Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Help W/ Family Plan

Aperture

Aperture

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 19, 2006
1,876
0
PA
I already called AT&T and they weren't much help. I'm going to try talking to someone in a store a bit later today. Anyhow, my family already has a regular Family Share Plan. Not an iPhone Family Share Plan. My primary line is just a regular line, not an iPhone. The only slot on my account I want an iPhone is as a seconday line. Here is an image I made to visualize it. Basically, I need to know if I will just end up paying the extra fees on the secondary iPhone line, not upgrade the entire account to an iPhone Family Share Plan. Please, the AT&T guy was no help. Any advice is appreciated!

setup.png
 
Aperture said:
I already called AT&T and they weren't much help. I'm going to try talking to someone in a store a bit later today. Anyhow, my family already has a regular Family Share Plan. Not an iPhone Family Share Plan. My primary line is just a regular line, not an iPhone. The only slot on my account I want an iPhone is as a seconday line. Here is an image I made to visualize it. Basically, I need to know if I will just end up paying the extra fees on the secondary iPhone line, not upgrade the entire account to an iPhone Family Share Plan. Please, the AT&T guy was no help. Any advice is appreciated!

setup.png
Click to expand...

I think you're making this too complicated. Take the phone on your family plan. Buy an iPhone to replace it. Add the $20 iPhone data plan fee to you account. Enjoy!

The pricing is all very compartmentalized--it's the same as the current plans, plus $20 for the iPhone data. Basically it's a la carte.
 
I made a few errors and am going to correct them. The primary acnt is not $59.99, it is $50.00 + the $9.99 Secondary #1 which brings my total to $59.99 for the first 2 phones. I think this plan may have been removed from AT&T's lineup when they made the change from Cingular to AT&T but I still have it. My problem is this...

The lowest priced iPhone Family Plan is $80. BUT, that plan assumes you are making an iPhone the master acnt which I am not. My current family plan is $50.00 plus each additional line for $9.99. The iPhone line is listed as $29.99 for adding to a family share plan. Therefore will I have to bump my entire acnt to the $80 iPhone Family Share Plan or can I just keep my current one and pay an extra $20 for my iPhone? (mind you the $20 on top of the $9.99 we're paying now)
 
Le Big Mac said:
I think you're making this too complicated. Take the phone on your family plan. Buy an iPhone to replace it. Add the $20 iPhone data plan fee to you account. Enjoy!

The pricing is all very compartmentalized--it's the same as the current plans, plus $20 for the iPhone data. Basically it's a la carte.
Click to expand...

Not really. You can have voice and add data, but you can't have data and do away with voice. The iPhone is a one-plan-fits-all kind of deal, which is too bad.
 
Aperture said:
I made a few errors and am going to correct them.
The lowest priced iPhone Family Plan is $80. BUT, that plan assumes you are making an iPhone the master acnt which I am not. My current family plan is $50.00 plus each additional line for $9.99. The iPhone line is listed as $29.99 for adding to a family share plan. Therefore will I have to bump my entire acnt to the $80 iPhone Family Share Plan or can I just keep my current one and pay an extra $20 for my iPhone. (mind you the $20 on top of the $9.99 we're paying now)
Click to expand...

So, you're paying 59.99 for two lines? That seems $10 less than what's currently on ATT site.

You'll have to ask, but if what Apple says is true here also, then it would seem you just need to add $20 to the phone the iPhone is replacing, so $79.99.
 
dagomike said:
So, you're paying 59.99 for two lines?
Click to expand...

Looking at my bill, I am paying $59.99 for two lines.

I hope it is as easy as just adding the $20 to the secondary line that is currently $9.99 to cover the iPhone, I don't know though.
 
Aperture said:
Looking at my bill, I am paying $59.99 for two lines.

I hope it is as easy as just adding the $20 to the secondary line that is currently $9.99 to cover the iPhone, I don't know though.
Click to expand...

I have the same plan as you, I think. It's my understanding that I will be able to replace my SE phone with an iPhone for $20 more than I currently pay. This is for the unlimited-data option. My wife's plan/phone will not change.
 
Aperture said:
Looking at my bill, I am paying $59.99 for two lines.

I hope it is as easy as just adding the $20 to the secondary line that is currently $9.99 to cover the iPhone, I don't know though.
Click to expand...

If you have two phones now and replacing one with an iPhone, I guess it will be (according to Apple) $50 plus $9.99 for the second line, plus $20 for the data plan, or $79.99.

How many minutes do you got?
 
dagomike said:
How many minutes do you got?
Click to expand...

Off the top of my head, I'm not sure. I'll pull my bill out soon and check. I have 550.

gauchogolfer said:
I have the same plan as you, I think. It's my understanding that I will be able to replace my SE phone with an iPhone for $20 more than I currently pay. This is for the unlimited-data option. My wife's plan/phone will not change.
Click to expand...

I think I'm understanding it better considering on the "Existing Customers" page it says you can add data for $20 more, right? I have the $9.99 plan and am an existing customer, why couldn't I add the $20 and just get an iPhone?
 
I have a family plan with 3 lines. I am pretty sure I will just need to pay $20 more a month to add the iPhone with 200 sms messages.

Even if got a new family plan the pricing would be exactly the same.
 
I'm wondering what the best strategy for being a switcher from Sprint for two lines.

Amazon is offering great rebates for their regular phones (Sony 810i). Maybe get one to begin the contract, and then the iPhone to add on? I'm not sure how it works with Amazon and I don't want to void the rebate.

Amazon only offers a family plan if you activate the two phones at the same time. So sign up for a personal plan with Amazon, then add in the iPhone next to change it into a family plan?
 
