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Carrier Switching from AT&T to Tmobile

BJB Productions

BJB Productions

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 10, 2008
1,314
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I'm going to give it a shot... It's going to cut my bill in more than half from what I would be paying switching to AT&T Next. For that price, I'm willing to give up some coverage. (Hopefully I won't regret that). I'm hoping the new low frequency band will make things better. Plus, there's just so many other features going for Tmobile with their worldwide text / data, flight texting, etc.

I believe I'm going to go with Jump - I did the price comparison to buying an iPhone every year, then selling it again. After tax, it seems like it would most likely be a wash if not cost me a little more. It would be a little bit of a gamble to know how much I would be able to sell my previous iPhone for.

With Jump, if I have a defective iPhone (something wrong with it that was not my doing), will they replace it?
 
I'm about to Jump on over to Tmobile..again. I was with them and switched to AT&T last year when the 6 was released. I have 7 lines on my account and AT&T has completely bled me dry from data overages and the disaster when they merged with Directv and combined billing....2 weeks and they still can't fix my bill!!
I just ordered a bunch of iPhones from Tmobile and will take them up on their very generous buyout program for switching. The coverage has been great with AT&T no complaints...The service was also great...It's the nickel and dime game they play extracting every penny they can.
I regret switching last year but I fell victim to the grass is always greener syndrome. I learned the grass at AT&T is only as green when you are paying 2x much for it.
 
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Sorry to hear that. I hope it works out. I have to agree their coverage and service has been amazing, so it will take some getting used to. Hopefully not as much as I'm bracing for.
 
macmaccy said:
I'm about to Jump on over to Tmobile..again. I was with them and switched to AT&T last year when the 6 was released. I have 7 lines on my account and AT&T has completely bled me dry from data overages and the disaster when they merged with Directv and combined billing....2 weeks and they still can't fix my bill!!
I just ordered a bunch of iPhones from Tmobile and will take them up on their very generous buyout program for switching. The coverage has been great with AT&T no complaints...The service was also great...It's the nickel and dime game they play extracting every penny they can.
I regret switching last year but I fell victim to the grass is always greener syndrome. I learned the grass at AT&T is only as green when you are paying 2x much for it.
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I'm so happy I switched earlier in the year when AT&T have a scammer my SIM card and access to my account. Those people might have a decent network, but idiots running the show.

T-Mobile is awesome- you missed the train on the super cheap unlimited data (it was 50 per line, which is awesome for my family) but as long as you're in a spot with good coverage, you're golden. Plus, the 6s and 6s+ will be picking up a new cell band, allowing you better coverage. Winning!
 
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decided to do the switch this year one) because our bill was dropped by $100 and two) it was the only way to get the new iphone 6s without spending an arm and a leg. hopefully I won't regret this change.
 
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hansenc said:
decided to do the switch this year one) because our bill was dropped by $100 and two) it was the only way to get the new iphone 6s without spending an arm and a leg. hopefully I won't regret this change.
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I find myself wavering at the 11th hour - still concerned about not having coverage when I really need it.
 
T-Mobile coverage is "worse" but not unacceptable. It's bad mostly indoors, so with new lower freq band, it should somehow get better.
But I also have Att on my iPad, unlimited data plan, I. Can't say for calling (remember T-Mobile has wifi calling), but as for LTE speeds, Att is not noticeably faster than T-Mobile in generally. Or I guess I can even say T-Mobile is faster, better by a little bit, at lease in my area (mostly California and Seattle)
 
My personal experience with switching off AT&T to T-Mo has been wonderful so far.

I was on a trip to Vancouver, Canada earlier this year, the month they announced the North America Plans. I didn't want to let go of my 2-line unlimited plan promo, so I slapped the $10 option on before the trip and had hassle free service up there. Even my Mobile Hotspot allocation was used for my travel partners, and they didn't get anywhere near the 7GB limit. I took the NA option off before my next billing cycle and my bill went back to normal. When I was with AT&T, that trip would have been some hefty coin out of my pocket.

