Traveling to UK, AT&T won't let me unlock my 5s

[rsmith83]

Forgive my ignorance but this is the first time I've ever traveled abroad and I am getting conflicting information about unlocking my phone.

I have a 5s that is still under contract with AT&T. I will be in the UK for a few weeks and I wanted to buy a month-long prepaid SIM card from a provider there so that I could have unlimited internet. This works out much cheaper than AT&T's astronomical rates for international travel. I called AT&T and was told they cannot unlock the phone because it's not paid in full. Great.

I guess my question is, is there a legitimate way to unlock my device so that I can use it while I travel, or am I stuck using AT&T's international data plan? I've called a few friends to see if anyone has an old, off-contract iPhone that I could borrow but they're in the same boat I am -- we all sell our phones when we upgrade, thus no one has an old phone lying around.

Thanks.

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

Here's a thought, which may save you money compared to AT&T's international data plan:

Pay the ETF on your 5s. The ETF is $325 minus $10 for each month you've had service (assuming you're on a 2 year contract). So it's probably around $225 if you got your 5s soon after it launched. If you're not already, it might then make sense to switch to a mobile share plan with the discount for BYOD.

I was in the UK last summer and used an old AT&T iPhone 4 that was unlocked. I bought a SIM with unlimited 3G data from '3' for something like £20. A bargain!

 

[rsmith83]

Yes, I'm looking at the SIMs from Three. They work out to about $35 USD for unlimited internet and 600 minutes of talk (though the voice minutes aren't as important for me).

I called AT&T and they said it would be $225 ETF, so I may just do that and be done with it.

 

[617aircav]

Yes, I'm looking at the SIMs from Three. They work out to about $35 USD for unlimited internet and 600 minutes of talk (though the voice minutes aren't as important for me).

I called AT&T and they said it would be $225 ETF, so I may just do that and be done with it.

if you pay the etf and stay on your current plan with att you are giving them free money. better port to a cheaper prepaid plan.

 

[bbfc]

Here's a thought, which may save you money compared to AT&T's international data plan:

Pay the ETF on your 5s. The ETF is $325 minus $10 for each month you've had service (assuming you're on a 2 year contract). So it's probably around $225 if you got your 5s soon after it launched. If you're not already, it might then make sense to switch to a mobile share plan with the discount for BYOD.

I was in the UK last summer and used an old AT&T iPhone 4 that was unlocked. I bought a SIM with unlimited 3G data from '3' for something like £20. A bargain!

Three are well known over here for their Unlimited SIM-only deals! You can't beat them!

 

[alphaod]

How long have you been an AT&T customer?

They might be make an exception if you're a high paying customer with a long history.

Anyways the best way would be to pay it off unfortunately. Depending on what plan you have, it may also lower your bill.

 

[zipa]

You should be able to use an international SIM card in a locked phone without any problems.

 

[cnotes2019]

You should be able to use an international SIM card in a locked phone without any problems.

How so ...

 

[zipa]

How so ...

Because carrier locks should not affect international usage. And why should they?

 

[Darrensk8]

Because carrier locks should not affect international usage. And why should they?

Because that's the point of the lock, to stop you using another carriers sim, international or local...My experience is carrier locks effect ALL sims.

 

[fakerlin]

A locked AT&T phone will not work in UK. I know because I have tried. The Verizon and T-Mobile however, will. But I would still go to an AT&T store and ask if you can put your contract on hold until you are back and have them unlock your phone for your trip. That way, they would keep you as a customer when you return and you would get a cheaper solution while in UK. My store in Mission Viejo, CA was very helpful with this as I was traveling extensively a couple of years back. Good luck in the UK!

 

[617aircav]

Because carrier locks should not affect international usage. And why should they?

Did you find this out or you are making it up? Its not even debatable that when a phone is locked its locked to any other sim, be it local or international.

 

[zipa]

Did you find this out or you are making it up? Its not even debatable that when a phone is locked its locked to any other sim, be it local or international.

None of mine have ever been, but I guess the US still is a third world country when it comes to mobile. My bad.

 

[617aircav]

None of mine have ever been, but I guess the US still is a third world country when it comes to mobile. My bad.

Are you saying that in your country carrier locked phones will automatically work overseas? If so, thats awesome.

 

[zipa]

Are you saying that in your country carrier locked phones will automatically work overseas? If so, thats awesome.

Yes. One carrier actually sells "locked" phones that aren't locked at all. They just say that they are. And why should they care? They sell you the phone on contract, why should they care what SIM you actually use in it, since you'll pay them anyway. I guess they'd rather have you waste a competitors bandwidth and just collect the money from you...

The other carriers prevented the phone from using any other Finnish networks, but you could use whatever international SIM in them while travelling.

