Iphone 5 Upgrade Update
skidtech
Enthusiast - Level 2

Earlier today I was venting my frustration with Verizon customer service over a dilemma of Upgrading to Iphone 5. Here is what I found out after talking to someone who actually knew what they were talking about.

My current plan.

Family Share Plan:

2 Iphone 4s unlimited data: Upgrade available in Oct 8th

2 Dumb phones Upgrade available Sept next year.

Goal 4 Iphone 5's

Option 1 (Easy)

Upgrade 2 Iphone 4s normally next month buy out the contracts of the 2 dumb phones for about 100 bucks each and add 2 new lines to account and so with a 200 dollar early termination penalty pro-rated I now will have 4 Iphone 5's under new share everything plan.

Option 2 (harder but might be easy)

Same as before: Upgrade 2 Iphone 4s normally next month but the 2 dumb phones may be able to upgrade depending on the decision of an individual store manager preferably when the hype is over. In the end same result with a little luck. 4 Iphone 5's under new share everything plan all phones contracts reset to two years.

Option 3 (complicated but easy keep Unlimited checked with Verizon this works)

Switch my Dumb phones with ESN swap to the expiring contracts Upgrade them with Iphone 5's and keep old plan and get 2gb data on each for 30 dollars a piece. Then switch ESN's again and the end result will be 2 Iphone 5's with unlimited and my two old 4's with 2gb data each and old plan still with 60 dollars more. In September two phones will come up in cycle again do same process again Iphone 6 on two iphone 5's go to other two lines. Great but more expensive per month overall. However can be justified if 4g is so impressive you cancel your home internet and just tether all the time on your unlimited phones (battery Killer probably though) and yes you will be able to tether on new iphone since court ruled that Verizon cant limit tethering in 4g.If you dont have extra lines you can still add some to your existing plan the old way 10 bucks extra per month 30 for data etc.

Feeling like I will try option 2 with a 10gb package then option 1 after I visit couple stores and not sucessful. Had a chance to switch to ATT but I forgot my contract ends in February, not the same as my upgrade date in October so the offer from ATT will probably not stand until then. Hope this helps some people.

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Re: Iphone 5 Upgrade Update
gina7239
Specialist - Level 2

Sometimes Verizon doesn't like people canceling then adding a line. I would add the lines then cancel the 2 you want to cancel. It makes a difference to the people who do the credit check and add the lines. They look over the whole activity on the account.

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Re: Iphone 5 Upgrade Update
gina7239
Specialist - Level 2

If you switch phones you lose your unlimited plan. The lines with the unlimited plans have the upgrades right or am I wrong. You have to pay full retail if you keep unlimited plans. Your making it hard. I would just have people wait if they have to.

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Re: Iphone 5 Upgrade Update
rara105
Contributor - Level 1

If you switch basic phones to the lines with the unlimited data. You will lose the data even if you go back to a smartphone. The coding for them is not the same.

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Re: Iphone 5 Upgrade Update
gina7239
Specialist - Level 2

Apple doesent allow early upgrades for iPhones. Now you would have to Pay full retail to keep unlimited and to upgrade other 2.

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Re: Iphone 5 Upgrade Update
gina7239
Specialist - Level 2

Unlimited 4g teathering isent that so along time ago and only with 4g unlimited plan next to it, but even if you had a 4g phone new phones aren't included plus they know when you got your phone.

You would lose that privilege by getting the iPhone 5 or switching smart phone to dumb phone back to new iphone. if you had another 4g phone it might have let you unlimited teather but you never had it. The unlimited plans are coded different between 3G/4g.

The only way to get your unlimited plan back within 30 days if it was a mistake once you upgrade your giving permission to lose your plan. You think your going to outsmart Verizon. Verizon can change plans we know since the unlimited paying full retail rule.

Everybody should be happy if they have an iPhone and upgrade when they can. Next time to get the next iPhone the etf will be 350 - whatever 10 a month.

