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Wanting to buy/test captivate - Best option?

I've been dying to upgrade from my ever outdating Blackberry Bold. Since I am on AT&T my options are limited but I want to steer clear from the Iphone and nothing that RIM has out attracts me at al right nowl, including the new but outdated BB Torch. I am also in a family plan that I cannot leave. I've seen the Captivate and I've been doing two weeks of research and lurking XDA amongst other android forums.
I've come to the point where I've decided I definitely want to get the Captivate but I'm still on the fence due to all of the negatives I read. I understand the phone has many positives though and I've spent a good hour or two in the store playing with it. I have two options at this point:
1) Buy the phone at AT&T and extend my contract. This will cost about $200 and I will be grandfathered into my unlimited data. I will have 30 days to "test" the phone out and if I don't like it I will be forced to choose another phone. I won't be able to go back to my Bold because the AT&T rep said I will lose my unlimited data, which is something I want to completely avoid. Worst case if I bring the Captivate back I could go back to another Blackberry (Torch or a newer Bold)
2) I found a few locals selling new captivates for $350-$400ish. Although more expensive than option 1, I won't be locked into a contract or forced to choose another phone if I don't like the Captivate. Once the other half of my family plan's contract is up I will then decide if I want to stick with AT&T or go elsewhere. If I end up not liking the Captivate I can just sell it off online or locally and think of a new solution. My only concern is my unlimited data. The AT&T rep said I *may or may not* be able to retain my unlimited data when activating a Captivate this way and that is up to customer service. He was kind of vague about this and it worries me because I don't want to drop $350 on a Captivate and lose my data. Has anyone done this option and successfully gotten to keep their unlimited data?
Sorry for the wall of text but any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I was in your shoes (former 9000 bold user)
...and I got my phone at Wal-Mart for $148.88.
I did lose my unlimited BB plan, but the AT&T reps I had talked to before told me that would happen. It turned out I wasn't using more than about 200 mb in a month, but my usage has definitely gone up since I upgraded. I would definitely suggest the 2gb plan.
The people at Wal-Mart were fine to work with, but my plan got messed up and I had to call AT&T customer service to get my plan straightened out. If you go to Wal-mart be sure to check your account online at the earliest opportunity. They had actually created a separate account for my new phone, separate from the family plan.
Good luck!

Bought Captivate New in Box $350 off a local, cut the middleman (no need to talk to att) just put your BB sim in the Captivate, and you're good to go.
Save the contract like me, for the new phones that will come these holidays

MikalCarbine said:
I've come to the point where I've decided I definitely want to get the Captivate but I'm still on the fence due to all of the negatives I read. I understand the phone has many positives though and I've spent a good hour or two in the store playing with it. I have two options at this point:
1) Buy the phone at AT&T and extend my contract. This will cost about $200 and I will be grandfathered into my unlimited data. I will have 30 days to "test" the phone out and if I don't like it I will be forced to choose another phone. I won't be able to go back to my Bold because the AT&T rep said I will lose my unlimited data, which is something I want to completely avoid. Worst case if I bring the Captivate back I could go back to another Blackberry (Torch or a newer Bold)
2) I found a few locals selling new captivates for $350-$400ish. Although more expensive than option 1, I won't be locked into a contract or forced to choose another phone if I don't like the Captivate. Once the other half of my family plan's contract is up I will then decide if I want to stick with AT&T or go elsewhere. If I end up not liking the Captivate I can just sell it off online or locally and think of a new solution. My only concern is my unlimited data. The AT&T rep said I *may or may not* be able to retain my unlimited data when activating a Captivate this way and that is up to customer service. He was kind of vague about this and it worries me because I don't want to drop $350 on a Captivate and lose my data. Has anyone done this option and successfully gotten to keep their unlimited data?
Sorry for the wall of text but any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AT&T rep is an idiot. You can upgrade to the captivate and keep your unlimited data plan. If you decide you don't like it before your 30 days are you you can return the captivate, cancel your upgrade, and go back to your Bold while keeping your unlimited data plan.

