yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] scriz:
Unless Verizon's policies have changed or you are under a "share everything" plan every phone under your account could have a different contract date

In July (maybe August? not sure) I upgraded from my iPhone 4s to a SGS3 and kept my unlimited data. This is how:

My sister-in-law wanted to upgrade to the 4s from her 4. I had a 4s, so I used the upgrade that was available on her line to upgrade her line to a Galaxy S3. I told the salesperson that I wanted to use her upgrade then swap the phone onto my line right then and there removing the 4s from my account entirely. The salesperson used my sister-in-laws upgrade and after the upgrade was completed she moved the SGS3 to my account (keeping unlimited data since my line upgrade was not used) and put my sister-in-law's iPhone 4 back on the line as the active phone. After leaving the store and going home I called Verizon and swapped out the 4 for the 4s. I'll be using this tactic again to hopefully get a SGS4 once I return to the states. I'm going to trade my SGS3 for a 4s for my mother-in-law and use her upgrade to get my SGS4 and then swap it onto my line to retain my unlimited data.

The only way for them to say that "anything done on one line affects all lines" is if your account is on a share-everything plan. All 5 lines on my account have different contract dates and 2 of them are currently not under contract at all. Whoever the salesperson was that told you this is feeding you a line of BS and is probably under some sort of corporate pressure to make sure they get rid of any unlimited data plan they come across at any cost.

If you can't get your way at one Verizon store, go to another. Same goes for the tele-sales. Call back and get someone else if you don't like the answer they give.

The way that I got around this was to open a brand new line. Verizon's policy on this may have changed, but what I did to get my previous phone (4s) was I opened a brand new line with the 4s went home and contacted Verizon over the phone and had them add my flip phone Razr to the new line and then switch the 4s to my main line. This way I'm only paying $10 per month for the extra line that is technically not being used and I have a new shiney and retain my unlimited service.

This was when the 4s had came out 2 October's ago so like I said it is possible that Verizon's policy has changed.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] jayochs:
hmm almost at 14 gigs here and my billing cycle is the 20th...dont think I'll be switching to tiered data anytime soon lol.. bought my last three phones off contract and will continue to do so until they begin to drop unlimited for grandfathered people
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] itsdubai:
43 gigs here and the cycle just started a week ago. If I didn't have unlimited, I would probably not even use a smartphone.. Wouldn't be worth it.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Divine_Madcat:
Having just gone through the process yesterday, i call tell you for certain that is false.

Our family plan has 4 lines; 2 are on unlimited data (whose contract was not up.. 8 months to go), and two lines with basic feature phones (whose contract has been up for years). We were specifically told by a VZ sales guy, as long as we ACTIVATE the S4's on the basic phone lines, we would not harm our unlimited.

When we purchased the phones at Best Buy, again, we were told that the basic phones would have the mandatory 2GB/month added to each of them, and that the unlimited lines would be intact. Once purchased, we went back to our VZ guy, who reactivated the old phones on their original lines, and then activated the S4's on our unlimited lines.

Ironically, he talked about handling this daily, and how many people are still doing it. I am sure VZ is aware of the "loophole", but this seems like a hard one to close. In what we (and many others did), we are doing something VZ has supported for YEARS.. there would be more unhappy customers if they couldn't move phones around the lines, unlimited or not.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] :
ione icDsha

I did this same exact thing you did however I ordered the phone through Amazon since the local VZW and Best Buy did not seem to understand that I wanted to do this. Received the phone through amazon. Had to call VZW to update the 4G SIM card to my line and swapped devices.

Hmm that doesn't make sense. I was told something totally different from both a VZW and Best Buy representative. However, when I called Verizon Wireless directly, I was told the same thing 3 different times. I just stated that if I simply swap devices, my plan would never change and thus keeping my unlimited data in tact.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] mssam:
I haven't heard that rumor (although I'm sure they'll find a way to do it at some point), but I have been told by Verizon employees they want to get ppl on shared plans and off of unlimited plans. We all know that. The irony to me is, I was talking to a rep this morning and the rep said that the family plans are going to end. If you don't have one, you can still get it now, but at some point they won't be available. The rep didn't know when, but said that they definitely were going to end. Maybe there is a plan in place to close that loop hole...idk...
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] KISSfiend:
I believe that I've read nearly every post in this thread since the S4 released and I just want to be certain about a couple of things...

As someone with an individual plan, it looks like my only option is to buy a non-subsidized phone -- correct? From everything I read, I gather that the second line switcheroo really only works if you already have other lines already on your plan (unless you are lucky enough to talk to a really cool worker who wants to help you out).

If that's the case, I'm going to get a price-matched S4 at Best Buy (since I have gift cards that I can use to help ease the pain).

