[Androidpwns]

I bought a Thunderbolt late June 2011 (family plan). It's alright, other than the battery, but I would love to have a GN. I could use the Best Buy buy back deal and get $350 back to put towards the probable $800 for the GN but that still leaves the hefty amount of $450. I can think of a couple of ways to try and get it for less but thought u all would likely have some ideas I'd nvr have thought of. Thx .

[bmoore0909]

Put another line in your family plan. I'm not sure if they're still doing this, but when I added a line last time they waived the $9.99/ month fee for the line. If they dont, you're looking at paying $10/month for two years..thats $240 + $299 for the phone. That's actually more..$539, but it's spread out.
If they don't charge you the $9.99 a month then that an even better deal.

[kamek89]

except if you add all the stupid taxes it comes out to I think $15 instead of the 9.99 lol

[Droid800]

I bought a Thunderbolt late June 2011 (family plan). It's alright, other than the battery, but I would love to have a GN. I could use the Best Buy buy back deal and get $350 back to put towards the probable $800 for the GN but that still leaves the hefty amount of $450. I can think of a couple of ways to try and get it for less but thought u all would likely have some ideas I'd nvr have thought of. Thx .

So you got the buy back plan then? If that's the case, use it. You'll get more bang for your buck going that route instead of ebay. You could add a line, but you end up spending the same amount anyways. (its just spread out) Personally, I'd just bite the bullet and spend that $450 up front instead of adding another line. (and I'm going to be paying full retail out of pocket, so I'd trade you for that $450 instead of the $600ish it will cost me)

[JediJesus95]

Call or email Verizon and ask for an early upgrade. They might say no but they might say yes.

[DolfanCole]

Put another line in your family plan. I'm not sure if they're still doing this, but when I added a line last time they waived the $9.99/ month fee for the line. If they dont, you're looking at paying $10/month for two years..thats $240 + $299 for the phone. That's actually more..$539, but it's spread out.
If they don't charge you the $9.99 a month then that an even better deal.

In addition to doing this, the OP can sell the TBolt and help recover some of the costs. Just put a feature/dummy phone on the old line when activating the new line. I did this a while back. That way, I wasn't charged the extra data rate for the additional line.

[Droid800]

In addition to doing this, the OP can sell the TBolt and help recover some of the costs. Just put a feature/dummy phone on the old line when activating the new line. I did this a while back. That way, I wasn't charged the extra data rate for the additional line.

It ends up costing the same though.

[Androidpwns]

All the ideas/comments/feedback have been great. Perhaps a combo of them might work out? Buyback for $350, add a line for $360ish over 2yrs + $300 GN, get a dummy phone for original line. Puts me at cost of $310. Hmmmm?

[Small_law]

We just have to wait and see about the non contract price. I'm not a wizard at wrangling a new phone from Verizon, and my contract is up in March. My renewal kicks in in January. I got the TB last March on a one year contract and I might still get the nexus off contract so I'm not married to Verizon.

[fightfan]

In addition to doing this, the OP can sell the TBolt and help recover some of the costs. Just put a feature/dummy phone on the old line when activating the new line. I did this a while back. That way, I wasn't charged the extra data rate for the additional line.

Wow, I was under the impression that the original TB (or any smartphone) contract required a data plan for the entire 24 month duration. If you deactivate that smartphone, can you really remove the data package associated with it? That would be important news to keep in mind for sure. Thanks.

[Droid800]

Wow, I was under the impression that the original TB (or any smartphone) contract required a data plan for the entire 24 month duration. If you deactivate that smartphone, can you really remove the data package associated with it? That would be important news to keep in mind for sure. Thanks.

He has it backwards:

1) Activate new line, with Galaxy Nexus
2) Get old feature phone
3) Activate feature phone on new line, and remove all features like data
4) Activate galaxy nexus on old line (so you can keep the same phone number)

You don't need active data for the entire contract length. You just have to keep the line active and number not canceled.

[cdmta]

Yes, if you add a line, you can then transfer that upgrade to your main line. The new line will just cost 9.99.
They do not require you to keep the data on it. I've done this several times. I now have 5 lines and 3 smartphones.

[fightfan]

Thanks for the clarification Droid800 and cdmta regarding canceling data plan without violating contract. I think I might have gotten the data plan and actual phone confused. I'm almost certain you cannot keep a smartphone active without the data plan, i.e. you can't get a new smartphone under contract and use it only for wifi. That is great news to know though!