Why the hell would you lose your unlimited data plan??? I had a blackberry and I switched to the iphone 4, I was able to retain the unlimited data with no issues.
I got tired of the iphone and switched to the captivate (best choice ever) and I still managed to keep my unlimited data.
I still have my blackberry and I was told I could switch between both phones and have unlimited data on either one since it's on my plan. Haven't tried it yet though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Bowsa2511 said:
Bought Captivate New in Box $350 off a local, cut the middleman (no need to talk to att) just put your BB sim in the Captivate, and you're good to go.
Save the contract like me, for the new phones that will come these holidays
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is just plug and play? You lose no functionality or risk anything? If that's the case this may be my ideal scenario because if I end up wanting to go back I just switch the sim card back to my BB and sell the captivate for a somewhat lower price depending on how long I use it

lost2030 said:
Why the hell would you lose your unlimited data plan??? I had a blackberry and I switched to the iphone 4, I was able to retain the unlimited data with no issues.
I got tired of the iphone and switched to the captivate (best choice ever) and I still managed to keep my unlimited data.
I still have my blackberry and I was told I could switch between both phones and have unlimited data on either one since it's on my plan. Haven't tried it yet though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Greedy reps wanting to lick OP into a contract.
Yes, just plug and play no problem, even checked my account right now.. UNLIMITED

Did you have a BB before your captivate? My ATT online says its a GPRS BB Unlimited data plan, I'm not sure if it matters that its a BB data plan while changing the sim without involving ATT

MikalCarbine said:
Did you have a BB before your captivate? My ATT online says its a GPRS BB Unlimited data plan, I'm not sure if it matters that its a BB data plan while changing the sim without involving ATT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it should work.. but they might question all non-bb data usage, so in that case just call att support, and they'll do the switch for you (BB-unlimited-Smartphone Unlimited).
If they say something like "you need new contract/plans" ask to talk to higher authority, because it's within your right to stay grandfathered in.

I upgraded from a Bold 9000 with Unlimited BB Plan and got to keep my Unlimite Plan when I switched over to the Captivate back on the Captivate's Launch Day! I am not going back as I am very happy with my Captivate!
HTH,
Charlie

I also wanted to point out that I tried to get a discount on the phone at ATT since amazon, wirefly and walmart all sell it cheaper. I've read a few threads where people have had such discounts honored. The rep said the only reason they do that is because they they (amazon for example he said) require a 4 year contract, 2 with them and 2 with ATT. This seems like BS to me and I couldn't find anything on Amazon to verify this. Is this at all true?

Just picked up my captivate today! I went to a much larger and better store and asked the rep some questions, he said the previous rep didn't know what he was talking about at all. He also gave me a $50 discount once I showed him the print out from Amazon. Once I feel out the phone I'll be rooting and modding the crap out of it

MikalCarbine said:
Just picked up my captivate today! I went to a much larger and better store and asked the rep some questions, he said the previous rep didn't know what he was talking about at all. He also gave me a $50 discount once I showed him the print out from Amazon. Once I feel out the phone I'll be rooting and modding the crap out of it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you buy, and did you get locked into a contract?
KEEP YOUR STOCK ROM IF YOU VALUE EASY TETHERING
First read up on the "Pimp My Captivate" pdf
then at the step for rooting, just flash the Unleash the beast build found in the dev section where it'll root, remove bloat apps, and give you the steps to sideroot.
Follow the rest of the pimp my captivate guide
Cosmetic mods I recommend are the battery icon, the evo black bar mod (there's a combo of them both somewhere in the dev section in the thread)
I posted some fonts in the themes section, you should set-up launcherpro with 3d app-cabinet
Get beautiful widgets, some nice live wallpapers (I'm rocking the droid x one)
and there's the notification mod, in the themes section too.
Explore and have fun, but remember to keep a nandroid backup handy (when you figure out what that is )

Best Buy has a 14 day return policy. Not sure what the restocking fee is though.

9 Months to Go on Contract

Anyone see a way to get a Thunderbolt when I have 9 months to go on my current contract? I realize I could pay full price but not looking to do so. Thanks for any suggestions. My current phone is an amoled incredible.

