Using a Iphone on AT&T's pay as you go, easier and cheaper than you think, write up

**MustangLife** · 05-28-2011, 12:30 AM

Hey all. I would like to throw out some info out there for anybody wanting to use a Iphone with at&t and want away from the contract and there prices. I was with at&t for 8 years back to the cingular days. And decided to go the pay as you go route instead of a contract.

So here are the details

Iphone 3GS locked from AT&T on 4.3.3

There are rumors a AT&T gophone sim is $25 which is untrue. Went to a at&t store and got a free one.

Went home and setup my gophone account for $2 a day unlimited talk and text, $60 a month.

Bought a 200MB data plan for $15.

Phone is up and running. At no time was the phones serial number mentioned or asked. But no visual voicemail or data working.

Went after some google research and found which after joining a wifi connection and going to this website and choosing your carrier at&t or any other carrier to modify the phones APN settings which are below. on ios 4.x don't allow you to modify them manually so this website does it all and installs it within 20 seconds.

APN: wap.cingular
Username:
Password: CINGULAR1

These are the APN settings for the official at&t iphone data plan. So now for $75 total I'm operating my iphone on at&t pay as you go with talk, text and data. Haven't gotten to the route of MMS or visual voicemail yet. I'll do some research and work on that too. I'm sure with enough research or maybe even someone on here could figure it out.

So I hope this little write up informs or helps a few guys out there. So many people have told me I couldn't use a iphone on pay as you go. Have to pay $25 for a sim card, can't get data even if it works, you have to put in a fake imei number, etc etc. So I'm a happy guy.

Guys who do jailbreak on 4.3.3, you need to jailbreak before you modify the apn settings since the new jailbreak installs a new ipsw.

Josh

**Brickman** · 05-28-2011, 08:23 AM

Ok let's assume this works for a minute, I don't mean that as ugly as it sounds but this is a Forum,

I have a Pay-As-You-Go Phone from Walmart that I bought once. Long story.

Can I take the Sim out of it and use it? Will that work as you described in a 3G(S)?

**itsalexaye** · 05-28-2011, 10:27 AM

Thanks for sharing that, I always wondered if that would work.

**snakester9** · 05-30-2011, 01:14 AM

Unless you talk a LOT, though, this doesn't seem that much cheaper than postpaid service.

**Watcher** · 05-30-2011, 03:30 AM

BEWARE... once AT&T finds out you're actually on an iPhone, you will be charged accordingly. If you don't believe me, just call them up and say you have a GoPhone SIM with an iPhone and see what they say.

**MustangLife** · 05-30-2011, 05:17 PM

To the question a few lines up. No you have to get a new sim from at&t. Sims are locked to phones. Just go to a at&t store and ask for a gophone sim. They asked me no questions. And to answer the question above. How will at&t charge me on a pay as you go plan on a Iphone? I'm not on contract and have no payment information saved online. Why would I call AT&T and tell them I'm on a iphone using pay as you go, lol. I use refill cards from Walmart.

I was just letting anyone out there know this option is available. Anyone else have any questions let me know

**MustangLife** · 05-30-2011, 05:22 PM

Here is a screenshot of me checking my balance. Theme is Elite Pro HD for 3GS

**Brickman** · 05-30-2011, 07:34 PM

This is nice info MustangLife! I'll have to keep this in mind!

**Peligro911** · 06-03-2011, 01:06 AM

Good info .. FYI I know if you jail break you can ssh into your phone edit the carrier file to add a few lines and copy it back it will give you the option of manually editing apn settings for Internet and mms under general>network I do know you have to have mms on your service enabled thou. I helped a friends setup there's on different carriers none we pre paid thou but I'm sure if u get the correct settings it will work

**MustangLife** · 06-22-2011, 11:52 PM

Just wanted to give an update to this. I now have MMS. I can send and recieve pic messages. Also from Cydia there is a app called youmail which is a modified visual voicemail. Now i have visual voicemail too that looks just like the native visual voicemail. And the cost is free. So now i have a iphone 3gs on a pay as you go plan with data, visual voicemail & MMS and all other features. For $75 to $85 a month for unlimited talk & text & data.

Josh

Let me know if yall have any other questions not already answered in this thread. Im so happy about everyone told me this was not possible & have all the features too.

**Alli** · 06-23-2011, 07:03 AM

I don't get it. I'm only paying $80 on a regular AT&T account and getting the same features. (I don't have unlimited talk, but I have unlimited mobile to any mobile, so it winds up the same thing since I don't know anyone who has a landline).