After I buy the phone, do I then do the transfer online, on the phone with Verizon or at a Verizon store? I'm just nervous about doing anything wrong any losing my unlimited data after dropping the $650 on the phone.

Also, a big thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. :highfive:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] IamPro:
If you pay the full $650 then you are fine. The switcheroo is only for ppl who have the extra lines so they can get the subsidized price and keep unlimited data.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] KISSfiend:
Thank you for your reply. So after I buy the S4, can / should I move my unlimited plan from my Fascinate to the S4 online or do I need to talk to a Verizon person at a store or via phone in order to make sure I keep my plan?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] nateohio:
I typically burn through 20-30 gigs a month with my VZW unlimited data... And I've managed to upgrade 3 or 4 times since they did away with it.

I'm not getting rid of it any time soon. Most I've ever done in a month was 86 gigs
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] IamPro:
Its tied to the number. You can put whatever phone you want (4G) on the unlimited data line :)

Think all you need to do is pop in the SIM card and rock and roll. If you still are on 3G then you will have to go to a Verizon store and have them give you a SIM and change the line from 3G to 4G (this shouldn't affect the line unless things have changed).
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] soopervoo:
I had asked Amazon about this and the rep stated:

Please let me know if you do not receive the "ETF" bc I would like to upgrade through Amazon since it's cheaper
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] :
Hmm that looks interesting.. Well I hope nothing happens lol.

I don't think anything will since I won't cancel or disconnect our lines
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] IamPro:
I am no lawyer but switching phones on the lines (keeping lines actives before and after) =/= canceled or disconnected nor is it altering the line of service

Just imo
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] :
I agree. What if you happened to not like Android and wanted to go back to iOS.. Do they also penalize you then for just simply swapping devices?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Biker1:
I left Sprint months ago because I couldn't complete a majority of my phone calls, and Unlimited Data didn't mean Squat on my S3 because there was no 4G LTE, and the S3 couldn't get Wimax and 3G was slow as ****

Verizon Data plans were hump but it was the best game in town regarding service.

I now have Virgin broadband 2 go on an overdrive pro for $35 per month, which gives me unlimited Wimax. It ain't 4G LTE, but at least I get Unlimited data, cause I ain't gonna pay Verizon their rip off data prices. I have their 2GB data plan. It sucks that I can't utilize LTE on my S3 the way I would like to.

If I knew better, I would have switched to Verizon sooner so I could have gotten aboard the Unlimited Data train, and purchase my devices unsubsidized.

But that ain't to be.

Too bad.......
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] soopervoo:
It's not just the canceling part, its the "downgrading" to a dumbphone switch

Other sellers like Wirefly does not allow you to cross/transfer upgrades since you must maintain data on that activated line for 180 days. I assumed Amazon was the same one based on the CS' response to my question.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Velocifero:
lol @ people using super amounts of data. Are you guys playing online games or streaming Netflix? I use mine for email, web browsing, Google Maps, Pandora, other little stuff and my monthly average is around 600 MB.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] nick.koutrelakos:
20-24 hours of Pandora is roughly 2GB of data. I listen to an hour a day at least, during runs or other workouts... so just Pandora is 3GB.

Factor in some YouTube, downloading apps and other media, it's easy to get to 8-10GB without breaking a sweat. Then Netflix/HBO Go... whole different ball game.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hotleadsingerguy:
Don't forget the additional $480 you spend over the 2-year contract you've now started...meaning you're still actually paying *more* for the phone, just over a longer period of time.

This method is great for getting a new phone when you don't have $600-$700 in your bank account...but you end up spending more for the phone than you would have otherwise. If you don't have $600-$700 in your bank account, you shouldn't be buying a brand new phone anyway...because you probably already can't pay your bills.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] 134k:
everyone looks at the overall total cost- it's not like you're wildly throwing money into the air all at once. this is why you have a job, a paycheck, and a household budget. to adhere to. i worked out my finances, and to me THIS works out.

In my scenario, I DIDN'T pay more for the phone than what I should've. Thecost of my plan after employer discounts or that my plan is also being paid for by my company at the end of each month. Out of my pocket it was $209. So NO, I didn't pay more for my phone. I understand that this may not be practical for everyone, but is there a situation to where everything is perfect for everyone? No, but there are always alternatives to going about things and so this another way to get a new phone without fronting full retail (and the sad realization that depreciation of that device after 3 months isn't going to make it worth the full cost anyhow).
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hotleadsingerguy:
You said you're paying $10 extra per month for the extra line...which means $240 over the term of the contract.