Add a line? $10. a month.

jdk2 said:
Add a line? $10. a month.
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Click to collapse
if you added a line and got the contract pricing wouldn't you also have to sign up for a data plan, which then cannot be removed without breaking the contract and incurring ETFs. then it'd be $10 + $29.99/month......seems buying retail would be better/equivalent to that.
ebay is always an option, but since it's so new it would be quite difficult to get anything much less than retail cost.
i don't know much about it but i've seen mention of early upgrade fees on verizon, maybe you could talk to verizon employees and see if you have any options there. i haven't had much luck with them but people have posted about experiences with verizon people where they are really accommodating and friendly.

sitrucz said:
Anyone see a way to get a Thunderbolt when I have 9 months to go on my current contract? I realize I could pay full price but not looking to do so. Thanks for any suggestions. My current phone is an amoled incredible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Back when I got my Droid 1, I was only 12 months into my 2 year contract. VZW let me do an early upgrade but did charge me a $20.00 fee. I recomend you calling *611 from your phone.
good luck !!!

Verizon did the same with me for my tbolt. I was 13 months into contract, they let me upgrade for 2 year contract price + 25.00$
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

Buy retail or try to get an early upgrade...
it is actually really annoying. everyone always wants the latest phones and cannot wait to get them... and then they scramble to find the best way to get them when they still have "x" months left in their contract (x usually being greater than 6, closer to 12).
at that point, why not just get a 1 year contract to begin with. pay the extra $70 for your device up front but then have the freedom and flexibility at 10 months to do as you choose (and be able to get a new device without trying to "work the system" and weasel your way out of a contract or find some fishy way to add another line). you will end up spending more if you do not get a 1 yr contract.
I am a firm believer of this!
*EDIT*: and Verizon does not always allow early upgrades for 2 yr contracts, so you cannot rely on that

bmcclure937 said:
Buy retail or try to get an early upgrade...
it is actually really annoying. everyone always wants the latest phones and cannot wait to get them... and then they scramble to find the best way to get them when they still have "x" months left in their contract (x usually being greater than 6, closer to 12).
at that point, why not just get a 1 year contract to begin with. pay the extra $70 for your device up front but then have the freedom and flexibility at 10 months to do as you choose (and be able to get a new device without trying to "work the system" and weasel your way out of a contract or find some fishy way to add another line). you will end up spending more if you do not get a 1 yr contract.
I am a firm believer of this!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That, I'm never getting another phone at a two-year contract ever again unless the whole market system changes with it, which i dont see happening.
Regardless, if you are stuck in a contract, do the add a line thing, as with that, you can get the new phone on a new line, then switch it over to a crappy cheap phone that doesn't need a data plan, and disable everything on it, so you're only paying the $10 a month for an extra line.

Russ36363 said:
Regardless, if you are stuck in a contract, do the add a line thing, as with that, you can get the new phone on a new line, then switch it over to a crappy cheap phone that doesn't need a data plan, and disable everything on it, so you're only paying the $10 a month for an extra line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe i'm not well-versed on verizon's contract terms. are you all sure that the contract doesn't forbid cancelling the data plan? i was basing my knowledge on an experience with at&t more than two years ago, haha. at that time i did the secondary line upgrade to get a new blackberry and at&t's terms were that in order to get an upgrade price it is required to sign up for a data package. the loophole there for me was that the data plan could be cancelled after two months at no cost at all. later on a friend who tried to do the same thing as me could not because at&t changed their policy and would not allow people to remove data plans after two months without an ETF.
is verizon's policy better and either doesn't require a data plan upon upgrade or allows you to remove it immediately after upgrading? (note: i tried to look up verizon's policy on this by going to the site and pretending to be a new customer but it started to ask for payment and personal info before showing me the terms and conditions. it did require me to sign up for a data plan when purchasing a smartphone though) i'm curious to know what the fine details are.

bkiminfinity said:
if you added a line and got the contract pricing wouldn't you also have to sign up for a data plan, which then cannot be removed without breaking the contract and incurring ETFs. then it'd be $10 + $29.99/month......seems buying retail would be better/equivalent to that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
make sure you have an older dumbphone to transfer your existing line to. then you can drop data to your heart's content.
i have done this twice now, once for x and once for thunderbolt. $10/mo each.

