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can I activate iPhone 2G NOW without contract.

WPB2

WPB2

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 1, 2008
711
1
Southeast, LA
I have an iPhone EDGE that I got from a friend that got a 3GS, and I wan't to add a line to my family plan with at&t. I wan't to give the phone to my niece. at&t said to activate the iPhone I need to sign a 2 year contract. I think this is ridiculous because my friend already signed a 2 year, and fulfilled his contract before giving the iPhone to me.

Is there any way I can get new service with at&t for the iphone without signing a new 2 year contract?
 
Do you have your friends sim card? If you have a new sim card/new number you have to sign a new contract.
 
well, that sux. There is no way around it?

I was thinking about activating another basic cheap phone, then returning it, and keeping the sim, but I don't think that will work.

Any other suggestions to not sign another contract, besids tMobile?
 
dukebound85 said:
but a 2 year is not mandatory as he has the phone and it is not subsidized in any shape or form

you can get a month to month op
Click to expand...

I called at&t, and they said I would have to sign another 2 year if I wanted to add another line to my family plan that is gonna be using an iPhone 2G.

Krafty said:
If you get a activated SIM card you can unlock the iPhone.
Click to expand...

How do I go about getting an activated sim?
 
Other than unlocking the 2g iPhone, AT&T now requires a two year contract with the 2G iPhone no matter how old it is or how many times it was activated in the past.

They used to offer a pay as you go plan if you failed the credit check but they no longer offer that. If you fail, it tells you that you can use someone else's info or contact AT&T.

I have my 2G and 3G iPhones unlocked so I can use a GoPhone sim in them. My 3G S is activated with a 2G $20 data plan.
 
Sign up for the line claiming you HAVE a phone that you would like to use.

You will have to unlock your iPhone. Just get the sim they give you and plop it in. Before you leave, have them disable all data on the line (assuming she won't be using data, or just add on the package later).
 
If you are adding a new line from ATT, there's no way to avoid contract (1yr if you're not buying a phone from them) As for iPhone activation, once you get your sim card you can activate it. or just JB and hactivate it if you'd like.;)
 
thespazz said:
Sign up for the line claiming you HAVE a phone that you would like to use.

You will have to unlock your iPhone. Just get the sim they give you and plop it in. Before you leave, have them disable all data on the line (assuming she won't be using data, or just add on the package later).
Click to expand...

You don't think they will ask me what kind of phone I have, or ask to see the phone? Do they just give out sim cards?
 
dukebound85 said:
but a 2 year is not mandatory as he has the phone and it is not subsidized in any shape or form

you can get a month to month op
Click to expand...

That's not what they told me. I"m in the exact same situation as the OP (tried to give my 2G to my gf and activate on a family plan) and they say they require a 2 year contract despite the facts that I already fulfilled a contract AND the phone wasn't subsidized to begin with. :rolleyes:
 
QCassidy352 said:
That's not what they told me. I"m in the exact same situation as the OP (tried to give my 2G to my gf and activate on a family plan) and they say they require a 2 year contract despite the facts that I already fulfilled a contract AND the phone wasn't subsidized to begin with. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

thats ef'd up

how can they tie you you to a contract if the phone isnt being subsidized?

when my contract is up on my 3g, im failrly certain after 2 years i then go month to month
 
QCassidy352 said:
That's not what they told me. I"m in the exact same situation as the OP (tried to give my 2G to my gf and activate on a family plan) and they say they require a 2 year contract despite the facts that I already fulfilled a contract AND the phone wasn't subsidized to begin with. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

This really sucks. I would use my old 3G to activate a new line on my family plan, but don't want to get stuck paying 30.00 data. I wonder if I can activate my old 3G without signing a contract, then swap the sim into the iphone 2G, then call at&t, and tell them i only have a 2G to reduce the data to 20.00/month. What do you think?
 
dukebound85 said:
but a 2 year is not mandatory as he has the phone and it is not subsidized in any shape or form

you can get a month to month op
Click to expand...

It is mandatory on the 2G iPhone. AT&T can't tell if the 2G is new or old and a 2G is a 2G no matter how many people have owned it or activated it. Try activating the 2G in iTunes.

As I mentioned, just unlock it and get a pay as you go sim in it.
 
SpaceKitty said:
It is mandatory on the 2G iPhone. AT&T can't tell if the 2G is new or old and a 2G is a 2G no matter how many people have owned it or activated it. Try activating the 2G in iTunes.

