ATT contract and moving to a different country.

[Inspector Jihad]

I'm most likely going down to the Cayman Islands for about 18 months but I'm still part of my parents 2 yr family play. Will ATT let me out of the contract or would it be simpler to leave the phone here and hold on to my number for when I get back.

 

[pm]

Wow. They Cayman Islands - congrats.

Normally they won't let you out of your contract.
1. If you meet a nice rep, and can prove that you are moving out of the country, you may get them to let you out due to the lack of AT&T service (I presume) in the Caymans. This is not an easy thing to do - at the time they sold you the contract, they should have given you a service map showing where they have service. But if you are nice, can prove that you are really leaving, and get a nice person, they occassionally will let you out of it. It's best to go to a real AT&T store - and practice puppy-dog eyes ahead of time.
2. You can pay to get out of your contract. This is usually somewhere in the region of $175, but it may have changed since I last had to deal with AT&T.
3. You can transfer your service to someone else. Find someone - usually a relative or friend - who wants to join AT&T, go to an official AT&T store (not a reseller), ask for a transfer of service, both parties must be present. This does not extend the contract.

Good luck.

 

[Muadib]

pm is right. It will cost you $175 to get out of your contract. It might be cheaper to keep you on the plan, and just lower the number of minutes on the family plan.

Wow, 18 months in the Cayman Islands? That must be nice.

 

[jonny13]

I have known people who moved to an area without cell service and were let out of their contract no problem. Not sure if it's still the same though.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

I'd read over your contract because things might be different when it comes to family plans. But for 18 months, I would just say suck it up and pay the early termination fee then you don't have to worry about it anymore.