Using an unlocked iPhone 4 without a data plan

The network will detect that you have an ip4 (via IMEI) and they will auto include the data plan on it.

 

They will catch you eventually but you can just call to cancel with dumbphone and reinsert. Takes them average of 1 month+ to catch me

 

When I got my iPhone 4S I gave my iPhone 3GS to my daughter. She already had a data block on her account and I turned it off on the phone. It took about two weeks and they automatically included a 2GB data plan! Called them up and they took it off (there was 0 mb used). She's back to her old phone unfortunately......

They will catch you eventually and then conveniently add a plan on for you.

 

If you use AT&T's GoPhone pre-paid service, you can use it without a data plan. If you don't use many minutes, it can be *WAY* cheaper than a post-paid (aka "regular") plan.

My wife and I use GoPhone lines (no unlocking needed, since it's an AT&T SIM,) with no pre-paid minutes, purely 10 cents per minute. My wife has the minimum data plan, I have the mid-range. We also use Google Voice as our incoming phone number, set so that it rings our cell phone plus our home phone simultaneously - so if we're home, we just answer the home phone and the call doesn't use any cell minutes. I do the same at work, switch it to ring my cell and work phone instead of cell and home. Plus, the Google Voice app allows unlimited texting for free. (But you have to use the GV app, and it doesn't do anything other than plain text. But Apple's own iMessages works for that between people I know are on an iDevice.)

We went from $150+/month to ~$45/month for the two lines. And we can turn data on or off, or increase/decrease the data plan on a per-month basis if we feel like it.

 

This method on Verizon?

I love your method, but I have a Verizon iphone 4. Anyone know how to set-up a similar arrangement with the my CDMA phone?

 

Is your contract expired? If so then they may not force a data plan on you.

 

You can try but most likelly they will add the mandatory iphone data plan to your account when they detect it.
You can use it on prepaid AT&T plans with no data. On post paid monthly plans is not allowed.

Its not going to happen.
You need an iphone data plan on verizon too.

 

There is no such thing as an unlocked CDMA iPhone 4. The only CDMA iPhone 4 ever offered was Verizon, locked to them. They have absolute control over your iPhone 4.