AT&T makes it easy for early iPhone hardware upgrades

By on Jun 7, 2010 at 10:30 AM
General June 7, 2010

early-iphone-upgrade

With WWDC kicking off in under 3 hours, we know what’s going through the minds of a lot of AT&T iPhone users: “Will I be able to get a subsidy on the new iPhone?” Well from what we’ve been seeing, the odds are stacked in your favor. AT&T is being suspiciously generous and bumping up the upgrade eligibility of many iPhone users for the better, some by as many as five months. Based upon appearances alone, it seems that all anyone has to do to take advantage of the offer is cough up $18 for an early upgrade fee and then pay the normal 2-year rate. Want to know if you’re eligible? Either dial *639# on your AT&T handset or log onto your online account management and click “Check Upgrade Options”. Good luck!

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  • PowerCell

    If any of my employees got this text and clicked accept, AT&T would be out a phone. Non of them have the authority to commit to any contract mods or make any purchases…

    • Akol

      Oh, so your employees can’t accept text messages? The message just states what is available, as far as I know there’s no way to accept a new two year contract from inside the text…

    • Mike

      What if they pay for it out of pocket?

    • sheesh!!!

      seriously?! you cant upgrade by responding to a text. youre employees should quit because youre an idiot

  • Wow

    I just check and they have offered me a new 2 year commitment and will waive the $18 upgrade fee. I’m only 2 months away from my 2 year contract. Will I do it?
    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa No.

  • iName

    i let my mom use my line’s upgrade in january to get a bold because she broke her phone so i have to wait for her line to upgrade in july. do you think if i called at&t they would bump it a few weeks?

  • Dan

    Mommy:

    Last year, they let 3G users upgrade to 3GS at a partially subsidized price (500/400 vs. 300/200) they’ve never bumped fully subsidized prices this quickly

  • Max

    It’s coming to Verizon, ATT Fanboys! Exactly how will that hurt you if it comes to VZW? Because your ‘friends and family’ will drop to zero when you’re the only one left on ATT with your iphone while your smart(er) friends and family move?

    • PejHod

      I’ll just use my A-List and rollover minutes :P

      • droid guy

        until you have to change your plan and loss of the roll over minutes to didn’t use in the first place

      • PejHod

        Haha
        True, but I’m fine with my 1,400 plan and my educators discount makes it even sweeter. I never see the need to drop my plan (oh and I was waived the $18 because of it).

    • Gus

      First of all, there is no evidence that it’s going to Verizon. The iPhone is a GSM phone, and Verizon uses CDMA, which is a completely different cellular technology. It’s also only used in the US and Japan, while GSM is used worldwide. Apple may or may not have the incentive to develop an iPhone with CDMA technology. It’s a very limited market. Even in the US, the majority of cell phone users are on a GSM network. But who knows, they might be working on it. If they are, it’s kept a secret. And you don’t sound like the kind of person who has those connections.

      Secondly, “ATT Fanboys?” Really? Who can say they are an actual “fan” of AT&T? No one. It sucks. Most of them are people like you who drool over the iPhone, some decided to bite the bullet and leave their carriers to go to AT&T just to get the iPhone. I was one of them, and despite the slightly better service I had on Verizon, I’m glad I did it. I’ll take a dropped call here and there to be able to use the iPhone. I’m happy. Seems like you’re the Verizon Fanboy.

      Thirdly, it has come to light that the Apple-AT&T exclusivity agreement is valid through 2011. So *IF* they make a phone for Verizon, you may be waiting a very very long time…

      Lastly, if half the people left AT&T for Verizon because of the iPhone, they would be paying thru the nose, because Verizon CONSISTENTLY charges higher rates for the same kind of plans. ANNDD… that would be great for AT&T users, it would free up half the damn network!

    • John

      you are an idiot. they’ve already said they are exclusive to AT&T until 2012… so upping for a 2 yr now would let you out just in time to switch.. gg

  • kidincredible

    I think this means iPhone is coming to another carrier and AT&T is desperate to hold on to as many subscribers as they can.

  • mostlyDigital

    They certainly want to extend those two-year commitments, don’t they? Maybe there really is a Verizon iPhone in the works.

  • att@Orlando

    Huh…I work for them and I got a 3GS on my personal on 12/26/2010. Says I’m Eligible now. I’d go this is an error…

    • http://sumocat.blogspot.com Sumocat

      12/26/2010? That’s some error.

      • John B

        I bought mine on 12/30/09 and it says I have to wait until 5/2011! I definitely need to try to have them change that!