I'm 90% sure I know the answer to this question, but I thought I'd ask to be certain. Here's my current situation.

Family plan
Primary: Dinc with old $15 data plan, under contract until Nov 2012, eligible for last one-year annual upgrade now though*
Mom: old flip phone with no data plan, out of contract, eligible for normal upgrade now

* I understand that the annual upgrade option is only available at actual Verizon Wireless stores and their online website, i.e. not at Costco, Best Buy, Amazon, etc.

As I understand it, I can get a new Nexus under my Mom's account with a $30 data plan, thus putting her under contract for 2 years. Then, I can deactivate my Mom's smartphone, put her back on her flip phone, and remove the $30 data plan. I can activate that new Nexus on my primary line, maintain my old $15 data plan if I want, and keep my line eligible for a 1-year annual upgrade and contract expiration on Nov 2012.

Is that what is meant when people talk about transferring their upgrade to another line? Can I do all of that without the deactivation and reactivation of the Nexus? The benefit, of course, is that I could look for a cheaper price at other stores, i.e. Costco. Presumably, I'd end up as follows. (?)

Family plan
Primary: Nexus with old $15 data plan, under contract until Nov 2012, eligible for last one-year annual upgrade now
Mom: old flip phone with no data plan, under contract until Nov 2013

Hope this doesn't constitute hijacking a thread! Thanks again for the clarification guys!

[ihyln]

It appears faking your own death then assuming a new identity is an easier way to get a new phone than any of the other methods haha

[fightfan]

Oh ya, it just occurred to me. I don't know if this is still the case, but in the past, I was under the impression that some resellers (a non-Verizon corporate store) made you sign their own contract in addition to the standard 2-year Verizon one. It generally wasn't a big deal, but one of the stipulations might have been that nothing be changed for 6 months. If that is still the case and removing a data plan violated that condition, then there might be some other obstacles to consider. Bottom-line, I guess it's probably best to talk to the agent and make sure you read all of the fine print if required. Hopefully the agent will know what they're talking about. I suspect these type of things are done pretty frequently though.

[Androidpwns]

It appears faking your own death then assuming a new identity is an easier way to get a new phone than any of the other methods haha

If u could just provide ur social security # and.......hehe

[Deltaechoe]

Verizon just continuously screwed up my account, I complained enough and they put an early upgrade on my account. This was about a week after I bought the thunderbolt on contract so i've had an upgrade for 7 months now. Bottom line, complain enough to verizon and they'll eventually give you what you want so that you stop bothering them

[SoulWeaponry]

Bottom line, complain enough to verizon and they'll eventually give you what you want so that you stop bothering them

But...the 10 times i called and spoke to different reps they all said it was impossibru to get an upgrade when my contract is only up in a couple months. Are you saying they lied to me?

...I thought me and verizon were buds

[Deltaechoe]

But...the 10 times i called and spoke to different reps they all said it was impossibru to get an upgrade when my contract is only up in a couple months. Are you saying they lied to me?

...I thought me and verizon were buds

Just keep escalating, don't take no for an answer, eventually you will get what you want, just takes some time. Also you have to have a good story to go with it, it's a trick called "social engineering", go google it

[SoulWeaponry]

My story: i have an addiction to cell phones and i need my fix. My friend has a ____ and i want one too. And uh...if you don't i'm going to sprint!

[mcskipp]

Trying to use my upgrade to buy the Rezound a few days ago was a complete fiasco.

What I've discovered is that vzw can basically do whatever they want, even though some employees insist they can't budge because of the computers. It's BS.

I've also learned that talking to vzw reps is like playing Russian Roulette. They all have different answers.

I got my Rezound roughly a month and a half before my upgrade. This all started about 6 months back. A sales rep told me that our account had an upgrade. I wasn't sure how, we have 4 lines, and its hard to keep track. I thought we were out of upgrades, so I got excited and asked him to double check. Yep, we had an upgrade!

So I've been sitting on it this whole time, waiting for a bangin' new phone to come out. My parents were gonna buy me the Galaxy Nexus or something great for Xmas. You see, I've been extremely ill lately. I have nerve damage and they're currently testing me for various cancers. It sucks. My parents were SO EXCITED to buy me this phone for Xmas because they knew how excited I was, and how I've been dealing with so much chronic pain. Sob story, I know, but when you're sick and you feel like your world is crumbling in on you, stupid little things like getting a new phone is just enough to keep your spirits up. I realize it sounds ridiculous, but it's honestly true.

