we will able to upgrade every year instead of every two years.
 
FWIW it's only $15 in savings if your data plan is less than 10 GB a month (vs $25) for Mobile share (which OP is not on). Makes a difference when calculating what you should do...

You are on a plan whose rate assumes you always get an upgrade. Given you have the unlimited data, you'd want to keep it. You should always upgrade as you are really already paying for it (even if you just want to sell it).
 
Thanks for the response. What do you mean when you say, "you are already paying for it?" Thank you.
 
seanerin said:
So, I am eligible for phone upgrade via ATT. I am considering upgrading to the 6s+ taking advantage of the subsidized price. BUT, I keep hearing about a monthly access fee that will be applied to my bill. This confuses me! I don't recall ever seeing an access fee on my bill.

Most recently (last year) I paid for the iPhone 6 in full. But the year before that (2013), I bought a subsidized iPhone 5s by signing a new two year contract. Even then, I don't recall ever seeing an access fee. My bill has been the same for as long as I can remember. The breakdown is below:

NAT P 1000R
$39.99

International Roaming - Expanded
$0.00

Mobile Insurance Premium
$6.99

Mobile Protection Pack - Support
$3.00

Data Unlimited for iPhone on 4G LTE with VVM
$30.00

Messaging Unlimited
$20.00

National Account Discount
−$13.30

Total Monthly Charges
$86.68

So, if I were to upgrade to the 6s+ by signing a new two year agreement, will my monthly bill increase by $40 per month? Thanks in advance for your help.
Click to expand...
You're fine. You're on an old grandfathered plan so all will be kept exactly the same. That's why you won't see any additional fees. Anything different from what you're used to applies only to people on the mobile share plan
 
seanerin said:
Thanks for the response. What do you mean when you say, "you are already paying for it?" Thank you.
Click to expand...

He means that technically, the "Unlimited Data Plan" and FamilyTalk plans have the cost of the subsidy rolled into the plan. So if your paying x number of dollars, a certain portion of that "x" goes toward the cost of the phone. It's just hidden.

The nice thing about the MSV plans is you get a $25 discount per line as long as that phone is out of contract.

However, I still am sticking with my unlimited plan, and I am going with the iPhone Upgrade Program. This will allow me to upgrade every year without hassle, and still have unlimited minutes and a good national carrier.

Sure, I could buy the iPhone 6S Plus 128gb for $499.99 on Subsidy, and then $129 for Applecare+, so that's $629 + tax.

I gotta pay $44.91 x 12 = $538 in 12 months + tax. So it works out slightly cheaper. Where I am paying more is in year 2.
 
The old plans don't separate the cost of your device from the cost of service. It's always been assumed that the subsidy is recovered by the carrier through the cost of the plan.

What this means is when you take the subsidy and keep the phone longer than the two year contract, you're still paying the same rate for service. You're effectively paying the carrier for another subsidy when you didn't take one, which is why you should always upgrade when you're eligible if you stay on an old plan.
 
  • Like
Reactions: melman101 and phillytim
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back