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Do I need to bring in my old iPhone to buy a new one?

M

macintologist

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 3, 2004
699
1,059
I bought the original iPhone two years ago. Now I'm traveling in Europe and have decided to sell it here unlocked because it commands a much higher price in Europe. I will keep my SIM card.

When I return back to the States one of the first things I'll do is go to my local AT&T store and buy a new 3GS and then simply sync it to my iMac which has all my contacts, apps, music etc. Can I just give them my old SIM card or just my iPhone number and they will activate the new one, or do I need to have my old iPhone present? Will they be suspicious that I didn't bring my old iPhone to the store?
 
I bought my 3GS online and didn't need to bring in the old one ;)

Just bring the phone in, I doubt very much they'll notice it was jailbroken. If push comes to shove, take the SIM card out and if they ask questions tell them the old iPhone wasn't working or something. They'll selling another iPhone so they'll not really care or pay attention to your old phone.
 
macintologist said:
I bought the original iPhone two years ago. Now I'm traveling in Europe and have decided to sell it here unlocked because it commands a much higher price in Europe. I will keep my SIM card.

When I return back to the States one of the first things I'll do is go to my local AT&T store and buy a new 3GS and then simply sync it to my iMac which has all my contacts, apps, music etc. Can I just give them my old SIM card or just my iPhone number and they will activate the new one, or do I need to have my old iPhone present? Will they be suspicious that I didn't bring my old iPhone to the store?
Click to expand...

Do you bring back your old watch to buy a new one? No. If the iPhone is yours why in hell would you need it to buy a new one.
 
Cescfabregas4 said:
Do you bring back your old watch to buy a new one? No. If the iPhone is yours why in hell would you need it to buy a new one.
Click to expand...

Don't be a douche. OP asked a legit question on upgrade procedure. Your attempt at sarcasm fails as does the analogy. Few watches require a 3rd party network to be fully functional.

OP: I ordered my 3GS online for home delivery & it came w/ a new SIM pre-installed. (I also had an original iPhone..still do, just unlocked now). So based on that I don't think you need your old SIM. The old SIM will automatically deactivate when you get your 3GS.

Of course the painless thing to do would be to order online for home delivery a a day or so before you return home. Then you negate the possibility of getting a high strung clerk on a powertrip.
 
The short answer is "no." When you go to buy the phone they don't care you old one is or isn't. You will get a new SIM card, so you don't even really need your old one. If, however, you are still concerned then you can always order online as others have suggested.
 
Just purchase your new 3GS online, at the Apple Store or at AT&T; have an active iTunes account and you can activate the iPhone via iTunes. Sync everything and *POOF* all your contacts, music, video, etc. will instantly appear on your new 3GS. When prompted, just sync from backup and you should be fine. Don't worry about your old SIM card, b/c it's just that, OLD! Enjoy your new 3GS.....:p:p:p
 
Another short answer: "No." :)

I just bought a 3GS at the local Apple Store yesterday. No online pre-authorization or purchase involved. All they asked was my existing iPhone phone number, my billing address zip code, and the last 4 digits of my SSN... the same questions they ask online.
 
daihard said:
Another short answer: "No." :)

I just bought a 3GS at the local Apple Store yesterday. No online pre-authorization or purchase involved. All they asked was my existing iPhone phone number, my billing address zip code, and the last 4 digits of my SSN... the same questions they ask online.
Click to expand...

I concor. I had my 2G with me and as my new phone was being activated in the store, I watched as my old phone died into perpetual "no service" mode. It was kind of sad. :p
 
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