Upgrading iPhones question

[superspiffy]

If i ever get a new iphone, lets say a bigger model, do i just swap my SIM from the old iphone to the new one to activate it? Or do I have to go through AT&T? Can I still do this even if I'm not the primary account holder?

 

[aristobrat]

If i ever get a new iphone, lets say a bigger model, do i just swap my SIM from the old iphone to the new one to activate it? Or do I have to go through AT&T? Can I still do this even if I'm not the primary account holder?

Only with the primary account holder present can you upgrade a line on the account to an iPhone 3G thru AT&T/Apple/Best Buy/Walmart. If you go that route, the activation process they do in-store (before you leave) will activate the SIM that came with the new iPhone 3G with your new number (and unactivate your old SIM).

 

[superspiffy]

But I already have an 8GB iPhone 3G. I was wondering what happens if I decide to upgrade to a 16Gb iPhone 3G or perhaps to a bigger capacity in the future.

 

[aristobrat]

But I already have an 8GB iPhone 3G. I was wondering what happens if I decide to upgrade to a 16Gb iPhone 3G or perhaps to a bigger capacity in the future.

If you buy the bigger phone from AT&T/Best Buy/Apple/Walmart, the process works exactly the same as when you bought your 8GB. The only difference is depending on how long it's been since you bought the 8GB iPhone 3G, you might not be eligible for the cheapest price. For example, if you tried to upgrade to 16GB today, instead of it being $299, it'd cost you $499 (because AT&T only gives you a discount every two years).

I'm not totally sure how it works if you buy the bigger phone from eBay or Craigslist.

 

[superspiffy]

ah so pretty much you can't activate a new iPhone by swapping your SIM from the old iPhone to the new iphone