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Upgrade early using someone else's subsidy? How?

U

Undecided

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 4, 2005
710
185
California
Hi. It's too soon for me to upgrade my 4S without paying an early upgrade fee ($250). Is it possible for me to use someone else's subsidy to upgrade early without incurring an additional fee? If so, how is that done (via Apple or do you have to buy the phone from the carrier to do that)? Does the other person have to be present or can they authorize it remotely (like over the phone)? Thanks.

Edit: we're both on AT&T. Other person gets my 4S out of the deal.
 
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Assuming you're on AT&T. Have them buy it, pay them back. Put in your sim. That'd be simpler.
 
Someone would have to a fool to let someone else take their subsidy. Chalk up the full price or wait till its time for you to upgrade.
 
Purchase the iPhone on the other line using their number as normal. When you get it, go to the AT&T store and ask them to perform a "device swap." Bring both phones. This is assuming the other line is on your plan.

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MassiveAttack said:
Someone would have to a fool to let someone else take their subsidy. Chalk up the full price or wait till its time for you to upgrade.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. Some people couldn't care less about having a smartphone and you can always buy them a dumbphone at full retail on the cheap if needed. Additionally, some of us keep an extra line at $120 per year for the sole purpose of being able to upgrade yearly.
 
Can't use The old sim from 4 or 4s on the newiphone 5 cuz its going to have the nano sim. Won't fit

Just have them buy it and activate it under ur number. It's easy. Friend does it all the time.
 
MassiveAttack said:
Someone would have to a fool to let someone else take their subsidy. Chalk up the full price or wait till its time for you to upgrade.
Click to expand...

I can name many friends and family that are perfectly happy with their Iphone 3. Millions are.

And, there are millions happy with their old flip phone. They are eligible for an upgrade but see no point in it. Some might not even want your old Iphone4.

Not everybody feels the need to move up.
 
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Have you thought of possibly selling your phone? You could probably sell it and make enough money that you would be out less paying the early upgrade then using some else's subsidy and giving the phone away. But if that's what you want to do just have them buy the phone and leave it in the box unactivated. You give them the money for the upgrade they give you the phone and you can then open the phone up and activate it on your number. The phones are not given out with a predetermined phone # that it needs to use so once you buy the phone it can be activated on anyones number. (at least thats the way its been in the past we can only assume the iPhone 5 will be the same.) Good Luck!
 
Dstopsie said:
Just have them buy it and activate it under ur number. It's easy. Friend does it all the time.
Click to expand...

It seems that when any iPhone is bought, you must associate it with an account right then.

So:

- have them buy it as if they were buying it for themselves and their phone number
- take my phone and the new phone to AT&T and have AT&T switch the phone my number is associated with
- give them my old phone and they go to AT&T and associate it with their number
- they're on a new 2 year clock, and my clock just continues to run uninterrupted

Is that right?
 
Undecided said:
It seems that when any iPhone is bought, you must associate it with an account right then.

So:

- have them buy it as if they were buying it for themselves and their phone number
- take my phone and the new phone to AT&T and have AT&T switch the phone my number is associated with
- give them my old phone and they go to AT&T and associate it with their number
- they're on a new 2 year clock, and my clock just continues to run uninterrupted

Is that right?
Click to expand...

Pretty much right. Though you are buying a phone, it is actually the phone number that gets 2 years attached to it.
 
Undecided said:
It seems that when any iPhone is bought, you must associate it with an account right then.
Click to expand...

Well i don't know about that. What about all the phones that are delivered by mail. The come sealed in the box and you don't need to go in At&t to activate them. I don't think that they come associated with your number but I really can't remember from last year.
 
nostresshere said:
Pretty much right. Though you are buying a phone, it is actually the phone number that gets 2 years attached to it.
Click to expand...
Actually, it is the account aka line of service that gets the new 2 year service commitment.

The phone number can be changed for free or for a $36 fee depending on your reason for requesting a number change.

