Downgrading to Prepaid GoPhone

**success2be** · 06-12-2011, 11:36 AM

So I couldn't afford to pay for my iPhone post paid any more. I went in and asked the local AT&T store I like to downgrade to prepaid. They said fine but I'll need to have anything but an iPhone. Perfectly fine with that.

They tell me that I'll need to bring in another phone (non-Apple).

Are they trying to lock the SIM to my non-Apple phone when I switch to prepaid?

**efparri** · 06-12-2011, 11:52 AM

AT&T does not support the iPhone for GoPhone service. You will need to use another phone to start the service. If the phone you want to use is a smartphone, do not get the $75 unlimited talk and text with 200 megabytes of data. You cannot add a data package to the 200 megabytes if you run out before the thirty days are up.

**SBdunks** · 06-12-2011, 12:08 PM

Once you start the service with a non-apple phone, you can switch the sim into the iPhone (as long as you don't buy one of the prepaid kits from wal-mart, best buy, etc. because those sims are locked down to the phone for 6 months.)

**success2be** · 06-12-2011, 12:29 PM

So they just want proof that I'm ditching my iPhone but not really enforcing it by locking to the phone that I'm going to show them?

**efparri** · 06-12-2011, 01:43 PM

You do not have to ditch the iPhone. You just cannot use it to start GoPhone service.

**altNz** · 06-13-2011, 11:18 AM

Your best bet is to go to a corp store with another phone and have them activate a GoPhone account with a regular SIM, that way you can switch the SIM to your iPhone after leaving the store. The process shouldn't cost you anything, but the service rep may try to sell you a refill card. It's up to you whether you want to buy one from them, but you can get a better deal online.

Also you may want to check out this thread as it tells you what to do after getting GoPhone: http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...Plan-on-iPhone

**success2be** · 06-13-2011, 11:22 AM

If I didn't need to keep my number, I would've already gone that route. :-) Boy are there a lot of random txt and calls to prepaid numbers.

**efparri** · 06-13-2011, 11:31 AM

You can still keep your number. As has been suggested, use a phone other than the iPhone to setup service and have them switch your number to a GoPhone account in place of the contract account. They may be able to do that without changing SIM cards since it is a billing change rather than a carrier change. Even if you cannot keep the same SIM card, they can assign your same number to the new SIM card. Remember not to cancel your contract service ahead of time. Let them do it when they switch you to GoPhone service. If you cancel the service yourself, your number would be lost.

**success2be** · 06-13-2011, 12:18 PM

Right now I'm considering to either downgrade to GoPhone or port my existing number to Google Voice. So far I'm seeing the only advantage of having GoPhone is MMS and the 500MB data plan. Anything else I'm missing?

Update:
Just found this article about Google Voice's latency issue Google Voice's Latency Problem

So I'm going to find a super cheap unlocked phone on Amazon to downgrade to GoPhone.

**efparri** · 06-13-2011, 10:34 PM

Is there someone whose phone you can borrow to setup your account?

**success2be** · 06-13-2011, 10:50 PM

Nope. I looked on AT&T's site and the cheapest GoPhone is $10-$20 which isn't too bad. I'll see whats at the local AT&T stores tomorrow. Sucks being unemployed paying for the Jesus phone.

**Pabster** · 06-15-2011, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by success2be

Nope. I looked on AT&T's site and the cheapest GoPhone is $10-$20 which isn't too bad. I'll see whats at the local AT&T stores tomorrow. Sucks being unemployed paying for the Jesus phone.

Trust me, it sucks being employed paying for it too. Contracts suck. I've got both of my iPhone 4's and a 3GS running all on GoPhone for less monthly than a single contract line used to cost me.

**success2be** · 06-15-2011, 04:00 PM

Yea, you're telling me

I've contemplated switching to GoPhone while doing most of my calls over Skype and Google Voice through Gmail. When I was employed, my iPhone with the cheapest post paid plan was a necessity. Now, not so much LOL

I still gotta deal with the termination fee, but thats recouped within a few months of being on prepaid. The only costs I have to buffer for are those once in a while friends that suddenly text me like crazy as though I'm hiding Justin Beiber.

**Pabster** · 06-15-2011, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by success2be

Yea, you're telling me

I've contemplated switching to GoPhone while doing most of my calls over Skype and Google Voice through Gmail. When I was employed, my iPhone with the cheapest post paid plan was a necessity. Now, not so much LOL

I still gotta deal with the termination fee, but thats recouped within a few months of being on prepaid. The only costs I have to buffer for are those once in a while friends that suddenly text me like crazy as though I'm hiding Justin Beiber.

That's pretty much what I do. GoPhone works perfectly for me because I almost never use any voice minutes or text, just occasional data, and not much there - just maps and searches primarily. The low monthly total cost per line works out fantastic in this setup for my needs. I use Skype all the time, I've found it vastly superior to GTalk (Google through Gmail) and for a lousy $2.99 or whatever you can't beat it, even if you almost never use it. There are ways around the contract monster while still keeping a few dollars in your wallet every month!

**success2be** · 06-15-2011, 09:10 PM

Contracts are never there to benefit the consumer. I finished watching one of the old George Carlin stand-ups on Netflix a few days ago. One of the bit was where he demonstrates how big business literally have the consumer bending over while getting screwed in the rear.

Funny but true.