Disclaimer: Haven't bought a locked phone in almost two years now, so things might have changed here as well.

 

[MattMJB0188]

So don't have AT&T unlock it. Just pay to have a third party to unlock it. Check ebay or google iPhone 5s unlock.

 

[aristobrat]

And why should they care? They sell you the phone on contract, why should they care what SIM you actually use in it, since you'll pay them anyway. I guess they'd rather have you waste a competitors bandwidth and just collect the money from you...

If you use a SIM other than theirs (when traveling internationally), then they can't charge you their ridiculous international roaming rates.

If you don't sign up for one of AT&T's special international plans (which have monthly recurring fees), they charge US$20 per MB of data (!!!), and US$1.50/minute for phone calls.

Switch to a pre-paid local SIM, and they stand to lose quite a bit of money!

 

[rui no onna]

I called AT&T and they said it would be $225 ETF, so I may just do that and be done with it.

if you pay the etf and stay on your current plan with att you are giving them free money. better port to a cheaper prepaid plan.

Another suggestion, if you don't require LTE and don't to switch plans, why not buy a used 4/4S for $100-150? Because as 617aircav mentioned, you're giving AT&T free money if you pay the ETF while continuing to pay contract plan pricing. Another option is a used iPhone 5c. That has LTE and shouldn't cost you much more than what you'll be paying for ETF.

 

[C DM]

Another suggestion, if you don't require LTE and don't to switch plans, why not buy a used 4/4S for $100-150? Because as 617aircav mentioned, you're giving AT&T free money if you pay the ETF while continuing to pay contract plan pricing. Another option is a used iPhone 5c. That has LTE and shouldn't cost you much more than what you'll be paying for ETF.

If you pay the ETF wouldn't you have an "owned" phone at that point and get a discount on the monthly service cost?

 

[gaanee]

If you pay the ETF wouldn't you have an "owned" phone at that point and get a discount on the monthly service cost?

I checked with At&t customer service rep. the ETF is just to get it unlocked before the contract expires. Surprisingly, on the monthly billing statements it says $25 for phone and the rep told this is a service fee. So even if you pay ETF, monthly payments don't go down.

 

[rsmith83]

if you pay the etf and stay on your current plan with att you are giving them free money. better port to a cheaper prepaid plan.

Unfortunately, I have three family members also on my account, so it's all shared minutes. I wouldn't be able to do that. Their phones are all still under contract.

So don't have AT&T unlock it. Just pay to have a third party to unlock it. Check ebay or google iPhone 5s unlock.

I've considered this option but I can never get any solid answers about it. Is it reliable? Will it somehow mess up my AT&T SIM or current service? No one seems to be able to give me a straight-forward answer, so I've been avoiding this route.

 

[MattMJB0188]

Unfortunately, I have three family members also on my account, so it's all shared minutes. I wouldn't be able to do that. Their phones are all still under contract.



I've considered this option but I can never get any solid answers about it. Is it reliable? Will it somehow mess up my AT&T SIM or current service? No one seems to be able to give me a straight-forward answer, so I've been avoiding this route.

It won't mess anything up. It's perfectly legit. You just provide your IMEI number and they unlock it (whoever you choose). It may take a day or two. The morons on this site won't give you a straight answer because they feel your device should be payed in full before its unlocked. Whatever. It's your device so you can do what you want with it.

 

[rui no onna]

If you pay the ETF wouldn't you have an "owned" phone at that point and get a discount on the monthly service cost?

I checked with At&t customer service rep. the ETF is just to get it unlocked before the contract expires. Surprisingly, on the monthly billing statements it says $25 for phone and the rep told this is a service fee. So even if you pay ETF, monthly payments don't go down.

Paying ETF should get you out of the contract and should make you eligible for BYOD rates. That helps if you're on Mobile Share Value. Not so much if you're grandfathered to old Family Talk plans.

 

[uwdude]

Like somebody else said, I think buying a used phone like a 4s or 5c would be the best option. That way also, if something happens to it while you're traveling, your 5s is still at home undamaged and safe. And you've now got a backup "throwaway" phone that you can keep or sell.

 

[rui no onna]

I've considered this option but I can never get any solid answers about it. Is it reliable? Will it somehow mess up my AT&T SIM or current service? No one seems to be able to give me a straight-forward answer, so I've been avoiding this route.

Given unlocks were $100 when I checked last year, I've never used them so I couldn't really tell you how reliable those services are.

We did have 2 iPhones (4 & 4S) with official AT&T unlock that my parents used as well as a bunch of factory unlocked Androids (for me and my brother) when we went on vacation last year so unlocking wasn't a necessity for us.