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What is the best way to get an iPhone with no data plan?

peapody

peapody

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Oct 7, 2007
3,176
142
San Francisco, CA
Sorry if this is a tired question!!


I am trying to do my research on how to get an iphone without a data plan. Can someone point me in the right direction? I am pretty open in regards to model/ carrier...just need to save some money for one more year until the iPhone 5 comes out.

Will it be possible to do a month to month starting now with no data with ATT?
 
You have several options.
1. Buy iPhone, unlock it, and use it with T-mobile
2. Use original iPhone with Att (if you put data block, they won't catch you)
3. Use 3g, 3gs, 4 on Att with data block until they catch you

And Att insists on having data plan with every smartphone so you cannot go month to month without one officially
 
Since you are not under contract (considering month to month) you can also do a go phone with no data plan and put the SIM in the iPhone.

I have to ask - is $15/mo that much?
 
At&t's pre-paid is your best option. They don't require a data plan, although you can add one if you want. Also, you don't have to JB&unlock.
 
peapody said:
Will it be possible to do a month to month starting now with no data with ATT?
Click to expand...

Month to month as in post paid? You''d need to have your own iPhone to go month to month on a postpaid account (in other words: not signing a new contract). They'd make you pay data anyways so that's a no.
The only viable options are to use an AT&T prepaid account or use T-Mobile. You'll just have to find an iPhone that is unlocked for T-Mobile. Mind that you will be limited to T-Mobile's 2G (E) network.

IMO, it's much more convenient to just stick in an AT&T SIM into an iPhone you find and pay $15 for data. Not having data on an iPhone probably makes the phone way less enjoyable to use.
 
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I have heard many reports of people getting away with a data block:

Get a dumbphone, take it to ATT, activate on no-commitment plan (no contract). Ask for data block.

Go home, swap SIM card into iPhone. No data - at least temporarily.
 
hmm


It sounds like it would be very difficult to get away with no data. I've been wanting an iphone temporarily while I wait for the 5 to come out but maybe I will have to stick with my verizon blackberry, cracked screen and all...
 
Unlocked on T-Mobile would be your best choice. You won't get the subsidy (cheap phone) because you're not getting the phone from them (they don't carry it). You'll have to buy a phone outright that is unlocked (eBay or Canada).

iPhone without data wouldn't be that bad because you can still have the look and feel of the phone and be able to use all features except data (which is decent if you're surrounded by wifi).

P.S. Would you get edge data?
 
awadeee said:
Unlocked on T-Mobile would be your best choice. You won't get the subsidy (cheap phone) because you're not getting the phone from them (they don't carry it). You'll have to buy a phone outright that is unlocked (eBay or Canada).

iPhone without data wouldn't be that bad because you can still have the look and feel of the phone and be able to use all features except data (which is decent if you're surrounded by wifi).

P.S. Would you get edge data?
Click to expand...

If you dont pay for data on Tmobile you wont get any data.
But if you do add a data plan then yes you would get Edge data but not 3G.
 
Get an iPhone, get a GoPhone SIM, put the SIM in, turn of "Cellular Data" in the Settings app. I do this for my sister, I pay $9.99 for text and 10¢ per minute. The average month costs around $13.
 
Applejuiced said:
Hey you know people with $100-120K a year jobs really struggle to pay $15 a month for a data plan....
And Im George Bush:D
Click to expand...

Haha...what can I say. I am fiscally responsible...and know that I don't need a data plan. What do you want from me? Different strokes for different folks!
 
Possibility?

Well to make a long story short, before I got the iPhone on Verizon I had a phone that required a data package hence I got the unlimited. When I heard the iPhone was coming out I sold the droid and used a phone that didn't "require" a data package. When I needed to transfer service to the new iPhone I called VZW customer service and told the lady to put back all previous data packages, text, etc so my bill wouldn't change. She assured me everything was back to normal.

A few weeks later the bill arrived for wayyyy more than it should have. I called complaining that the lady told me that she put my data back and the bill would remain the same. The current lady told me that my iPhone didn't have a data package activated and was being charged per data usage (or some crap like that). Hmmmmmm that's incredibly interesting since every Verizon employee always says that you can't get the phone w/o a data pack.

