How soon after purchasing can I cancel my service?

[Nikos]

I have a family plan on AT&T with 3 lines.

Two are iPhones that I've already preordered/upgraded and will be keeping.

The third line is a regular phone that costs something like $10/month. I'd like to "upgrade" this line and gift the phone.

Since I won't be canceling the voice line or number, I shouldn't have to pay a termination fee, right? I'll just have to buy a data plan for the iPhone upon purchase and cancel it whenever I want to. Will I have to purchase a more expensive voice plan, and can that be reverted back to the $10 plan without penalty?

Is this correct?

 

[grantsdale]

Thinking about upgrading the third line on my family plan and giving the phone to someone as a gift.

This line is for a regular dumb phone and will stay this way, so I'd have to cancel iPhone voice and data plan ASAP.

Anyone know how this would work out? I see lots of people selling their upgrades on eBay, I'm assuming this would work the same way.

Within 30 days, you are required to give the phone back. If you don't, you get hit with the full price of the phone. After 30 days, you pay for service (two months) plus the ETF.

 

[nabechu]

what grantsdale said, gotta pay a full month of voice + data, $36 activation, and the $325 ETF

 

[Nikos]

Thanks, that's what I figured. Not sure why people are listing extras on eBay. $299 + $325, activation, and data/voice for a month. Unless they are paying $599 for the phone. In that case, do you still need to sign a new contract?

 

[JediZenMaster]

Thanks, that's what I figured. Not sure why people are listing extras on eBay. $299 + $325, activation, and data/voice for a month. Unless they are paying $599 for the phone. In that case, do you still need to sign a new contract?

Apple and AT&T will not sell an iPhone unless you have an active line. If you don't have an account they won't sell it to you.

 

[iMrNiceGuy0023]

I swear you guys arent reading....I think he wants to know when he can cancel the data plan and still keep the line in service right??

This line is for a regular dumb phone and will stay this way, so I'd have to cancel iPhone voice and data plan ASAP.

you can take of the data plan as soon as you purchase the phone

 

[rusty2192]

I swear you guys arent reading....I think he wants to know when he can cancel the data plan and still keep the line in service right??



you can take of the data plan as soon as you purchase the phone

I think you are right. The contract is just for 2 years of service for the line. You only need the iPhone data plan if you have an iPhone on the line. When i got my 3GS last year, i got it when i added my sister to my family plan, then she took my slightly used dumb phone.

There shouldn't be any ETF involved unless you kill the line of service before the 2 years of the contract are up.

 

[Nikos]

I swear you guys arent reading....I think he wants to know when he can cancel the data plan and still keep the line in service right??



you can take of the data plan as soon as you purchase the phone

This is correct. It's my grandmother's phone on my family plan. Costs something like $10/month. I'm thinking of upgrading it to an iphone 4 and giving it to my dad. My grandma would keep the phone she has, and doesn't need a data plan for it. Woukdnt I have to sign up for a more expensive voice plan when I buy the iphone though?

 

[fishkorp]

When AT&T does sweeps, if they see an iPhone on their network without a data plan, they'll automatically add a data plan to it and send the phone a text. It's getting harder to use iPhones on AT&T without data plans.

 

[Nikos]

When AT&T does sweeps, if they see an iPhone on their network without a data plan, they'll automatically add a data plan to it and send the phone a text. It's getting harder to use iPhones on AT&T without data plans.

The actual phone would never be activated with my account though. I'd add the data plan and cancel without ever activating the phone on my account. Even if it were activated, I'd deactivate the old sim card on the dumb phone.

 

[fishkorp]

The actual phone would never be activated with my account though. I'd add the data plan and cancel without ever activating the phone on my account. Even if it were activated, I'd deactivate the old sim card on the dumb phone.

I suppose that can work.

However, I was using a hacktivated 2G iPhone with a SIM from an old Motorola SLVR and one month I magically started getting charged for iPhone data. That iPhone was never activated on my account at all.

 

[rusty2192]

The actual phone would never be activated with my account though. I'd add the data plan and cancel without ever activating the phone on my account. Even if it were activated, I'd deactivate the old sim card on the dumb phone.

I think what you are saying should work fine. i'd check with AT&T just to be sure (anonymously if you are paranoid). The only problem would be the fact that the iPhone will come with a Micro Sim instead of a normal one that other phones use. I purchased an adapter to use in backup phones if need be. You could possibly purchase a Micro Sim from AT&T for the recipient of the phone and have them activate it on his line. Like I said, i would check with AT&T and you could even do it without them knowing who you are in case you are worried about them saying no.

My adapter came from http://microsim-shop.com/ It ships from Austria, but i paid with PayPal and recieved it in a little over a week for about $7.

 

[Nikos]

Thanks guys, I edited the first post to explain a little better.