iPhone without data plan?

[sekker]

I just upgraded two of our family AT&T lines to iPhone 4S models, leaving me with an older 3GS available for use by my daughter.

She is currently using a Samsung feature phone with an active SIM plus an iPod touch.

She'd like to just combine the two into a single device - an iPhone that makes calls and can text but only connects to the internet via wifi (so no data plan).

I know that AT&T wants you to have a data plan, but we are not yet ready to sponsor that additional cost; I'm not sure my daughter needs that right now.

Do you think AT&T would force us to have a data plan? Or would they let us go this simple route - knowing once we use the data plan once, we'd be hooked?

Thanks!

[Gilbert]

Yes, if you use an iPhone on a post-paid AT&T plan, they will force you to have a data plan.

[datbeme]

Everything I've read says that at some point they will start billing you for data automatically. We have a newly upgraded 3GS as well, and my understanding is that my choices are:

1 - Sell it

2 - Use it as an iPod Touch

3 - Keep it in the even that one of our other phones breaks while under contract

Edit: That is, like you, I'd consider adding this phone for use by a child, but not if it means paying for data too.

[sekker]

A real bummer. I pay $10/month for my daughter's phone, but to have it be an iPhone I have to go to $25/month?

[Chris Y]

you can get a gophone plan with AT&T. This is a prepaid plan and they charge 10c/min for calls. Depending on how much she calls it could be less or way more than $10/month. You pay by the minute so some months could be less and some more, but if you average less then you'll come out ahead. I use an Iphone 4 with gophone and don't talk very much. You can also get data but it sounds like you don't want that.

[silvarios]

sekker wrote:
A real bummer. I pay $10/month for my daughter's phone, but to have it be an iPhone I have to go to $25/month?

As I understand things, yes.

[Gilbert]

sekker wrote:
A real bummer. I pay $10/month for my daughter's phone, but to have it be an iPhone I have to go to $25/month?

The $25 plan is for 2GB - you could elect to have the $15 plan which only provides 200MB but if she is around WiFi most of the time, it should be sufficient.

EDIT - I misunderstood your post. Sounds like you are currently paying $10 for the line total - The $25 must represent the line cost plus the 200MB plan. Nevermind.

[Winston]

We tried this with my wife's old 3g for one of our kids. AT&T has the phone registered. If you put the SIM card from the Samsung in the iPhone, then sign onto your AT&T account, you will see that it recognizes that she's now using an iPhone. An email about it will follow shortly (maybe not the first day, but within a few days) stating that they are going to add a monthly data charge to your plan for the iPhone.

We tried really, really hard to have AT&T waive this. They absolutely refused. Really stupid IMHO, as the Pantech phone my daughter uses can do pretty much all the data things that an iPhone can do. AT&T is able to block data use by request, so there is a way to stop unintended running up of data charges. So technically there is a way to make this work, but AT&T just won't let you do it. Very customer unfriendly.

(Note for anyone who wants to block data use on a phone: blocking data with AT&T also blocks MMS messages, even for people who have a family text plan that includes free MMS. MMS uses data, you just don't get charged for it if you have a family text plan. AT&T is not set up to block most data, but let MMS data through.)

So the 3g sits in a drawer as a backup phone, and I have two kids each using another phone and an iPod Touch.

Also, the $10 sekker mentions for his daughter's phone (I assume AT&T family plan) is probably more like $13 with the add on fees, unless he gets a corporate discount. At least, we paid $13 total for additional lines on the AT&T family plan on our last bill. Total may vary based on local taxes. Ours used to be about $14.50, but the add-ons have dropped a little.


Good luck.

- Winston

[Mr645]

I tried, made it about 3 weeks before AT&T added a data plan.

[sekker]

Thanks for the posts.

Yes, my '$25' was a $10 phone plus $15 data plan. I get a discount, which about balances out taxes. But if you add in 1/4 of the family texting plan plus other goodies, it'd probably be closer to $30/month total.

My wife and I will discuss. The problem is that my son told my daughter that this was possible - so she's now set up for disappointment. What a nice big brother! Trying to help, but he should have checked here first!