At home and in places where I frequent, I've noticed better speeds than when I was with AT&T, even though I'm only getting 1 dot of LTE. vs the 3-4 from before. Verizon still has best "coverage" in my area, though I can still get internet access while my VZW friends report full signal but the page just sits there loading.

Not saying this is how everyone's experience will be, but I haven't had any glaring issues with switching.

Granted, getting a usable signal inside some buildings is tough on the iPhone 6, but with the new LTE Band 12 support in the 6s, this should improve.
 
I've been seriously considering switching. The girlfriend has it and it is only worse if we travel to more rural places.
 
how about wifi calling and t-mobile for areas with no coverage? ( for your home or work )
they give away wifi callng

think about all those people that have AT&T coverage issues. att's only solution is to download " x marks the spot " so you can tell them where you are having issues or spend $199 for an AT&T 3G MICROCELL

i used to tell people that the money you save in not being charged overages or traveling to mexico or canada with t-mobile would pay for an AT&T go phone account @ 10 cents a minute for those areas where you can't call out

iOS 9 is coming out in 3 days!!! tmo customers can take advantage of handoff over WAN ! when i phone call comes in even if your iPhone is in a totally different part of the city, your iPad, watch , iPod, mac, will still ring! so you can make and receive calls! oh i cant wait

tmobile will give you your money back now. they guarantee coverage for devices purchased with channel 12, like the new iPhone 6s. if you return it in 30 days.

also if its been longer then 30 days, you will continue to make payments on your phone but you will get an unlock before the iPhone is paid off, so you can take it back to AT&T
 
capitanbuzo said:
I've been seriously considering switching. The girlfriend has it and it is only worse if we travel to more rural places.
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T-Mo's LTE Band 12 on the 6s should help. Since it's a lower frequency (700MHz) the signal can travel farther into rural areas and it has better building penetration.
 
The19th said:
T-Mo's LTE Band 12 on the 6s should help. Since it's a lower frequency (700MHz) the signal can travel farther into rural areas and it has better building penetration.
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you get a money back guarantee with band 12 devices, i mentioned that earlier
if its too late for your money back, they unlock your phone permanently while you still continue to make device payments
 
We're switching from AT&T to T-Mobile, it was the best way to get the new iPhones so we could upgrade the storage capacity (made the mistake of getting 16GB iPhones last year) by taking advantage of their buyout deal. Plus they just seem like a better deal, we'll be going from 2 lines sharing 1GB to 2 lines with 10GB each for about the same price (probably a tad more but that's because of phone cost). Then there's the other features like music streaming. Not to worried about coverage, AT&T isn't great where we live and use an M-Cell. Wifi calling should alleviate any issues, and T-Mobile wifi calling sounds better then what AT&T will be implementing. I've been using AT&T wifi calling for a while now on beta and I'm not impressed, you can't control it and it doesn't always switch over when it needs to.
 
rigormortis said:
you get a money back guarantee with band 12 devices, i mentioned that earlier
if its too late for your money back, they unlock your phone permanently while you still continue to make device payments
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I'm not sure if that was directed towards me, but I'm happy with my T-Mo service, so I don't think I'll be taking advantage of this.

But for reference, here is a link to T-Mo's Lifetime Coverage Guarantee and it only applies to certain Band 12 phones purchased using Jump on Demand.
 
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Glad to hear so many good things. I'm still making my decision. Something about the Tmobile plan just gives me more peace of mind vs feeling locked into Next 12. Only bummer is the plan I would be switching to only is 1gb of LTE and then it's throttled. (It's an old unlimited family plan). I don't use much data; but usually go a little over 1gb.
 
BJB Productions said:
Thanks. I would welcome anyone else's input into as well...having second thoughts.
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I haven't regretted a day since I switched last year. It took me a long time to give up my AT&T unlimited plan but then I realized it just wasn't worth it. TMO's service has actually been better *for me* than AT&T's. Weird, I know. But the real kicker was WiFi calling. It works so well, there isn't anyplace I don't have service now. I'm not sure where you are but before switching, I recommend getting a pre-paid sim to make sure you get service where you need it. But their customer service has been great in my experiences.

