# Easy to move S3 from one VZW account to another after upgrade?



## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

I'm thinking about getting an S3, depending on what I hear about battery life for the LTE model on Verizon after it launches. Love my Nexus, but the recharging required when I make regular use of it during the day is getting a bit tedious. If the S3 is noticeably better (i.e., Does it have a newer, less thirsty, LTE radio?) it could be worth the switch for me.

I'd prefer to not use up the remaining upgrades I have on my VZW account, but my brother has my stepfather's phone on his account, and neither he nor my brother will ever need/use that upgrade.

So I'm thinking I might:

1. Use my stepfather's upgrade to get the S3 on my brother's account. 
2. Switch my stepfather back to his current dumb phone. 
3. Activate the S3 on my account.

Of course I'd pay for everything... 

That's all perfectly kosher from Verizon's point of view, right? Similar to what would happen if someone got an upgraded phone and then sold it on eBay. There isn't any requirement to maintain a data plan as long as the currently activated phone on an account is a dumb phone, even if we use the upgrade to get the S3, correct?


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## aghoshhajra (May 8, 2012)

I doubt that. I'm pretty sure that the data plan is activated on each line (number). The cell companies don't make any money on headsets so it's important for them to get a committed data plan for 2 years or whatever it is. Therefore if you activate any "dumb phone" it won't automatically cancel the data plan on his account. I'd ask at a Verizon how it works but I'm pretty sure that it's like that.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk 2


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## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

aghoshhajra said:


> I doubt that. I'm pretty sure that the data plan is activated on each line (number). The cell companies don't make any money on headsets so it's important for them to get a committed data plan for 2 years or whatever it is. Therefore if you activate any "dumb phone" it won't automatically cancel the data plan on his account. I'd ask at a Verizon how it works but I'm pretty sure that it's like that.
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk 2


You'd think that, be we just did this w/our account. My wife's DX2 was stolen, her upgrade was over a year away. So we upgraded my mom's phone (her line is on my plan, she has a dumb phone) to a Razr Maxx, and then moved the Razr immediately to my wife's line and re-activated the dumb phone on my mom's line. SO they upgraded the phone and ended up w/out adding any data plans to the account (my wife already had a data plan in place for my old D2 that she was using while we got her the replacement phone).

I'm just curious if doing this across accounts works as well...you'd think it would, same result overall, but wanted to confirm.


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## winner00 (Jun 6, 2011)

I think you can just transfer the upgrade to your account.


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## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

Hey, Winner...that's interesting, wasn't aware you could transfer an upgrade from one account to another, hadn't heard of that. More to look into.


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## bwhite757 (Aug 16, 2011)

You can use any upgrades available on your account, but can't move them to another account. At least the two reps and the manager I worked with said no. (My wife is still on her family's plan, and we tried to move one of their upgrades for her brother who is on a separate plan). Also, from what I've been told, the only way to get rid of the data plan on a particular line is to return the phone purchased within the 14 days and cancel the upgrade, otherwise that line is stuck with the data plan for the 2 years unless they pay early termination fee.

I think you're going to be stuck paying full retail unless there's another loop hole that they haven't thought of yet.


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## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

Hmmm...that's not matching what happened to us just in the past few days, as I said above.

At Costco, we upgraded my mom's line on my account from her dumbphone to get the Razr Maxx for my wife. We had to add a data plan to that line to get the phone on it initially. Then we moved the phone to my wife's line, and that cancelled the data plan on my mom's line. My wife already had a data plan so no change there, we started w/two data plans (her and I) and ended w/two data plans (her and I) and got the Maxx at discount.

I spoke w/the Costco phone reps today at the local Costco, and they confirmed that I can do what I want to - upgrade the phone on my bother's account, then re-instate the dumb phone and move the phone to my account. This would be the same if I purchased a smartphone and then decided I couldn't afford the data plan any more - I'd cancel the data plan and go back to a dumb phone. Verizon can't make me use a phone I don't want to, all they can do is make me sign a two-year extension of my contract when I get a discounted phone, and (starting this summer) take away unlimited data. (Which is why I'm doing it this way...want to wait and see how the phone performs in real life, and my brother never had unlimited data, so upgrading on his account then won't mess anything up for him. 

