I called at&t today and this is what u can do. When u order the iphone 5 do it by adding a line. you will have to activate it on your account then you can go into your online account and convert it to family talk plan. Once the iphone 5 is activated and you have the family plan u take the iphone 5 and a dumb phone into at&t store. They will give you a new nano sim for the iphone 5 making it your existing number. Also get a regular sim card for the new line and put it in the dumb phone. This will enable you to get rid of the data plan and texting on the new line making this line cost you only $10 a month. Then throw the phone in a draw until you need it to upgrade next year. I think this is what i am going to do. Hopefully all goes well but if not and something comes up I don't like I can always return it during the return period and cancel the new line penalty free.
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Can someone who uses the extra phantom line upgrade strategy explain how it works??
- Thread starter snook911
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What happens if I don't want to throw it in a drawer?
Can I put it on the shelf in my library?
Well that might work for u but if I do that in my house one of my kids will definitely get a hold of it and the next thing you know the bill will be through the roof.
I don't even plan on bringing the phone home. The draw I was talking about is in my office
I dont see why not.
Many have been doing that for years.
It ends up costing you $120 a year or $10 a month to have yearly full upgrades.
It's what I am doing with Verizon and I am so happy
iPhone 5 (6th Generation) this year.
Next year iPhone (7th generation)
Repeat cycle
There seems to be.
We are on a very large account. Not sure how many employees we have in the US, but we have over 100,000 globally. Our building has 400 and we now have iPhones for our executives. Lower level people have basic flip phones and pantec's. (Despite having gone on quite a few installations, I "don't travel enough" to have a cell phone.) I know at least 2 people who took the sim out of the flip phone and bought used 3GS phones (one was my old one) They work fine, but don't get cellular data. They are going to have to cut down sim cards to jump up to 4's and 4S's as I don't know what AT&T could do with a corporate phone for issuing a new sim card.
Pretty much what I said but without as much detail. You technically don't even have to have another phone to put the SIM in...
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There seems to be.
Ahh, that's a large corporate account. We cannot even service those in store so that's why I hadn't seen it. All I can do is ring out accessories on those accounts. I can't even change out a SIM. I have to give it to you and have the company make the change for you.
I think I'm going to do this. But there's an issue ... the only phones I've used with AT&T have been iPhones. I have some old phones lying around but they're Verizon phones (& I have to find an older one, which isn't a smartphone). Assuming I can't use a Verizon phone, or only have smartphones, anybody know where I can buy a CHEAP dumb phone without also buying another line for the phone?
Also, any chance of transferring a phone number to the new line created when buying the new iPhone, or later?
When can the new line be cancelled without penalty?
Will the new iPhone get the same features as the old one, e.g. $5 texting plan, ability to change rate plans whenever I want (for busy months, tethering, etc.)?
Do you see anything wrong with having the dumb phone on the new line being used by my wife (who actually doesn't want a smartphone!) as her regular phone? She probably wants to switch from her current provider (hence the desire to move phone numbers)? It seems like she could share voice minutes, so other than possibly causing an upgrade to a larger voice plan, the only cost is the $10 month I'd already be spending to deal with the new iPhone? (I'll look at the family plan to be sure there's no important difference between included features vs current voice plan.)
Thanks!
Dave
Also, any chance of transferring a phone number to the new line created when buying the new iPhone, or later?
When can the new line be cancelled without penalty?
Will the new iPhone get the same features as the old one, e.g. $5 texting plan, ability to change rate plans whenever I want (for busy months, tethering, etc.)?
Do you see anything wrong with having the dumb phone on the new line being used by my wife (who actually doesn't want a smartphone!) as her regular phone? She probably wants to switch from her current provider (hence the desire to move phone numbers)? It seems like she could share voice minutes, so other than possibly causing an upgrade to a larger voice plan, the only cost is the $10 month I'd already be spending to deal with the new iPhone? (I'll look at the family plan to be sure there's no important difference between included features vs current voice plan.)
Thanks!
Dave
Great info! I was just about to ask/search for this exact conversation.
I'm eligible for the $250 + the phone price upgrade but might do the $10 add a line to save a bit of money and have 2 phones in the "cycle."
I wonder if you can move to the Shared Mobile plans after all this and keep the dates?
I'm eligible for the $250 + the phone price upgrade but might do the $10 add a line to save a bit of money and have 2 phones in the "cycle."
I wonder if you can move to the Shared Mobile plans after all this and keep the dates?
You'll pay $240 over the contract term for the dummy line versus $250 for the regular. Or am I missing something? And if you move to a mobile share, that $10 a month becomes $30 a month. The $10 a month is only on the old family plans.
