Trying to buy one for my mom! Help!

[Monkeyfeng]

So I want to buy an iphone for my mom for her birthday but she lives in Taiwan. Right now, I live in Seattle and I have a Cingular account for almost 2 years. I was thinking about buying the refurbished one online through my Cingular account but I found out that you need to buy an iphone data plan with that which is $20 more expensive for my monthly bill... I was planning to buy an iphone and unlock it and give it to my mom as an gift.. Is there any ways I can purchase an iphone through cingular and ditch the $20 extra fee? Or simply, Is it anyway you can buy an iphone without the two year contract?

Thanks!

 

[dibara2003]

iphones come unactivated meaning that you don't extend your contract until you activate it through itunes, or unlock it. Basically, you don't even need to order through your account or pay the extra $20 for the data plan.

 

[Monkeyfeng]

iphones come unactivated meaning that you don't extend your contract until you activate it through itunes, or unlock it. Basically, you don't even need to order through your account or pay the extra $20 for the data plan.

What does that mean?

so lets say I buy the $250 iphone from cingular. I don't activate it and I bring it back to Taiwan and unlock there. Does that mean Cingular will cancel my contract and I don't have to pay anything for my monthly data plan?

 

[Monkeyfeng]

I know how to unlock an iphone but I don't know how to get rid of the contract or the stupid $20 monthly data plan.

 

[lindsayanng]

Just walk into the store and buy it. Really. My husband and i went into the ATT store and bought it, and you dont get charged the $20 more unless you plug it into itunes. ATT does NOT set up ANY account into. So basically you walk in like you are purchasing a car charger, you pay and leave. They dont need ANY account info. All of that is done through itunes, but if you unlock it, you wont be doing that because you will be using your own carrier. SO just walk into the store and buy one.

 

[Monkeyfeng]

Just walk into the store and buy it. Really. My husband and i went into the ATT store and bought it, and you dont get charged the $20 more unless you plug it into itunes. ATT does NOT set up ANY account into. So basically you walk in like you are purchasing a car charger, you pay and leave. They dont need ANY account info. All of that is done through itunes, but if you unlock it, you wont be doing that because you will be using your own carrier. SO just walk into the store and buy one.

I see but I'm trying to get a refurbished one online from cingular.com. I know how to unlock it and not to activate it through itunes but I don't know how to get rid of the extra $20 data plan fee that might add to my account.

Lets say I never activated my iphone, will they still charge me that $20 monthly fee?

 

[lindsayanng]

OK. ONE MORE TIME. when you buy your iphone, you are JUST buying a phone. NOTHING will get charged to you EXCEPT the cost of the phone. They dont even ASK for your account infomation, if they dont know your account info, then how can they charge you?? they can't/

Buying an iphone is a different experience than a regular phone. You ONLY get a monthly charge if you activate it, but you can ONLY activate it at home with itunes, if you never activate it you will never get a monthly charge. It is very simple. Like i said, it is very much like going into the ATT store to buy a car charger for a new phone.

 

[Monkeyfeng]

OK. ONE MORE TIME. when you buy your iphone, you are JUST buying a phone. NOTHING will get charged to you EXCEPT the cost of the phone. They dont even ASK for your account infomation, if they dont know your account info, then how can they charge you?? they can't/

Buying an iphone is a different experience than a regular phone. You ONLY get a monthly charge if you activate it, but you can ONLY activate it at home with itunes, if you never activate it you will never get a monthly charge. It is very simple. Like i said, it is very much like going into the ATT store to buy a car charger for a new phone.

*tears

Thanks. I think you made it clear now. I just want to be sure before I buy one as a gift for my mom and I have to pay $20 every month for 2 years... Thanks!!

 

[onlycopunk]

Dude, log out of your account. Place refurbished iphone in your shopping cart. Check out. You don't have to sign up for ATT when you buy the phoneor do any form of anything that resembles signing up for ATT. I should know I bought one this morning.

When you get the phone use Winpwn, there's an excellent instruction set in the iPhone hack forum. Send the phone to your mother, let her enjoy it.

 

[lindsayanng]

Sorry. I just couldnt figure out a different way to say it, so i felt like i was repeating myself.

I'm glad you get it, and i'm sure your mom will be happy with her present. Its a pretty cool present.. But why wouldnt you wait till the 3G came out. Isnt that area of the world more compatable with 3G network?? Do you KNOW about the 3G iphone?

 

[Monkeyfeng]

Sorry. I just couldnt figure out a different way to say it, so i felt like i was repeating myself.

I'm glad you get it, and i'm sure your mom will be happy with her present. Its a pretty cool present.. But why wouldnt you wait till the 3G came out. Isnt that area of the world more compatable with 3G network?? Do you KNOW about the 3G iphone?

I'm thinking about it but I'm leaving the US in mid June so I don't know if the 3G iphone will come out then.

I mean if the 3G iphone comes out then, I can still unlock the refurbished iphone and sell it on ebay or craiglist and make a few bucks before the 3G iphones hit the store.

 

[lindsayanng]

you COULD do that, but it seems to me that even if you did give the current non-3G model to your mom, it would be a useless phone to her. Give her some empty apple (or cell carrier) gift card sleeves and tell her you are getting her an iphone when the best model comes out.

I only suggest thing because she is out of the country AND in an area where 3G is most definitely the way to go.