@Jaydinef It's more complex than it would seem, with all the Next pricing and all, it's not really designed for prepaid "upgrades".
I bet you can find a deal that's more or less an "upgrade", at a retail store, with a similar payment seutp. Often the retail deals are better anyway, with a small number of exceptions.
*If this (or another post in this thread) fixes your problem/issue, please mark it as solved, and I'll tag it, to make it easier for others to find the answer(s). Thanks.
"Regular" (postpaid) AT&T customers pay more money per month for service vs prepaid Gophone. (Postpaid customers do get some extra perks like domestic roaming, international roaming, permission to own microcells, etc.)
Then, AT&T postpaid customers' new phone upgrades cost additional money per month through Next Pricing. Those phones are not free by any means. 😉 For postpaid customers Next Pricing is convenient, but it's not the least expensive option to buy a phone.
You can usually find the exact same phones for less overall cost -- brand new -- through discount online channels.
This is why I am a prepaid GoPhone customer. With prepaid, I'm not paying for options/services I don't need. For instance, I don't need roaming as AT&T has very strong signal wherever I go. I don't need to pay full retail price (even in installment payments) for a new phone.
Of all the AT&T prepaid options out there (MVNOs like Straight Talk, Net10, even AT&T's own Cricket), GoPhone is the best as it's "pure" AT&T, just less money -- same AT&T in-store service, same AT&T postpaid data speeds but without paying postpaid prices.
"Regular" (postpaid) AT&T customers pay more money per month for service vs prepaid Gophone. (Postpaid customers do get some extra perks like domestic roaming, international roaming, permission to own microcells, etc.)
Then, AT&T postpaid customers' new phone upgrades cost additional money per month through Next Pricing. Those phones are not free by any means. 😉 For postpaid customers Next Pricing is convenient, but it's not the least expensive option to buy a phone.
You can usually find the exact same phones for less overall cost -- brand new -- through discount online channels.
This is why I am a prepaid GoPhone customer. With prepaid, I'm not paying for options/services I don't need. For instance, I don't need roaming as AT&T has very strong signal wherever I go. I don't need to pay full retail price (even in installment payments) for a new phone.
Of all the AT&T prepaid options out there (MVNOs like Straight Talk, Net10, even AT&T's own Cricket), GoPhone is the best as it's "pure" AT&T, just less money -- same AT&T in-store service, same AT&T postpaid data speeds but without paying postpaid prices.
@GLIMMERMAN76: "you also cant use wifi calling hdvoice advance messaging and video calling on prepaid."
________
True, but then my wife and I I don't even have AT&T branded phones. We are using two Moto XT1225 from another country ("international" version of the Droid Turbo -- basically the 5.2" 1440p AMOLED, 64GB version of the Moto Nexus 6) so we would not get HD Voice even on postpaid AT&Twith our non-AT&T phones. Don't care. 😉
However in listing "advantages" for postpaid, yes most people would be using AT&T-branded phones. So, that was an oversight.
Not sure what you mean by "video calling". Guess you mean this:
If that's an "advantage", not really interested. I can Skype and use Google Hangouts video chat just fine, and other party doesn't need to be AT&T customer. (I assume both parties need to be using AT&T?)
I use Google Voice for my phone number and don't even give people my AT&T phone number, and neither does my wife. We do use the underlying AT&T number here in the U.S. to carry our phone calls, but I could switch to data use only and go VoIP entirely (to initiate and receive). We use VoIP only in other countries with Google voice, when we travel, using business traveller data SIM cards. We made and received calls just fine and no one even knew we were like in Brazil.
I like GoPhone because data is fast and the ping speeds (lag) is very minimal. Data comes off the same servers as postpaid -- unlike Cricket which is structured as an MVNO (different SIM cards, different data servers, capped speeds, high pings=high lag). However, I don't need full-fledged AT&T, prepaid GoPhone meets my needs especially since they increased data allotments on the $45 plan to 3GB. Back when it was just 1GB it was touch and go. I had to buy extra high speed data sometimes. Now, never. I always have rolloever data to use from previous month!
