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Carrier What's with the $30 "extortion fee"?
- Thread starter stafil
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I haven’t seen activation fees on mobile contracts since the late 1990’s! I owned my first mobile phone in 1999 and they had been abolished by then I think.
I am in shock and disbelief that these cell carriers would charge $30 if people are purchasing the XR full price. I wonder why they didn't charge the $30 with the XS and XS Max?
My understanding is that if you ordered the XS or Max on the IUP or carrier financing they do charge you a $30 activation fee. It's just that many of us immediately remove the SIM card from the phone when we get them and stick our old one in and when the phone activates because that sim was already active you don't get charged. Again that is my experience, I don't want to speak for anyone else.
Good to know. I wonder if the sim-free XS and XS Max in exempt. I just purchased an XS Max sim-free, Thursday. I've yet to set it up. I'll make sure to stick my sim before powering it up and going through the set-up process. Thanks.
Dumb question: I was grandfathered into AT&T’s unlimited plan. Can I just switch the sim from my iPhone 6 into my new Xr and still keep the same unlimited plan I currently have? Thanks.
B
If you go to Apple and do anything other than device only purchase there will be an activation charge.
If you purchase the phone outright there shouldn’t be a charge.
If you have the option to activate later, of have to enter any type of phone account info you will incur a charge.
With ATT and Verizon will not charge the fee.
If they charged fee for every change then anyone getting a phone swap would incur a fee.
Sprint customers would have to call and painstakingly wait to swap equipment.
T-Mobile is a hit or miss depending on tmwhat is said to the CSR.
No opinion, simply experience
They did for those who purchased a carrier version of the device, as opposed to the SIM-free version. There is no SIM-free option for the XR yet in the US.
Threaten to leave AT&T and they may refund that $30 fee. They're banking on enough people paying the fee w/o question or thinking about it. What's one refund once in awhile?
@OTACORB If you’re handing out money, I wish to have $50 please!! My little bunny could use a new toy. Thanks. 
Not Verizon. I bought Verizon phone at the store, did not activate at the store, took it home a swapped SIM from my old phone, and it was immediately good to go with no upgrade fee. Just don't use the SIM that comes with the new phone.
I can confirm, just as PhillPhil 0302 says, as long as you ALREADY have phone service...... When you get the new phone...... both are powered OFF. Put your OLD sim in the new phone......turn on. DONE. No activation fee.
I have done this every time I got a new phone.....before the iPhone first came out...... the only activation fee I have ever paid was in 2003 when I started with Cingular. Many new phones since but no activation fees using this process.
I have done this every time I got a new phone.....before the iPhone first came out...... the only activation fee I have ever paid was in 2003 when I started with Cingular. Many new phones since but no activation fees using this process.
I do it all the time, never an activation fee. Use your old sim. The sim in new phone lets the carrier know that its a new phone and they rob you with the activation fee just because they are recording a new sim number for your line. Computer does it no human involved.
The reason there is some uncertainty on this is probably based on the bigger thread about at&t’s $30 fee for iup purchases. In that thread there are some posts saying that things have changed this year and carrier-version phones (not the sim-free) will not activate without the new sim that was shipped with the phone being used to activate (and subsequently charging the $30). It’s pretty clear that’s the case with the iup phones but still uncertain about full price purchases of carrier version phones.
I have a carrier version phone (T-Mobile)under the IUP and I was able to remove the SIM card that came with the phone and install my old SIM card from my X and was good to go with no activation fees charged. Didn’t even have to turn off my phone to put in the card. Was a non issue.
The one I picked up from the Apple Store was carrier version with AT&T. It had an AT&T sim in it. I immediately removed it though and stuck in my old one. Now I did pay outright for mine. If you do the carriers finance plan it goes without saying that they will charge you that fee because they make you activate with a new sim.
I agree with the one poster though.. talk about beat a dead horse! LOL
Unlock sim free xr? It will come out soon. In the past it took 1 1/2 to 2 months. I was surprised when I was able to my the max unlocking day one. But I’m sure them want to keep carriers happy with locked versions day one. But unlocked xr will come out.
Come on - It’s not extortion. No one is forcing you to pay the fee. I get it, it’s annoying, but it’s not extortion. That fee is disclosed before you pay it. Therefore, if you don’t want to pay it, don’t upgrade. It’s that simple.
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That's not the point. The point is that the carriers are foisting these bogus fees on the public because they can. And apart from most of the users here (and other tech forums), people just pay them without challenging the purpose of the fee. It is nothing more than a money grab by the providers.
It's not unlike how the airlines started charging for checked luggage... they said it was because of the high cost of fuel... but oil prices are down, and the fees remain... and airlines are making big bank now on checked luggage fees, because they can.
This is the same issue.
Wow - wish I had known this. I had four activations last month with AT&T, and one of those was the XS Max I returned.
So if I’m doing this on IUP, can I do the same thing? I haven’t ever seen that screen or gotten that option. Is it only if you pay full price up front?