bkiminfinity said:
maybe i'm not well-versed on verizon's contract terms. are you all sure that the contract doesn't forbid cancelling the data plan? i was basing my knowledge on an experience with at&t more than two years ago, haha. at that time i did the secondary line upgrade to get a new blackberry and at&t's terms were that in order to get an upgrade price it is required to sign up for a data package. the loophole there for me was that the data plan could be cancelled after two months at no cost at all. later on a friend who tried to do the same thing as me could not because at&t changed their policy and would not allow people to remove data plans after two months without an ETF.
is verizon's policy better and either doesn't require a data plan upon upgrade or allows you to remove it immediately after upgrading? (note: i tried to look up verizon's policy on this by going to the site and pretending to be a new customer but it started to ask for payment and personal info before showing me the terms and conditions. it did require me to sign up for a data plan when purchasing a smartphone though) i'm curious to know what the fine details are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the experiences I've had and others who've posted about it, the only restriction AFAIK from verizon is that you need a data plan on the line when you activate the phone on that line, so you'd need to add a data plan on the line when a smartphone is activated for it. However, if the phone isn't a smartphone, i've been able to add and remove the data to the line as needed (I've had an old enV phone where theres been a few times where I've needed the data, so I've just turned on the data plan for the two weeks or so, and never gotten charged outside of that, or fees)

Bodero said:
make sure you have an older dumbphone to transfer your existing line to. then you can drop data to your heart's content.
i have done this twice now, once for x and once for thunderbolt. $10/mo each.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have an old blackberry pearl flip, does that count? seeing that it is a blackberry i would think it doesn't......
but a follow-up question i have is that is it worth it paying the extra $10/month? price speculation for tbolt: $319 for 1-year contract, add the $10/month for a year = $120 for a total of $439. retail is $599 so you save $160.....as opposed to paying $319 alone and saving $280. i guess for someone with an upgrade available the method of adding a line and then moving the new phone saves you an upgrade and costs $120 more to get the tbolt. so you are paying an extra $120 above the cost of the phone itself to save your upgrade.
makes more sense for someone with no upgrade option then.

But i didn't think it could be just 10 dollars a month. The phones are required to have their own 29.99 data plan
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

Thanks all I'm thinking *611 and see if I'm eligible for that early upgrade and will do the 1 year contract.

Bodero said:
make sure you have an older dumbphone to transfer your existing line to. then you can drop data to your heart's content.
i have done this twice now, once for x and once for thunderbolt. $10/mo each.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or call Verizon and tell them you no longer want a phone on that line and they'll put a dummy ESN on it. That's what I did the last time I pulled the add a line and drop it for a discount.

It turns out I'm eligible for the early upgrade on 5/10 of this year which puts me on my incredible for 1 year. My full upgrade is up on 1/10/12. So I guess I'll see what's out there in May. Thanks again.

just keep calling *611 and get someone that is nice. after 4 calls to CS i begged the lady to ask her supervisor to advance my upgrade (from Dec.). I paid the $20.00 fee. good luck.

I found an official document on verizon's FAQs under "Worry Free Guarantee". Easier to get to through google. When I have the link I can post it.
Basically it states that if you are in a two year plan already you will be able to take advantage of one more annual upgrade at discount price or if you so choose wait until your 20th month and get your "New Every Two" credit.
I had to print this sheet and make sure the full url was across the top in order to show it to a verizon rep. He then put a remark under my account stating that I was indeed elgible for an early upgrade. The problem is just with the changes verizon is now implementing.
Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using XDA App

I bought my thunderbolt on craigslist for $540. Was a little shady as the guy didn't have the box, but had all the accessories Verizon employee maybe? Just can't imagine how a day old phone is missing the box. Anyway I activated the phone with no issue.

When you guys are paying the $20 or whatever to get the early upgrade, so they just reset your account so that Wirefly/Amazon/etc see you as upgrade eligible, or do you then have to buy the phone from VZW? I'd like to upgrade 4 months early (and have multiple lines to upgrade, so the "new every 2" would only take care of one phone) but I don't want to pay VZW an extra $50/phone if I can avoid it.

They are sadly apparently getting rid of the annual upgrade feature Anyway should you want to go the full retail route I got mine cheapest through VZW at 599.99 vs the 749.99 it seemed to be listed everywhere else. I don't get my annual upgrade which they are still honoring for the time being until July of this year (still can get it should I want to grab another device this summer).
The only reason I could see to upgrade earlier than your annual upgrade date is in the off chance verizon changes the way they do 4G data plans for new 4G phones at that point? Currently they are offering 4G at 3G data prices w/ unlimited data, and they can't suddenly start charging those of us who are on these unlimited plans more or force us to the tiered plan concept... so we'd be grandfathered in sorta like the unlimited data AT&T users are currently. Was the main reason for me jumping the gun and upgrading early at full retail, that and the speeds are amazing.