Changing to a mobile share does not change contract dates. They all stay as they were. I even assumed responsibility for a couple lines when I switched to mobile share and they kept their dates as well.
I'll pay $240 over 2 years where the $250 is a once a year 'upgrade' fee if I follow this thread correctly. So over 2 years (if iPhone 6 comes out next year and I'm not eligible on my line) I'd pay $250 again.
$500 - $240 = $160 savings if I follow this right?
Maybe. More complicated math than I'm in the mood to figure out right now. lol That number above should be $260, but then I'm thinking you're going to have $10/mo for yet another year, making it $360 instead of $240, making your savings $140. Though maybe not because you could then cancel the dummy in 2 years and keep the "6" phone for 2 years, thus only paying that $240. I'm with you now...
But you are stuck with the Family plans then. The Mobile Share does not have a $10/mo phone.
Before you do this call At& T and ask for the resolution department. If you complian a little about not getting the full upgrade this year as you have in the past they can offer you the 550 minute family talk plan for $40 a month instead of $50 saving you another $10 a month. I just did this so it should work for you.
I have a couple of questions about this. I am currently on a Family plan in which I am the account holder (who bought a 4S in Nov last year once I was eligible for the $199 price) so I am eligible for the $199+250 pricing. My wife who is part of my plan is not eligible until March of next year. We were thinking of adding a line to our plan when ordering iPhone and using this method.
Originally she did not want the new iPhone but now she does so I am torn. I was going to open the extra line so that way we would both be eligible from my primary line and her line for the 2013 iPhone release if we wanted. We do have a kid who we were thinking of opening a new line anyways and using a dumbphone just for emergencies so it would just be 1 that would be wasted.
So you dont have to read it all -- my questions:
- With her wanting an iPhone now will they allow you to open 2 lines and we both use this method?
- Is the ETF for a new line iPhone $325? I cannot recall. Do you know if when you switch the new line over to a dumbphone if it in any way alters the ETF (probably not but worth asking.)
It seems to me it may be best to open 2 new lines and keep one for kid then after selling our 4S' mine 32GB and hers 16GB we should be able to recoop enough money saved by buying 2 16GB for 199 to pay the ETF of the second new line or close to it -- or maybe just ride it out for the 2 years and split it up instead of paying such a lump sum at once.
Originally she did not want the new iPhone but now she does so I am torn. I was going to open the extra line so that way we would both be eligible from my primary line and her line for the 2013 iPhone release if we wanted. We do have a kid who we were thinking of opening a new line anyways and using a dumbphone just for emergencies so it would just be 1 that would be wasted.
So you dont have to read it all -- my questions:
- With her wanting an iPhone now will they allow you to open 2 lines and we both use this method?
- Is the ETF for a new line iPhone $325? I cannot recall. Do you know if when you switch the new line over to a dumbphone if it in any way alters the ETF (probably not but worth asking.)
It seems to me it may be best to open 2 new lines and keep one for kid then after selling our 4S' mine 32GB and hers 16GB we should be able to recoop enough money saved by buying 2 16GB for 199 to pay the ETF of the second new line or close to it -- or maybe just ride it out for the 2 years and split it up instead of paying such a lump sum at once.
Does anyone know what the number of lines to minutes ratio? I currently have the minimum amount of minutes on family plan 550.
That was the plan I was on, with 3 phones, and i think that was the max. It's either 3 or 5, but I think it's 3. That's why I brought it up.
Edit: It is 3. You can have 5 on the 700 minute plan, but that's $10 more. So now you are looking at $30 to get 2 new iPhones... http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans/familyplans.html
Looks like Ill just be adding 1 line and then using primary line's $199+250+36 upgrade to get a second iphone instead of opening 2 lines and paying the difference of $20 per month from changing plan and new line.
Thats what I did. I called and wanted to cancel my extra line and they offered me the 450 plan. I wouldnt pay an extra 20 a month for a new line but 10 a month is a good deal. I have had the second line since the 3GS came out and I only use it with a little dumb phone to take out with me on my wave runner incase something happens. I have probably used 3 minutes in 3 years.
So we can just walk in to an ATT store and have them swap the new iphone5s to the current numbers, drop the data plans on the new lines and be done with it? I always thought the go phones require a plan at time of purchase and it's not possible to just buy the phone by itself. doing it your way will save a few $$.
thanks
Also, in our current family plan, we have the $25 for 2GB dataplan. Will we need to upgrade that to the $30 data plan for the 5?
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Yep, just have the rep swap the numbers around. You can go to WalMart and buy a gophone with no plan. We normally won't just sell you a gophone in the corporate stores.
You can stick with the 2GB data plan if you want to. You're grandfathered in and won't have to change.
but can it be done without the gophone all together and just plain swap the numbers? We have no need for the gophone at all...