AT&T now offering SIM-only option
Looking to bring your own device to a new line of service with AT&T? They’ve started offering a SIM card-only option in their online store. For $10.00 minus a $5.00 "online discount" you can start your very own line of AT&T service. This option looks to be tailored towards customers that already have an unlocked or AT&T-locked wireless handset. From what we can tell, you’re free to pair the SIM card with any of AT&T’s current plan offerings, though you’ll still have to commit to a 2-year agreement for anything other than the pre-paid options. Nothing revolutionary here as you could always use your own phone, but it’s a good step towards greater customer freedom, so you won’t find us complaining.
this is retarded. WHy not just go to a store and sign up for a two year contract, get the free phone, and then put the sim in your OWN phone with the new one you have to be used as a backup.
T-Mobile has always offered the customer to buy a sim only account. It might not be advertised but it is used often.
This is a great idea go at&t!
But t-mobiles service sucks though IMHO At least around here in NYC.
There is a no contract option if you hit a corp store. You can either bring your own equipment or purchase at full retail and avoid the contract.
I don’t get it, what’s the point? All you gotta do is walk into a store and ask for a SIM card and you get one for free. What’s the point of signing a 2 year year contract? If you wanna sign up, you might as well just get a free phone to go with it. This is retarded.
I guess it’s a small step in the right direction. I’d still like to see them come up with more creative plans. If they offered a package deal special on unlimited bis/msging plan with choice of voice package, now THAT would be a huge jump in the right direction.
so mike if i go to an att corp store with my n82 are you sure that i can get just the plan without they 2year contract? cause it seems like crap that even though i dont want any of the phones i still gotta sign in for their 2 year contract!
@RoseGold you will still need to signup for a 2yr plan you might be able to talk your way toward a 1yr (seeing as you have a phone) but don’t bet the farm on it.
they should have done this amlong time ago no if the hdidn’t carg by the kilobyte for data an did not charge for tethering i mght considder
but att is not sop poular here in the pheonix area tmo is
This isn’t new…
Maybe them charging for it is new but going to into a store and asking for a SIM to start a contract is not new.
AT&T is doing what nearly every other GSM/3GSM carrier in the entire world does: if you want to buy only the SIM, you can buy only the SIM, no friggin’ free-phone attached.
i dont see why i need to sign a contract if am not getting one of their phones thats total bull…
Yea, an option was just added in the activation process that allows the rep to select “no committment”. You may have to push the rep or ask for a manager because reps don’t get paid unless it’s a 2 yr contract. The rep may view it as a waste of time unless your getting features/accessories.
Tmobile does the same thing with no contract- its call Flexpay month to month same plans as contract with no contract.
Sounds like a great idea to me since nobody wants to spend $ on an unlocked phone only having to go buy another phone just to get the SIM card from it.
Co sign w/ mike. I used to work for ATT sales. Before “sim only” U could select no commit if a customer wanted to pay full price for a phone, but of course I wouldn’t get my comm. This is still a step in the right direction though.
thanks for the info mike+others
If you dont want to sign up a two year contract, just get the sim card with a prepaid plan. It’s simple as that.
T-Mobile has been ahead of the curve for over 5 months now with their “flexpay” plans. There’s no contract, no activation fee, and did I mention the SIM is free??? The only stipulation is you need to pay your bill in advance and it has to be set up on their “easy pay” auto billing. But it won’t let you go over you minutes too, so no surprise bills!
AT&T has a no-contract SIM-only plan on their website. It is $10 for the SIM card and you can choose from their Pay-As-You-Go plans.
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-details/?device=AT%26T+3G+64K+SIM+card+(Pay+As+You+Go)&q_sku=sku981991
Hey JD, flexpay sounds just like GoPhone service to me, which is a prepaid service. The beauty of this is that you are able to subscribe to monthly plans for voice and data while using your own network compatible device.
eJay: Up until now, you could walk into an AT&T store with a cellphone and have it activated on a one-year commitment. In other words, AT&T is asking you to congratulate them for making you stay under contract with them longer for no reason whatsoever. Hooray!
ATT is offering SIM card ONLY option but still asks for a 2 yr contract if you want to have a regular plan. This is what my caculation says
Before:
Spend : $10.00 and you will get a phone and sim ( no contract)
Spend : $0.00 and you will get a phone and a sim ( with contract)
Now:
Spend : $5.00 and you will get a sim and and NO PHONE
Spend : $5.00 and you will get no phone (with contract)
—————————————————————–
Net Result:
Att thinks i am stupid and trying to make them some money out of me once again.
@Mr. Hopkins, FlexPay is just like what you said this is. Normal monthly plans with data services, no contract attached and if you want to use an unlocked phone more power to the customer. Only difference is you pay your service up front.