As I mentioned, just unlock it and get a pay as you go sim in it.
Click to expand...

Pay as you go is too expensive. I wan't to add it to my family plan. I can unlock, but I don't want to go to tMobile or payGo. I guess I am just screwed.
 
WPB2 said:
This really sucks. I would use my old 3G to activate a new line on my family plan, but don't want to get stuck paying 30.00 data. I wonder if I can activate my old 3G without signing a contract, then swap the sim into the iphone 2G, then call at&t, and tell them i only have a 2G to reduce the data to 20.00/month. What do you think?
Click to expand...

I've seen people do that using 3G with 2G plan to save money. but they know you are using 3G and sometimes send you a friendly reminder that your plan is auto-upgraded or you'renot supposed to use it. Not common though.
 
SpaceKitty said:
Other than unlocking the 2g iPhone, AT&T now requires a two year contract with the 2G iPhone no matter how old it is or how many times it was activated in the past.

They used to offer a pay as you go plan if you failed the credit check but they no longer offer that. If you fail, it tells you that you can use someone else's info or contact AT&T.

I have my 2G and 3G iPhones unlocked so I can use a GoPhone sim in them. My 3G S is activated with a 2G $20 data plan.
Click to expand...

So, I can acquire a 2G iphone and unlock it. Purchase a GoPhone. And then add the 20$/month data plan?
 
cupofjoe said:
I don't think you understand.... you CAN UNLOCK and use it on AT&T without signing a new contract.
Click to expand...

So I must hacktivate it with Pwnage tool? I wan't to add it to my family plan though. AFAIK you can't add a Gophone to a familytalk plan.
 
herooftime2 said:
So, I can acquire a 2G iphone and unlock it. Purchase a GoPhone. And then add the 20$/month data plan?
Click to expand...

No. There are no $20 a month go phone data plans. I activated a gophone with 200 minutes plus 200 SMS. I took the sim out and placed it in an iPhone that is unlocked. Just don't use any data. The biggest gophon data plan is 100MB and you can go through that in no time with the iPhone, so just don't use data.
 
herooftime2 said:
So, I can acquire a 2G iphone and unlock it. Purchase a GoPhone. And then add the 20$/month data plan?
Click to expand...

No. Last month AT&T stopped having the unlimited $20 a month plan for Gophones. You need to have a postpiad account. I was in your situation myself, and I told them I wanted to add the first generation iPhone data plan to my account, and they did so without even asking for my hacktivated iPhone.

chox99 said:
If you are adding a new line from ATT, there's no way to avoid contract (1yr if you're not buying a phone from them) As for iPhone activation, once you get your sim card you can activate it. or just JB and hactivate it if you'd like.;)
Click to expand...

I didin't have any contract when I started with AT&T as I provided my own iPhone. You don't need to sign a 1 year contract with them for the service.
 
WPB2 said:
So I must hacktivate it with Pwnage tool? I wan't to add it to my family plan though. AFAIK you can't add a Gophone to a familytalk plan.
Click to expand...

If you want it on a family plan, then you have to activate the phone on the $20 data plan with shared minutes.

That's the only way to get it on a family plan.
 
WPB2 said:
I have an iPhone EDGE that I got from a friend that got a 3GS, and I wan't to add a line to my family plan with at&t. I wan't to give the phone to my niece. at&t said to activate the iPhone I need to sign a 2 year contract. I think this is ridiculous because my friend already signed a 2 year, and fulfilled his contract before giving the iPhone to me.

Is there any way I can get new service with at&t for the iphone without signing a new 2 year contract?
Click to expand...

Yes there is. Just Hackivate it. Just remember to add the data plan.
 
dukebound85 said:
thats ef'd up

how can they tie you you to a contract if the phone isnt being subsidized?

when my contract is up on my 3g, im failrly certain after 2 years i then go month to month
Click to expand...

yes, it's very ef'd up. I won't even go in to the "explanation" the AT&T rep gave me because it's too absurd.

You're right that you go month to month after your contract is up as long as you stay on that phone. But if you deactivate that phone, switch to something new, and try to reactivate that phone (family plan or otherwise), they will make you sign a new 2 year contract.

But wait, it gets worse. They treat you as if you had gotten a subsidy when you reactivated that older phone. So in my case, if I added my gf with my old 2G iphone and it died in 6 months they would say she was not eligible for a subsidized new phone ("upgrade") despite never having gotten a subsidy at any point.

Freakin' ridiculous.
 
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