Guys, am I missing something here, or are you? If you look at the fine print on the rate plans on Apple's web site, it says "*Includes one line. Additional iPhone lines are $29.99 each. More SMS text messages can be added to any plan."

So the way I'm understanding this, the 700 minute family plan is $80 for one phone, and it's an extra $30 !!!??? for each additional phone on the plan (assuming they are iPhones)? Why would they charge so much? Doesn't that blowout the whole purpose of having a family plan?

I'm confused.

Are they going to let you add a regular phone for $9.99 a month to an iPhone family plan?

Why do they gouge you for $30 to have two iPhones on a family plan? Is it because of the data usage of the iPhone?

I have this nagging feeling that if I just wait a little while after the iPhone is released, maybe even just a few weeks, these rates are going to get a lot more competitive.

What do y'all think?
 
From my calculations, it'll just be an extra $20 on any line for it to have the iPhone's unlimited data. See this post with a graph that I made of ALL POSSIBLE* iPhone/AT&T/family plan combinations:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/319857/

*except for 3rd, 4th, etc iPhone plan combos, but just add $29.95/line for those.

Kudos for that drawing though! I'm at work with only Excel and Paint and I had to rough it. ;D
 
You're making this way too complicated. Your options:

1) Existing customers can just add one iPhone to your current plan for $20.

2) You can bring your two lines to the new $80 iPhone Family Plan. That'll net you 700 minutes and 200 SMS messages shared between the two lines.

You need to compare your current plan's minutes and SMS message allotment to the cheapo iPhone Family Plan.

bry2k said:
Guys, am I missing something here, or are you? If you look at the fine print on the rate plans on Apple's web site, it says "*Includes one line. Additional iPhone lines are $29.99 each. More SMS text messages can be added to any plan."

So the way I'm understanding this, the 700 minute family plan is $80 for one phone, and it's an extra $30 !!!??? for each additional phone on the plan (assuming they are iPhones)? Why would they charge so much? Doesn't that blowout the whole purpose of having a family plan?

I'm confused.

Are they going to let you add a regular phone for $9.99 a month to an iPhone family plan?

Why do they gouge you for $30 to have two iPhones on a family plan? Is it because of the data usage of the iPhone?

I have this nagging feeling that if I just wait a little while after the iPhone is released, maybe even just a few weeks, these rates are going to get a lot more competitive.

What do y'all think?
Click to expand...

Family plans tend to save little money with only two people, but produce greater savings as more lines are added. Example (off the top of my head): Verizon's family plan is $70 for two lines, but additional lines past that are only $10 each.

The massive data usage that the iPhone will incur likely necessitated the $30 markup for each iPhone line.
 
Okay. I just color-ized and reorganized my chart of all plans possible for AT&T and iPhone customers (existing or not, family or not), and the GOOD news is that it really won't matter which way you do it... the iPhone plans are simply the regular AT&T plans plus the $20 for data, and the iPhone family plans are simply the regular AT&T family plans plus a second line and data for both lines.

4kabgk8.gif
 
Aperture said:
I have 550.
Click to expand...
Ah... there you go. The current family plan is 700 minutes. You just seem to have an expired plan. Hopefully they'll let you keep it if those minutes are working for you.

bry2k said:
So the way I'm understanding this, the 700 minute family plan is $80 for one phone, and it's an extra $30 !!!??? for each additional phone on the plan (assuming they are iPhones)? Why would they charge so much? Doesn't that blowout the whole purpose of having a family plan?
Click to expand...

Yup... it makes sense.

450 single plan = $40
700 family = $70 w/ 1 line

iPhone single 450 = $40 + $20 data ($60)
iPhone family 700 = $60 + $20 data + $10 2nd line ($90)
iPhone family 700 = $60 + $20 data + $10 2nd line + $20 second data ($110)

The difference is they unbundle the second line on iPhone plans so people can choose between a standard line ($10) or an iPhone line ($10+$20)
 
Here's a quick run-down of their current plans that I made (yellow column are essentially the same, as are green, with the exception of the grey area in which it is cheaper to get an "iPhone plan"):

4kabgk8.gif
 
wongulous said:
Here's a quick run-down of their current plans that I made (yellow column are essentially the same, as are green, with the exception of the grey area in which it is cheaper to get an "iPhone plan"):
Click to expand...

Herculean effort there, man. Although that grid could use some Apple styling... :p
 
I've got an existing Cingular family plan with 2000 shared minutes split among 5 phones, and a $40 data plan on my Treo 680. We're paying 99 for the plan, plus $40 for the four extra lines, plus $40 for my data plan, and then with fees, taxes, etc - it's about $220/month for the whole mess.

As I understand it, I'm actually coming out AHEAD on the iPhone switch - AT&T won't let me use anything but the unlimited data/unlimited text data plan with my Treo, but in reality, I use a TON of data for e-mail, and only about 150 texts a month.

So, if I've got this right, switching to the iPhone data plan with unlimited data and 200 text/month for $20 will save me a BUNDLE. At $20/month less than what I'm paying now, that's $240/year, or $480 over the course of the two-year contract that I'm SAVING!
 
so if you want to add extra lines (non-iphone) onto the iphone family plan it is $10/line, just like the regular family plans?
 
bry2k said:
I have this nagging feeling that if I just wait a little while after the iPhone is released, maybe even just a few weeks, these rates are going to get a lot more competitive.

What do y'all think?
Click to expand...

I was going to order our 2 iphones online Friday, but I think I'll hold off a few weeks until they change Family iphone plans. I bet they're going to get lots of backlash about data plans (they should allow 2 phone to share data, like phone minutes).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back