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Early contract termination with AT&T

U

umiwangu

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 4, 2006
478
0
Malawi
Hi everybody,

I really do apologise if this has been addressed before, but I'm suffering from information overload, esp here on this forum (and Google).

I'm going back to the US in December and I would like to get a new iPhone 3GS. I have a 2G that I purchased from eBay and shipped over here, but I would like to get a new one.

Now, according to the AT&T salesperson I spoke with via chat, if I get a new 3GS with a plan, I can terminate the plan after one month for $175 (reduced by $5 for each month I keep the plan). She said they will also unlock it for use on any networks.

Is this true? Would they really unlock it? Has anyone else gone the early termination route?

Thanks!
 
umiwangu said:
Hi everybody,

I really do apologise if this has been addressed before, but I'm suffering from information overload, esp here on this forum (and Google).

I'm going back to the US in December and I would like to get a new iPhone 3GS. I have a 2G that I purchased from eBay and shipped over here, but I would like to get a new one.

Now, according to the AT&T salesperson I spoke with via chat, if I get a new 3GS with a plan, I can terminate the plan after one month for $175 (reduced by $5 for each month I keep the plan). She said they will also unlock it for use on any networks.

Is this true? Would they really unlock it? Has anyone else gone the early termination route?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

It is my understanding you cannot get an iPhone unlocked in the US.

The $175 early termination fee I have seen quoted before, so it is probably correct.

If we could get our phones unlocked here in the US by buying out our contract, I'm sure the lines at AT&T/Apple would be out the door.

I know I would be the first in line.
 
dhlizard said:
It is my understanding you cannot get an iPhone unlocked in the US.

The $175 early termination fee I have seen quoted before, so it is probably correct.

If we could get our phones unlocked here in the US by buying out our contract, I'm sure the lines at AT&T/Apple would be out the door.

I know I would be the first in line.
Click to expand...

I knew something was fishy there. And salespeople wonder why they are not liked.

Ok, thanks for the help. I guess what I could do is get the iPhone 3G, terminate early, and get it unlocked with whatever the latest tool is. Or is the latest baseband unlockable?
 
umiwangu said:
I knew something was fishy there. And salespeople wonder why they are not liked.

Ok, thanks for the help. I guess what I could do is get the iPhone 3G, terminate early, and get it unlocked with whatever the latest tool is. Or is the latest baseband unlockable?
Click to expand...

You can buy factory unlocked phones from reputable vendors, but they will cost more than the AT&T price plus $175 cancel fee.

3G unlocked-$599
 
This is the route I took. I didn't want to extend my contract another two years so I opened a new line on our family plan, bought a 32gb 3GS on that line (299) and then cancelled the line after a month (175)

Total price was 299+175=475 bucks with no contract, which is better than the 699 it would have been.
 
savior1974 said:
This is the route I took. I didn't want to extend my contract another two years so I opened a new line on our family plan, bought a 32gb 3GS on that line (299) and then cancelled the line after a month (175)

Total price was 299+175=475 bucks with no contract, which is better than the 699 it would have been.
Click to expand...


+ $30 for the data plan they made you get... $505 total
I see ATT is now offering a $60 unlimited plan. talk & text.. I still can find if that includes data.. It would be cheeper for me to get those plans (4 of them) and only be paying $240 and not $300 that I pay now. The IPhones would need to be unlocked.
 
Sledneck36 said:
+ $30 for the data plan they made you get... $505 total
I see ATT is now offering a $60 unlimited plan. talk & text.. I still can find if that includes data.. It would be cheeper for me to get those plans (4 of them) and only be paying $240 and not $300 that I pay now. The IPhones would need to be unlocked.
Click to expand...

I wasn't charged for the data plan because I called and transferred the 3GS to my main phone number the same day I opened the secondary family plan account so I was able to remove that data plan without any charges for it. Then I just left no phone on that account and then canceled it 30 days later.
 
savior1974 said:
I wasn't charged for the data plan because I called and transferred the 3GS to my main phone number the same day I opened the secondary family plan account so I was able to remove that data plan without any charges for it. Then I just left no phone on that account and then canceled it 30 days later.
Click to expand...

But the important thing is.... Did they unlock it for you? I'm assuming they did not.
 
savior1974 said:
No they do not unlock it for you. But that can easily be done in 2-3 minutes with Blackra1n and Blacksn0w. (Provided you have the older boot rom.)
Click to expand...

That's the big issue then, isn't it. And I guess all the new iPhones come with the newer boot rom.

The 3G is also affected by the new boot room, or can it always be unlocked?
 
umiwangu said:
That's the big issue then, isn't it. And I guess all the new iPhones come with the newer boot rom.

The 3G is also affected by the new boot room, or can it always be unlocked?
Click to expand...

I have not read where anyone has posted of a 3G with the new bootrom. It seems to be just on the 3GS model.
 
Sledneck36 said:
+ $30 for the data plan they made you get... $505 total
I see ATT is now offering a $60 unlimited plan. talk & text.. I still can find if that includes data.. It would be cheeper for me to get those plans (4 of them) and only be paying $240 and not $300 that I pay now. The IPhones would need to be unlocked.
Click to expand...

Where is this plan ? I don't see it anywhere on AT&T website. The $59 plan isn't unlimited anything, not text, not minutes.
 
OK, so there is a GoPhone unlimited talk & text plan for $59 a month (prompts to Sledneck36 for the lead) and you can add 100 MB of data for $19.99.

So thats $79.98 a month, a much better deal with unlimited talk & text than I am paying for an iPhone.

What gives AT&T.
icon13.gif
 
iPhone-power said:
OK, so there is a GoPhone unlimited talk & text plan for $59 a month (prompts to Sledneck36 for the lead) and you can add 100 MB of data for $19.99.

So thats $79.98 a month, a much better deal with unlimited talk & text than I am paying for an iPhone.

What gives AT&T.
icon13.gif
Click to expand...

So you can get this GoPhone plan with the iPhone? Or do they force you to get that data plan?
 
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