So we roll up to vzw on Black Friday ready to get my Xmas gift (early, of course! You know how impatient us phone nerds are ) They informed that there was no such upgrade in existence. WTF?? They said, however, that my upgrade was January 7 of 2012. I asked if we could pay to upgrade a month early so I could have my phone on Xmas with everyone else. The rep could not have been less sympathetic about the Xmas situation. She just said "Yeah, sorry the inconvenience, but I'll see ya back here on January 7!" She politely said there was no way I could leave the store with a new phone today.

I was livid, moreso that the rep could have such an "Eat Dirt" attitude towards a loyal family who has been with Verizon for over 10 years. I called customer service immediately from my car. The rep said I could upgrade 30 days early, but not to a 4G phone, nor an iPhone. Funny how the store rep didn't even mention that deal.

Here's where it gets good. My father, the account holder, called customer service and asked to speak to a supervisor. He informed her that we had been customers for 10+ years, we have 4 lines, and that we spend over $6,000 a YEAR on Verizon services (for example, our Verizon bill last month alone was $671). That's just services (cell plans, home phone, internet, FIOS TV, etc.) Plus, all we spend on new phones, accessories, and such. All that and they refused to let us upgrade a month early? Really??

Long story short, the supervisor went into the computer and changed the upgrade date to that day. We went back to the same store and bought the Rezound that day.


-mcskipp

[davey11]

I heard that you can pay $20 for an early upgrade. Is that bs? If not how does that work.
I am about 9 months away from my upgrade.

Sent from my SCH-I510

[SoulWeaponry]

I would like to know this too ^

[fightfan]

You see, I've been extremely ill lately. I have nerve damage and they're currently testing me for various cancers. It sucks. My parents were SO EXCITED to buy me this phone for Xmas because they knew how excited I was, and how I've been dealing with so much chronic pain. Sob story, I know, but when you're sick and you feel like your world is crumbling in on you, stupid little things like getting a new phone is just enough to keep your spirits up. I realize it sounds ridiculous, but it's honestly true...We went back to the same store and bought the Rezound that day.

I totally hear ya mcskipp. I've been having some of my own personal issues lately, and you're right. Sometimes whatever it takes to put a smile on your face is something worthwhile. I'm super happy that you were able to get your Rezound!

My wife and I have been looking to upgrade her flip phone to a smartphone for the past month or so. She really liked the Rhyme (but dealbreaker was no replaceable battery), almost got the Dinc2, and we were kinda waiting to just see what the Nexus looked and felt like. After seeing that Costco deal online Friday morning for the Rezound, we decided to take a look at that one. We finished breakfast, ran some errands, went to Target, a Costco warehouse, and finally Verizon to get our hands on an actual Rezound device to feel it in her hands. I don't know about her, but I fell in love with that phone. That screen is stunning to say the least. Honestly, I think it was a tough decision for her between the Dinc2 (better size) and the Rezound (bigger and thicker), but she felt like the screen, the double data promotion, and the future proofing with a faster processor was too much to look past. We went home to order the phone on Costco online, and needless to say, it was sold out.

I really think the Rezound might be better for her than the Nexus. She is not a techie and could care less about ICS. She might even find Sense more user friendly, and the better sound quality (?) of Beats Audio would probably be more important to her.

Anyway, that's my story. Again, so super glad you got your Rezound! Tell us about your first few days with the phone, though maybe you should start another thread. We seem to have hijacked this one, and I can't remember what the original topic was!

[fightfan]

I heard that you can pay $20 for an early upgrade. Is that bs? If not how does that work.
I am about 9 months away from my upgrade.

This might be what you're referring to...Basically, if you got your phone before ~January 16, 2011 (not sure of the exact date), Verizon used to offer an early annual upgrade for their 2-year contracts. At around that date, they decided to get rid of that program though. Anyway, if you were the primary user in a standard 2-year contract, you could actually upgrade after only 1 year. However, you could (a) only upgrade at a Verizon store or Verizon online (i.e. not at Costco, etc.), and (b) you would have to pay an extra $20. Supposedly, that $20 might have been waived if you bought the phone on Verizon's website. FYI, if you did get your phone before ~January 16, 2011, then you were grandfathered into this annual upgrade option, and you can still take advantage of it one last time. If you're 9 months away from your 2-year upgrade date, then you're probably good to go. That's what I plan to do actually. Last but not least, I _think_ your upgrade date is listed when you log into your VerizonWireless account online. Good luck!