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alokeprasad's profile

Mentor

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40 Messages

Monday, December 16th, 2013 11:19 PM

Have unlimited data plan - need to add more phones to data plan - How?

I have 5 phones in my Family plan.  Only one (mine) is a smartphone (iPhone 5) and I am grandfathered into the unlimited data plan.  I have been w ATT since it was Ameritech, who bacame Cingular, who became ATT.

 

I want to keep my unlimited data plan (under any and every circumstance).

 

Now, my wife and son want to get smartphones (and associated data plans).  Specifically, they want iPhone5c's.

 

What are my options to keep my unlimited data plan and add data plans to their accounts?

 

1. An they also get unlimited data plan (since I am grandfathered and all 5 phones are in my account)

 

2. Will they have to get $30 (300 meg) or $30 (3 GB) plans each?

 

3. Can they join a shared data plan while leaving my line's unlimited data plan intact?

 

4. ?? What is my best option?

 

Thanks in advance.

Aloke

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

10 years ago


@alokeprasad wrote:

I have 5 phones in my Family plan.  Only one (mine) is a smartphone (iPhone 5) and I am grandfathered into the unlimited data plan.  I have been w ATT since it was Ameritech, who bacame Cingular, who became ATT.

 

I want to keep my unlimited data plan (under any and every circumstance).

 

Now, my wife and son want to get smartphones (and associated data plans).  Specifically, they want iPhone5c's.

 

What are my options to keep my unlimited data plan and add data plans to their accounts?

 

1. An they also get unlimited data plan (since I am grandfathered and all 5 phones are in my account)

 

2. Will they have to get $30 (300 meg) or $30 (3 GB) plans each?

 

3. Can they join a shared data plan while leaving my line's unlimited data plan intact?

 

4. ?? What is my best option?

 

Thanks in advance.

Aloke


1. No. 

2. As long as you keep those new iPhones on your current family plan, yes, they must each select either the 300mb, 3gb or 5gb plan. 

3. Yes but then you would end up with two plans, your current family plan with your line and the other 2 phones plus a shared data plan with the two new iPhones. I doubt you will find that saves money. If you are wondering can you convert all phones to a data share plan but still keep your unlimited, no that is not possible. 

4. That may depend on how much data your wife and son will use but I suspect your cheapest option is to stay with your current plan and get individual data plans for the new iPhones. 

Mentor

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40 Messages

10 years ago

Thank you.

If I start them off w a $20 (300mb) plan, can I switch it to $30 (3 Mb) plan a few months later if I find that they are using more data than anticipated?

Professor

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2.7K Messages

10 years ago

Yes, you can do this.  I know that AT&T used to allow you to backdate plan changes to the beginning of the billing period if you noticed that you were going to go over in the current billing period.  I'm not sure if they still allow this, though.

ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

10 years ago


@21stNow wrote:

Yes, you can do this.  I know that AT&T used to allow you to backdate plan changes to the beginning of the billing period if you noticed that you were going to go over in the current billing period.  I'm not sure if they still allow this, though.


Yes, that is still allowed. 

Mentor

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40 Messages

10 years ago

How frequently can you toggle back-and-forth between data plans?

 

Is this designed to be switched (as needed) to avoid paying bug $$ for over usage as needed?

 

or is there a fee for switching as a dis-incentive (and to incentivise people into staying at  ahigher usage tier)?

ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

10 years ago


@alokeprasad wrote:

How frequently can you toggle back-and-forth between data plans?

 

Is this designed to be switched (as needed) to avoid paying bug $$ for over usage as needed?

 

or is there a fee for switching as a dis-incentive (and to incentivise people into staying at  ahigher usage tier)?


I do not believe there are any restrictions on how often you can change plans though the system might not allow multiple changes within the same billing cycle (not sure about this). There is no fee to switch plans. When you switch plans, you have 3 options, a) backdate change to the beginning of the current billing cycle (this is what you would do if you had the 300 mb plan and realized halfway thru the cycle you had gone over), make the change effectively immediately, or make the change effective at the next billing cycle.

Former Employee

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636 Messages

10 years ago

The only restriction I've seen is that it needs to be like-for-like, and that typically, it's only able to be done back to the start of the current unbilled cycle, so keep track of it, before it gets billed. (which happens even before you get the bill). There rare occasions

So . . . invidivual data plan or another individual plan. Shared data for another shared data, ect.

 

Yes, it designed to help customers avoid high overages. You get charged the prorated amount. So if you do backdate the 3gb and then future date it to go back to 300mb on your next bill, you'll see a ~$10 proration on the next bill for getting the extra service instead of some or all of your overages. (depending on if you went over the 3gb)

-Alex

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