I think I'm golden at this point!


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## Cruiserdude (Jun 23, 2011)

So you're saying that you can upgrade one of the other lines on your account to a smartphone, then switch that line back to a dumbphone, and immediately cancel the data plan? You don't have to keep paying the data add-on for 2 years? And this will not affect the data plan on your own line, correct?


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## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

Cruiserdude said:


> So you're saying that you can upgrade one of the other lines on your account to a smartphone, then switch that line back to a dumbphone, and immediately cancel the data plan? You don't have to keep paying the data add-on for 2 years? And this will not affect the data plan on your own line, correct?


That's exactly what we did...the data plan on my mom's line was cancelled and switched back to her dumb phone before we even left Costco. It really makes sense the more I think about it, there's nothing in the contract that says you have to use the smartphone, just that you have to have a data plan if you are using it. When I lost my Blackberry years ago for a week or so a few months after I got it, I switched back to a dumb phone and cancelled my data plan for a while until I got my BB back, and Verizon didn't care.


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## acras (Jan 10, 2012)

Redflea said:


> That's exactly what we did...the data plan on my mom's line was cancelled and switched back to her dumb phone before we even left Costco. It really makes sense the more I think about it, there's nothing in the contract that says you have to use the smartphone, just that you have to have a data plan if you are using it. When I lost my Blackberry years ago for a week or so a few months after I got it, I switched back to a dumb phone and cancelled my data plan for a while until I got my BB back, and Verizon didn't care.


did they extend the data plan your wife is using for two more years ? It makes sense that they let you move the phone around on the same plan , but I don't see any way they would let the data plan completely go away . What would keep someone who is using a dumb phone buy a subsidized smartphone , then cancel the data plan and sell the phone at full retail on ebay ? Verizon would be screwed out of $400 ( difference between full retail and subsidized price) or $29/mo. or whatever data package for 2 years . I'm betting that 2 year data package is tacked onto one of your 2 data contracts


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## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

acras said:


> did they extend the data plan your wife is using for two more years ? It makes sense that they let you move the phone around on the same plan , but I don't see any way they would let the data plan completely go away . What would keep someone who is using a dumb phone buy a subsidized smartphone , then cancel the data plan and sell the phone at full retail on ebay ? Verizon would be screwed out of $400 ( difference between full retail and subsidized price) or $29/mo. or whatever data package for 2 years . I'm betting that 2 year data package is tacked onto one of your 2 data contracts


Yes, that's exactly what I said above:



Redflea said:


> [background=rgb(245, 245, 245)]Verizon can't make me use a phone I don't want to, all they can do is make me sign a two-year extension of my contract when I get a discounted phone,


[/background]

We started w/two data plans on my account (my wife and myself) and ended w/two data plans on the account (my wife and myself). We have not added any new data plans as a result of the upgrade. My mom's line (I just reconfirmed, checking my account on VZW site) is still a dumb phone line at 9.99 a month, it was reverted during the transaction by the Costco rep.

What VZW does require (what they get out of it for the discounted phone) is that you sign another two year contract when you get the upgrade. So my commitment for Verizon is extended another two years from last week when we ordered the phone. No big deal, I had no plans to change carriers anyway.


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## neyenlives (Aug 5, 2011)

i think he may be in for a surprise.....VZW doesn't let you sign a contract that includes a $30/mo data contract and then drop the data part of the agreement without penalty....Costco doesn't determine anything, they are a middle man, Verizon is likely to hit you with a early cancellation fee for breaking the terms of the contract, the contract agreed to carry the line with data for two years.....i've already been through this with VZW.....you can't just add a line to get a subsidized phone with a data plan and move it to another line and then drop the data plan. In effect you added a third contract/line/data plan and then moved the device to a line with an existing data plan and then dropped that newly contracted third line with data to a dumb phone without data. It doesn't work that way, otherwise Verizon would be losing big time giving subsidies on 600 dollar smartphones and getting nothing but a dumb phone contract renewal....