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Re: Iphone 5 Upgrade Update
gina7239
Specialist - Level 2

Option 2 is seems out since no way a manager will do that.. Apple is in charge they know your date and Verizon is in charge of changing the date.

I wouldnt change carriers just to get a new phone.

Re: Iphone 5 Upgrade Update
skidtech
Enthusiast - Level 2

So just to clarify I upgraded my IPhone 4 to the IPhone 4s by using my upgrade from the other 2 lines a year ago. Did not loose unlimited etc. when you have a family plan when you are available to upgrade a message under the phone that is not allowed to upgrade says transfer upgrade and the phone that can upgrade says upgrade. The reason you want to switch esn now with the new rules is so that the upgrade goes specifically to the dumb phone. So one line has the iPhone 5 the other one remains a 4s the only thing that the Verizon rep may have been confused about but apparently told is true is that if at that point you swap esn's you would be giving the iPhone 5 the unlimited data however my goal is not to keep unlimited anyway I am ok with the new plans with the amount of lines I have.

So right now my account the way I have my esn arranged says on my two 4s phones says upgrade oct 8th the two dumb phones say sept 27th 2013 obviously I could only have bought the 4s phones a year ago and as verified with customer service I can upgrade the 4s phones to an iPhone 5 next month as is stated on my account so when I upgrade the 4s phones to the iPhone 5 I will be left with 2 dumb phones with one year left at this point I can pay the cancellation fee on the dumb phones which is 175 - 5 dollars a month for every month paid for each phone so may be a little more then what I said buts it's close to a 100 each. Or as I said if I get a manager that's willing to work with me will allow me to upgrade the dumb phones to smart phones even though they are year out they may do this. Apple has nothing to to do with the 2 lines that are not smart phones and Verizon wants everyone on smart phones and would love to phase basic phones so this is a very possible scenario and like I said if it does not work I'll buy the them out. My parents want to join my plan and take those 2 lines but they will not switch over unless they can use smartphones so that too will be an incentive to get 2 more people on the network to take over my lines.

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Re: Iphone 5 Upgrade Update
gina7239
Specialist - Level 2

This happened July 2012 they now mandate that if you have unlimited and keep it the only way to keep it is to pay full retail. Year ago they mandated that new customers only have tier plan old customers can keep unlimited upgrade etc. now the other rule is new and people adding lines if never been in smartphone there switching into everything plan. Every July there's new rules. Did you know about upgrade fee to.

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Re: Iphone 5 Upgrade Update
skidtech
Enthusiast - Level 2

All I can say is call Verizon yourself if you are curious when I log into my account i can go to the option change plan then choose keep my existing plan and gives my options to add lines to add text messages etc. and add a data package for 30 bucks at 2gb data or 5gb for 50 bucks 10gb for 100. Verizon will allow you to upgrade a different line without moving into the new share everything plan for existing customers but if you tried to do it to the unlimited data phone you will loose unlimited but if you do it to another line it will have the tier of 2gb or 5gb or 10gb available to you. As I said the only thing that may or may not work is when you switch the phones afterward with an esn swap online the data package wont follow the phone but in fact stay with the contract so you may have to tell evryone my number is changed. So in other words my contract is basically up with my unlimited and the data allowance of 2gb with the new contract is 2years. If I switch the phones which you can do as many times as you want at any time does not automatically bring up some window saying ok your switching phones now we are turning of unlimited on one phone. If I bought any smart phone off ebay including an iphone 5 and replaced my 4s unlimited plan i don't loose unlimited. The contract is not tied to the phone but its tied to the package you have. So thats why verizon won't let you downgrade a smartphone package to a non smart phone package. They pay the subsidies from the package not the phone sale. One last scenario say i decide i hate the iphone 5 and I decide to put and android on that account now i have an android phone with that contract now i have an extra iphone 5 with no contract are you saying I cant put that phone on the unlimited plan now? Of course not that's why Verizon does not care if you swap esn around as much as you want. The contract is not the Phone its the plan. If I broke my iphone today obviously Verizon is not going to require me to activate another Iphone to fufill my contract......and yes i know about the upgrade fee.

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