Guidance needed re Verizon unlimited data loophole.

[ctychick]

Can someone please walk me through what I need to do/say add a line, etc.) at the Verizon store in order to keep my unlimited plan when I upgrade later today? I've read a number of posts on this but I'm still confused and I don't want to screw it up. Thanks so much!

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[shaw1234]

1) You need to currently have the unlimited plan on your line.
2) You will need another line with an upgrade available (either a dumbphone, or one that already has lost unlimited data)
3) Go ahead and upgrade the 'donor' line and get the phone you want. If this is a dumbphone, add on the cheapest data plan available. Not the Shared Data plan. Use the 2GB option.
4) Now you have a new phone on the 'donor' line. Go ahead and activate the original dumb phone on that line. This will drop the data plan automatically (assuming it was a dumb phone). At this point you have the original phone back on the 'donor' line, the upgrade date for that line is now pushed back 2 years, and you have a new smartphone that isn't attached to any line.
5) On your unlimited line, change the device (not upgrade) to the new phone. Your unlimited line will now have the new phone activated on it. The contract (upgrade) date will not have changed because you didn't actually upgrade that line. And you will still have your unlimited data.

You can do this online yourself if you want, or a store can do it for you. I did it at a local store and had no issues. I should mention that if you go to the store, it must be an official Verizon store, not one of the resellers (WirelessZone, etc). If you upgrade the 'donor' line at a non-corporate Verizon store, when you move the old dumb phone back you will get hit with a cancellation fee. Usually most of these resellers require you to keep the newly added data plan for 6 months so it messes everything up. Amazon and other places have the phone for less than Verizon on sale, but if you are trying to do the extra line method you need to get it direct from Verizon, either online or corporate store.

 

[tytlyf]

I believe there is also a threshold now of only a total of 5 lines on an account. Anything over that may trigger something. Not 100% sure but I have a relative that has been unlimited with VZ for over 20 years and just rant into this. The unlimited went away and now it's a Share 6G plan that goes up in 2G increments if you go over.

 

[ibcop]

I believe there is also a threshold now of only a total of 5 lines on an account. Anything over that may trigger something. Not 100% sure but I have a relative that has been unlimited with VZ for over 20 years and just rant into this. The unlimited went away and now it's a Share 6G plan that goes up in 2G increments if you go over.

After you cross the 5 line threshold, it changes to the share everything plan. Your relative got boned!

 

[tytlyf]

Yep, he upgraded to an iphone 5 (5th line) and same day added a ipad to the data account (6). Sucks, but he doesnt really have an issue with the new GB limits.

 

[genoist]

VZW (and data plans for that matter) have not existed for 20 years. VZW came into existence between 2000 & 2002 iirc.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

VZW (and data plans for that matter) have not existed for 20 years. VZW came into existence between 2000 & 2002 iirc.

True, though this person could have been a customer of Verizon's predecessor, Bell Atlantic Mobile or one of the other companies VZW has acquired over the years...

While I certainly haven't been a customer for 20 years, I did have a Bell Atlantic phone in the 90's before they changed to Verizon Wireless.

 

[toolworker]

I should mention that if you go to the store, it must be an official Verizon store, not one of the resellers (WirelessZone, etc). If you upgrade the 'donor' line at a non-corporate Verizon store, when you move the old dumb phone back you will get hit with a cancellation fee.

Maybe if you're doing it with a dumbphone and cancelling the data plan.

Costco staff told me about this and used my wife's smartphone as the donor line. She lost her unlimited, but it's not an issue with her.

My upgrade is still available. We can use it to upgrade her phone on her line without changing my data plan. I verified this with both Costco and Verizon.

Lots of other reasons to use Costco. In California Verizon stores charge sales tax on the full retail price, but Costco's "retail" price is close to the actual selling price. They toss in extras. Most important, they told me about this loophole.

 

[PMxy123]

Not sure how this upgrade is possible, especially online.
Whenever I add a line, either smartphone or dumb it says

Your current plan is no longer available based on the devices you've selected. Please select from the new plan options.

You currently have an Unlimited Data package on one or more lines on your account. The Unlimited Data package is no longer available. To continue, please select a new Data Option for all of the lines on your plan. You will not be able to go back to your current Unlimited Data package.

Am I missing something or maybe Verizon got wise to the whole deal?

 

[toolworker]

Not sure how this upgrade is possible, especially online. ...
Am I missing something or maybe Verizon got wise to the whole deal?

What has worked before is upgrading an existing line on an account with two or more lines. Is that what you tried?

Ask a knowledgeable Verizon dealer. I got mine done at Costco.

Edit: I see a post above said it couldn't be done at a dealer. But maybe Costco is special.

 

[Jrunner01]

Hi All...

Sorry if this has already been mentioned in the previous pages and answered already, but there is a lot of different scenarios going on and I am not sure I have found a similar situation that clearly answers it. I know I heard time after time that if you transfer an upgrade from line 1 to line 2, and line 1 has the unlimited data plan and line 2 has the tiered plan, that you will effectively loose the unlimited plan from line 1 since it was the originator of the transfer \ upgrade and it will be converted to a tiered plan. However I have experienced what appears to be the "loophole" in the online tool for upgrading and wanted to see if I am not going to loose my unlimited data on line 1 based on the experts here or those that may have experienced this same scenario.

What I did is I used the online transfer upgrade tool to first transfer my upgrade from line 1 (unlimited) to line 2 (tiered). I then selected Line 2 as my upgrade device. Selected a new phone (galaxy s4) and kept my existing family share voice plan option. I then left the default selections for my current line 2 plan options for Data (which set to 2gb tiered) and my other normal features. All of these options were indicating "existing plan features" text. After clicking next I was given a pop up that said features added and features removed. The added section contained what I expected as mentioned earlier and the removed had nothing listed. NOW, according to the sales reps who tried doing this with me via the phone while they were logged in to My Verizon account, said when they got this pop up it said the same as my pop up except that theirs also said "unlimited data" as a removed item. I explained my pop up did not but they still insisted it would be removed even though it didn't say it for me for some reason. Also note that no where during this process did it ever mention anything about line 1. All references to the line I was altering \ upgrading were line 2.

I then cancelled the process and the next day spoke to another sales rep via chat and explained all the above and he indicated that if it didn't say it was being dropped then I am good to go and should be fine to keep my unlimited data on line 1. He said that if for some reason it all turns out bad that Customer Service should be able to back it all out for me as if I never did any of it.

So today I took that chance and did it... order submitted. Took screen shots off all the screens as I explained above as hope that I have some recourse if I need to have them back it out or to justify my unlimited data remaining on line 1.

I have no plans of moving the new phone to line 1, it is meant for my line 2 as the phone there is old and tired and needs upgrade sooner that it's line allows.

Can anyone comment if I'm OK to keep line 1 unlimited data?

Thanks in advance !!!

 

[Periks198]

what ever happend to your unlimited data I am in the same situation right now

 

[busa2006]

not a loop hole at all

 

[busa2006]

here ya go so its not a loop hole guys

 

[Jrunner01]

It worked as everyone said it wouldn't. I kept my unlimited data.