[Instruction] How to get a new phone and keep (legacy) Unlimited Data on Verizon

[11b2p]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

Thank you for the reply dss2000. I have both a Micro and a Nano SIM for Line A. (The Nano SIM has never been activated.) A month ago I chatted with Verizon online and asked if they would send me a Nano SIM specifically for Line A and they did.

I hope that I can just pop the Nano SIM in the upgraded phone and activate it to Line A with no issues. If I can't get it to work I will definitely try online chat for help with the SIM for Line A.

Thank you again!

(racerx55 I used the online chat with Verizon and had no problems getting the SIM without having a phone that needed a Nano SIM. I just explained that I anticipated needing it.)

 

[dss2000]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

I'm looking to upgrade my Droid X (which is on unlimited data but doesn't have a SIM card) to an HTC One M8 on the discounted price. This UDP phone and another phone on a 2 GB plan are up for upgrades, but the basic line isn't. I read about the BB trick in another thread that requires activating your old phone's SIM card in your new phone rather than the new SIM that comes with it, but since I don't have a SIM to begin with, I'm not sure how I'd pull that off. Is there any way I can get the HTC phone at the lower price while still keeping my unlimited data?

You should check the other threads for the BB method but seems like it only works when the upgrade is on the main line.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon/347000-best-buy-mobile-lets-me-keep-unlimited-data-plan-verizon-23.html

I think the upgrading through a non-UDP line method is more reliable, simpler and with less hiccups:

UDP phone and Tiered data phone with upgrade

Line1 UDP
Line2 Tiered Data (Upgrade available)​

1. Order smartphone using upgrade on Line2, select data plan
2. Activate smartphone on Line1
3. Pending data plan on Line2 will drop off in a week

When you activate the phone on Line1 it will either let you with the SIM provided or it will say it's associated with Line2 and won't let you activate. You can either chat with Verizon and have them disassociate the SIM from Line2 or you can order a new SIM for Line1 and say you have a new phone that uses a nano-SIM and want to use it on Line1. They will send it to you.

Update us on how it goes.

 

[dss2000]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

Thank you for the reply dss2000. I have both a Micro and a Nano SIM for Line A. (The Nano SIM has never been activated.) A month ago I chatted with Verizon online and asked if they would send me a Nano SIM specifically for Line A and they did.

I hope that I can just pop the Nano SIM in the upgraded phone and activate it to Line A with no issues. If I can't get it to work I will definitely try online chat for help with the SIM for Line A.

Thank you again!

(racerx55 I used the online chat with Verizon and had no problems getting the SIM without having a phone that needed a Nano SIM. I just explained that I anticipated needing it.)

You're welcome. Just please update us with how it goes for you, any hiccups you encounter or if to confirm if everything went fine so we can help others.

 

[sheely]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

You don't need a Best Buy. You can do this all online on the Verizon website and phones delivered to you. It's best to minimize interaction with a liver Verizon person as much as possible. The method below should work for you if you want to use the upgrade on one of your basic phones:

UDP phone and dumb phone with upgrade

Line1 UDP
Line3 (or Line4) dumb phone (Upgrade available)​

1. Order smartphone using upgrade on Line3(or Line4), select data plan
2. Activate smartphone on Line1
3. Pending data plan on Line3(or Line4) will drop off in a week

If you tell me what smartphones are on the current UDP lines and what phone you intend to buy I can be more specific on what to do with the SIMs if you need. But basically if the SIM in your current UDP line is compatible with the SIM in your new smartphone you can activate the new smartphone by just taking the SIM from the UDP line and put it in the new smartphone when it arrives.

Line 1: unlimited data (eligible for upgrade), is a S3 want to go to S5
Line 2: unlimited data (eligible for upgrade) is a HTC thunderbolt, will go to S5
Line 3: 2gb data (eligible for upgrade) , this is a iphone 4
Line 4: 2 gb data (eligible for upgrade) this is a iphone 4
Line 5: 2 gb, in contract right now

 

[dss2000]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

Line 1: unlimited data (eligible for upgrade), is a S3 want to go to S5
Line 2: unlimited data (eligible for upgrade) is a HTC thunderbolt, will go to S5
Line 3: 2gb data (eligible for upgrade) , this is a iphone 4
Line 4: 2 gb data (eligible for upgrade) this is a iphone 4
Line 5: 2 gb, in contract right now

So that is easy because the S3 and S5 both use a micro-SIM. So lets say you take Line 3, use the upgrade to order an S5. In the plan options you'd probably just select keep current plan 2gb data. When the S5 comes take out the SIM that comes with the phone. Turn off your old S3, take the SIM from the S3 and put it in the new S5, boot up, enter your Gmail account and you're done. The Line3 contract will be extended another 2 years and you'll have the S5 on your Line1 UDP.

