How relaxed is AT&T's family plan? Is it immediate family only?

[Barbs]

My wife and I plan on buying iPhones soon. My sister has one that she bought a month ago and she gets a 25% discount on her entire at&t bill. We want to add our phones to my sisters account under a family plan.

Will we need to show proof that we are family members? We have the same last name but different addresses. Will this be a problem?

And when we go to at&t to buy our phones, should we take my sister with us so she can set up a family plan right there in the store and we can join it right then?

Thanks!

 

[Rob Mclovin]

No i dont think you need to show proof because i have 2 friends that got a family plan for 2 iphones to get cheaper monthly bills.

 

[Peabody]

No proof needed. They don't care who your "family" is, just that you use more minutes.

The original account holder is the only one who can make changes to said account though. If you're doing it in person at AT&T, bring the account holder and make sure they bring their state issued ID.

That's about all there is to it!

 

[TheConfuzed1]

They don't ask for the relationship. There is a limit to how many people can be added to each plan.

You could put me on your family plan, if you wanted to. It's not so much a "Family Plan," as it is a "Multiple Users" plan. It just sounds nicer that way.

Just so you know, FAN discounts don't apply toward iPhones, or iPhone plans. The rest of the plan is subsidized though, as are any accessories that you purchase.

 

[Barbs]

Just so you know, FAN discounts don't apply toward iPhones, or iPhone plans. The rest of the plan is subsidized though, as are any accessories that you purchase.

ok you have me confused. I understand that her work discount isn't good towards the purchase of an iphone. What do you mean by "iPhone plans"? She was told by AT&T that she gets a 25% discount off her entire bill. My sister asked how the discount would be affected if she had a family plan with other iPhones on it. They told her that the 25% would also apply to an entire family plan bill. Looks like she has a very good discount from her work.

 

[TheConfuzed1]

For example, I have the original iPhone.

There are three phones on my family plan. Our family plan is $79.99, plus 9.99 for each additional line.

My wife doesn't have, and doesn't want an iPhone. I made her the primary on the account. The discount only applies toward the first line, but only if the first line is not an iPhone!

So, I get my discount subtracted from the $79.99. The $9.99 for the additional lines, and the $20 for the iPhone data package don't change.

It's screwy, but that's how it is. Either your sister was misinformed, or she misunderstood what she was being told. I have had this explained to me by three different AT&T reps, just to make sure that it was correct.

 

[CocoaPuffs]

My wife and I plan on buying iPhones soon. My sister has one that she bought a month ago and she gets a 25% discount on her entire at&t bill. We want to add our phones to my sisters account under a family plan.

Will we need to show proof that we are family members? We have the same last name but different addresses. Will this be a problem?

And when we go to at&t to buy our phones, should we take my sister with us so she can set up a family plan right there in the store and we can join it right then?

Thanks!

They run DNA test and you are require to show 12 months of canceled checks for utility bills.

 

[Barbs]

For example, I have the original iPhone.

There are three phones on my family plan. Our family plan is $79.99, plus 9.99 for each additional line.

My wife doesn't have, and doesn't want an iPhone. I made her the primary on the account. The discount only applies toward the first line, but only if the first line is not an iPhone!

So, I get my discount subtracted from the $79.99. The $9.99 for the additional lines, and the $20 for the iPhone data package don't change.

It's screwy, but that's how it is. Either your sister was misinformed, or she misunderstood what she was being told. I have had this explained to me by three different AT&T reps, just to make sure that it was correct.

huh? I see you said you have an original iPhone. From what I read, these phones did not allow for a corporate discount. But the newer 3G iPhones do.

 

[TheConfuzed1]

huh? I see you said you have an original iPhone. From what I read, these phones did not allow for a corporate discount. But the newer 3G iPhones do.

Well then, maybe that's the difference.

I get the corporate discount, because I qualify, based on my employment; it just doesn't apply to the iPhone. Maybe the discount is applied differently on a 3G data plan.

I can't say for sure about that. I can answer the original question regarding the family plan though.

 

[Michael CM1]

All you have to do is be in the same area code (maybe just area code region). I would severely advise against this with people who may be $#@theads because I got burned by two people. It's a great deal until you're paying for two phone lines because the other turd won't pay up and you're stuck in a contract.

 

[TheConfuzed1]

In my case, I'm paying for the whole thing anyway, as it is my wife and kid that I am sharing the plan with.

 

[Barbs]

In my case, I'm paying for the whole thing anyway, as it is my wife and kid that I am sharing the plan with.

why not upgrade to a 3G, if you can apply your corporate discount to a 3G monthly plan, it may be worth it.

 

[sandman42]

For whatever it may be worth, I'm eligible for 25% discount on iPhone voice and data charges, on individual or family plans, because of my employer, but no discount on hardware (the iPhones themselves). And as others have pointed out, AT&T doesn't care whether the people on the 'family plan' are really family or not, that's just what they call it -- it's really just a 'group plan'. Hope that helps.

 

[Barbs]

For whatever it may be worth, I'm eligible for 25% discount on iPhone voice and data charges, on individual or family plans, because of my employer, but no discount on hardware (the iPhones themselves). And as others have pointed out, AT&T doesn't care whether the people on the 'family plan' are really family or not, that's just what they call it -- it's really just a 'group plan'. Hope that helps.

Thanks all for your helpful comments.

Sandman: your post was very helpful. I started worrying that maybe the corporate discount wouldn't cover an entire family plan bill.

 

[scaredpoet]

I get the corporate discount, because I qualify, based on my employment; it just doesn't apply to the iPhone. Maybe the discount is applied differently on a 3G data plan.

It is different actually. I have a FAN too (20% discount on voice and data), and it did not apply when I had the original iPhone. As soon as I upgraded to the iPhone 3G however, the FAN applied to my voice, data and text messaging again.

Interesting thing about that: with the 20% discount suddenly being applied again, I'm eactually paying a couple dollars less with the iPhone 3G plan than I was paying with the original plan without the FAN being applied. So i was quite happy with that.

 

[sandman42]

Thanks all for your helpful comments.

Sandman: your post was very helpful. I started worrying that maybe the corporate discount wouldn't cover an entire family plan bill.

You really should check with AT&T to confirm exactly what kind of discount you're eligible for, because it can apparently vary depending on your employer. As an example, when I first went to the AT&T store they said the discount was typically for voice only, not data too, but when we looked into it further we confirmed that I do get a discount on the data plan. I think that typically whatever discount you're eligible for can be applied to either individual or family plans, but you should really just check with AT&T and/or your employer. Incidentally, in my experience not all the people who should know how the discounts work actually know (as in my example), so press them a little and make sure you get all the discount that's coming to you. Good luck!