Any ideas?

[t_williams9476]

Hey guys, I just have a quick question that ya'll might be able to answer:

Situation:
I currently have a Blackberry Bold 9650 on Verizon. Neither mine nor my mother's upgrade dates are until November 22, 2011. I want to be able to get the Verizon iPhone when it is released on Feb. 10, but I also want to be able to pay the $199 price, not the full retail price of $599. After a few days of Q&A at different Verizon stores and the help lines, I have come to the conclusion that the only to be able to get the $199 price is to open my own account, completely separate from my mother's account, and this action would give me a new phone number AND the new customer status which is eligible for the $199 price.

Does anyone have any ideas, other than what I have come to, that could help me out? Thanks!

 

[titansjonne#WN]

If i were you, i would find a way to get the money to buy the phone at full retail. I don't think i would use my upgrade on this phone. There may be a new iphone in the summer but it won't be anything special. Im holding out updgrades until next year. Whatever iphone that comes out next year will be the gamechanger. 4g and probably a new hardware design. And since it will launch on Verizon, i'll be able to get it for 199. I can sell this years iphone and make at least $250 bucks. from it. then upgrade to the newer iphone. This year im getting the iphone just to have one. But next year, will be the real deal. And if you upgrade now, you won't be able to upgrade again until 2013. Unless you can use someone else's line. The iphone that comes out next year will be worth the upgrade, then im sure whatever comes out in 2013(Which will be your next upgrade) will be just a refresh, sorta like the iphone 3gs. I probably sound crazy.

 

[mg911]

I doubt they will let you upgrade early since your contract is so far out.If you open a new account, would you cancel the line for the bold?

If you keep the line you will be paying two phone lines plus data

If you cancel the line-I think the etf is like $350 and than buying the iphone is 200. Its pretty much the same price for full retail, plus you wouldn't have to get a number and new account.

 

[t_williams9476]

Yeah, I had that thought too...I think I read somewhere that Verizon takes $10 off of the $350 for each month you have already completed in your contract...and I'm actually leaving for a full year in France for study abroad in the fall of 2012, so do you think that the Verizon iPhone 5 will be world capable?

 

[kch50428]

All this talk about an iPhone 5 for Verizon when the iPhone 4 isn't even on the streets yet....

Remember when the rumor before the announcement the other day was that this WAS the iPhone 5???

We all know now how that went.

While an iPhone 5 may be announced in June/July as wildly speculated, I don't believe it will be a Verizon device. The next natural progression for a Verizon iPhone will be an 4G/LTE global device. At the media event, it was stated there were too many design changes that weren't ready to be made yet - which is why the Verizon iPhone is a CDMA version of the 4, and not something "new". I'd say a year from now, they'll announce the next Verizon iPhone, with it being available in about 20 months... when this first round of 2-year contract signers will become eligible for upgrades again.

My $0.04 - and I'll stick with it until they have a media event that says otherwise.

 

[Scout_313]

It could end up being cheaper to convert your plan into a Family Share plan and add an additional line. My family doesn't use many minutes so that works for us. I added an additional line on a 1-year contract to get the Droid X when it was first released, then put a dumb phone on the new line and switched the Droid X to my original line. After doing that, I pay an extra $12.50 per month but saved over $300 on the price of the phone.

 

[Fausty82]

It could end up being cheaper to convert your plan into a Family Share plan and add an additional line. My family doesn't use many minutes so that works for us. I added an additional line on a 1-year contract to get the Droid X when it was first released, then put a dumb phone on the new line and switched the Droid X to my original line. After doing that, I pay an extra $12.50 per month but saved over $300 on the price of the phone.

At an additional $12.50/month you just gave back the $300 savings over a 2 year contract. ($12.50 * 24 = $300)... I guess the advantage to doing it your way is that you didn't have to lay out the $300 all up front...

#justsaying

 

[Scout_313]

At an additional $12.50/month you just gave back the $300 savings over a 2 year contract. ($12.50 * 24 = $300)... I guess the advantage to doing it your way is that you didn't have to lay out the $300 all up front...

#justsaying

If you reread what I wrote, you'll see that I said I signed a 1 year contract, so $12.50 x 12 months = $150, saving me a total of $150.

#justsaying

 

[jdavis530]

so do you think that the Verizon iPhone 5 will be world capable?

Short answer......no.

 

[shipwrestler125]

Short answer......no.

Nobody really knows at this point it is all rumor and speculation some sites are saying it will be a dual gsm/cdma phone guess we will see once more concrete info is out

 

[t_williams9476]

Thank ya'll for the advice! I think what I'm planning to do is just add another line to our Family Shareplan in order to get the iPhone, and then put a crap phone on my old line, and go with that! Thanks again!

Also, when I was talking with my mother earlier, she said that she had heard from people who currently have the iPhone on AT&T that there are a few extra monthly charges to use the iPhone (besides the voice, text, and data package). I think that what the people she has talked to are talking about is maybe Applecare. Can anyone think of something besides the voice, text, and data charges that might be being charged? Thanks!

 

[ChrisGonzales90]

Taxes? Service charges?

 

[Scout_313]

Taxes? Service charges?

The extra line I added to get the Droid X has a dumbphone on it and the total charges including taxes and all applicable fees are $12.53 per month.

 

[kilofoxtrot]

I assume that the Nov 2011 is the 2 year upgrade date? Did u see if the primary line is eligible for a annual upgrade? You might be eligible now. (you wont find this online, you have to call CS)

 

[t_williams9476]

I assume that the Nov 2011 is the 2 year upgrade date? Did u see if the primary line is eligible for a annual upgrade? You might be eligible now. (you wont find this online, you have to call CS)

I didn't know about that! I just tried calling customer service, and they said that annual upgrades were stopped on Jan. 16, so there are no more annual upgrades available. But thanks for the idea!

 

[t_williams9476]

Ok, so I just read in a thread on here that if you were eligible before Jan. 16 for an annual upgrade that you would be grandfathered in, just like with NE2. Can anyone confirm this? And if so, how would I go about asking a CS person if they tell me that the annual upgrade program has been cancelled as of Jan. 16, but I want to know if I was eligible before Jan. 16?

 

[p08757]

Thank ya'll for the advice! I think what I'm planning to do is just add another line to our Family Shareplan in order to get the iPhone, and then put a crap phone on my old line, and go with that! Thanks again!

Also, when I was talking with my mother earlier, she said that she had heard from people who currently have the iPhone on AT&T that there are a few extra monthly charges to use the iPhone (besides the voice, text, and data package). I think that what the people she has talked to are talking about is maybe Applecare. Can anyone think of something besides the voice, text, and data charges that might be being charged? Thanks!

You know.... You can put the "old crap" phone on the new line and activate the iPhone on your current number.

I have done this a few times. It is as easy as dialing *228 option 1.

 

[t_williams9476]

So I called CS this morning, and everything is going to work out PERFECTLY! My annual upgrade starts January 22, 2011! The only thing about using the annual upgrade is that I will have to purchase it at a Verizon store, not at BestBuy as I had planned. I can't count the number of options I have gone through in my mind to try and NOT spend $600 on a phone, and finally through much perserverence, everything is perfecto!

Two last questions:
1.) Does pre-ordering have to be done online, or can it be done in the store? 2.) How long does the annual upgrade generally last? Like, will it last until either Feb. 3 or Feb. 10?

Thanks!

 

[kch50428]

Far as I know - Pre-ordering is online... or if your local VZW corporate retail store is able/willing you can make an appointment for the 10th. Once you're eligible for an upgrade, it's there until you use it.