feelthefire
macrumors 6502a
No. If you are a current customer you will extend your contract and no credit check will be required.
iPhone available off-contract as Go Phone!!!
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No. If you are a current customer you will extend your contract and no credit check will be required.
Actually, if you already have a ATT account, it probably means that you have good enough credit which means that you are NOT eligible for GoPhone plans. However, people with bad credit, existing GoPhone customers can go for the GoPhone plans. Also, those who are currently on PayG prepaid can upgrade to GoPhone pick your plan.
Its simple....if you have good credit, you HAVE to take the 2 year contract!
b3beater
macrumors member
I'm sure this is the price that Apple had to pay to get a cell company in bed with them on this...
I'm surprised they haven't mentioned about getting them engraved... not that I know if anyone takes advantage of this on the ipod level....
Now when can we turn our attention to important things like when is "Family Guy" going to be on the itunes store?!
colanutnm
macrumors newbie
Why I Use a Pre-Paid Plan
I think some people are confused as to what a pre-paid plan is. Here are two reasons for a plan (there are probably more).
1. as described above, people with bad credit get a bum deal on a traditional plan, but thems the breaks.
2. (my case and the case of many people I know):
there are a lot of complaints that $30 for 200 minutes is a rip off. Its not, its 15 cents a minute and is cheaper and more convenient than a pay phone. I buy 12 cents a minute for my phone with a requirement to top off $20 every three months. With my talking habits, my "plan" is $20 for 3 months of service, with lots that roll over every quarter. 200 minutes is more than I use in 9-12 months. Pay as you go is a great deal for many people like me. We pay for the minutes we use, which are not a lot. In a traditional plan of 450 minutes a month. I lose money, lots of it. All the free weekends and nights don't mean jack to me. The cost of a plan, reoccurring monthly, is a massive cash sink.
Why do I have a cell phone? Small conversations, emergencies and convenience. So please, don't talk down the value of pre paid plans just because you can't see the value other people get from them.
A pre-paid iPhone would be fun because it takes my little phone and adds a lot of great features I wish I had in a portable format.
Thanks for listening.
I think some people are confused as to what a pre-paid plan is. Here are two reasons for a plan (there are probably more).
1. as described above, people with bad credit get a bum deal on a traditional plan, but thems the breaks.
2. (my case and the case of many people I know):
there are a lot of complaints that $30 for 200 minutes is a rip off. Its not, its 15 cents a minute and is cheaper and more convenient than a pay phone. I buy 12 cents a minute for my phone with a requirement to top off $20 every three months. With my talking habits, my "plan" is $20 for 3 months of service, with lots that roll over every quarter. 200 minutes is more than I use in 9-12 months. Pay as you go is a great deal for many people like me. We pay for the minutes we use, which are not a lot. In a traditional plan of 450 minutes a month. I lose money, lots of it. All the free weekends and nights don't mean jack to me. The cost of a plan, reoccurring monthly, is a massive cash sink.
Why do I have a cell phone? Small conversations, emergencies and convenience. So please, don't talk down the value of pre paid plans just because you can't see the value other people get from them.
A pre-paid iPhone would be fun because it takes my little phone and adds a lot of great features I wish I had in a portable format.
Thanks for listening.
Option A: Sign up for two years. Cancel after three months. Pay $175 + 3*$60 = $355. Sell on E-bay for $1000. Let somebody else figure out how to unlock it and make $146 profit (minus tax).
Option B: Fake bad credit. Pay $250 deposit. Buy one $50 pre-paid card. Total $310. Sell on E-bay for $1000. Let somebody else figure out how to unlock it and make $190 profit (minus tax).
AT&T stores & credit checks...
After calling 1-888-333-6651 option 1,3,3 several times and arguing with supervisors I finally got through to a rep that would help me. They were REALLY against the idea of giving me a ban number. Trying to say they can't run my credit twice because the ban number would be different that the one they give me now. B.S.
I got my ban number after an hour, and now I won't have to listen to the required sales pitch from AT&T store reps trying to get commission.
Although I'm shure they will still try because they're required to...
I love pissing off commissioned sales people, I used to be one. I got in an argument last week with an AT&T rep. over iPhone.
I said "I'm leaving the store without activating."
He said "No, you're not. It's company policy, how else would we receive commission?"
I said "We'll see..."
Guess who's right
After calling 1-888-333-6651 option 1,3,3 several times and arguing with supervisors I finally got through to a rep that would help me. They were REALLY against the idea of giving me a ban number. Trying to say they can't run my credit twice because the ban number would be different that the one they give me now. B.S.
I got my ban number after an hour, and now I won't have to listen to the required sales pitch from AT&T store reps trying to get commission.
Although I'm shure they will still try because they're required to...
I love pissing off commissioned sales people, I used to be one. I got in an argument last week with an AT&T rep. over iPhone.
I said "I'm leaving the store without activating."
He said "No, you're not. It's company policy, how else would we receive commission?"