Dave
 
snook911 said:
Well i don't know about that. What about all the phones that are delivered by mail. The come sealed in the box and you don't need to go in At&t to activate them. I don't think that they come associated with your number but I really can't remember from last year.
Click to expand...
All the boxes have a set of bar codes on the box that are scanned just be for shipping for all AT&T iPhones. Does not matter if you get if from Apple or AT&T.

The new iPhone is parked on the AT&T line of service base on the IMEI on the back of the box from the scanning step. Also the ICCID is scanned since an AT&T SIM is pre-installed which associates to the ordering account.

That's why there has been issues for the last several iPhone releases. People re-sold their sealed iPhone and the new purchaser had issues with activation. If the iPhone shipped from Apple.com, you needed to input the ordering account holders ZIPCODE and the last 4 digits of their SSN during activation. Also, the phone number was aslo pre-populated in the activation field and could not be changed.

Dave
 
GoreVidal said:
Assuming you're on AT&T. Have them buy it, pay them back. Put in your sim. That'd be simpler.
Click to expand...

Not really.... I know many many many people that will use the as e phone for years...I can easily name about 10 people right now at have been with att or Verizon for 5yrs plus and are still using the phones from back in 2007/2008.


There are still a ton of people out there that just want a messaging phone(regular phone) so they never upgrade...only recently I started telling themes at least use your subsidy to get a new phon and then sell it. At last you will make a few hundred dollars off it!
 
Shockwave78 said:
Not really.... I know many many many people that will use the as e phone for years...I can easily name about 10 people right now at have been with att or Verizon for 5yrs plus and are still using the phones from back in 2007/2008.


There are still a ton of people out there that just want a messaging phone(regular phone) so they never upgrade...only recently I started telling themes at least use your subsidy to get a new phon and then sell it. At last you will make a few hundred dollars off it!
Click to expand...

I think you're confused.
 
Most of us are on family plans. I'm on a 4 line account.

My mother in law has a dumb phone and past her 2 years and doesn't care for a new phone. I can use her upgrade to upgrade my phone. Same with my wife who has a 4. But she is getting the new one
 
conshok26 said:
I plan on using my wife's upgrade since she has no interest in a taller phone. Has anyone had any trouble with AT&T switching numbers?
Click to expand...
Again, AT&T does not switch the phone numbers, only the physical device is switched between lines of service. Simple as updating the IMEI that is associated with a line of service.

The upgrade is ordered on an upgrade eligible line, that line gets a new two year service commitment and then you switch the device to another line of service. Once you purchase / upgrade, AT&T does not care what you do wiht the actual device after the contract is started / restarted.

Dave
 
My dad has a flip phone that he can upgrade but doesn't want to switch phones. Is there anyway to use his upgrade to get the new iPhone for me and him go back to the flip phone without any extra long term data charges?
 
MassiveAttack said:
Someone would have to a fool to let someone else take their subsidy. Chalk up the full price or wait till its time for you to upgrade.
Click to expand...

Why?! My daughter is 13, I won't even let her have a smart phone for another 2 years. I would totally do that for a friend. No skin off my back. Before being critical, one should think through a comment and it's possibilities.
 
seanquinn11 said:
My dad has a flip phone that he can upgrade but doesn't want to switch phones. Is there anyway to use his upgrade to get the new iPhone for me and him go back to the flip phone without any extra long term data charges?
Click to expand...


YES YES YES YES

That is exactly what this thread is saying.

And a few hundred other threads just like it.

He upgrades his line. Then, any phone can go on any line.
 
Undecided said:
It seems that when any iPhone is bought, you must associate it with an account right then.

So:

- have them buy it as if they were buying it for themselves and their phone number
- take my phone and the new phone to AT&T and have AT&T switch the phone my number is associated with
- give them my old phone and they go to AT&T and associate it with their number
- they're on a new 2 year clock, and my clock just continues to run uninterrupted

Is that right?
Click to expand...

Its the account that received the subsidy that gets the new 2 year contract associated with it.


Your plan will work just fine. Have your buddy purchase the phone under his account. Then take the phone to ATT and have them move it to your account. Same thing for the 4s your giving away.

Your upgrade eligibility will remain unchanged. Its no different than bringing your own device. Your buddy will not be eligible again for another 20 months.
 
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