Contract almost up, but I want to upgrade to iPhone 5

[anthrovisual]

I'm not really sure how upgrading works in this scenario, and I didn't want to call Customer Care since they seem to charge me every time I do (shows up on the bill at least for a couple of bucks). So I thought I would ask you guys.

My contract is up this month and I plan to upgrade but not until the iPhone 5 (or 4xx) comes out. Obviously, that won't be for a while so how does this process work? Do I renew the contract now and then upgrade in July while still getting the discount that I would with a 2 year contract? Will I have to renew my contract then when I do?

Mainly, I want to be sure to get the discounted price when I upgrade (assuming there still will be a discount).

Another note is that I am on a family plan and will likely be the only one who upgrades this July instead of now.

Thanks for you help.

 

[forcetactic]

You will just be paying monthly with no contract. Keep doing this until June then upgrade to iPhone 5 with subsidized pricing

 

[saminsocks]

If you're on a family plan, I'm pretty sure you can still wait to upgrade your phone, even if everyone else upgrades now. The contract will just start the 2 years over when you get your phone in June.

 

[xela24678]

this is what happened to me (kinda has to do with this):

I wanted the iphone 4 really bad but my contract wasn't eligible for upgrading since i got it about 6 months before. But another member of my family plan was. So I used his to get my iphone 4. This resulted in me getting a new phone but his contract getting renewed.

you can renew your contract with AT&T and live life, but you will have to either get a new phone or keep the one you have. Or you can wait until the iphone 5 comes out and renew it then. On the discount thing, Apple might allow people who are eligible with early upgrade to get the phone with no extra charge. if you do renew the contract now, you run the risk of having that eligibility.

All in all, i suggest waiting. For me though, i paid around $200 but they tax you as if it cost $599... which brought it up to around $260 or more (i can't remember)

 

[anthrovisual]

Glad some things are simple enough. Thanks everyone. I'll wait month-to-month until 5 comes out.

 

[mstrze]

I've been month-to-month now since sometime this past summer I guess...I don't even know. All I know for sure is that when 4 came out, I was eligible to upgrade.

I have a 3G...so does my wife. We will both be able to upgrade in the summer.

 

[vincenz]

AT&T customer care charges you? Are you sure you're dialing 611 and not 411?

 

[anthrovisual]

It could be that they charge for making changes, as each time I called it usually involved some sort of change I wanted to make. It was 611 for sure, I remember looking it up because I forgot.

Does that sound feasible?