I said "We'll see..."
Guess who's right
How the heck can one FAKE bad credit? And if you do fake bad credit, why not just go with the GoPhone pick your plan rather than pony'g up 250 smackers?
What is all the fuss about the contract? It is a phone that won't even work on other networks at present anyway. The argument about a new iPhone coming out next year and being locked into contract with the current phone is moot. The iPhone is unsubsidized so if they come out with a new iPhone 2.0 next June you can just go buy that one and it will extend your contract another two years from that point forward. Having to put a deposit down on a phone may end up locking you in more than think. When do you get that money back, what happens if you want to upgrade to a new phone - you have to put another $750 ontop of the other $750?
-Jerry C.
-Jerry C.
powerbook911
macrumors 601
What about just entering 1s as your SS#. I wonder if that would fail you and then you could use pick as you go?
Personally, I want the regular plan, for $10 more and all the minutes.
Personally, I want the regular plan, for $10 more and all the minutes.
Option C:Buy iphone at store $650 bucks activate phone with false SSN requiring use of pick-you-plan. Cancel pick-you-plan next day. Phone is still active
Sell on ebay as activated/non-activated phone, tell them to take it to ATT store to add iphone data plan to their account. Make about 300 bucks.
You could actually sell this at major markups because the phone is not activated and can be swapped with ATT sims, minus visual voice mail. If they wanted the iphone data plan added they can without extending their contract.
Ugg
macrumors 68000
You obviously don't understand how prepaid plans work.
For AT&T's gophone, you don't need to have a credit check done at all. All you need to do is sign up for the plan, there's no credit check, there's no deposit, nothing.
Prepaid plans have nothing to do with how good or bad one's credit is.
AT&T wants you to think that you need to sign up for their two year contract, however it's not necessary. For those who use their phone a lot, it's probably a good deal, for those who don't and simply want it for its wifi capabilities, then you can save ten dollars a month and having to sign a two year contract.
unconcious
macrumors newbie
Current ATT custormes
I am a little confused regarding the credit check. I am currently an AT&T customer and have been for the past 2 years, am I going to have to go through the credit check?
I am a little confused regarding the credit check. I am currently an AT&T customer and have been for the past 2 years, am I going to have to go through the credit check?
I am a little confused regarding the credit check. I am currently an AT&T customer and have been for the past 2 years, am I going to have to go through the credit check?
I don't believe so. Existing customers just need to extend their contracts another 2 years I believe.
One undesired consequence of the iPhone for AT&T, and perhaps other cellular providers as well, is the scrutiny that their contracts and business practices are going to get in the media from all this.
-Jerry C.
I am a little confused regarding the credit check. I am currently an AT&T customer and have been for the past 2 years, am I going to have to go through the credit check?
I don't think so, if you're going from an old contract to a new contract. You should be able to pick "existing customer" and skip it. If you're going from a gophone or a month-to-month maybe then...
Err, i don't think you read the whole thread. I know what you're talking about but what you don't know is that when it comes to the iPhone, getting a prepaid plan is NOT an option. You're only eligible for it if you have bad credit or no credit for that matter.
Apple clearly states that a 2 year contract is mandatory for anyone who fulfills the credit requirement. You cannot go into the store and say, "I want to get an iPhone on a GoPhone plan". Nopes, ain't gonna work like that! Apple's going to tell you that the iPhone is only available on a 2 year contract and the only way you can possibly get on the GoPhone plan is if you fail the credit check.
dukeblue91
macrumors 65816
I guess the thing to do is for people that want to take advantage of the pay as you go packages, is to do it now and then upgrade tomorrow as a current customer and add the data package.
As of right now you can just sign up for this plan with any other phone regardless if you have good or bad credit.
As for me, having a wireless phone bill is just fact of life and I had a contract with one carrier or another for as long as I can think of in my adult life.
As of right now you can just sign up for this plan with any other phone regardless if you have good or bad credit.
As for me, having a wireless phone bill is just fact of life and I had a contract with one carrier or another for as long as I can think of in my adult life.
True, but who knows about how you're going to be able to sell your v1.0?
If you do sell it is the buyer going to be able to activate it? (probably, but just a thought)
Also pre-paid is a scam! If you keep your payG account up for a year you've more than paid for the deposit. and after the 2yr contract is up it credits back to your account.
Plus I doubt apple will release v2.0 with in a year much less 1.5 years. for v2.0 I'd guess sometime around x-mas 2008...
I usually keep any handset I buy for at least 2 years.
It's just so much more worth it to go with the contract. that's why the cell companies in the US suck so bad.
Lasts as long as the minutes last.
Ugg
macrumors 68000
Nowhere does it say that.
AT&T wants to sell two year contracts. Apple wants to sell phones. I can't imagine that Apple would allow AT&T to turn away customers.
If the training manual is correct, then anyone who has a go phone account will be able to buy an iPhone.
We might be both talking out of places where the sun never shines though. Tomorrow will tell!