What possible advantage is there to pay as you go?

**SeanHRCC** · 06-23-2011, 07:14 AM

So for a few bucks savings, you are stuck using work arounds to mirror the native functionality of the iPhone, with no guarantee of support for those apps in the future, and a risky gamble that AT&T doesn't find out you're using an iPhone on a pay as you go setup.

Whatever floats your boat i suppose...

**Massie** · 06-23-2011, 08:09 AM

Add me to those who don't get it...you're paying what I pay and the only extra is more minutes.

Maybe it could be useful for someone who absolutely has to have unlimited data and doesn't have a grandfathered plan?

**aberrant.chicken** · 06-23-2011, 10:46 AM

I guess this serves for those who don't want to be tied to a contract... If you look at it, there really isn't any advantages to sign a contract if you already own a phone.

**sting7k** · 06-23-2011, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by MustangLife

Hey all. I would like to throw out some info out there for anybody wanting to use a Iphone with at&t and want away from the contract and there prices. I was with at&t for 8 years back to the cingular days. And decided to go the pay as you go route instead of a contract.

So here are the details

Iphone 3GS locked from AT&T on 4.3.3

There are rumors a AT&T gophone sim is $25 which is untrue. Went to a at&t store and got a free one.

Went home and setup my gophone account for $2 a day unlimited talk and text, $60 a month.

Bought a 200MB data plan for $15.

Phone is up and running. At no time was the phones serial number mentioned or asked. But no visual voicemail or data working.

Went after some google research and found which after joining a wifi connection and going to this website and choosing your carrier at&t or any other carrier to modify the phones APN settings which are below. on ios 4.x don't allow you to modify them manually so this website does it all and installs it within 20 seconds.

APN: wap.cingular
Username:
Password: CINGULAR1

These are the APN settings for the official at&t iphone data plan. So now for $75 total I'm operating my iphone on at&t pay as you go with talk, text and data. Haven't gotten to the route of MMS or visual voicemail yet. I'll do some research and work on that too. I'm sure with enough research or maybe even someone on here could figure it out.

So I hope this little write up informs or helps a few guys out there. So many people have told me I couldn't use a iphone on pay as you go. Have to pay $25 for a sim card, can't get data even if it works, you have to put in a fake imei number, etc etc. So I'm a happy guy.

Guys who do jailbreak on 4.3.3, you need to jailbreak before you modify the apn settings since the new jailbreak installs a new ipsw.

Josh

Did you not price out the plans?

450 minutes ($40), 2GB data ($25), and 1000 text messages ($10) is only $75 total a month. You are paying the same and getting less...

**Brickman** · 06-23-2011, 11:05 AM

To be fair to MustangLife, he is getting unlimited talk, text, and data for $80/month. That would cost you $130/month from AT&T. That's not bad.

I personally may not go this route but say you REALLY wanted an iPhone. Get an eBay 3GS. Do what MustangLife did and you have an iPhone on AT&T (not stuck with Tmo 2G) and NO contract. For some NO contract is a big deal. You could actuallly do this cheap on a PAYG Plan, if you did not use a lot of minutes or need SMS and used WiFi most of the time.

I think it's a good option.

**sting7k** · 06-23-2011, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by Brickman

To be fair to MustangLife, he is getting unlimited talk, text, and data for $80/month. That would cost you $130/month from AT&T. That's not bad.

I personally may not go this route but say you REALLY wanted an iPhone. Get an eBay 3GS. Do what MustangLife did and you have an iPhone on AT&T (not stuck with Tmo 2G) and NO contract. For some NO contract is a big deal. You could actuallly do this cheap on a PAYG Plan, if you did not use a lot of minutes or need SMS and used WiFi most of the time.

I think it's a good option.

How is he getting unlimited data?

Also, AT&T knows he is using an iPhone. It probably won't be long before he starts getting text messages saying he is not using the correct plan.

**Brickman** · 06-23-2011, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by sting7k

How is he getting unlimited data?

I just re-read his post. I don't think he is. Bad assumption on my part. :o Been taking Nyquil, so a little out of it. He does imply that he has unlimited talk and SMS. If that is the case then that is actually $120/mo. from AT&T. ($99 for Unlimited Talk. $20 for Unlimited SMS).

I should have said $150/month for Unlimited everything with AT&T not $130/mo. If he has Unlimited Talk/SMS and 200MB Data that should be $135/month from AT&T. Again not bad. IF Talk/SMS are truly Unlimited and NOT just Mobile to Mobile.

