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Carrier Swap AT&T SIM from 6s+ to 7+, avoid activation fee?
- Thread starter ugh
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AT$T says so. You can try and call and ask them to wave the fee. I've never been successful with that though.
Interesting. Usually I've been able to have them waive it.
When the iPhone 6 came out, I bought the Verizon version and inserted the AT&T SIM from my 5s. After a few days I got a text saying I needed to get a new SIM card. I went to an AT&T store and they just programmed a new one and gave it to me at no charge. They said the new SIM was provisioned for VoLTE, though I think VoLTE was working fine with the old SIM.
Anyway, I'm buying a Verizon iPhone 7 this year and plan to just swap out my iPhone 6S SIM.
I upgraded our third dummy line (that I can close out this month! yay!) last year to the 6s+ since it had upgrade eligibility (swapped it with my line's non-eligibility). Swapped the SIM cards and even the AT&T guy was like, don't worry about it. We don't care.
I have always put my existing SIM in my new iPhone. Never paid any fee. They did nothing and do not deserve any money
Why don't you buy your phone from Apple (i.e., making payments or paying outright to Apple without any phone payments to AT&T) and pop your old SIM into the new phone?
Does AT&T charge an activation fee for this too?
Does AT&T charge an activation fee for this too?
It depends how you get the phone. You may have noticed that even if you want to pay outright for the phone from Apple, they force you to verify your carrier account and phone number. This is what they use to skim off the top and charge you the bogus "upgrade fee", regardless of if you are having them activate it for you or not.
If you buy the unlocked model, you should be able to just insert your SIM card without triggering any charge from the carrier, since they won't know that you bought a new phone.
If you buy the unlocked model, you should be able to just insert your SIM card without triggering any charge from the carrier, since they won't know that you bought a new phone.
Per Apple's website, it appears that they will sell you an unlocked phone if you select "Apple iPhone Installments" and I hope this will not require customers to pay the upgrade fee, but time will tell.
NO, they have not. I have bought my iPhones outright from Apple and never paid AT&T a fee for putting my own sim card in it. This is the first time the actually notified AT&T when placing my order so thing might change.
Ugh, I paid full price for the phone but it still asked for my AT&T account info (WHY??) so I assume it will charge me an activation fee once I turn on the device. I'm going to just swap my SIM card in before turning it on so that it never activates. Definitely going to fight the activation fee on this one.
I'm doubting this will happen to me. I bought the unlocked t-mobile version to use on ATT which we will be leaving in about a month anyway.
Being on an old grandfathered shared minutes plan, I've always done the $200/$300 iPhone upgrade with 2 year contract, which is no longer available to me. Up until my iPhone 6S upgrade, they charged me the upgrade fee, and almost every time, I have been successful in calling them and getting the bogus upgrade fee waived. There was only one time when I got a partial waiver, but there have also been times when they credited more than the upgrade fee.
This time around, I'm being forced into the outright purchase or installment plan. So, waiting to see how this will work for me.
This time around, I'm being forced into the outright purchase or installment plan. So, waiting to see how this will work for me.
Has anybody had more experience with this lately?
I have a 5S on AT&T. In an attempt to retain my grandfathered unlimited data, I was going to outright buy a unlocked 6S or 7 from Apple and swap in my SIM. I was under the assumption id be okay, but now concerned I'd get dinged with an activation charge.
I have a 5S on AT&T. In an attempt to retain my grandfathered unlimited data, I was going to outright buy a unlocked 6S or 7 from Apple and swap in my SIM. I was under the assumption id be okay, but now concerned I'd get dinged with an activation charge.
You will be fine, all my iPhone purchases I buy outright and just swap the Sim. Still have my unlimited grandfathered plan and have not seen any bogus charges as well.