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iPhone Upgrade Guide - Upgrade Swap Clarification

H

HighNoon

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 10, 2010
35
1
Dallas, TX
So today I was reading the iPhone Upgrade Guide and saw the following:

"3. Can I use someone else's upgrade? Yes, this is called an "upgrade swap". AT&T will allow you to upgrade any line to receive a new phone. You can then activate that phone on any phone line you like. Apple is able to do this in store also, but it requires a bit more time since they have to call AT&T first. If you pre-order and recieve the phone by mail, you will need to contact AT&T to let them know that you will be activating the phone on another line."

My current situation:
I am on a family plan with a total of two lines. My line is not eligible until 7/23, so all I can get is "early upgrade pricing". My mom's line is currently eligible for "full upgrade pricing". I am planning on using my mom's upgrade to get an iPhone 4.

I want to preorder the phone from Apple.com on the 15th, and hopefully receive it the afternoon of the 24th. From my understanding, the microSIM that ships with the phone will be programmed for the line whose upgrade was used. However, the iPhone Upgrade Guide makes it sound like I can call AT&T once I receive the phone (and before I activate it), and have AT&T switch the microSIM from my mom's line to mine. Is this possible?

Thank you
 
HighNoon said:
So today I was reading the iPhone Upgrade Guide and saw the following:

"3. Can I use someone else's upgrade? Yes, this is called an "upgrade swap". AT&T will allow you to upgrade any line to receive a new phone. You can then activate that phone on any phone line you like. Apple is able to do this in store also, but it requires a bit more time since they have to call AT&T first. If you pre-order and recieve the phone by mail, you will need to contact AT&T to let them know that you will be activating the phone on another line."

My current situation:
I am on a family plan with a total of two lines. My line is not eligible until 7/23, so all I can get is "early upgrade pricing". My mom's line is currently eligible for "full upgrade pricing". I am planning on using my mom's upgrade to get an iPhone 4.

I want to preorder the phone from Apple.com on the 15th, and hopefully receive it the afternoon of the 24th. From my understanding, the microSIM that ships with the phone will be programmed for the line whose upgrade was used. However, the iPhone Upgrade Guide makes it sound like I can call AT&T once I receive the phone (and before I activate it), and have AT&T switch the microSIM from my mom's line to mine. Is this possible?

Thank you
Click to expand...

Yeah you're correct. When you get the phone, call AT&T FIRST. Do not plug it up. They have to switch the sim card to yours to avoid deactivating your mom's.

Trust me, it is not a pretty picture when your mom freaks out why her phone stops working lol :eek:
 
truciet said:
Yeah you're correct. When you get the phone, call AT&T FIRST. Do not plug it up. They have to switch the sim card to yours to avoid deactivating your mom's.

Trust me, it is not a pretty picture when your mom freaks out why her phone stops working lol :eek:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply.

Have you gone through this process in the past? Any idea how long it takes? I'm assuming AT&T's phone lines are going to be crazy busy on the 24th, but I'm willing to wait. Anything's better than dealing with the crowds at the local AT&T store.

Do you know how they actually switch the microSIM from one account to the other? I don't get how they would do it if the microSIM is just sitting in the box. Also... my mom's regular SIM card will be unaffected by this whole process, correct?
 
Geckotek said:
Is the wording unclear?
Click to expand...

Personally, I was hearing two things:
1. Plug your pre-ordered iPhone 4 into iTunes and activate on any line (doesn't have to be the one that was used to order)

or

2. When you receive your pre-ordered iPhone 4, do not activate but, call AT&T's Customer Care or go into your local AT&T store and have AT&T switch the microSIM from the ordered line to another.

It seems the latter is the correct way to go about an upgrade swap.
 
bleighv said:
Personally, I was hearing two things:
1. Plug your pre-ordered iPhone 4 into iTunes and activate on any line (doesn't have to be the one that was used to order)

or

2. When you receive your pre-ordered iPhone 4, do not activate but, call AT&T's Customer Care or go into your local AT&T store and have AT&T switch the microSIM from the ordered line to another.

It seems the latter is the correct way to go about an upgrade swap.
Click to expand...

Interesting as the phrase doesn't even include the word iTunes.

Do you have a suggestion on a better way to phrase it?
 
Geckotek said:
Interesting as the phrase doesn't even include the word iTunes.

Do you have a suggestion on a better way to phrase it?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think I was just reading too many posts about activating on iTunes and blah blah blah. It's not the Guide's fault whatsoever it's just many people assume that the only way to activate the phone is with iTunes.

Maybe just put a note saying: The activation is by calling AT&T or going to a local AT&T store, not by iTunes.

Idk, something like that I suppose.
 
bleighv said:
Yeah, I think I was just reading too many posts about activating on iTunes and blah blah blah. It's not the Guide's fault whatsoever it's just many people assume that the only way to activate the phone is with iTunes.

Maybe just put a note saying: The activation is by calling AT&T or going to a local AT&T store, not by iTunes.

