Iphone / pay as you go / prepaid / edge advice?

[hscottm]

All:

I have been searching forums here and on AT&T (and the apple website) all morning and am trying to confirm what I think I have found. Feel free to point to another thread (there are many with these search terms). Specifically I am trying to confirm EDGE options on PAYG and PYP - I'd like to have this figured out before I try to activate.

I will be getting an iphone this week, currently share a prepaid minutes phone with my wife (we use less than $100 in credit per year - actually some of that gets wasted). We do not make many calls. So I would like an iphone for portable email/etc (I am mostly at work with Wifi everywhere) but do travel some. I would prefer to spend as little on voice service but still be able to get EDGE.

It seems to me the AT&T GoPhone options are "pay as you go" or "pick your plan", and pick your plan prices include unlimited EDGE but are roughly the same monthly prices as the non-prepaid plans (main benefit being no contracts). AT&T's iphone website does not even list gophone rates.

The pay as you go have just per-call (and per-day used) charges - but it looks like I cant pay $20 for unlimited EDGE. Its media net, but on per MB used. I am worried I will connect to edge instead of Wifi and use up my whole balance accidentally when watching a video.

I see nothing about prepaid options on the apple or AT&T iphone site. So far it seems the safest bet is to pick the bottom PYP option which includes EDGE for $50 so that I dont end up paying $100 accidentally.

Can someone help/confirm? Is anyone using Pay as you go?

 

[barrycompston]

Hi

If you are using O2 in the UK PAYG, it is not possible to use EDGE with a bolt on.

The best way is to take out a tarrif you cancancel at anytime called the SIMPLICITY PLAN at £15 for 200 mins & 200 txts.

Then add a bolt on at £7.50 and you can use EDGE.

Remember EDGE does not work with PAYG even as an addon.

Cheers

 

[::Lisa::]

This video maybe of use if you didn't want the edge to connect.
Personally, I do not have an iPhone so not sure if it works.

[edit] I'd be interested to see if you can edit these options on the UK iPhones

 

[hscottm]

barry and lisa - thanks for replies. from my original post I am in US not UK.

note I *DO* want edge - but would prefer to have basically no call minutes (I think your advice is for the reverse case, sorry if I confused you).

so does anyone with AT&T use a prepaid plan of some sort with minimal minutes and also use edge? what plan?

 

[hscottm]

All:

I didnt get much advice, so wanted to summarize things.

Turns out there IS NO pay as you go for iphone (as of Dec 25 07). I am sure some of you knew that, but since you didnt write, and I couldnt find it, I am writing it.

There is still prepaid "pick your plan" service (which I just activated with), and the 999-99-999/etc tricks are disabled. So its a bit scary to do it but it works,. Some words of warning. The activation screen sequence in itunes is, give or take, the following (you can find some abridged screenshots online but I think they are slightly reordered since then):

1 New or old AT&T Customer?
2Transferring a phone number?
3 Whats your apple ID?
4 Which regular (non-prepaid) plan do you want?
5 Whats your SSN and address?

- Special note on this screen.. the only check it seems to do is to screen out the bogus (999*, etc) SSNs. It then verifies your address.

6, 7 Agree to apple and AT&T contracts (one screen each) - you'll have to check you agree to a 2-year contract!

8 A summary screen that then says "now we'll check your credit and activate your account - could take 3 minutes.

9 If you fail credit check - the prepaid option screens.

10 "now you need to fund your prepaid account" screen.

.. So my note/etc is that its quite intimidating to blow through all of those first 8 screens with the possibility of PASSING the credit check and getting a normal plan. I messed with a bunch of things in the early screens trying to get it to fail (to no avail) before I just decided to keep going and hope for the best.

In the end, I entered my father's old and now invalid SSN (who passed away this time last year). My backup plan was going to try entering the "life lock" CEO's SSN - see lifelock.com - I am guessing it would fail too!

 

[englishgraham]

i use t mobile flexpay with my iphone in the usa and it is a dream. faster than at&t without the 2 year contract. just go into a tmobile store and see what they can sort out for you on flexpay. you basically choose what you want or need

 

[RickDeckard]

hscottm, so what are the rates for AT&T's pay as you go plan? I got an iPhone for Christmas but I'm hesitant to sign up for a 2 year contract with AT&T. I've been considering unlocking it and using a different plan (I'm in the US also).

englishgraham, so how do you like T-Mobile's Flexplan? They don't have any pricing info on their website about it, they just point you to a local store. I really just want a plan like AT&T's with unlimited internet and moderate calling minutes - I just don't want the 2 year contract.

 

[englishgraham]

hscottm, so what are the rates for AT&T's pay as you go plan? I got an iPhone for Christmas but I'm hesitant to sign up for a 2 year contract with AT&T. I've been considering unlocking it and using a different plan (I'm in the US also).

englishgraham, so how do you like T-Mobile's Flexplan? They don't have any pricing info on their website about it, they just point you to a local store. I really just want a plan like AT&T's with unlimited internet and moderate calling minutes - I just don't want the 2 year contract.

i pay about 80 bucks a month ( NY state tax inc ) for 600 whenever mins, unlimited nights and weekends to any network, 1000 texts and unlimited internet/data . best just to go into local t-mobile store and tell them what you need for the iphone etc and they will hook you up

 

[chote1973]

All:

I have been searching forums here and on AT&T (and the apple website) all morning and am trying to confirm what I think I have found. Feel free to point to another thread (there are many with these search terms). Specifically I am trying to confirm EDGE options on PAYG and PYP - I'd like to have this figured out before I try to activate.

I will be getting an iphone this week, currently share a prepaid minutes phone with my wife (we use less than $100 in credit per year - actually some of that gets wasted). We do not make many calls. So I would like an iphone for portable email/etc (I am mostly at work with Wifi everywhere) but do travel some. I would prefer to spend as little on voice service but still be able to get EDGE.

It seems to me the AT&T GoPhone options are "pay as you go" or "pick your plan", and pick your plan prices include unlimited EDGE but are roughly the same monthly prices as the non-prepaid plans (main benefit being no contracts). AT&T's iphone website does not even list gophone rates.

The pay as you go have just per-call (and per-day used) charges - but it looks like I cant pay $20 for unlimited EDGE. Its media net, but on per MB used. I am worried I will connect to edge instead of Wifi and use up my whole balance accidentally when watching a video.

I see nothing about prepaid options on the apple or AT&T iphone site. So far it seems the safest bet is to pick the bottom PYP option which includes EDGE for $50 so that I dont end up paying $100 accidentally.

Can someone help/confirm? Is anyone using Pay as you go?

i have a old i phone i just bought. a 4 gb and it has the removable sim card
i put my go phone sim on the i phone and it worked! i don't know if it will work with the new i phone!