Also, if you travel, you can use your phone in Canada & Mexico the same was as you do in the US. The LTE speeds are fast! And if you travel across the oceans, you get free roaming and texts. I can't tell you how much that has saved me. I just love them.
 
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E3BK said:
I haven't regretted a day since I switched last year. It took me a long time to give up my AT&T unlimited plan but then I realized it just wasn't worth it. TMO's service has actually been better *for me* than AT&T's. Weird, I know. But the real kicker was WiFi calling. It works so well, there isn't anyplace I don't have service now. I'm not sure where you are but before switching, I recommend getting a pre-paid sim to make sure you get service where you need it. But their customer service has been great in my experiences.

Also, if you travel, you can use your phone in Canada & Mexico the same was as you do in the US. The LTE speeds are fast! And if you travel across the oceans, you get free roaming and texts. I can't tell you how much that has saved me. I just love them.
Click to expand...

So great to hear that! I'm in Chicago, and travel a few times a year - sometimes overseas. I would love to have free data out of the country. When I traveled to Kentucky with my wife, there were many times where my ATT coverage saved us because she had no coverage. Same has happened in other places, too. I guess it's a risk I just have to take.
 
Whether or not I upgrade my 6 next year when my ATT contract ends, I'm planning to switch to TMobile in preparation for an out of the country vacation. Cheaper international usage with TMobile. And, if I like it, I can keep it. If I don't, I can switch again.
 
tbobmccoy said:
I'm so happy I switched earlier in the year when AT&T have a scammer my SIM card and access to my account. Those people might have a decent network, but idiots running the show.

T-Mobile is awesome- you missed the train on the super cheap unlimited data (it was 50 per line, which is awesome for my family) but as long as you're in a spot with good coverage, you're golden. Plus, the 6s and 6s+ will be picking up a new cell band, allowing you better coverage. Winning!
Click to expand...

That's what we've got. It's great because my daughter is a data hog. :-/

I will say coverage with AT&T was a bit better than TMo, but not by much. Like you, I'm hoping the 6s really does net me even better coverage. They have such good other perks.
 
BJB Productions said:
So great to hear that! I'm in Chicago, and travel a few times a year - sometimes overseas. I would love to have free data out of the country. When I traveled to Kentucky with my wife, there were many times where my ATT coverage saved us because she had no coverage. Same has happened in other places, too. I guess it's a risk I just have to take.
Click to expand...

I was just in Chicago and the service there was excellent. I hope the switch works out for you!!
 
BJB Productions said:
So great to hear that! I'm in Chicago, and travel a few times a year - sometimes overseas. I would love to have free data out of the country. When I traveled to Kentucky with my wife, there were many times where my ATT coverage saved us because she had no coverage. Same has happened in other places, too. I guess it's a risk I just have to take.
Click to expand...

T-Mobile's service may be great in Chicago, but be aware that LTE Band 12 will not be coming there anytime soon since someone else own's the 700 mhz spectrum there. All that means is the increased signal within buildings won't be coming there anytime soon. However, if there's wifi in the building where you're at (and your home) then it doesn't matter because you can use wi-fi calling anyway.

I'm a 18-year AT&T customer that has a AT&T UDP and i'm leaving them for T-Mobile too.
 
Bryan Bowler said:
T-Mobile's service may be great in Chicago, but be aware that LTE Band 12 will not be coming there anytime soon since someone else own's the 700 mhz spectrum there. All that means is the increased signal within buildings won't be coming there anytime soon. However, if there's wifi in the building where you're at (and your home) then it doesn't matter because you can use wi-fi calling anyway.

I'm a 18-year AT&T customer that has a AT&T UDP and i'm leaving them for T-Mobile too.
Click to expand...

Ha! I didn't know about the band not working in Chicago. Great...
 
BJB Productions said:
Glad to hear so many good things. I'm still making my decision. Something about the Tmobile plan just gives me more peace of mind vs feeling locked into Next 12. Only bummer is the plan I would be switching to only is 1gb of LTE and then it's throttled. (It's an old unlimited family plan). I don't use much data; but usually go a little over 1gb.
Click to expand...

I'm curious about what "throttling" means, is it a straight drop to something super slow or is it more dynamic based on network load?
 
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