**SeanHRCC** · 06-23-2011, 11:26 AM

There's also the fact that for the $199 contract iPhone 4 price...you'll be lucky to get a mint iPhone 3G (not even the "S"), and over the time of the contract you'll be spending the same or just slightly less than what a contracted person pays, pretty much making the monthly savings non-existant or negligible at best, so as far as the benefit goes, unless you just can't get a contract with AT&T, i still don't see it, because you're paying a much higher price for your iPhone off the private market, and you're not really spending any less every month to make up for it...essentially making this a moot point.

And that's not even getting into the work arounds you have to use trying to do pay per use...which i've seen the apps out there and i simply have to respond with a "No thanks". Then there's the fact that AT&T, at any time, could shut down your service and force you into the contracted service anyways...

I dunno, besides just being "another route" to service, i don't see the point.

**sting7k** · 06-23-2011, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Brickman

I just re-read his post. I don't think he is. Bad assumption on my part. :o Been taking Nyquil, so a little out of it. He does imply that he has unlimited talk and SMS. If that is the case then that is actually $120/mo. from AT&T. ($99 for Unlimited Talk. $20 for Unlimited SMS).

I should have said $150/month for Unlimited everything with AT&T not $130/mo. If he has Unlimited Talk/SMS and 200MB Data that should be $135/month from AT&T. Again not bad. IF Talk/SMS are truly Unlimited and NOT just Mobile to Mobile.

The other confusing part is the voice text plan. How is it pay as you go if for $2/day you can get unlimited talk/text? That is far cheaper than the other unlimited options for sure.

But that brings me back to what I said, that plan is not for smart phones. AT&T knows what phone he is using the instant he turns it on and connects to their network. They likely could just kick him onto one of the required plans at any time.

**Brickman** · 06-23-2011, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by sting7k

The other confusing part is the voice text plan. How is it pay as you go if for $2/day you can get unlimited talk/text? That is far cheaper than the other unlimited options for sure.

But that brings me back to what I said, that plan is not for smart phones. AT&T knows what phone he is using the instant he turns it on and connects to their network. They likely could just kick him onto one of the required plans at any time.

I just wonder if the fact that the Sim card is bought from AT&T and not "locked" to any phone causes AT&T not to able to tel that it is an iPhone? I don't know but I wonder if that is how they could not tell??

**sting7k** · 06-23-2011, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by Brickman

I just wonder if the fact that the Sim card is bought from AT&T and not "locked" to any phone causes AT&T not to able to tel that it is an iPhone? I don't know but I wonder if that is how they could not tell??

They know it's you based off the SIM, they know what phone based off the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number. Every phone has one, it's the VIN for cell phones.

**onlyifuknewme** · 06-24-2011, 06:00 AM

This is not worth all the trouble. Better off getting a brand new Iphone with new contract and paying the monthly fees. At least there's rollover minutes if you dont go through all 450 minutes

**MustangLife** · 06-27-2011, 04:54 AM

I'm not getting unlimited data. I get the 500MB plan. Which is good enough a month for me. With wifi and netflix over the tv. I just don't use much data. But I got tired of going through hassles with at&t and don't want to be tied up into a contract. I bought this phone outright in July 2009 so what reason do I need to be on a contract.

This wasn't a post about its better to get off of a at&t contract. It was just to show everybody on here that you have options and how to obtain those options. Thats all. But I can tell yall now. I never had a monthly bill from at&t less than $100. Most of the time it was $130.

Thanks
Josh

**sting7k** · 07-08-2011, 10:17 AM

Originally Posted by MustangLife

I'm not getting unlimited data. I get the 500MB plan. Which is good enough a month for me. With wifi and netflix over the tv. I just don't use much data. But I got tired of going through hassles with at&t and don't want to be tied up into a contract. I bought this phone outright in July 2009 so what reason do I need to be on a contract.

This wasn't a post about its better to get off of a at&t contract. It was just to show everybody on here that you have options and how to obtain those options. Thats all. But I can tell yall now. I never had a monthly bill from at&t less than $100. Most of the time it was $130.

Thanks
Josh

Just seems like a lot of hassle for nothing. I guess if you use a lot of voice minutes and not data this keeps your bill low. But I don't remember the last time I used over 100 minutes in a single month, plus I have 4000+ roll over minutes. Why was your bill so high? Mine is ~$80/month for a single line.

Just don't be surprised if you start getting messages from AT&T.