In my view it's the same as people buying cars they really shouldn't be buying. If you can't afford to save up the money to buy the car in one payment you probably can't afford to make those payments over the course of a few years. While that plan might have worked great for you, there are other people looking only at the positives (getting a new phone) and not looking at the negatives (extra money per month that they might not have). When providing an alternative path to take, it's important to list both the positive *and* negative effects.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] xAudacityx:
The OP is weak, i average 120 GB a month
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] radpp16:
I call BS. Pic. Jk lets give it raw to verizon. Most I ever did was 90GB
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] SirBindy:
I had 147gb one month when I was without internet and used hotspot the whole time.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] canderoc:
tethering + unlimited data = awesome + sticking-it-to-the-man

:p
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] bhags8:
You EASILY save more money buying the phone at full price in most cases. I pay $63/month for unlimited. If I went to share everything I would need like 6gb plan. My monthly bill would be doubled! That's a joke.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] radpp16:
Any updates on wifi tether for verizon s4?

I prefer the app over native hotspot "hack". Was using trevemod version in my s3.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] najaboy:
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2319194
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Divine_Madcat:
TrevE's work is used in the Synergy Rom.. can confirm that it works just fine.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Sydman:
I am coming up on 200

MB :p
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] gregg098:
I got the wifi tether widget and it works great. BTW I am not rooted. Just set up the name, password, etc and use the widget to turn tethering on/off. Don't use the menu or you will get the subscription nag.

---------- Post added at 04:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:56 PM ----------

Just wanted to add in my story. I have an account with 4 lines. Mine (was a Droid 3 - 3G), Wife (S3), Mother in Law (dumbphone), grandmother (dumbphone). Both my line and my wife's are due for an upgrade.

Bought my phone through Costco (membershipwireless.com) using my wife's upgrade. Had to agree to the 2GB plan..blah blah blah. When I got the phone, before turning it on, I just called Verizon and said I wanted to activate a new phone on my line. He had me read off the SIM card number, turned it on, and done. Both my phone and my wife's are still unlimited. I also just got my first bill since the upgrade and no changes to either of our accounts.

On a side note, the difference between 3G and 4G is amazing. I used maybe 400 MB a month on my Droid 3. Mostly used wifi since 3G was so slow. After the upgrade halfway through a cycle, I managed to use 6 GB just by streaming movies, normal internet stuff, and some miscellaneous stuff.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] mssam:
depending on the plan you're on (I'm assuming nationwide), you are absolutely correct. Adding another line with another contract may not be in everyone's interest. For those that are on a family plan, great for upgrades. Single nationwide plan, buy it flat out, keep your unlimited and no need to extend the contract...
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] xAudacityx:
Ill give you the number to my personal cellular sales agent and then you will not call B.S.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] terryfiedxda:
Again, I'm fully aware that phones can be bounced around from line to line, even without VZW's involvement. It can be done right on their website by any customer with a Family plan. I just don't see how you got the contract price, signed a 2-year contract for a voice+data line and then the V"ZW rep was able to remove the data service from the line. The two year contract requires both data and voice services remain for two years.

---------- Post added at 03:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:05 AM ----------

When you say "managed to upgrade," are you indicating you got the discounted price by starting a new two-year contract or are you saying you bought another phone (either through VZW or elsewhere) for the full price and simply added that phone to the unlimited line? Because VZW told me I can't get the discounted price by starting a new contract on an existing unlimited line and it remain unlimited.

---------- Post added at 03:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 AM ----------

I don't believe anyone is saying you can't move phones around between lines. What we're discussing is the ability to get an equipment discount by starting a new 2-year agreement on an existing line that has unlimited data and it remain unlimited data. I have been told by quite a few VZW and retailer reps that it cannot be done.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Divine_Madcat:
Well, i can say it was done. I don't know WHAT he entered to do it, but he did it (more so, he was the one to tell us how to do it).

-Phones were purchased and activated at a BB Mobile store, on the two basic phone lines

- Phones were brought to the VZ Store

- IN about 10 minutes, the rep had reactived the original basic phones, and the new phones were on our line.

As it is, the reps are instructed to NOT do this, because they want to get rid of all the unlimited they can. They all have the ABILITY to do it, but not all of them have the will.....
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] najaboy:
The singular requirement is that the line of service remains active. The type and level of service is immaterial. In other words, the customer is not obligated to maintain a days plan on a line of the handset that is active does not rewrote it.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] terryfiedxda:
Hm. I was told completely different, by several store employees at different stores as well as VZW support. If you get a discount on a data phone, you have to sign a contract for a data plan, and the data has to remain for the life of the contract. I'll have to go back and talk to them again and call shenanigans!! :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Divine_Madcat:
Case in point.. the wife and I never actually signed any new contract stuff. I signed the credit card machine when i swiped.. other than that..
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] rednoved:
They lied to you.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] ncope562:
Does anyone know if I can switch my wife's old unlimited plan to my line? She never uses over 2 gb, and currently I don't either because of my limit, but I would love to be able to not worry about my data usage. Maybe this is a pipe dream, but thanks! :cyclops:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] ryan1977:
Im in the exact same situation, I would love to know the answer to this as well.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
I would just call/approach them simply and just tell them "Look, I want to upgrade to a 4G device by purchasing it straight for the full price and I don't want any changes on my contract at all so I can keep my unlimited data. All I need is if you guys can just get me a microSIM card for the 4G device I want to buy and help me activate it." Try to keep repeating it that you don't want to change your contract at all, you just want to buy a phone straight from them and obviously need a microSIM card as well to use it.