[Q] AT&T Just screwed me over

Welp, AT&T reps [two of them] that I called in to for support assured my I would keep my grandfathered data plan [unlimited from alltel].
One week after this, I was patiently waiting for a text and call [i requested both] to confirm or deny this having been modified on my account because "upgrading" from a 3g phone that already was from AT&T wouldn't allow me to keep my unlimited data in the system.
So i called, of course the base support cant actually do anything [no offense to them, I just think its pointless to call them support when they can't do anything anyways] and after about twenty minutes of complaining I was talking to a floor rep or something like that who informed me my case to have my features fixed had been denied, although marked as completed AND marked that I had been notified...
So two support reps didn't know what they were promising [i do mean promising] and this guy gives me these options.
1)Pick the data plan you wish and we'll change it to that before your next bill comes around.
2)Go to a full new contract with us.
or, 3)Return your phone and the other one [galaxy S 2] and you will get your old features back on the other phones.
----------------------------------------------
Now, My thought is... I traded in my Xperia x10, and blackberry 9300 [this sucks so bad..], Is there some way I can get through past this? I wondered what would happen if they cant manage to track down my two phones [the target i traded these in at i'm sure will lose them sometime in the next 7 days].
Also, My first One X had the bottom of the screen peeling off of it. I got a replacement, but the lady there in target said that they got two of them which makes me wonder how many people got 2x One X's because of sorting/counting mistakes.

Yeah, AT&T data management sucks.
I'm on the 2GB plan for $25 because that's the only thing that is discounted with a corporate discount.
If i were to upgrade to the 3GB for $30, it doesn't qualify any discount. Neither does the unlimited plan.
It makes no sense. Why would they not want me to pay more?
It sucks that you got screwed but AT&T throttles you even with an unlimited plan (5GB for LTE) so 3GB isn't that bad.

TKTAB911 said:
Welp, AT&T reps [two of them] that I called in to for support assured my I would keep my grandfathered data plan [unlimited from alltel].
One week after this, I was patiently waiting for a text and call [i requested both] to confirm or deny this having been modified on my account because "upgrading" from a 3g phone that already was from AT&T wouldn't allow me to keep my unlimited data in the system.
So i called, of course the base support cant actually do anything [no offense to them, I just think its pointless to call them support when they can't do anything anyways] and after about twenty minutes of complaining I was talking to a floor rep or something like that who informed me my case to have my features fixed had been denied, although marked as completed AND marked that I had been notified...
So two support reps didn't know what they were promising [i do mean promising] and this guy gives me these options.
1)Pick the data plan you wish and we'll change it to that before your next bill comes around.
2)Go to a full new contract with us.
or, 3)Return your phone and the other one [galaxy S 2] and you will get your old features back on the other phones.
----------------------------------------------
Now, My thought is... I traded in my Xperia x10, and blackberry 9300 [this sucks so bad..], Is there some way I can get through past this? I wondered what would happen if they cant manage to track down my two phones [the target i traded these in at i'm sure will lose them sometime in the next 7 days].
Also, My first One X had the bottom of the screen peeling off of it. I got a replacement, but the lady there in target said that they got two of them which makes me wonder how many people got 2x One X's because of sorting/counting mistakes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly i never had this problem before, there has been many times when a rep had changed my plan by "accident" i usually just call in and they get an override from the supervisor and i'm good to go..

karan1203 said:
Yeah, AT&T data management sucks.
I'm on the 2GB plan for $25 because that's the only thing that is discounted with a corporate discount.
If i were to upgrade to the 3GB for $30, it doesn't qualify any discount. Neither does the unlimited plan.
It makes no sense. Why would they not want me to pay more?
It sucks that you got screwed but AT&T throttles you even with an unlimited plan (5GB for LTE) so 3GB isn't that bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got on an unlimited lte +1500 messages for $29.00 on my plan . Switched from an iPhone 4 and did it online
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

Maybe its just my situation;
Family plan from Alltel.
2 lines, "family choice" plan.
Pretty much blows, I'd have no problem paying twice that [20$ = Unlimited atm] To keep unlimited on this phone :b Ohwell. So much for "upgrading". . .
Besides, I dont think I get throttled... I erm, Hardly get 2 bars anywhere around my house anyways.

