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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > iPhone, iPad & iPod > family plan upgrade question

family plan upgrade question
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iomatic
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Oct 4, 2010, 08:24 PM
 
long story short wife is qualified for reduced pricing. I'm not (no commitment +$500 iPhone 4 price) can i get one and use it for myself? What's the procedure?

Got a refurb for her replacement, no problem there. And, as she got white, my daughter figured out how to swap phones with her.

Thanks!
     
Big Mac
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Oct 5, 2010, 12:13 AM
 
This may not be too helpful, but you can certainly do that with Verizon: Take advantage of an upgrade deal for one line and then switch the new handset to another line on your account. I don't know what AT&T would say but I assume that aside from how it's accomplished it can definitely be done - they don't care whether it's you or your wife using the phone as long as someone is paying the contract price.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
ghporter
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Oct 5, 2010, 08:38 AM
 
I don't think AT&T cares who carries which phone, nor whether you change numbers around from one to another. Go to a real AT&T store and talk to someone in person. All the "real" AT&T employees I've ever worked with have been interested in making me happy and have actually helped me find ways to configure my service (also a family plan) to fit my needs and wants.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
iomatic  (op)
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Oct 5, 2010, 10:34 AM
 
Well, if I do it all online I can take advantage of Premier. So what's the exact procedure? Thanks!
     
iomatic  (op)
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Oct 5, 2010, 05:19 PM
 
Sounds like it will work, maybe not.
Upgrade to 4G iPhone through family plan? - Mac Forums

However, is there a new data plan that will be used?
iPhone 4, Family plan upgrade line swap suggestions? - CNET Cell phones Forums

Here's the maybe not:
Demystifying AT&T's iPhone upgrade policies
Family plans
If one person in a family plan is eligible for an upgrade, but another person in the same family is not yet eligible for an upgrade, is it possible to get two new iPhone 4's for the $199 or $299 price?
Only the person whose phone is expiring is eligible for the upgrade. The other subscriber will have to wait until his phone is eligible.

Read more: Demystifying AT&T's iPhone upgrade policies (FAQ) | Signal Strength - CNET News
     
DigitalEl
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Oct 5, 2010, 08:28 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter
Go to a real AT&T store and talk to someone in person. All the "real" AT&T employees I've ever worked with have been interested in making me happy and have actually helped me find ways to configure my service (also a family plan) to fit my needs and wants.
Great advice. I concur... Brick & mortar AT&T store employees will bend over backwards to make things right. The telephone reps you get when you call 611 are the polar opposite.
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Brien
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Oct 5, 2010, 08:56 PM
 
Yep, you can use her upgrade and swap phones.
     
asxless
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Oct 5, 2010, 10:02 PM
 
One possible wrinkle might be if his existing phone is an iPhone 3Gs with a grandfathered unlimited plan and her upgrade is to an iPhone 4 with a capped plan. AT&T may not want to transfer an unlimited plan from his 3Gs to her 4. Has anyone tried this?

asxless in iLand
     
iomatic  (op)
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Oct 6, 2010, 02:48 PM
 
That's what I was wondering; plus, last time I walked into an AT&T store, they scratched their heads over the Premier plan.

Definitely don't want to lose the grandfathered data (we all have them in the family).

What does this mean for future-- all of us will be grandfathered, if we all say, wait for 2012 or whenever we're eligible for contract pricing?

What does it mean if I buy a phone outright (non commitment)?

Thanks!
     
iomatic  (op)
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Oct 7, 2010, 04:05 PM
 
Thoughts?
     
asxless
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Oct 7, 2010, 10:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by iomatic View Post
That's what I was wondering; plus, last time I walked into an AT&T store, they scratched their heads over the Premier plan.

Definitely don't want to lose the grandfathered data (we all have them in the family)......
If you both have an iPhone with unlimited plans now.... (as others have already posted) I don't see a problem with upgrading her phone and just swapping who uses which phone except for phone numbers. And I suspect that AT&T would even swap those for you. But you really won't know until you try it.

asxless in iLand
     
ghporter
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Oct 8, 2010, 08:53 AM
 
I agree that since you all have the unlimited plan you shouldn't have a problem keeping those data plans. (But I'd look at my actual data usage on the AT&T site before feeling that the unlimited plan was a deal breaking issue-you could be quite surprised by how little you really use.)

I am on a corporate plan based on my employer-what's a Premier plan?

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
iomatic  (op)
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Oct 13, 2010, 12:53 PM
 
^same thing I think.
     
iomatic  (op)
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Dec 1, 2010, 03:02 PM
 
Any further thoughts on this? Two people are "eligible" for 2year reduced purchase pricing, but the others have no commitment pricing (read: higher). Do you swap SIMs, do a backup/restore or what, if you were to buy a phone for someone and use it for yourself?

Thanks.
     
   
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