The only caveat is that the newer SIMS that come with the phone have NFC for Verizon's Isis to do payments like Google Wallet. Your old SIM probably doesn't have this. If you don't intend to use this then don't worry about it. If you do want it you could try activating the SIM that comes with the phone on your UDP line but it might be already associated with your Line3 and you'd have to call/chat with Verizon to free up the SIM from Line3. Or if later you want to do it just open the ISIS app, it will say you need a newer SIM and you click on the link to where you could order a new one for free for Line 1.

 

[sheely]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

So that is easy because the S3 and S5 both use a micro-SIM. So lets say you take Line 3, use the upgrade to order an S5. In the plan options you'd probably just select keep current plan 2gb data. When the S5 comes take out the SIM that comes with the phone. Turn off your old S3, take the SIM from the S3 and put it in the new S5, boot up, enter your Gmail account and you're done. The Line3 contract will be extended another 2 years and you'll have the S5 on your Line1 UDP.

The only caveat is that the newer SIMS that come with the phone have NFC for Verizon's Isis to do payments like Google Wallet. Your old SIM probably doesn't have this. If you don't intend to use this then don't worry about it. If you do want it you could try activating the SIM that comes with the phone on your UDP line but it might be already associated with your Line3 and you'd have to call/chat with Verizon to free up the SIM from Line3. Or if later you want to do it just open the ISIS app, it will say you need a newer SIM and you click on the link to where you could order a new one for free for Line 1.

thanks for the help, I have no idea what Isis is, so I dont need to worry about that

Once I use line 3 to upgrade line 1, can i then use the line 1 upgrade and upgrade the line 3 phone?

also, once the new phone comes, do i activate that on line 3 first? or just use the sim from line 1

 

[dss2000]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

thanks for the help, I have no idea what Isis is, so I dont need to worry about that

Once I use line 3 to upgrade line 1, can i then use the line 1 upgrade and upgrade the line 3 phone?

also, once the new phone comes, do i activate that on line 3 first? or just use the sim from line 1

After you go through the process you can transfer the upgrade from Line1 to Line3 and order another phone for Line3. You will need to wait a week or so though for the pending activation on Line3 to fall off. The original poster described activating on Line3 first but I found it isn't necessary.

 

[racerx55]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

Thanks dss2000 for your reply,

i'll probably go that route and get one m8 using line 3 upgrade
then use line 2 upgrade and transfer to line 3 and again use it. will this work?

Also tried suggestion from 11b2p: i called twice, and used chat, but they said the cannot send me nano sim cards unless i have the phones in hand. After i get the phones, i pull the sim cards out and should i just bring them to the store and have them activate them?

thank so much for all your help, great thread....

 

[dss2000]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

Thanks dss2000 for your reply,

i'll probably go that route and get one m8 using line 3 upgrade
then use line 2 upgrade and transfer to line 3 and again use it. will this work?

Also tried suggestion from 11b2p: i called twice, and used chat, but they said the cannot send me nano sim cards unless i have the phones in hand. After i get the phones, i pull the sim cards out and should i just bring them to the store and have them activate them?

thank so much for all your help, great thread....

Yes, you can just keep transferring upgrades to your basic phone line and use it as a conduit to use your upgrades as they become available. Only think is you'll probably have to wait a week or so for the prior pending activation to fall off before you can order another phone. Once you get the phone you can just try to activate them on the UDP line with the SIM that comes with it. I'm not sure whether the SIM comes already attached to Line3 or not. If it hasn't been attached to any line go through the online activation process it will ask for the phone MEID and the number on the SIM and it will activate on your UDP line. If it has already been attached to Line3 before you got it then you'll get a message something like SIM already associated with Line3. You can chat with Verizon through website and ask them to disassociate the SIM from Line3 and then it will be clear to activate on UDP line.

I try to avoid going to the Verizon store as much as possible, many post have described them trying to mislead you into believing it won't work, or plain lie to get you to give up UDP.

Update me on how it goes, if you have any problem activating that SIM with your UDP line.

 

[Willie2Shoes]

Re: Verizon: How to keep Unlimited Data and get phone on subsidized price

mgftp...any luck with your order?

 

[mgftp]

Re: Verizon: How to keep Unlimited Data and get phone on subsidized price

mgftp...any luck with your order?

Haven't run into an issue yet, order confirmation said delivery later this week so should find out soon enough.

 

[th3b3]

Re: Eligibility Check issues?

I tried yesterday from work and again today from home on the BB site to check my account for eligibility to upgrade and it keeps telling me that I have a password on the Verizon account. I know I have a password on the account, I am putting all the correct info in, verified the password is correct by logging into my Verizon account. Anybody else run into this issue? I can't order a new phone if the eligibility check can't even run!

