I was able to successfully keep my unlimited data plan
AND get the phone at a subsidized price. This was how I did it...
Pre-ordered the phone through Verizon on a family members account because they were eligible for an upgrade and I wasn't. They key thing for me was to pre-order it over the phone. When you pre-order it on the phone, it requires you to accept the terms and conditions, blah blah blah.
Walked into the Verizon store this morning and explained what I needed to do. Originally they moaned that I would be outta luck because they don't have any of the new sim cards for the phone. I explained to them if they looked at the account, they'll see that the contract has already been extended and terms and conditions accepted. No need to activate it on that line.
Sure enough, without a hitch, they were able to put the phone on my account without sim exchange and keep the unlimited plan.
I will say this though... I intend on keeping a watchful eye on my account for the next 24-48 hours. I want to see if Verizon slips in without me noticing and some how the plan changes to a tiered plan. I'm paranoid like that. I've attached two images I captured from my Verizon on my Iphone 5. It's the best I can provide as "Proof" that it can be done. Of course, you can always pay full price and not have to worry about it... I just prefer the cheaper way
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