yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] mswilson2007:
Ok, so inform me on whther or not I was lied to by the Verizon employee. He was really helpful and understood that I was using an average of 21GB a month and couldn't stand to lose my unlimited data.

But I have a smartphone, with a dumb phone on the plan as well. Earlier this year, I used this loophole in order to upgrade to the s4 by using the upgrade on the dumb phone and switching it.

Now the smartphone on this line is due for an upgrade, and I wanted to upgrade again to something different. So I assumed I would just be able to switch the upgrade to the dumb line, upgrade that, and switch it back over as I did before. According to the verizon rep that wouldn't work, because even switching that upgrade out, would cause the smartphone line to update, which would mean switching me over to a shared plan. That didn't make sense to me because if I switch out the upgrade to another line, it shouldn't have anything else to do with the orginal line, in my mind.

So I was skeptical...but then he suggested that I just open up another line. Get that discounted phone, and put it on the mainline. And that would only be $10 more each month. So I'm thinking if he suggested that then he must've been right about the other upgrade thing, but I just wanted to see what yo uguys thought.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
So you didn't read the whole OP I assume. You also didn't read any recent posts, for example: Post# 203.

:banghead:

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] SkylerW:
This may or may not have been covered in this thread but I just wanted to post what I did earlier this year. I have an unlimited data plan and have been a Verizon customer for about 5 years or so. My girlfriend was switching from Tmobile, which is **** in my area, to Verizon. She signed up through Amazon, which at the time was having a deal for the S4 for $150. I paid the $150, she got the 2 year agreement and I gave her my S3, which I paid full price for last year. All I did was swap the SIM cards and sign into the S4 with my Google account and factory reset the S3 and let my girlfriend create a new Google account for it. I got to keep my unlimited data and my girlfriend got a fancy new phone that was far better than the one she had before.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
Yep, that is essentially what the OP says to do. Switching sim cards is like doing a device only change. :thumbup:

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Laocoholic:
I just added a line and moved an old flip phone to the new line. It cancelled out the $30, 2gb plan but forced me into a $10, 75mb data plan.There is no place online on myverizon to change/delete out the data plan. I plan on calling verizon asap. Has anyone experience this?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
Depending on what flip phone it is that can happen sometimes. Just have verizon take it off

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Pico:
Upgraded my S3 Friday to a S4 ,The rep at Costco did everything that was described by the OP and was still able to keep my Unlimited data plan intact
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] smithilberry:
omg, wow... so clever yet so simple.... thanks!!
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Laocoholic:
I was able to call Verizon and have them take off the $10 data plan. I got a couple upgrades to transfer to the new line, but ill wait one cycle before I start. One question, my upgrade date was 11/22/2012. Will my new upgrade date be 11/22/2014 or two years from the date i upgrade? Maybe this is a better question for a rep.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] colima95:
thanks
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
2 years From the date you upgrade.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Laocoholic:
dammit! i left a whole year on the table for verizon to charge regular rates without using any subsidy. Guys, dont let your upgrades go unused!
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] thrgk:
Ok, now im pretty sure this will work, but I figured id ask the experts just to be sure. Currently I have 3 upgrades available on vzw, 2 upgrades on each of my unlimited lines, and 1 on my dumb phone line. Now, if I use the dumb phone line to upgrade, just add the data plan, activate it on the dumb line, then just stick my unlimited sim in and ill be set and then call Verizon to remove the data plan from the dumb phone?

If i do the above, can I then transfer one of my upgrades from one of my unlimited lines, and use the dumb phone again to upgrade? Or is there a waiting period OR if I transfer a unlimited line upgrade to a different line, will I lose unlimited?

The goal is not to lose unlimited, as I really really need it, since there is no cable internet where we live, so I use 4g tether :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Laocoholic:
I just added two lines myself with the S4 and it automatically added $30/2g data to my shared plan. I put dumbphones back on and the data switch to $10/75mb. I had to call Verizon to get the data package completely removed.