Idk, something like that I suppose.
Click to expand...

Actually, the activation is through iTunes. The step about calling AT&T is making sure that the SIMs number is associated with the correct account in AT&Ts system BEFORE you activate w/ iTunes.

I'll look into the wording again later. I'm so ready to leave work early today. No motivation and energy @ 4:00 on a Friday. :p
 
I ordered the 3GS last year from Apple and then took it into the AT&T store for the swap. I had no update on my line and was using my husband's update. AT&T said fine, no problem and they did the swap. Just to make sure it was all correct, I repeated everything again before I left. This person at AT&T was the same person that I had purchased the 3G from so he had been there a while.

Got home and everything was fine. A few days later I was checking my account and what do you know, my husband had the new iphone on his account. His phone is a Razor. Got it corrected and all ok and the Razor line remained eligible for update. :)
 
I plan at buying at radio shack. Do they activate the phone in store? I'm also using my dads upgrade and putting it on my line. Can they do this in store?
 
RKilbane20 said:
I plan at buying at radio shack. Do they activate the phone in store? I'm also using my dads upgrade and putting it on my line. Can they do this in store?
Click to expand...

First year for RS so we have no idea. But if they work like the other stores, yes. They will have to call AT&T. But they may not be aware of it.
 
Geckotek said:
Actually, the activation is through iTunes. The step about calling AT&T is making sure that the SIMs number is associated with the correct account in AT&Ts system BEFORE you activate w/ iTunes.

I'll look into the wording again later. I'm so ready to leave work early today. No motivation and energy @ 4:00 on a Friday. :p
Click to expand...

The new wording in the Upgrade Guide is great! Doesn't leave any space for confusion (for me at least) haha. Thanks!
 
RKilbane20 said:
I plan at buying at radio shack. Do they activate the phone in store? I'm also using my dads upgrade and putting it on my line. Can they do this in store?
Click to expand...

I'm actually in the same boat and apparently your dad needs to be with you to buy the phone because its his line you are upgrading. the problem is that they need to activate the phone in store to get reimbursed by whoever (at&t/apple) and that they wont let you walk out of the store and go to at&t to do the upgrade swap. otherwise it'll cost you the full $699 or whatever. and i went to my at&t store and you cant upgrade swap before having the phone on hand. you either have to buy the phone there and they do it or you have to already have the phone. technically radio shack can do it but im pretty sure everything is gonna be packed so i doubt theyll be able to make a call to an at&t store.
 
kotak07 said:
I'm actually in the same boat and apparently your dad needs to be with you to buy the phone because its his line you are upgrading. the problem is that they need to activate the phone in store to get reimbursed by whoever (at&t/apple) and that they wont let you walk out of the store and go to at&t to do the upgrade swap. otherwise it'll cost you the full $699 or whatever. and i went to my at&t store and you cant upgrade swap before having the phone on hand. you either have to buy the phone there and they do it or you have to already have the phone. technically radio shack can do it but im pretty sure everything is gonna be packed so i doubt theyll be able to make a call to an at&t store.
Click to expand...

You just need to call AT&T CS and have them perform the swap BEFORE RS activates the phone. No biggie.
 
Confirm Requirements

What must I actually bring to the apple store to perform the upgrade swap?
 
Geckotek said:
On the day of getting the phone. Can't do it w/o having the phone in hand. Need the IMEI and ICCI numbers.
Click to expand...

After reading so many posts and getting more confused, I took a walk from work to the downtown NY AT&T store. The rep clearly said you don't need to activate do the swap. You can activate it but it's not mandatory. She said they are expecting Micro SIM stock tonight and she should be able to give me a MicroSIM tomorrow for my phone(upgrading my wife's line) and I should be able to activate the phone with it and she will also give another regular SIM for my other phone on which I took the upgrade.

So, YES, you need to visit AT&T store to get the swap.

Hope this clears.
 
suresh31 said:
After reading so many posts and getting more confused, I took a walk from work to the downtown NY AT&T store. The rep clearly said you don't need to activate do the swap. You can activate it but it's not mandatory. She said they are expecting Micro SIM stock tonight and she should be able to give me a MicroSIM tomorrow for my phone(upgrading my wife's line) and I should be able to activate the phone with it and she will also give another regular SIM for my other phone on which I took the upgrade.

So, YES, you need to visit AT&T store to get the swap.

Hope this clears.
Click to expand...

Wow, so much misinformation. Read the link above in Dave's post. You do NOT have to visit the AT&T store. If you swap before activating (as you should) no extra SIMS are necessary.
 
Upgrade swap question.

Is it possible to do an upgrade swap with someone on another account or will we have to activate on the upgraded account then swap and get new sim cards?
 
Geckotek said:
Wow, so much misinformation. Read the link above in Dave's post. You do NOT have to visit the AT&T store. If you swap before activating (as you should) no extra SIMS are necessary.
Click to expand...

Thats not what the rep said. She clearlt said you need two new sims, one for each line.
 
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