Verizon closed upgrade Loophole for family share plan members?

**YukeYukeTroublemaker** · 11-30-2012, 01:00 PM

So, last week I went to go check out the HTC DNA and though the screen utterly impressed me I still had my heart set on the Galaxy Note 2 due to battery life and memory expansion (16gb and a cloud service won't do it for me, I still have my original Droid X and this POS wont even make it through half the day without a charger). I talk to the REP and tell him my intentions that I wanted to buy a Note 2 full retail to keep my unlimited. He told me about the family share loophole where I can upgrade a dumb phone to a smart phone and then yank the data plan and transfer the phone over to my unlimited. Excited I ask for his card and told him I would see him next week (yesterday). I go home and look it up on multiple forums and sure enough people had done this and plus it was widely known so any retailer could do it.

Yesterday I was in another city doing errands so I went into another Verizon store, checked in, and told the guy my intentions to use an upgrade from another line for my upgrade to keep my unlimited data package, He said that Verizon had caught on and they put a stop to it as of last week?!?! I just BS'ed with a guy a bit and told him I was going to come back and pay full retail. I will try to go to that original Verizon store I went to and talk to the same guy and see if he can pull some strings. I don't know why someone would not be able to do it.

Well if it works then sweet. I will have a Note 2 at a cheaper price and keep my unlimited. However, if I have to pay full retail to keep my unlimited then I will be watching Netflix to hell and stream pandora 24-7 all the while downloading a ton of music.

Bastardos.

**CD1X** · 11-30-2012, 01:12 PM

this makes no logical sense to me. if you upgrade you are agreeing to a two year contract extension regardless of phone and i dont think Verizon would allow themselves to lose money....if you buy at full retail...THEY MAKE NOOOO MONEY from that transaction....so to me...this doesnt sound right at all!!!

**jmiller9993** · 11-30-2012, 01:17 PM

Verizon makes money when they sell you a phone at full retail the same way Best Buy makes money when they sell you a laptop at full retail. They have marked up the phone after purchasing it from the manufacturer.

**YukeYukeTroublemaker** · 11-30-2012, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by CD1X

this makes no logical sense to me. if you upgrade you are agreeing to a two year contract extension regardless of phone and i dont think Verizon would allow themselves to lose money....if you buy at full retail...THEY MAKE NOOOO MONEY from that transaction....so to me...this doesnt sound right at all!!!

I didnt make it up!!!

**CD1X** · 11-30-2012, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by YukeYukeTroublemaker

I didnt make it up!!!

didnt mean it to sound like you were making it up...I was just saying that the practice seems illogical given Verizons bread and butter ultimately is signing people to contracts....

**YukeYukeTroublemaker** · 11-30-2012, 01:45 PM

I get what you are saying. This practice was something that Verizon did not readily advertise.. I just hope it still works in T-Minus 2 hours when I head over to the Verizon Store.

**CD1X** · 11-30-2012, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by YukeYukeTroublemaker

I get what you are saying. This practice was something that Verizon did not readily advertise.. I just hope it still works in T-Minus 2 hours when I head over to the Verizon Store.

Im sure youll be fine.....what are they going to say....no we dont want your money??? lmao hahahaha

Ry · 11-30-2012, 01:53 PM

There really isn't anything that can stop you from doing this.

Heck, order online then do the switches yourself.

**Shanicenicolle** · 11-30-2012, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by YukeYukeTroublemaker

So, last week I went to go check out the HTC DNA and though the screen utterly impressed me I still had my heart set on the Galaxy Note 2 due to battery life and memory expansion (16gb and a cloud service won't do it for me, I still have my original Droid X and this POS wont even make it through half the day without a charger). I talk to the REP and tell him my intentions that I wanted to buy a Note 2 full retail to keep my unlimited. He told me about the family share loophole where I can upgrade a dumb phone to a smart phone and then yank the data plan and transfer the phone over to my unlimited. Excited I ask for his card and told him I would see him next week (yesterday). I go home and look it up on multiple forums and sure enough people had done this and plus it was widely known so any retailer could do it.