Did you try it did it work? I had to do the same and it worked for me after I changed it and the paid a "past due" balance

 

[Spotty1223]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

Yes you could either get a new clean SIM that will allow you to activate it. Or you could contact Verizon to un-associate the SIM that came with the phone from the Line 4. The Verizon online chat is pretty good as you don't have to go through telephone directory hell and can do other things while you wait for a response. Also you can save a transcript of your session as proof that you never authorized them to take your UDP if there is ever an issue. The downside with contacting Verizon is that depending on the CSR you they can tell you things to try to scare you or get you to lose your unlimited. Seems to be a wide variation in CSR you get though the online ones seem to give you less hassle about the UDP than the ones in the store. I'd recommend interacting with store CSR's as little as possible in regards to the UDP as I suspect they get a commission for every UDP they discontinue.

Just to let you know. I received my new phone in the mail today and was able to update the phone to my UDP Line with no changes. I did not have to disassociate the SIM that came with the new phone (Though when it was being shipped I noticed they did ship it with a new SIM card). But I used the online chat on Verizon and the representative was very helpful and was able to activate the new phone, no hassle and no questions asked, basically. Seemed like the plan went flawlessly and hopefully within the new week or so the pending activation will fall off.

 

[dss2000]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

Just to let you know. I received my new phone in the mail today and was able to update the phone to my UDP Line with no changes. I did not have to disassociate the SIM that came with the new phone (Though when it was being shipped I noticed they did ship it with a new SIM card). But I used the online chat on Verizon and the representative was very helpful and was able to activate the new phone, no hassle and no questions asked, basically. Seemed like the plan went flawlessly and hopefully within the new week or so the pending activation will fall off.

That's great to hear, glad it worked out and for giving us an update. So it seems to indicate that the SIM that comes with the phone is a virgin SIM with no account on it so that is why it can be activated on the UDP line without problem. I think the problem people are having withe the SIM being associated with the basic phone line and not allowing activation on the UDP line is that by following the instructions on the original post if you activate on the basic line first, then put the old phone on the basic line that SIM is still attached to the basic line. Perhaps that happens when you put a dumb phone back on because it doesn't knock the SIM off that account. That's why I like activating directly on the UDP line first as it avoids this problem. Especially if the new phone uses a different sized SIM or the old phone on the UDP line doesn't have a SIM.

 

[sheely]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

After you go through the process you can transfer the upgrade from Line1 to Line3 and order another phone for Line3. You will need to wait a week or so though for the pending activation on Line3 to fall off. The original poster described activating on Line3 first but I found it isn't necessary.

the company discount we have allows credit of activation fee if we call verizon and give them our company ecpd profile #....is this the case where we just bite the bullet on that and not bother with it? this way no live person puts their eye on our account and sees what transfers we did?

 

[jlouang]

Re: Eligibility Check issues?

I just received the shipping notification from the BB today. I check my account and no changes have been made on my account. I did order from the HTC website when they had the $99 sale past Friday. The website is power by bestbuy.

I also was qualified to received the $100 BB gift card for upgrading. Upgraded for free.

 

[dss2000]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

the company discount we have allows credit of activation fee if we call verizon and give them our company ecpd profile #....is this the case where we just bite the bullet on that and not bother with it? this way no live person puts their eye on our account and sees what transfers we did?

You can go ahead and call them and have them transfer the upgrade to line 3 and order a new phone and have them waive the activation/upgrade fee. Just don't let them talk you into giving up your unlimited. I advise not talking to them not because your doing anything wrong, it is because people doing it for the first time and a little tenuous about it can easily get spooked by a CSR lying and giving misinformation to try to scare you that you will lose your unlimited. Or they will ask if they can review you account and say "you don't use that much data, you can save $10 / mo by changing plans". Don't let them do it. I like using Verizon Online chat because you can keep a copy of the chat session so if there is a problem you can prove to them that you never authorized them to take away your UDP. The telephone CSR's aren't as aggressive as the in-store CSR's. If they require you to activate on line 3 first to get the activation fee, that is fine. You'll just have to put your old phone back on line 3 afterwards.

 

[Tjarren]

Re: Verizon: How to keep Unlimited Data and get phone on subsidized price

We're sorry, the carrier's system is not available to process your request at this time. If you have other items in your cart, you can proceed with your order by removing the mobile items. Or try again later.

For assistance, please call Best Buy Mobile at 1-877-702-2211 (6:00am?midnight CST).

So what do I do now? What happened? And yes, I'm paid up.

 

[th3b3]

Re: Verizon: How to keep Unlimited Data and get phone on subsidized price

Start over and try again. You have the correct "billing" password right? Its not your account password. I had to change mine to get it to work.

 

[easymacfu]

Re: [Instruction] How to Keep Unlimited Data on Verizon

Do I have to activate a phone before selling it? I was just going to use my upgrade, not activate it but open it and remove the sim, then sell the phone, thus I think, keeping my unlimited data. Or does Verizon require us to activate the phone in order to get the subsidized price. I've been given different responses from CSRs. One said I'd owe the full price if it isn't activated on my line in 30 days, another said its no problem, and still another had no clue.