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## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

neyenlives said:


> i think he may be in for a surprise.....VZW doesn't let you sign a contract that includes a $30/mo data contract and then drop the data part of the agreement without penalty....Costco doesn't determine anything, they are a middle man, Verizon is likely to hit you with a early cancellation fee for breaking the terms of the contract, the contract agreed to carry the line with data for two years.....i've already been through this with VZW.....you can't just add a line to get a subsidized phone with a data plan and move it to another line and then drop the data plan. In effect you added a third contract/line/data plan and then moved the device to a line with an existing data plan and then dropped that newly contracted third line with data to a dumb phone without data. It doesn't work that way, otherwise Verizon would be losing big time giving subsidies on 600 dollar smartphones and getting nothing but a dumb phone contract renewal....


My VZW account online looks completely normal and my bill has only standard charges. The guys at our local Costco are knowledgeable/experienced (I've known one of them for over a year) and they indicated they've done this type of transactions previously w/out issue. I've never read or heard anything when getting a new phone from Verizon that indicates that getting a smartphone required a data plan if you didn't have the phone activated on a line on your account. I've turned off mine and my wife's data plans in the past when we've switched to a dumb phones temporarily, and Verizon has never contacted us or tried to bill us in any way, etc. (BTW, I did not add the line that I upgraded, it was already on my account, just to keep the details clear.)

I've also seen posts in the forums over the past few years from folks who've said they've given up their smartphone due to financial issues, and no one has ever said Verizon came after them when they turned off their data plan to get an early termination fee, since they kept their accounts active, but not the data plans.


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## Droid92 (Dec 7, 2011)

neyenlives said:


> My VZW account online looks completely normal and my bill has only standard charges. The guys at our local Costco are knowledgeable/experienced (I've known one of them for over a year) and they indicated they've done this type of transactions previously w/out issue. I've never read or heard anything when getting a new phone from Verizon that indicates that getting a smartphone required a data plan if you didn't have the phone activated on a line on your account. I've turned off mine and my wife's data plans in the past when we've switched to a dumb phones temporarily, and Verizon has never contacted us or tried to bill us in any way, etc. (BTW, I did not add the line that I upgraded, it was already on my account, just to keep the details clear.)
> 
> I've also seen posts in the forums over the past few years from folks who've said they've given up their smartphone due to financial issues, and no one has ever said Verizon came after them when they turned off their data plan to get an early termination fee, since they kept their accounts active, but not the data plans.


Right because they dont care as long as your paying two years of service you can do whatever with the phone, dont worry ive done it many times and youll be fine. The only part that i was confused on was that your wife got extended again for two years (because thats not possible if your already in contract) the only way what you explained works is if you upgraded your moms line to get the maxx which is fine but right here is where you sign or she signs the new two year agreement. Then of course you can take the maxx and put it on your account on your wifes line but nothing is extended here your contract will end on whatever original date you had your moms is the one that will change to two years from now meaning she cannot cancel without a ETF and cannot upgrade without paying full retail on a phone.


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## ImaComputa (Sep 8, 2011)

When you do an upgrade can you buy a phone off contract say after a year, sell the original phone, and then use the new one? It doesn't matter as long as you don't touch your plan, right?


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## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

Droid92 said:


> Right because they dont care as long as your paying two years of service you can do whatever with the phone, dont worry ive done it many times and youll be fine. The only part that i was confused on was that your wife got extended again for two years (because thats not possible if your already in contract) the only way what you explained works is if you upgraded your moms line to get the maxx which is fine but right here is where you sign or she signs the new two year agreement. Then of course you can take the maxx and put it on your account on your wifes line but nothing is extended here your contract will end on whatever original date you had your moms is the one that will change to two years from now meaning she cannot cancel without a ETF and cannot upgrade without paying full retail on a phone.


Thanks...that's correct.  What I meant is that my mom's line (which on my account) was the one that took the Razr Maxx upgrade, so that line has a new 2 year extension and won't have another upgrade until 2014. My wife's line, as you note, still has her previously existing upgrade date & contract period, which is about one year from now.


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## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

ImaComputa said:


> When you do an upgrade can you buy a phone off contract say after a year, sell the original phone, and then use the new one? It doesn't matter as long as you don't touch your plan, right?