Call and tell them you want to know what your cancellation fee is. They'll send you to the retention team. They'll want to know why you want to cancel. Tell them two reps lied to you about the unlimited data carrying over and you're going to switch to Verizon because you can get more data for the same price (VZN is doing their double data for the same price deal). They'll most likely let you keep your unlimited data.
It worked for me to get a upgrade to the One X a year early.

OOOOH i'll try that tomorrow
Thanks ahead of time if it works!!

[Q]Best Way to Upgrade to GS3 While Keeping Unlimited?

I thought of a few ways to upgrade while keeping unlimited data.
There was..
Add a new line, with the GS3, give that phone to the unlimited data, and then put a basic phone on that line so it doesn't require the data fees...
There's buy a used cracked screen on eBay, replace the cracked screen with a replacement on eBay..
Any ideas anyone?

I would suggest against buying any used phone, especially for verizon phones, only because of the risk that if the person selling it has any remaining balance on that account that the phone was tied to, it would be useless for you and by law Verizon will be unable to add it to your phone line. If you can confirm that it in fact has no left over balance, then this is probably the best way to go.
Better off going with the plan of adding a line with a basic phone and switching the two numbers, but that will cost you another 40$ every bill and verizon will probably still make you pay an arm and a leg for the SGS III essentially at full retail price if you really want to keep that unlimited data plan. So you might as well just pay full price for the phone and then just switch your number to it in order to keep the unlimited data plan.
Hope this helps.

Martakia said:
Better off going with the plan of adding a line with a basic phone and switching the two numbers, but that will cost you another 40$ every bill and verizon will probably still make you pay an arm and a leg for the SGS III essentially at full retail price if you really want to keep that unlimited data plan. So you might as well just pay full price for the phone and then just switch your number to it in order to keep the unlimited data plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I get the GS3 on the extra line and I switch a basic phone onto it, wouldn't it be just 10 dollars a month?

That's basically what I did to keep my unlimited data. Added a line for the GS3, switched it to my line with unlimited data and activated a basic phone I had lying around onto the new line.

weblexa said:
That's basically what I did to keep my unlimited data. Added a line for the GS3, switched it to my line with unlimited data and activated a basic phone I had lying around onto the new line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How much a month is it for that line? 10 dollars?

Well I have 2 lines that had an upgrade on the same day. Mine had unlimited data, and the other one was my moms who had no data at all. So what we did was use my upgrade to upgrade her line to a sgs3 with 2gb of data a month , then put that phone on my line and put the basic phone back on her line. Then she upgraded with her updrage to a sgs3 for herself
Sent from my Verizon Galaxy S3

weblexa said:
That's basically what I did to keep my unlimited data. Added a line for the GS3, switched it to my line with unlimited data and activated a basic phone I had lying around onto the new line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I did as well. Added $10/month to my bill.

Martakia said:
I would suggest against buying any used phone, especially for verizon phones, only because of the risk that if the person selling it has any remaining balance on that account that the phone was tied to, it would be useless for you and by law Verizon will be unable to add it to your phone line. If you can confirm that it in fact has no left over balance, then this is probably the best way to go.
Better off going with the plan of adding a line with a basic phone and switching the two numbers, but that will cost you another 40$ every bill and verizon will probably still make you pay an arm and a leg for the SGS III essentially at full retail price if you really want to keep that unlimited data plan. So you might as well just pay full price for the phone and then just switch your number to it in order to keep the unlimited data plan.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a question about this. Does the new use of a SIM card change what you're saying about left over fees owed to Verizon? If a person were to buy a phone from Ebay and put their own SIM in would that be Ok even if the original owner owed money on their SIM?

All I did was order online. I originally went into the store to upgrade, but they told me I had to get a new data plan. I went home and ordered the GS3 online that night and it let me keep my unlimited plan. They probably fixed that glitch by now though.

pcdisme said:
I have a question about this. Does the new use of a SIM card change what you're saying about left over fees owed to Verizon? If a person were to buy a phone from Ebay and put their own SIM in would that be Ok even if the original owner owed money on their SIM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the new SIM card system that Verizon has started to use, I am not quite sure about that, but when reading past experiences, and one that my cousin had to go through, they all bought used phones from online sites like ebay and amazon, but ended up being unable to apply them to their own plans because of a check that was done on the phone's background. (I know there is a way to do this yourself, but you pretty much have to have the phone in your possession in order to do so.)
When my family had to add a new line to our family plan for my little brother, a basic phone, verizon wanted to charge us $40, and instead we got him a smartphone which was only $30. Verizon is really pushing smartphones, primarily android devices and especially the SGS3. Essentially what they tried to sell us, but we told them no lol.