I was going to wait till the first payment cycle was up before i try the upgrade switch myself. But...the Note 3 is on sale at Best Buy right now for 199. I may stroll in this weekend and see if a rep has any clue about what we are doing here.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] thrgk:
So will my plan work OK? If I transfer upgrade from unlimited line to dumb phone line I will be ok?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Laocoholic:
Walked into Best Buy and got the Note 3 and did everything that Shaftamle said and it worked.

Big THANKS man!

It was actually my third Best Buy.The reps at the first two said it couldnt be done. At the third Best Buy, i literally walked the sales guy step by step on what i wanted him to do. He kept on asking me if i was sure i wanted to do it and risk losing unlimited data. I just said yes just do it. Im beginning to think they these reps at best buy dont want to do it?

The Note was activated in store. I walked out the store, turned it off, took my sim card from my S4 and put it in the Note. Done! I checked my Verizon and it shows unlimited with new contract end date of 12/6/2015 on my unlimited line.

I would prefer to do this online next time. Only reason i went to best buy is because they had the Note on sale for 199.

Verizon has a 6gig/$30 plan that the rep was pushing me to do an upgrade. If all else fails, you have that to fall back on. That was my thinking. Good luck.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
Good to hear, glad it worked for ya! Verizon came out with that 6 gig plan to specifically try to push people off of unlimited data. I remember reading an article about it a couple months ago.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
Happy New Year!!

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] DoubleL03:
Quick question, I pretty sure I understand what your saying. With that said I got 3 lines all up for upgrades 2 have unlimited data and 1 that is not a smart phone. If I do what you say and upgrade the non smart phone then change it to a line that has unlimited data won't I be stuck with paying some kind of data on the line that was not a smart phone? Thanks for the help
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
If you take the smart phone off the basic line on the same day you won't be charged. Just call customer service when the switch is done to verify that the data package is gone off the basic line.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
Bump!

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] jpinsl:
I just upgraded online and kept unlimited data.

First, on vzw.com, I ordered a Galaxy S4 as an upgrade to my wife's phone, she'd on a 2 gig data plan.

Phone arrived with a SIM included. I activated it. This disabled her existing phone and put her line on the new phone.

Took the SIM from the new phone, put it in wife's old phone. Her line was restored.

Took my old SIM and put it in the new phone. Now my line with unlimited data is active on the new phone.

I've also had a Verizon Store rep tell me to do that, but bring in the new phone and the two old ones and they will handle the activation/line switch for you. Just tell them you want to keep Unlimited Data and they'll handle it.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
Thanks for confirming this still works. This thread has been quiet for a while. But With the S5 release in the near future, i figured i'd try to get it going again.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] fillyo:
So, I have 3 lines on unlimited data. I am going to add a dumbphone line for my father, it's 9.99 a month. I want to be able to use that upgrade to likely buy the new HTC one. So, I am still unsure how you buy a smartphone on a dumbphone line and not have to pay for a data plan. I would obviously buy my father a dumbphone outright.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
First of all, do you have available upgrades on the unlimited lines? If so, you don't need to buy the dumbphone outright.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] MayfairDROID:
I will be doing this for my wife on March 26th, and will be sure to let you know how it works out. My mother in laws dummy phone is eligible for the upgrade, so I am planning to :

1. Upgrade my mother-in-laws dumb phone to an S4 on the basic data package available.

2. Once the upgrade is complete, without powering on the S4, I am going to insert my wifes active Droid Razr 4g SIM card into the S4, and then ask the rep to please swap the new S4 to my wife's unlimited line. Then have them put the dummy phone back on my mother-in-laws line.

3. I will then ask them to verify there is no data residual cost on my mother in laws line.

Do I have the steps right?

I did thank the original post as well :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] fillyo:
No, I'm really adding my father onto our plan so he can eliminate his home phone. He needs a phone! We have no available upgrades until July of this year.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
Exactly! You did your homework. And like you said, deffinitly make sure you double check that they took off ALL data packages on the dumb phone.

Let me know.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
OK, here you go.