After an upgrade you have to keep the line you upgraded the phone on active for a full two year period from the date of the upgrade. You can use whatever phone you want to on the line during those two years (dumbphone and no data plan, or smartphone with data plan).


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## firejackson1 (Jun 15, 2011)

Yea but also if u have unlimited data u don't want to downgrade to a dumb phone cause u can u lose ur unlimited too correct? 
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


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## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

My wife and I have had unlimited data from the beginning w/our first BB phones years ago, and putting dumb phones on/off my and my wife's line has never affected our unlimited data plan, it's always there when we put the smartphone back on. My understanding is that unless you take an upgrade on a line that has unlimited data, or make a change to your overall plan (e.g., add or remove calling minutes on your plan) I don't believe they touch your unlimited data. Frankly not so sure about the latter - whether a change to your overall plan features could result in them forcing you to go to shared data.

They do want to move everyone to shared data plans, and evidently are going to start pushing that this summer...I don't think they've published all the details yet of how that's going to work...


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## neyenlives (Aug 5, 2011)

Droid92 said:


> Actually your completely wrong and yes they do let you drop the data idk how many times ive done it. I actually just added a line to get my Galaxy S III and yes i had to add a data plan to order and add the line but once it comes the data plan will be dropped and the plan will also be dropped to the lowest possible price and a dummy esn will be put on that line, after the phone will be put onto my line or i could even take it to another account it doesnt matter because you ARE not agreeing to keep the phone on the line your agreeing to two years of service.
> 
> Right because they dont care as long as your paying two years of service you can do whatever with the phone, dont worry ive done it many times and youll be fine. The only part that i was confused on was that your wife got extended again for two years (because thats not possible if your already in contract) the only way what you explained works is if you upgraded your moms line to get the maxx which is fine but right here is where you sign or she signs the new two year agreement. Then of course you can take the maxx and put it on your account on your wifes line but nothing is extended here your contract will end on whatever original date you had your moms is the one that will change to two years from now meaning she cannot cancel without a ETF and cannot upgrade without paying full retail on a phone.


Hard to believe it's that easy..... Interesting....

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


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## MistaWolfe (Oct 10, 2011)

You have to wait 24 hours before you can switch a new 4g device (on one line) to another 4g device (on a different line). Makes no sense, I know.

Source: I've done it 3 times  And yes, slap a dumbphone on and cancel the data. I've got a Voyager and old school Razr clam shell filling two spots. I will do it again for this phone.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## Redflea (Jun 7, 2011)

Thanks for the info...we didn't run into that issue since we had to wait a couple days to get the phone after ordering it.


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## holden45 (Nov 26, 2011)

So I added a line to pre order the s3 and your saying I have to first hook it up on the added line the transfer it over? I currently have the nexus. And another thing I'm wondering would hooking up a basic phone on the new line change the buyout price? Say if I keep the basic phone hooked up a couple months then buyout that line.


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## Fadingintofall (Oct 29, 2011)

I didn't realize you could cancel data... I am currently on a family plan with unlimited data. I am planning on starting a plan under my name to get the phone, then switching over the gs3 to the unlimited data. 
I was just going to put my thunderbolt on the new line... But if I can cancel my data... Do I even need a phone on that line?

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


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## holden45 (Nov 26, 2011)

Fadingintofall said:


> I didn't realize you could cancel data... I am currently on a family plan with unlimited data. I am planning on starting a plan under my name to get the phone, then switching over the gs3 to the unlimited data.
> I was just going to put my thunderbolt on the new line... But if I can cancel my data... Do I even need a phone on that line?
> 
> Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


Yes you need to have a phone on that line is my understanding but people are putting basic phones on the added line and ditching the data. So instead of having an extra $40 a month in fees you will only have $10 for the basic line.


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## scott62185 (Jan 6, 2012)

holden45 said:


> So I added a line to pre order the s3 and your saying I have to first hook it up on the added line the transfer it over? I currently have the nexus. And another thing I'm wondering would hooking up a basic phone on the new line change the buyout price? Say if I keep the basic phone hooked up a couple months then buyout that line.


What does it mean to "buyout a line? "

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## bigmook (Jun 6, 2011)

Pay the etf

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2


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