Martakia said:
With the new SIM card system that Verizon has started to use, I am not quite sure about that, but when reading past experiences, and one that my cousin had to go through, they all bought used phones from online sites like ebay and amazon, but ended up being unable to apply them to their own plans because of a check that was done on the phone's background. (I know there is a way to do this yourself, but you pretty much have to have the phone in your possession in order to do so.)
When my family had to add a new line to our family plan for my little brother, a basic phone, verizon wanted to charge us $40, and instead we got him a smartphone which was only $30. Verizon is really pushing smartphones, primarily android devices and especially the SGS3. Essentially what they tried to sell us, but we told them no lol.
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Click to collapse
I got my SGS3 from someone that had left over fees and it didn't effect me at all. I think the SIM card system has made this a thing of the past.

MrSmith317 said:
I got my SGS3 from someone that had left over fees and it didn't effect me at all. I think the SIM card system has made this a thing of the past.
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Awesome , then i guess the op is good to go and buy the one off ebay and replace the screen.

Thanks for all the input guys! Much appreciated.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Dude, all u have to do is calling Verizon & give them the imei or serial, they will tell u if the fone legit. Bought mine used but looks like new.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

quattr0 said:
Dude, all u have to do is calling Verizon & give them the imei or serial, they will tell u if the fone legit. Bought mine used but looks like new.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
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yep or you can use one of the following online service to check the IMEI/MEID, Verizon's is the more accurate one, if it says call customer service then the IMEI is bad:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/estore/certifieddevice/cd
http://www.checkesnfree.com/

I upgraded a flip phone line on my plan to the SG3 and gave it 2gb data temporarily. I then had them switch the SG3 to my number, re-enable the flip phone on the upgraded line, and then cancel the 2gb data plan, reverting it back to $10 nondata plan. Verizon will not charge for a data plan that is changed within 24 hours. Worked for me anyhow, but did have to pay the $30 upgrade fee.

Martakia said:
With the new SIM card system that Verizon has started to use, I am not quite sure about that, but when reading past experiences, and one that my cousin had to go through, they all bought used phones from online sites like ebay and amazon, but ended up being unable to apply them to their own plans because of a check that was done on the phone's background. (I know there is a way to do this yourself, but you pretty much have to have the phone in your possession in order to do so.)
When my family had to add a new line to our family plan for my little brother, a basic phone, verizon wanted to charge us $40, and instead we got him a smartphone which was only $30. Verizon is really pushing smartphones, primarily android devices and especially the SGS3. Essentially what they tried to sell us, but we told them no lol.
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Yeah.....
I don't think so.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Kept unlimited data and upgraded to gn3

I just placed an order with Verizon online and was able to keep my unlimited data plan while upgrading to the note 3. I verified with 611 that as long as the system allows it. I will be able to keep it. The Order confirmation shows it and also I saved the chat with another rep saying they are running a promo that is allowing people to keep their unlimited data.

can you please elaborate on that ?
polo2883 said:
I just placed an order with Verizon online and was able to keep my unlimited data plan while upgrading to the note 3. I verified with 611 that as long as the system allows it. I will be able to keep it. The Order confirmation shows it and also I saved the chat with another rep saying they are running a promo that is allowing people to keep their unlimited data.
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I would do this right now !

jmichaels1982 said:
I would do this right now !
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Check out Droid-Life, they actually just posted a story on it.
It seems legit.
Too bad I'd never put another Verizon ball and chain on my ankle ever again.

jmichaels1982 said:
I would do this right now !
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I just went online and went through the upgrade process. I know it use to strip it and force you to a new plan but right now its allowing you to keep it. I actually find it interesting that they would allow this considering VZW just made comments about unlimited data being dead.

I just canceled my preorder for the phone alone at full price. I went online and upgraded for the note 3 and gear bundle for less than the phone retail and was able to keep my unlimited.:laugh::laugh::laugh: I kept printouts of it all.