I listed microcells as postpaid only -- but I actually own two and am using them at my house and my mother's house, even though I am on GoPhone, because my sister has a postpaid AT&T account. I had her list them on her account and add all our phone numbers to both. That's easy enough to do. Someone in every family usually has AT&T. :
Accepted Solution
Official Solution
formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.2K Messages
8 years ago
Yes, you can purchase a full price phone any time you want.
You do not have access to Next installments financing. Prepaid customers must pay full price.
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Jaydinef
Contributor
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3 Messages
8 years ago
clearing that up.
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pgrey
Master
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3.5K Messages
8 years ago
@Jaydinef It's more complex than it would seem, with all the Next pricing and all, it's not really designed for prepaid "upgrades".
I bet you can find a deal that's more or less an "upgrade", at a retail store, with a similar payment seutp. Often the retail deals are better anyway, with a small number of exceptions.
*If this (or another post in this thread) fixes your problem/issue, please mark it as solved, and I'll tag it, to make it easier for others to find the answer(s). Thanks.
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Jaydinef
Contributor
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3 Messages
8 years ago
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newsjunkie
Tutor
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10 Messages
8 years ago
"Regular" (postpaid) AT&T customers pay more money per month for service vs prepaid Gophone. (Postpaid customers do get some extra perks like domestic roaming, international roaming, permission to own microcells, etc.)
Then, AT&T postpaid customers' new phone upgrades cost additional money per month through Next Pricing. Those phones are not free by any means. 😉 For postpaid customers Next Pricing is convenient, but it's not the least expensive option to buy a phone.
You can usually find the exact same phones for less overall cost -- brand new -- through discount online channels.
This is why I am a prepaid GoPhone customer. With prepaid, I'm not paying for options/services I don't need. For instance, I don't need roaming as AT&T has very strong signal wherever I go. I don't need to pay full retail price (even in installment payments) for a new phone.
Of all the AT&T prepaid options out there (MVNOs like Straight Talk, Net10, even AT&T's own Cricket), GoPhone is the best as it's "pure" AT&T, just less money -- same AT&T in-store service, same AT&T postpaid data speeds but without paying postpaid prices.
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GLIMMERMAN76
ACE - Expert
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23.9K Messages
8 years ago
@newsjunkie
you also cant use wifi calling hdvoice advance messaging and video calling on prepaid.
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newsjunkie
Tutor
•
10 Messages
8 years ago
@GLIMMERMAN76: "you also cant use wifi calling hdvoice advance messaging and video calling on prepaid."
________
True, but then my wife and I I don't even have AT&T branded phones. We are using two Moto XT1225 from another country ("international" version of the Droid Turbo -- basically the 5.2" 1440p AMOLED, 64GB version of the Moto Nexus 6) so we would not get HD Voice even on postpaid AT&Twith our non-AT&T phones. Don't care. 😉
However in listing "advantages" for postpaid, yes most people would be using AT&T-branded phones. So, that was an oversight.
Not sure what you mean by "video calling". Guess you mean this:
https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/features/video-calling.html
If that's an "advantage", not really interested. I can Skype and use Google Hangouts video chat just fine, and other party doesn't need to be AT&T customer. (I assume both parties need to be using AT&T?)
I use Google Voice for my phone number and don't even give people my AT&T phone number, and neither does my wife. We do use the underlying AT&T number here in the U.S. to carry our phone calls, but I could switch to data use only and go VoIP entirely (to initiate and receive). We use VoIP only in other countries with Google voice, when we travel, using business traveller data SIM cards. We made and received calls just fine and no one even knew we were like in Brazil.
I like GoPhone because data is fast and the ping speeds (lag) is very minimal. Data comes off the same servers as postpaid -- unlike Cricket which is structured as an MVNO (different SIM cards, different data servers, capped speeds, high pings=high lag). However, I don't need full-fledged AT&T, prepaid GoPhone meets my needs especially since they increased data allotments on the $45 plan to 3GB. Back when it was just 1GB it was touch and go. I had to buy extra high speed data sometimes. Now, never. I always have rolloever data to use from previous month!
I listed microcells as postpaid only -- but I actually own two and am using them at my house and my mother's house, even though I am on GoPhone, because my sister has a postpaid AT&T account. I had her list them on her account and add all our phone numbers to both. That's easy enough to do. Someone in every family usually has AT&T. :
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