Point of this story which turned out to be quite long after all lol if you don't want data switch to a simple feature phone that doesn't require data before activating iPhone. Then swap over the service and make no mention of the data and maybe just maybe you won't have to activate the "required" package.

Again this was just my personal experience don't know if its a loophole of some sort but just thought I'd throw it out there...
 
Applejuiced said:
Hey you know people with $100-120K a year jobs really struggle to pay $15 a month for a data plan....
And Im George Bush:D
Click to expand...

it's not a matter of "if you can afford it". it's a matter of "why are you willing to pay that when you don't need it and it's forced on you?"

for 400mb's of data restricted to 2 iphones at $30/month, or pay $37.50 for my verizon 4G LTE mifi w/5gb limit that i can use on an ipad, 2 iphones, and a macbook air? I have wifi at home and wifi at work. so $15 for 200mb of data is ridiculous. heck my at home internet is only $29.99 for 15mbps download/with no data cap.

peapody said:
Sorry if this is a tired question!!


I am trying to do my research on how to get an iphone without a data plan. Can someone point me in the right direction? I am pretty open in regards to model/ carrier...just need to save some money for one more year until the iPhone 5 comes out.

Will it be possible to do a month to month starting now with no data with ATT?
Click to expand...

only options really.....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3&cm_re=apple_iphone_4-_-75-100-013-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...apple_iphone_3gs_phone-_-75-100-008-_-Product

order a cheap gophone on ATT.com for $9.99. pop the sim out and put in 3gs or cut it to size of microsim to fit in iphone 4, that's what i do.....

since i have wifi/mifi i use an app called talkatone with my google voice so don't have to use the $2/day unlimited plan much. it costs me about $30/month now for my iphone on prepaid.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
rmhop81 said:
it's not a matter of "if you can afford it". it's a matter of "why are you willing to pay that when you don't need it and it's forced on you?"

for 400mb's of data restricted to 2 iphones at $30/month, or pay $37.50 for my verizon 4G LTE mifi w/5gb limit that i can use on an ipad, 2 iphones, and a macbook air? I have wifi at home and wifi at work. so $15 for 200mb of data is ridiculous. heck my at home internet is only $29.99 for 15mbps download/with no data cap.
Click to expand...

All Im saying is people that really make $120K a year have better things to worry about than $15.
Starting threads online, wasting time and looking for loopholes to avoid a $15 fee when you make that much a year doesnt make sense IMO.
Believe what you want.
 
Applejuiced said:
All Im saying is people that really make $120K a year have better things to worry about than $15.
Starting threads online, wasting time and looking for loopholes to avoid a $15 fee when you make that much a year doesnt make sense IMO.
Believe what you want.
Click to expand...

again, it doesn't matter how much money you make. just bc you make a lot of money doesn't mean you just fork it over bc you have it.

AT&T and verizon don't care if you bought the phone at full retail pricing. they still REQUIRE you to have a data plan. WHY? If i don't need a data plan, don't want a data plan, but want to use it on wifi at my convenience and mostly use it for voice only why am i required to pay it? I could understand if the phone was subsidized, then yes that would make sense.

The phone companies have gotten everyone over the years to be locked into long contracts, require data plans, pay extra for texting when you already have data, and make them believe cell phone bills should really cost $100+/month.

$150/month for my wife and i to have the smallest voice plan, unlimited texting and unlimited data? that's ridiculous.

Why are people so willing to fork over so much cash for a cell phone bill?

Prepaid is the way to go. you know what you are paying upfront and it's a lot cheaper than getting yourself into a contract.
 
Applejuiced said:
All Im saying is people that really make $120K a year have better things to worry about than $15.
Starting threads online, wasting time and looking for loopholes to avoid a $15 fee when you make that much a year doesnt make sense IMO.
Believe what you want.
Click to expand...

Free country. Take your judgements elsewhere if you can't answer the question. I am sure there are plenty of other people out there who would like to know if this is possible.
 
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