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Have you ever added an extra line although you don't need it to get the new iphone?!

Ramio

Ramio

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 13, 2011
919
2
Houston, TeXas
I already have 3 lines with AT&T and really wanted the 4s so I added a 4th line although I don't need it just so I can get the 4s at the discounted contact price. The way I see it is I have to pay $10 extra on my bill for the 4th line since it's on a family plan and by the end of the contract it would have cost me $240 total which is still $10 cheaper than the $250 early upgrade fee. Has anyone added a line they don't need to get the new iphone?
 
We just adds two lines to our account to get our new iPhone's. We have a 24% discount, so we make out pretty well. After selling our iPhones, we always end up the positive.
 
Walter Bell said:
We just adds two lines to our account to get our new iPhone's. We have a 24% discount, so we make out pretty well. After selling our iPhones, we always end up the positive.
Click to expand...

One of my lines was eligible so I got the 4s for me and then added the 4th line to get my wife one. Just wondering, the 2 lines you added were extra lines that you don't need.?. I also have a 20% fan discount but does that apply to the $10 a month to add a line?
 
Ramio said:
I already have 3 lines with AT&T and really wanted the 4s so I added a 4th line although I don't need it just so I can get the 4s at the discounted contact price. The way I see it is I have to pay $10 extra on my bill for the 4th line since it's on a family plan and by the end of the contract it would have cost me $240 total which is still $10 cheaper than the $250 early upgrade fee. Has anyone added a line they don't need to get the new iphone?
Click to expand...

Wait I'm confused... If you already have 2 smartphones on a family plan your paying for voice minutes + data on both lines

Minimum:
- $50 for 550 minutes

- $10 for the 2nd line

- $15 for data on line one
- $15 for data on line two
___________________________
- $90 total minimum per month

Then, if you add two more smartphone lines wouldn't it also add up to
- $50 for 550 minutes

- $10 for the 2nd line
- $10 for the 3rd line
- $10 for the 4th line

- $15 for the data on line one
- $15 for the data on line two
- $15 for the data on line three
- $15 for the data on line four
___________________________
- $140 total minimum per month

I thought that if you signed up the first two lines for subsidized smartphones that you couldn't just drop the data plans. And if that is the case then if you sign up two more smartphone lines then you would have to pay $10 per line added PLUS the data for lines 3 and 4 correct? :confused:

Doesn't seem like a good deal to me to do that...
 
ap3604 said:
Wait I'm confused... If you already have 2 smartphones on a family plan your paying for voice minutes + data on both lines

Minimum:
- $50 for 550 minutes

- $10 for the 2nd line

- $15 for data on line one
- $15 for data on line two
___________________________
- $90 total minimum per month

Then, if you add two more smartphone lines wouldn't it also add up to
- $50 for 550 minutes

- $10 for the 2nd line
- $10 for the 3rd line
- $10 for the 4th line

- $15 for the data on line one
- $15 for the data on line two
- $15 for the data on line three
- $15 for the data on line four
___________________________
- $140 total minimum per month

I thought that if you signed up the first two lines for subsidized smartphones that you couldn't just drop the data plans. And if that is the case then if you sign up two more smartphone lines then you would have to pay $10 per line added PLUS the data for lines 3 and 4 correct? :confused:

Doesn't seem like a good deal to me to do that...
Click to expand...
Basically I had 2 iphone 4s on 2 lines with data and 1 dumb phone so I was paying for 2 data plans. I wasn't eligible on the 2 lines I have iphones on so I upgraded my 3rd line and added a 4th line to get 2 new 4s iphones. I had to sign up for data plans for both but as soon as I get the new iphones, I will put both iphones on the 2 lines that already have data plans and use dumb phones on the 3rd and 4th lines and just cancel the data plan on both of them. It's basically swapping the phones. Then I just pay $9.99 a month each for the 3rd and 4th lines.
 
Last edited:
Ramio said:
Basically I had 2 iphone 4s on 2 lines with data and 1 dumb phone so I was paying for 2 data plans. Now that I added an extra line, I had to sign up for a data plan but as soon as I get it, I will put it on my line and put a dumb phone on the 4th line and cancel the data plan. So I will still be paying for only 2 data plans and $10 a month each on the dumb phones. It's basically swapping the phones and canceling the data on the new line.
Click to expand...

SWEET! :D

I thought if you subsidized a smartphone that you had to keep the data plan no matter what...

... but if your able to simply order a smartphone and cancel data this is an awesome work around :)
 
ap3604 said:
SWEET! :D

I thought if you subsidized a smartphone that you had to keep the data plan no matter what...

... but if your able to simply order a smartphone and cancel data this is an awesome work around :)
Click to expand...
It is awesome. No you don't have to keep the data plan if you use a dumb phone. I have done it many times :)
 
Ramio said:
I already have 3 lines with AT&T and really wanted the 4s so I added a 4th line although I don't need it just so I can get the 4s at the discounted contact price. The way I see it is I have to pay $10 extra on my bill for the 4th line since it's on a family plan and by the end of the contract it would have cost me $240 total which is still $10 cheaper than the $250 early upgrade fee. Has anyone added a line they don't need to get the new iphone?
Click to expand...