  • att@Orlando

    err I meant 12/26/2009…lol

  • http://www.shanparker.com Shan

    I just sent the message, and mine actually came back almost exactly like the one pictured, except it says they will WAIVE the $18 fee. And I’m not eligible until July 22nd, according to the website.

    http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/5704/photock.jpg

  • phonejunkie30

    yeppers they updated mine I was orig set for July 21 2010 and now I am bumped up to upgrade as of today I am getting that bad boy screw evo and the rest of them hoes

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone) at: Southwest Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas, USA

  • http://bloggingbylevine.tumblr.com David Levine

    I’m guessing this is only for current iPhone users as I have a BlackBerry Bold 9000 that I got last May and I do not qualify for any special early upgrade offers. I checked my account on the web and received a text message stating the same.

    Oh well, I’m in the process of trying to sell my unlocked BlackBerry on Craigslist so I can get an iPhone. Here’s hoping.

  • amy

    This sounds like they are trying to lock all the current iPhone users into a new contract because they’re losing exclusivity and they know that at least half, if not more, of their iPhone people want nothing to do with ATT and will jump ship immediately.

  • Worked For Me

    Wait, someone do me a favor: I want the people who LIKE being locked into contracts that end up costing them more in the long run to speak up. Do it. Contracts and subsidies are STIFLING U.S. tech. There is nothing positive about contracts at all.

    No, I am not under contract. I have a no contract plan and paid for my last phone unsubsidized, so I am no hypocrit.

    • Gregg

      I could care less, Im not going anywhere with perfect service, and Ive been downloading at over 5 megs for more than 6 months now.

      Heres the screen shot

      http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3072/imagelf.jpg

    • sheesh!!!

      lets do the math you get a 599.99 device for 199.99 w/ 2yr contract and a 325.00 cancellation fee that declines 10.00/ month… hmmm a no-brainer! to buy retail to “not have a contract” is stupid and absurd. …but at least youre no ‘hypocrit’, right?

  • Carlo

    Yup, i went and checked my upgrade options. I went and upgraded to a 3GS the weekend it came out, last June.

    I checked my upgrade options out of curiousity with a 2 yr. agreement, and the iphone is showing full contract pricing (99, 199, 299).

    4g here i come!

  • Adrian97c

    sweeet! I tried that code and even though I bought the iphone3g jan 2009, they are letting me upgrade now!

    I was lucky to skip the 3gs, since it wasnt much diff from 3g… now this iphone 4 has led flash! :P

  • Scorp

    2 reasons why AT&T is allowing people to upgrade early.

    1) They want to lock people into contract longer… duh

    2) Most likely pressure from Apple to have more people eligible to buy the iPhone at a lower price which means more sales for Apple over the first weekend. People don’t have to wait a couple months to buy one. Everyone can push Apple over 1 million in the first day LOL.

  • ryan

    AT&T is doing this so they can have more customers locked in……before the iPhone goes to VZW. DUH!

  • ryan

    AT&T is doing this so they can have more customers locked in……before the iPhone goes to VZW. DUH! I hope ppl realize this

  • s0yp0p

    It’s always been 18 months… and if you’re the primary on a fat family plan/corporate plan, it’s sooner.

    • sheesh!!!

      12, 18, and 20 months. based on revenue among other things– very true.

  • neo

    No Iphone for Verizon Ha,Ha.

  • Dirty Cash

    I switched over to AT&T from VZW 30 July 2009. Hasn’t even been a year yet (not even 11 full months). Looks like I am eligible since I got this message after I sent the *639#.

    **************************************
    “As a valued customer, we can offer you an upgrade with a new 2-yr commitment and an $18 upgrade fee.”
    **************************************

    Very interesting…

  • Mitch Kayak

    I was thinking about it…If AT&T is going to do this, it would lead me to believe that the iPhone is coming to Verizon in the near future. It seems like they are trying to lock as many people as possible into a 2 year contract while they still can, you know? If AT&T really still has the exclusivity deal for another couple years, they would have no incentive whatsoever to do this, considering they make almost no money on the phones themselves.

  • sheesh!!!

    ok lets get something straight here. a lot of people are making these ‘contracts’ seem way more binding than they are. there is no criminal consequences or breaching here- its an ‘agreement’. If a cell provider takes 400.00 off the price of the phone they want you to stay a while. If you dont they want their discount back (at least $325.00 minus $10.00/ month youve made it through agreement). fair. simple.

    iphone among other phones are like computers. did dell take 400.00 off you laptop? or did you pay 800-1200 for it? does youre laptop have built in GPS that you can use in anyones car with no setup? uhh, no. these phones arent cheap

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