OMG Thank you!
Just cancelled my pre-order and upgraded my line

does this mean your 2yr contract has to be up first or
I can just buy the phone outright @ contract price right if I have an existing contract and keep unlimited data ?

FYI,
I did this successfully last night, and when I talked to a CSR this morning trying to cancel my first pre-order, they told me that I would lose my unlimited data anyway, because it was just a glitch in the system that they were trying to figure out.
They did confirm to me that I could return it and revert back to unlimited data and just buy the N3 outright, as I had planned to do all along, so it's not a big deal.
I'm just saying don't cry if it doesn't work in the end.
Remember, this is Verizon we're talking about. They have no qualms about screwing us over, "contract" or no "contract".

I'm thinking about canceling my preorder to reorder on my account. At the moment i have the Note preordered on my mother-in-laws business account (to be activated on one of her lines, but then I’ll take it). That was the safest way I couldnt think to keep my unlimited. Not sure if i want to risk it

Confident Verizon will keep their end just like they haven't throttled unlimited data like AT&T has. This makes it easier than paying full price which I did for my current Note 2.

It's already been stated a few times that it might change once you activate your device. So be careful... it may lock you in to two years without your unlimited data...
This is coming from Verizon btw.

mi7chy said:
Confident Verizon will keep their end just like they haven't throttled unlimited data like AT&T has.
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They haven't throttled because it is illegal for them to do so. The LTE spectrum they bought came with that caveat, and if they throttle LTE, they are in violation of federal law. They throttle 3G all the time because they can.
Rest assured, Verizon will not honor this. They don't care about me or you, and they could care less if we ditch them and run to T-Mobile or wherever else. All they care about is expanding their network and releasing their crappy droids.
I'm canceling my glitch order and going with the original pre-order that I thankfully never canceled.
I know Verizon too well to think this will work out.
Verizon sucks, they have atrocious business practices, and that's not going to change. Don't be fooled.

I would like to think Verizon would honor this. But since they are all about squeezing the last penny out of customers this will be my last straw with VZW.
Even United who gave away free tickets from a glitch honored it.
VZW isn't losing any money on doing this.

polo2883 said:
I would like to think Verizon would honor this. But since they are all about squeezing the last penny out of customers this will be my last straw with VZW.
Even United who gave away free tickets from a glitch honored it.
VZW isn't losing any money on doing this.
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I too am almost done with Verizon. Have ordered a Note 3 from TMo to see what my coverage may be in and around Houston as compared to Verizon. I don't expect it to be as good but I'm not looking for that anyway. I'll compare it with the unlimited upgrade I did for the Note 3 this weekend from Verizon or my G4 if the Note falls through. If all goes well, I'll sell my three lines of unlimited, return or sells phones as appropriate and move over to TMo. Verizon just has too much arrogance IMHO.

I upgraded to a gn3 and was able to keep my unlimited data on AT&T. I read somewhere Verizon had a glitch in their oline system that allowed some people to upgrade and retain their unlimited data but they have since corrected it and that the people that were able to retain their unlimited will probably loose it anyways.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317

richB7 said:
I too am almost done with Verizon. Have ordered a Note 3 from TMo to see what my coverage may be in and around Houston as compared to Verizon. I don't expect it to be as good but I'm not looking for that anyway. I'll compare it with the unlimited upgrade I did for the Note 3 this weekend from Verizon or my G4 if the Note falls through. If all goes well, I'll sell my three lines of unlimited, return or sells phones as appropriate and move over to TMo. Verizon just has too much arrogance IMHO.
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Click to collapse
If you decide to sell your unlimited data line on Verizon, please shoot me a PM and I will take it off your hands.
Sent from my Crapple iPhone 5

VZWSupport on twitter just said they will automatically put you in a current plan and won't honor the "glitch". Which apparently is happening again.

polo2883 said:
VZWSupport on twitter just said they will automatically put you in a current plan and won't honor the "glitch". Which apparently is happening again.
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I don't see this on VZWSupport, direct link?

ikithme said:
I don't see this on VZWSupport, direct link?
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https://twitter.com/VZWSupport/status/384681847533232129

ikithme said:
I don't see this on VZWSupport, direct link?
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At work so I can't get to post images, but search for "Light Aeterna" on Twitter, that's who VZW replied to with the news.