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Optional Data Plan??

touchyphone said:
So if you dont have an extra $30 a month, why would you buy a several hundred dollar device you cant keep up the monthly payments on....seems kind of off, no? I mean you can shell out several hundred, but you cant afford the price monthly, why not get a crap phone, pay $20 a month and be happy???
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Where are you getting several hundred? Its 200. It would be an iPod Touch with a phone. If someone doesn't need the internet 24/7, then that is there choice. I just bought another phone (timed it so i could return it for the iPhone if end up getting it) and with this phone i got a better price on the phone if i got a data plan. But i can cancel this data plan at any time. It's a good test for me to see if i'll really want the internet 24/7. and i don't. It would be a waste for me to spend $30 on it..right now. I lost my job (economy sucks), gas is a killer and i have to pay $500 a month for health insurance. So it should be my choice if i want the data plan.
 
skwoytek said:
I don't see what's hard to understand.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I want a cell phone and the features of an iPod touch.

Solution 1: requires carrying two devices.

Free - Flip-phone with 2 Year Plan.
$39.99 - monthly fee for flip-phone service.
$299.99 - 8GB iPod touch.

Solution 2: requires only one device.

$199.99 - 8GB iPhone with 2 Year plan.
$39.99 - monthly fee for phone service on the iPhone.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Cancel out all like terms.

Solution 1: requires carrying two devices.

Free - Flip-phone.
$299.99 - 8GB iPod touch.


Solution 2: requires only one device.

$199.99 - 8GB iPhone.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Solution 2 is the better deal by saving $100, carrying one device and having the option to add unlimited data anytime.
Click to expand...

I like solution 2 also. The way Steve introduced the iPhone as being affordable was misleading. He said nobody would pay more than $199 for it. It sounded like they actually lowered the prices of it. But now AT&T says that is the subsidized price for it. So what Steve said was wrong. People will pay more for it. If that was the price of the iPhone, then there wouldn't be talk of a data plan you have no choice but to buy.
 
leodavinci0 said:
The optional to cancel the data plan online is back. Considering you can cancel the data plan now (I did), I would think you will have that option with the new iphone. Also, since they brought the option back online only last week, it seems reasonable they wouldn't do that if they weren't going to give the 3G iPhone users the option as well. Also, when you cancel your data plan the "E" disappears from the menubar of the iPhone, and you can't access the internet. There is no pay as you go plan.

There are several other posts in the forums about what you need to do to cancel the plan, and how it works, as well as how the iPhone changes after you cancel it.
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Wow, so they took that away, then put it back? AT&T has a difficult situation on their hands. They can't say iPhone people can't cancel their plan. Every other phone you can. The phone i bought, you can. When i bought my phone i asked the salesman about the iPhone and if i would be able to cancel the plan. He said no. But that jerk probably just wanted my sale. If AT&T says we can cancel the plan, then i'll exchange this phone for the iPhone.
 
diamond.g said:
For those that have canceled their data plan, does visual voicemail still work? That is a pretty cool feature to lose (if it doesn't work without data).
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No, it does not. You set up regular voicemail, and the iPhone UI is prepared for this with new buttons and all. The other thing that you lose is SMS, which will be an even greater deal breaker for some.

In my case, I just rarely use SMS and don't use EDGE enough to justify $20/month. For those that want to save money, and ironically enough want an iPhone like me, using 1-800-Goog411 is an excellent way of doing searches without the need for SMS or internet, and it's free.

Edit: Also, you can turn EDGE back on at any time, and it is instantaneous (or at least turning it off was). I'm told that you pay for what you use, so 75 cents a day theoretically. I haven't got a proper bill yet (AT&T keeps screwing it up) so I can't say for sure. Supposely you won't be billed for it until the bill after next of using it.
 
Sweetbike40 said:
Wow, so they took that away, then put it back? AT&T has a difficult situation on their hands. They can't say iPhone people can't cancel their plan. Every other phone you can. The phone i bought, you can. When i bought my phone i asked the salesman about the iPhone and if i would be able to cancel the plan. He said no. But that jerk probably just wanted my sale. If AT&T says we can cancel the plan, then i'll exchange this phone for the iPhone.
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The option to cancel was never impossible, only impossible online. I cancelled mine during the time the option was not online. I just did it by calling a customer service rep, which I think you will need to do anyway unless they automated the processing of setting up regular voicemail. Before they had to set it up for you.
 
leodavinci0 said:
The option to cancel was never impossible, only impossible online. I cancelled mine during the time the option was not online. I just did it by calling a customer service rep, which I think you will need to do anyway unless they automated the processing of setting up regular voicemail. Before they had to set it up for you.
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OH ok. I get what you are saying. When i bought this new phone (don't want to say what it is, but i do actually like it) the salesmen said i had to call him to cancel the plan. He said otherwise the cancellation could get messed up.
 
this is good news for me....

it sounds like since SMS is going to be separate on the new plans, that you should be able to cancel the data, and still have the SMS for 5 bucks a month....
i guess i could handle that. i don't do a lot of texting, but i often go over with my current plan so it's not like that would be any more expensive (for me).
 
leodavinci0 said:
If not then AT&T has some esplanin to do, since I can't SMS.
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Do you have a separate texting plan, or did you only have the plan with the 200 SMS messages included with the data?

It would make sense if you had only the original data+200 texting plan that you would lose SMS if you cancelled that.

I am looking for a way that my daughter can replace/consolidate her iPod+cell phone with an iPhone, but not have to pay the $30 data plan. I already have unlimited texting, so this might work, if you can txt with a separate texting plan...
 
aross99 said:
Do you have a separate texting plan, or did you only have the plan with the 200 SMS messages included with the data?