If they don't help try to reach their manager. If all else fails, try to reach customer loyalty department and point out to them you want to keep Verizon but only if they keep your unlimited data through the transition on your device upgrade. If they say no, just tell them simply that then you'll have to be leaving them unfortunately for another carrier. Honestly, if want your money and to keep you as a customer they will find some override or something in the system and figure out a way to do it. If not, then you have a choice to make from there: stay with Verizon on your current phone or just see if you can buy the best used 3G phone for Verizon, or you may have to make the switch to another carrier that still carries unlimited data (like T-Mobile or Sprint).

In any case, I wish you the best of luck on it, please do let us know what happens as I'm highly curious if they'll be able to do it for you.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] s44:
This is incorrect.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
This info is coming direct from Verizon sources, please feel free to clarify if you have any questions.

EDIT: In reference to the link I posted earlier here are exact words from Verizon's CFO:

"So when you think about our 3G base, a lot of our 3G base is unlimited. As they start migrating to 4G

they will have to come off of unlimited

and go into the data share plan."
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] fade2green514:
let me start by saying i work at verizon. also, i dont sell the phones i sell fios. HOWEVER

-going with the subsidized price, they CANNOT give you an unlimited data plan. the manager cant, customer service cant.

-buying full retail they DO NOT have to change your data package to a new plan, it doesnt require a manager, or customer service. regardless of 3g vs 4g data speed. you can keep your unlimited this way.

-you can also buy a used device and ask them for a 4g sim card. that's the cheapest way to keep your unlimited, but the device could have scratches and being a secondary buyer you void the warranty.

however, i would suggest buying the device at best buy because of the way the commission works there.

-a full retail device counts as a handset sold, so they have to sell accessories on it.

-it doesnt count as an upgrade or a new line, so they make zero money on it.

-they need to sell normally $60-80 (per handset) worth of accessories (most otterboxes are $50) to not get written up for the month.

so, if you buy the handset full retail without buying a bluetooth or a case / screen protectors you could really be hurting them and if this type of situation happens to them enough they could lose their job.

MAIN POINT: go to best buy, they dont price match the 2 year price of the phones but they will price match the full retail if its any different than verizon/wal mart. check it out. and they dont work on commission there, so it doesnt matter to them if you get anything with it. also, you can just bring the device to verizon and have them activate it for you if you're worried about that.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] cell128:
I work 12 hour shifts but I get like 4-6 hours downtime so I bought a high end alienware laptop to kill those hours. I tried a tablet but I like real games
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
Regards to the point in bold above you may want to refer back to your sources. You are partly correct in that Verizon cannot change your plan if you're buying a phone at a full retail price (I am also including the new device payment plan option as well - link). There is however

one major exception

to that rule, and that is if you are a customer that is currently still on a legacy 3G-based service. Verizon's 3G-only service and 4G/3G combo service (what they offer now) work completely different and in order to use 4G they have to upgrade your contract in the system to accept the new combo service, thus effectively creating you a brand new contract. With losing your old 3G-only contract in the system, the service will not authorize you to connect to Verizon's LTE network. And since new contracts do not have an option in the system to select unlimited data as a feature so there is absolutely no way to do it even if someone wanted to do you a favor (unless they are someone really high up close to corporate that can swap you to the new combo service and manually edit your contract in the system to add unlimited data as an option - one in a million chance you will find someone like that). Please see here for brief details and I am quoting below as well: Link.

Verizon CFO - "So when you think about our 3G base, a lot of our 3G base is unlimited. As they start migrating to 4G

they will have to come off of unlimited

and go into the data share plan."

He points out the tiered data (data share) plan because unlimited data on 4G will no longer be available to be selected by customer service in the system.

Source
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] s44:
This is a prediction based on lack of subsidized upgrades, not a statement about the fine print of policy. Many people continue to switch their unlimited from 3G devices to 4G SIMs. Many Verizon reps post in forums explaining that this can be done. Hell, there's a Verizon guy in this very thread.

As I said, you're wrong. And you're just making stuff up about what you think the details of this policy are, as absolutely zero of them are stated in the links you keep flogging.