Cross Upgrading - AT&T

Doing an upgrade swap is fine, but you likely would need to add a data plan to the upgraded line. Once both phones are smartphones, upgrade swaps are super easy. My iPhone 5 was an upgrade on my wife's line. When it arrived, I called AT&T, and they activated it on my line, and added my 4S info on my wife's line. Swapped her sim into the 4S and both are phones were upgraded in less than 10 minutes.

 

Even if both phones aren't smart phones its super easy now, better than last year.

The eligible line was a non-smart phone ... called and asked for an upgrade swap. The whole process took no more than 10 minutes including hold time. I had to give them the IMEI number for the new phone and they swapped the line from my iPhone 4S to the iPhone 5...no need for SIM swaps.

 

I used my wife's upgrade to get my iPhone 5. She just has a flip phone, she always drops her phones so she is scared to get a smart phone.

I went into the AT&T store and cross upgraded no problem. My number already had a data plan so when they activated the phone for me it took my data plan.

 

You don't need to add data to the upgraded line. They actually don't do anything with that line but use the upgrade. It's an easy process and only takes like 10 minutes. I'd rather do it in a store just incase they fry the sim, but it can be done over the phone too.

 

I went into my local AT&T store here in San Diego, Carmel Mountain Ranch. As I understood it, the representative just activated the phone with my number instead of my wife's number. The upgrade counted against her number, and it extends her contract two years (we have a shared family plan), but physically instead of activating the phone on her number, he activated it on mine. So nothing changed, my data plan carried over. He said they do them all the time. The guy in front of me did the same thing. I think we marry so we always have an upgrade available.

I'm not sure how you can tell if it is a corporate AT&T store, perhaps if you use the store locator on the AT&T site.