How do I buy a new phone while my existing phone is on contract?

[master7045]

I bought an iPhone 4s this past May and am already sick of it. The small screen kills me. I'm 6'2" and have large enough hands to where the small screen is really annoying. I like the new Lumia 920 and the off contract price of 440 is appealing. I'd like to dump my 4s on ebay since they are still fetching $300-$400, but can I do this and keep my current contract with the 920? I realize I will have to unlock my phone before selling it. Is it really this simple? I have to be missing something. Thanks!

 

[jpeyton]

You buy your new phone, swap the SIM card, and sell your old phone.

 

[Mopetar]

Which carrier are you on? If it's one of the GSM ones, it's as easy as jpeyton says. If not, it's more complicated.

 

[jpeyton]

Which carrier are you on? If it's one of the GSM ones, it's as easy as jpeyton says. If not, it's more complicated.

For CDMA (Verizon, Sprint), you buy your new phone, call your carrier and have them do an ESN transfer, then sell your old phone. Takes about 30 minutes or less to process (vs. 30 seconds or less for swapping a SIM card).

 

[master7045]

GSM network, ATT to be exact. So it really is as simple as buying the 920, swap the SIM and sell the iPhone? the 4s, doesn't have LTE, whereas the 920 does, any additional steps/SIM cards like on verizon or am I good there too?

 

[pm]

GSM network, ATT to be exact. So it really is as simple as buying the 920, swap the SIM and sell the iPhone? the 4s, doesn't have LTE, whereas the 920 does, any additional steps/SIM cards like on verizon or am I good there too?

No, it's that simple. I do it all the time. Just take out the SIM, wipe the phone and then sell it and put the SIM in the new Lumia 920. They are both microSIM phones, so the SIM card will fit too.

 

[bigrash]

Pretty simple. Just remember the steps cause you'll be doing them again in a couple of months when you sell the Lumia 920. lol

 

[dagamer34]

No, it's that simple. I do it all the time. Just take out the SIM, wipe the phone and then sell it and put the SIM in the new Lumia 920. They are both microSIM phones, so the SIM card will fit too.

Actually, if you are moving to an iPhone from some other phone or moving to an LTE device from a 3G device, you need to call AT&T to change your data plan so it's set up appropriately otherwise you'll find that you can make voice calls but can't use data. It only takes a few minutes though (but it means no simple SIM swapping involving an iPhone unless you want to start fiddling with APNs).

 

[khha4113]

GSM network, ATT to be exact. So it really is as simple as buying the 920, swap the SIM and sell the iPhone? the 4s, doesn't have LTE, whereas the 920 does, any additional steps/SIM cards like on verizon or am I good there too?

You have to go to AT&T store or call its customer services to pick up a new LTE SIM card for your new phone (it's free anyway), and change your data plan from 4G (No LTE) to LTE plan (same price as your old plan). I did the same when I changed my LG Thrill 4G (No LTE) to Samsung Galaxy S II (LTE) just like dagamer34 said.
PS. When I put my old SIM into the new phone, AT&T sent a message a few minutes later reminded me to do things as I stated above.

 

[master7045]

Thanks everyone! Now I just need to sell my phone

 

[s44]

Pretty simple. Just remember the steps cause you'll be doing them again in a couple of months when you sell the Lumia 920. lol

Haha, this. Nexus 4? Note 2 (if you have Lebron hands)?

 

[Radeon962]

Easiest way is stop at an AT&T store and just tell them you want to swap out one phone for another. Microsim is free and then they set it up and make sure that everything works before you leave. Went from my original Galaxy S2 to Nexus to HTC One X International to HTC One X (AT&T) branded to my current phone an AT&T branded Galaxy S3. No issue with any swap. Just went in with both phones and they take care of it.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

If you're upgrading to an LTE phone you need to call AT&T. That's becauuse you need to enable the LTE APN. But once you have that you have access to all the lower level APNs like Wap.cingular and Phone, etc. You can go 3G phone to 3G phone no problem.

I went iPhone 4S => Nexus S no change needed.
I went from Nexus S => HTC Titan 2, needed to get AT&T to change APN because of LTE.
I went from Titan 2 to Nexus S to SGS2 with no change needed because they are all 3G compatible.
Besides the fact that I need to cut a micro SIM, I should be ok if I take care of the physical aspect for the upcoming Nexus 4. But I'll just go to AT&T and get that fixed I think.

 

[master7045]

So I'm starting to re-think my strategy a bit. My wife is on Verzion and has an iphone 4. The new "plan" is to give her my iphone 4S & switch it to straight talk. She is grandfathered into the unlimited plan but only uses about 1-3 GB a month (3 is on the very high side). I understand that Straight Talk starts to throttle your data around 2 GB. Her plan is about $95 where the ST plan will be $55. We will then sell her iphone 4 and I'll buy a new Lumia 920 or Nexus 4. Sound good?

 

[noblemo]

So I'm starting to re-think my strategy a bit. My wife is on Verzion and has an iphone 4. The new "plan" is to give her my iphone 4S & switch it to straight talk. She is grandfathered into the unlimited plan but only uses about 1-3 GB a month (3 is on the very high side). I understand that Straight Talk starts to throttle your data around 2 GB. Her plan is about $95 where the ST plan will be $55. We will then sell her iphone 4 and I'll buy a new Lumia 920 or Nexus 4. Sound good?

That will work if you plan to stay on AT&T and terminate the Verizon account. Here are some things to consider when selecting a new plan:

In addition to the 2GB soft cap, Straight Talk users are limited to 100MB per day. Also, there is no roaming off the host network. It's an economical option provided your wife's usage patterns fit within the constraints.

If Straight Talk does not meet your needs, you might consider a prepaid plan with T-Mobile: 2GB throttled data, unlimited talk, and unlimited text for $60 per month. It's available in two forms: Monthly4G is a prepaid plan with no data roaming and limited voice/text roaming; alternatively, the Value Package is a postpaid plan that allows limited roaming (including data), but requires a 2-year contract with $200 early termination fee. If your wife doesn't use many talk minutes, or is comfortable using a VOIP service like Skype, there is a $30 Monthly4G plan with 5GB data, unlimited text, 100 minutes of talk, plus $0.10 per additional minute. Again, no data roaming.

Another option is the AT&T Mobile Share plan. The price for two smartphones with unlimited talk and unlimited text would be $150/4GB, $160/6GB, or $180/10GB (larger plans available, if required). You might need to commit to a new 2-year contract, but should be able to avoid paying an ETF on your iPhone 4s. If you end up getting the Nexus 4, though, you will be paying for a premium plan even though neither of the two phones uses LTE.

Hope that helps.