It would make sense if you had only the original data+200 texting plan that you would lose SMS if you cancelled that.

I am looking for a way that my daughter can replace/consolidate her iPod+cell phone with an iPhone, but not have to pay the $30 data plan. I already have unlimited texting, so this might work, if you can txt with a separate texting plan...
Click to expand...

that sounds like that's the deal, since the sms is listed as a separate plan/charge from the data plan....
 
aross99 said:
Do you have a separate texting plan, or did you only have the plan with the 200 SMS messages included with the data?

It would make sense if you had only the original data+200 texting plan that you would lose SMS if you cancelled that.

I am looking for a way that my daughter can replace/consolidate her iPod+cell phone with an iPhone, but not have to pay the $30 data plan. I already have unlimited texting, so this might work, if you can txt with a separate texting plan...
Click to expand...

You're right, the only plan I see is the option for Data and SMS; there is no option to choose SMS separately that I see. If you find out a way of adding text for cheap without adding data let me know. Since you already have a contract with text but no data, I'm curious to know what AT&T will do when you add an iPhone and cancel the data.
 
leodavinci0 said:
You're right, the only plan I see is the option for Data and SMS; there is no option to choose SMS separately that I see. If you find out a way of adding text for cheap without adding data let me know. Since you already have a contract with text but no data, I'm curious to know what AT&T will do when you add an iPhone and cancel the data.
Click to expand...

There are all kind of text only message add-on plans. Call up AT&T to ask.
 
There's Hope

Read the letter in this thread. When they mention qualified voice plan, they then only say you can add a data plan. No mention of a data plan required.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/501955/

EDIT: Now i see something on Gizmodo website. A letter to the mangers that states a data plan is required. UGH. I'm tired of guessing and figuring it out. I guess nobody knows until the 11th. All questions answered then.
 
leodavinci0 said:
Thanks. I just called them and there are 3 actually. The cheapest is $5 for 200 texts.
Click to expand...

Let us know if you are able to add a TXT plan, and then use your iPhone to send txt's, w/o data...

It sounds like you are getting very close to exactly what I am looking for, for my daughter...
 
aross99 said:
Let us know if you are able to add a TXT plan, and then use your iPhone to send txt's, w/o data...

It sounds like you are getting very close to exactly what I am looking for, for my daughter...
Click to expand...

Same here. I just want a voice plan with text and I will be happy with just using wifi. That would be more than I have now so it would be great.

John
 
Data plans are not optional. From the memo to managers.

Data Plans and Pricing:
The iPhone 3G will be activated on existing AT&T voice rate plans, but new data plans have been created for the 3G device.

All iPhone 3G customers are required to have one of the new data plans and qualifying voice plan.
Customers intending to use the iPhone 3G for access to corporate e-mail, business applications, or access to corporate intranet are required to activate with Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone.
Click to expand...
 
Type121 said:
Data plans are not optional. From the memo to managers.
Click to expand...

Reading that made me wonder...

AT&T_Memo_to_Managers said:
The BRE period will change from 14 days to 30 days and will require the device to be returned to place of purchase before service is cancelled.
Click to expand...

AT&T is changing a lot of the rules to keep people from getting an iPhone off their network. I wonder how much they're actually paying Apple for each iPhone. In Italy, pay-as-you-go iPhone 3Gs are selling from Vodafone for the equivalent of US$775. I'm sure there's some profit in there for Vodafone since they have no guarantee of subscription income, but it shows that AT&T may be subsidizing as much as $500 per iPhone. Am I missing something?
 
aross99 said:
Let us know if you are able to add a TXT plan, and then use your iPhone to send txt's, w/o data...

It sounds like you are getting very close to exactly what I am looking for, for my daughter...
Click to expand...

The customer service rep said she could add it for me if I wanted, so it looks like you can. I didn't though, since I don't text much, and $5 is $5.

As for the other comments saying a data plan is required, it would be odd to me that it would be since AT&T just added the option to cancel it again online not too long ago. Why would they do this right before the launch if it wouldn't be an option for the new 3G? Perhaps, like the old iPhone, it is required when you first get the 3G iPhone, but you have the option afterwards of turning it off.
 
skwoytek said:
AT&T is changing a lot of the rules to keep people from getting an iPhone off their network.
Click to expand...
Actually the opposite is true. AT&T is now treating iPhone like all the other PDA-like phones they sell. The original iPhone deal was unprecedented. Looks like Steve Jobs caved in to the "business as usual" at AT&T - probably because his sales fell behind projections doing it his way.
 
leodavinci0 said:
The customer service rep said she could add it for me if I wanted, so it looks like you can. I didn't though, since I don't text much, and $5 is $5.

As for the other comments saying a data plan is required, it would be odd to me that it would be since AT&T just added the option to cancel it again online not too long ago. Why would they do this right before the launch if it wouldn't be an option for the new 3G? Perhaps, like the old iPhone, it is required when you first get the 3G iPhone, but you have the option afterwards of turning it off.
Click to expand...

AT&T emphasized the fact that the 3G would now fall into the regular smart phone data plan and would not have a special plan that the first phone did. If they are now treating the 3G like any other smart phone then it stands to reason that you would be able to decline the data plan. However knowing AT&T they will probably make another special deal for the 3G so they could get their $200 subsidy back.
 
Siron said:
AT&T emphasized the fact that the 3G would now fall into the regular smart phone data plan and would not have a special plan that the first phone did. If they are now treating the 3G like any other smart phone then it stands to reason that you would be able to decline the data plan. However knowing AT&T they will probably make another special deal for the 3G so they could get their $200 subsidy back.
Click to expand...


I know. Exactly. I wish it was clear what the deal will be. This is nuts.
One memo doesn't imply it's required, while another specifically states it is required. It's making me nuts.
 
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