Yesterday I was in another city doing errands so I went into another Verizon store, checked in, and told the guy my intentions to use an upgrade from another line for my upgrade to keep my unlimited data package, He said that Verizon had caught on and they put a stop to it as of last week?!?! I just BS'ed with a guy a bit and told him I was going to come back and pay full retail. I will try to go to that original Verizon store I went to and talk to the same guy and see if he can pull some strings. I don't know why someone would not be able to do it.

Well if it works then sweet. I will have a Note 2 at a cheaper price and keep my unlimited. However, if I have to pay full retail to keep my unlimited then I will be watching Netflix to hell and stream pandora 24-7 all the while downloading a ton of music.

Bastardos.

If Verizon won't do it go to a best Buy, we still do it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

**YukeYukeTroublemaker** · 11-30-2012, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by Shanicenicolle

If Verizon won't do it go to a best Buy, we still do it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

Thanks for the tip. I will give my local Best Buy a call and see if they can pull some strings...

**bhop42** · 11-30-2012, 02:27 PM

They were bsing you man. I just did this last night. After you get the Note 2 activated go to MyVerizon online. Select the Note 2 and choose Switch device(activate a non active phone). You don't even need to turn on the dummy phone just enter the ESN#, check the options to pay as you go on the text/data and you are good to go.

**karsdroid** · 11-30-2012, 02:30 PM

so yesterday my note 2 came via fedex......i ordered it on an upgrade available to a dumb phone on my account. i activated the sim for the dumb phone # on the note 2 online put it in the phone no problem. took the sim back out and then took my sim from my sg3 and popped it into the note 2.....no problem my new note 2 is awesome. meanwhile i needed to re activate my dumb phone to its original number. jumped through the hoops online then turned on the dumb phone to do the *228 thing and realized it was still active on the dumb phone number.

so at this point its all perfect.....i preserve my unlimited data on my line with the note 2 and the dumb phone is back to being a dumb lg cosmos

my husband has an old thunderbolt so i then needed to switch his number over to the gs2. unfortunately the thunderbolt sim is incompatable (its too big) with the gs3, so i had a new sim for him. as i went online to do the switch it took me to a screen that wanted me to choose a new data plan for that number. now this is a problem 1) because im just switching from one existing phone to another NOT upgrading my account 2) because my husbands line also has unlimited which i need to stay with.......

i stopped the process online and called verizon. had the rep activate the sim instead of doing it online, slipped it into the sg3, works great.......and yes i have double checked online, my husband is still on unlimited data.....all is well in the world

so yes i think they are trying to force even people "switching" to a new data plan, but if you call verizon and do it through a rep you can circumvent the online upgrade process.

**pouxonu** · 11-30-2012, 02:52 PM

I've done this before and all you need to do is this. Go in and upgrade a different line on your account and do the whole process under that number and activate the phone. This is give that line a 2 gb monthly data plan.once the phone is fully activated have them take the device and put the device onto your number.Since the the upgrade was not transferred to your number once you upgrade the line and then put that lines old phone back on you can freely put the device onto your line and retain your unlimited data. Depending on where you go they may charge you for new sim card but paying sales price plus a few extra bucks is better then retail.

**karsdroid** · 11-30-2012, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by pouxonu

I've done this before and all you need to do is this. Go in and upgrade a different line on your account and do the whole process under that number and activate the phone. This is give that line a 2 gb monthly data plan.once the phone is fully activated have them take the device and put the device onto your number.Since the the upgrade was not transferred to your number once you upgrade the line and then put that lines old phone back on you can freely put the device onto your line and retain your unlimited data. Depending on where you go they may charge you for new sim card but paying sales price plus a few extra bucks is better then retail.

yes, what i'm saying is while trying to just switch a phone, it was while activating the new sim card that they tried to force a data change. just want to put everyone on notice that they are indeed looking for ways to wipe out our unlimited data.....

