Questions about my next steps in the process of switching from T-Mobile to AT&T

• When do we cancel our service with T-Mobile?

The port process does that.  If you have tablets or watches, cancel only those device lines by calling.  Do not cancel phone lines! 

• When does the wireless plan bill cycle start?

Billing will start when your phone it ships, but it will probably not be at the beginning of a bill cycle. Bill Cycles are randomly assigned. Your first bill will include more than one month's service, a partial and a full month.   No one can guess your bill cycle. 

• Should we activate all 4 phones around the same time or activate them immediately once we get them?

You should not wait more than 7 days from the time you get your phone to activate. I realize that means you'll be getting two bills from two different service providers.   If you do not activate the phone within 7 Days of receiving it AT&T will assume the phones are lost.   Phones are Force activated within 30 days of shipment.  You do not want to go through that. 

• When we get our new phones, do we go tohttps://www.att.com/activations/first, then followhttps://www.att.com/help/wireless/esim-get-started/for the iPhone eSim activation?

AT&T will enclose a quick start guide to tell you what to do to activate your phone.

• Can we trade in our current phones at a local AT&T corporate store? Or do we have to mail them in?

Since you ordered online and your phones are being shipped to you you will have to mail in your trade-ins. Please make sure you are doing this correctly. Your new phone will arrive with a sticker to return it if you do not want it, it is not your trade-in sticker.  It is the at&t return center in Texas. The address to return your trade-in is in Tennessee.

follow directions for trade in very carefully including making sure all phones have been erased/factory reset.  Fully charged and off. If you do not receive your trade-in packaging within a week of receiving your new phone, please get online and order it yourself. 

https://tradein.att.com/

Document everything. 

And get a receipt when you take the package to the post office, this proves you checked your phone in. 

• What other steps do we need to take to ensure a smooth transition in this carrier switch?

This isn't T-Mobile. Expecting AT&T to Bill or run anything like T-Mobile will be your first mistake. Credits on your old phones will take three Bill Cycles. Make sure you sign up for autopay and paperless billing.  Know how to manage the account yourself. AT&T does not employ enough people to hand hold you through everything.  

If you are unhappy with quality of service/connectivity, do not send in your trade-ins. You have 14 days to return your new phones and go back to T-Mobile. 

@formerlyknownas thank you for the thorough answer and answering all my questions!!

Very welcome.  And thank you for asking beforehand to avoid surprises

😉

FYI, first bills are high, because if activation fees and credits don't start yet

@formerlyknownas So I activated the 2 lines for the new phones. For the other 2 lines that are still waiting on the new phones.

The other 2 phones are unlocked - do you know if I can port in and activate AT&T on those unlocked t-mobile devices for now and then transfer the sim again when we get the new phones? The wording is funny but basically, do I have to wait for the new phones to come to activate them? Or can I do them with the current phones while waiting for the new ones?

I assume you have ordered iPhone 14 for everyone...

This one I can't answer. I would be afraid of messing the port process up.  

Thanks for responding @kachen14.

Your device should work on our network if it's one of the devices confirmed to work on our network. You may need to program the data settings. 

Please let us know if you have any additional questions.

Darais, AT&T Community Specialist

@ATTHelp Will there be an activation fee? The unlocked phones are currently with T-mobile. we have already paid the activation fee for the new phones that will be activated with at&t

We appreciate your response, @kachen14.

If you've already paid an activation fee for the desired lines, then no need to worry about any additional fee's. If additional charges occur on your account, feel free to reach back out to let us know so that we're able to investigate your concerns further. 

Thanks for contacting the AT&T Community Forums and don't hesitate to reach back out if you have any more questions!

Lynn, AT&T Community Specialist

@ATTHelp thank you for your quick response!

I just wanted to confirm my understanding - changing the data settings on the unlocked T-mobile phones will activate them with at&t. No activation fee because it's been paid already for the lines when ordering the new phones.

Two more questions (hopefully the last!)

• will changing the data settings have any affect on the orders of the new phones and/or the port in process of these lines on the new phones? I'm afraid that doing so might cancel the order because the numbers are reserved with the new phones
• Will activating at&t on the t-mobile phones have any affect on receiving the $200 bill credit for the trade in promotion?

Thank you again for taking the time to answer all my questions! It's been a confusing process for me switching carriers for the first time and every At&t representative has been helpful in answering all questions in detail. 

Thanks for your reply, @kachen14.

Be advised, changing the data settings on your devices won't affect the orders for your new phones or the porting process. Also, your trade-in credits won't be disturbed, as long as you've sent in your return device and keep the lines active. 

We hope this answers your questions, and we're always here if you have any additional concerns!

Thanks for reaching out to the AT&T Community Forums.

Lynn, AT&T Community Specialist