I did that , I added I line just to get an iPhone and I paid only 10 dollars per month after cancel the 15 dollar data , and I found I friend who just need a dumbphone and I charge him 35 dollars for that line so I'm actually paying 25 dollars less on my bill :D
 
Metalperfect said:
I did that , I added I line just to get an iPhone and I paid only 10 dollars per month after cancel the 15 dollar data , and I found I friend who just need a dumbphone and I charge him 35 dollars for that line so I'm actually paying 25 dollars less on my bill :D
Click to expand...

I'd feel dirty making $$$ off my friend :(
 
I added an extra line for an iPhone 4S for my friend. Actually the line was already active, but unused. It was nice being able to do it without affecting the upgrade eligibility on his number, so he will still be eligible for an upgrade to the next iPhone. Also it saves me from buying the insurance on his phone, since he can still get a $200 replacement on his regular line anytime after December. The cost of the insurance is almost as much as the cost for another line anyway. Plus I now have that extra line active in case anyone needs it.
 
I lucked up on a new job... When I start actually receiving emails (still in the probation period) the company pays up to 90.00 of my monthly cell phone bill. That means that all I pay is 9.00 a month for my cell service. :)

Oh and I'm eligible for the 4S upgrade so, I'll be walking into the AT&T store or Apple Store soon and picking up a 16G Black 4S. :)
 
I just did this. I bought a $9.99 refurb pay as you go phone. I added two lines (my wife is moving over from tmobile to ATT and added a dummy line to my account since i'm not eligible until december). I'll get the 2 iphones, switch one of them to my line, switch the pay as you go to the new line, remove data and I'm good to go.
 
Ramio said:
Basically I had 2 iphone 4s on 2 lines with data and 1 dumb phone so I was paying for 2 data plans. I wasn't eligible on the 2 lines I have iphones on so I upgraded my 3rd line and added a 4th line to get 2 new 4s iphones. I had to sign up for data plans for both but as soon as I get the new iphones, I will put both iphones on the 2 lines that already have data plans and use dumb phones on the 3rd and 4th lines and just cancel the data plan on both of them. It's basically swapping the phones. Then I just pay $9.99 a month each for the 3rd and 4th lines.
Click to expand...

With this workaround, over 2 years you end up paying about the same price as the early upgrade, except rather than paying upfront, you pay a little bit every month.

For example, where I live:

Additional Line Cost = 24 x (9.99 + taxes/fees)
= 24 x 12.59 = $302.16

Early upgrade cost = $250.00 (reduced discount) + tax + $18.00 (upgrade fee)
= $250.00 + 20.63 + $18.00 = $288.63

In most cases, AT&T will waive the $18.00 upgrade fee, at least for me, they always have.

When all is said and done, over 2 years, you pay an $12.63 every month or you pay just a little bit less upfront and don't have to go through the hassle of adding another line.

Also note that, adding the new line, if you're already on a family plan doesn't really give you more minutes...you'd still use the available minutes unless you want to pay another $10.00 every month to go to the next higher minute plan.
 
martiansoldier said:
With this workaround, over 2 years you end up paying about the same price as the early upgrade, except rather than paying upfront, you pay a little bit every month.

For example, where I live:

Additional Line Cost = 24 x (9.99 + taxes/fees)
= 24 x 12.59 = $302.16

Early upgrade cost = $250.00 (reduced discount) + tax + $18.00 (upgrade fee)
= $250.00 + 20.63 + $18.00 = $288.63

In most cases, AT&T will waive the $18.00 upgrade fee, at least for me, they always have.

When all is said and done, over 2 years, you pay an $12.63 every month or you pay just a little bit less upfront and don't have to go through the hassle of adding another line.

Also note that, adding the new line, if you're already on a family plan doesn't really give you more minutes...you'd still use the available minutes unless you want to pay another $10.00 every month to go to the next higher minute plan.
Click to expand...

sure, you can look it at it that way, but the way I see it is that if I pay $250 for the early upgrade, then I just boned myself out of another iPhone upgrade for 18 or so months for the new iPhone 5. So if I shell out the cash over the period of 2 years, my original line will be fresh for an upgrade when I'm ready and I can rinse and repeat when necessary especially since I'm still paying that $250 over the course of the contract.

So if the 5 is ready to go in October 2012, my current line will be ready for upgrade and if the 6 is ready for 13, my new line will be up for the upgrade as well.
 
Ramio said:
I already have 3 lines with AT&T and really wanted the 4s so I added a 4th line although I don't need it just so I can get the 4s at the discounted contact price. The way I see it is I have to pay $10 extra on my bill for the 4th line since it's on a family plan and by the end of the contract it would have cost me $240 total which is still $10 cheaper than the $250 early upgrade fee. Has anyone added a line they don't need to get the new iphone?
Click to expand...

That is good math but dont AT&T charge $30 for data part apart from $10 for extra line, so that comes to $40 extra per month for getting iPhone4S, you might be better of buying it unlocked and use it as you like.
 
mjoshi123 said:
That is good math but dont AT&T charge $30 for data part apart from $10 for extra line, so that comes to $40 extra per month for getting iPhone4S, you might be better of buying it unlocked and use it as you like.
Click to expand...

Nope, if the phone is not active on the line then you can remove the data. So it is just $10 a month plus tax.
 
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