**ibcop** · 11-30-2012, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by karsdroid

yes, what i'm saying is while trying to just switch a phone, it was while activating the new sim card that they tried to force a data change. just want to put everyone on notice that they are indeed looking for ways to wipe out our unlimited data.....

It's just a matter of time before you wake up one day and the unlimited data feature is wiped out for everyone.

**StuartV** · 11-30-2012, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by Ry

There really isn't anything that can stop you from doing this.

Heck, order online then do the switches yourself.

My brother did exactly this yesterday, so it does still work. But, he was told by a Verizon rep a couple of months ago that Verizon IS going to stop allowing this. They just haven't yet.

And yes, they CAN stop you. The rep told my brother that what they are going to do (at some point in the future) is look at the ESN of the phone you're activating on your line that has Unlimited Data. If the ESN is for a phone you just bought from them (i.e. within a certain amount of time), then they won't allow that ESN to activate on your line that has Unlimited Data.

**rockrchic923** · 11-30-2012, 04:37 PM

I think they have already started this. When i went into activate my GN2 i was looking at my bill and noticed that my unlimited data was gone and replaced with a 2gb plan for the same price. This didn't really bother me since i never used close to the unlimited amount. From what the reps have told me, it sounds like they are doing this to everyone since the unlimited feature isn't available anymore. just my experience though.

**Shanicenicolle** · 11-30-2012, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by rockrchic923

I think they have already started this. When i went into activate my GN2 i was looking at my bill and noticed that my unlimited data was gone and replaced with a 2gb plan for the same price. This didn't really bother me since i never used close to the unlimited amount. From what the reps have told me, it sounds like they are doing this to everyone since the unlimited feature isn't available anymore. just my experience though.

Within 6 months everyone will be tiered data

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

**YukeYukeTroublemaker** · 11-30-2012, 05:00 PM

Nice.. called best buy and they responded like I was speaking in another language. Went to the Verizon Store and in about half an hour I was out with a brand new galaxy note with my unlimited intact and didn't have to pay full retail!

**wolverine2003** · 11-30-2012, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by Shanicenicolle

If Verizon won't do it go to a best Buy, we still do it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

I tried this at Best Buy. When we were trying to activate an upgrade for another line I had, the system was forcing every one of my lines to tiered data. The only way to get around it was to activate a new line and go forward. While this worked for me because I had an available line, people that are maxed out will get screwed...unless the person helping me didn't know what she was doing.

**The Hustleman** · 11-30-2012, 05:43 PM

Edited by mod.

You bad we can't force them to give back unlimited.

When i get my agent line I'm still going to stick with t mobile

sent from the best smart phone (not phablet) on the worst network- the Galaxy S3 unfortunately on T-Mobile

Ry · 11-30-2012, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by StuartV

My brother did exactly this yesterday, so it does still work. But, he was told by a Verizon rep a couple of months ago that Verizon IS going to stop allowing this. They just haven't yet.

And yes, they CAN stop you. The rep told my brother that what they are going to do (at some point in the future) is look at the ESN of the phone you're activating on your line that has Unlimited Data. If the ESN is for a phone you just bought from them (i.e. within a certain amount of time), then they won't allow that ESN to activate on your line that has Unlimited Data.

I stopped reading after "the rep told my brother..."

Ry · 11-30-2012, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by The Hustleman

Verizon is so gay for this.

You bad we can't force them to give back unlimited.

When i get my agent line I'm still going to stick with t mobile

sent from the best smart phone (not phablet) on the worst network- the Galaxy S3 unfortunately on T-Mobile

I hope none of your potential customers see you talking like this.

**The Hustleman** · 11-30-2012, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by Ry

I hope none of your potential customers see you talking like this.

Like what?

It is

sent from the best smart phone (not phablet) on the worst network- the Galaxy S3 unfortunately on T-Mobile

**TBoltJ** · 11-30-2012, 08:31 PM

I have a Thunderbolt now with unlimited data and am eligible for upgrade. I only have the single line. Can I add another phone at a discounted upgrade/new line price to the plan and have 2 lines and retain unlimited?