1)buy basic phone

2)activate new line of service with 2 GB package and purchase s4 with that line. You now have 4 data lines, 3 unlim. 1 with 2 GB package.

3)now have rep switch the s4 to whatever line you want. Its called a device only change.

4)put you sim in the s4 and its now yours. You should also have the rep switch the sim in the system from your old phone to the s4.

5) have the rep put the basic phone on the line you just activated. Activate the phone and double check they removed the data plan.(should be automatic)you should not get charged at all for the temp. 2gb plan that was added on purchase and removed when the basic phone was activated.

You should be good then, 3 unlim. 1 basic.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Tada10:
Does Walmart sell dumb flip phones? I opened up a new line and got the Note 3 and switched the sim to my unlimited line. Now I have a new basic data line that needs a dumb phone.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
I think so. But maybe try eBay or something. Just make sure the ESN is clean.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hbar98:
I just used the Best Buy method to retain unlimited data for my wife's S4. There were a few days where the phones were not available to be shipped, but when I ordered hers on Tuesday almost all the phones were able to be shipped.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Eddie Hicks:
Just to see what would happen I went through most of the process ordering a S4 online from Best Buy. I was expecting to get a message telling me I would lose unlimited data like I did on Verizon's website. I didn"t complete the order on BB but It appears I would be able to keep my current service including unlimited data. Was that your experience?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hbar98:
Yes. I initially got the generic warning that if I had unlimited that I would have to choose a data plan. But when the option was presented to me it only had the "Keep Current Data Plan" option available.

I will say this: it is IMPORTANT that you DO NOT turn on the phone with the SIM card they send you. You MUST take out the new SIM card from the new phone and insert your old SIM card. I've read too many posts where people did not do this and they had to fight to get their unlimited data back.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Eddie Hicks:
Thanks a million for the sim card advice because I would have screwed that up. When I went through the process I never saw a warning about lost of unlimited. I only saw a choice for new service or keep current plan.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] ULEWZ:
I went into the same Verizon store where I have used this upgrade method two times before to keep unlimited data, and this time they told me it can not be done. The manager swears that since my phone that is eligible for the upgrade currently has unlimited, upon transferring the upgrade to my dumb phone, the unlimited phone will lose unlimited data. I told him I have done this twice before, and he still insisted I will lose unlimited buy transferring the upgrade. Any advice?

Online gives me an error when I try to transfer the upgrade.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
Try another store. My guess is they are getting a lot of pressure to push people off unlimited. Especially with their aws band begging to role out. Could you imagine an unlimited data plan with aWS ( up to 80mb/s) and tether? That would be insane.

Unless they changed the loophole within the last 3 months it should still work fine. That was the last time I did it.

Did you go to a corporate store?

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] ULEWZ:
Yes, it was a corporate store. The other stores did not have the HTC One Max, which as I understand, can still be rooted, unlike all new Samsung phones.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
That's why. They tend to be more resistive. Try an authorized retailer or best buy. People who get paid on straight commission are more likely to help. Plus, they see so much less customers than corporate that they never want a sale to walk out the door. :cool:

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Blazer0981:
Wish I would've seen this before I bought a barely used S4 for more than I wanted to.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] jpinsl:
Purchase of a smart phone always requires a data plan. Just get the cheapest one (likely 2 Gig/ $30 per month) then when you swap the line back to a dumb phone, cancel the data plan. You pay prorated amount for the days the smartphone data stays active.

---------- Post added at 09:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:05 PM ----------

You can root Samsung phones, it's the bootloader that is locked which makes custom ROM installation a bit trickier. However, with SafeStrap, it's still possible to run a custom ROM on Galaxy S4.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] ULEWZ:
I already have an SG4 with MDK (lucky me) . This phone is for my son. I improperly used the term Root to mean custom recovery. Safestrap works, but not to my satisfaction.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Eddie Hicks:
I just ordered a Blue Arctic GS4 for $49. During the process on 3 different web screens it states that I'm keeping my current data plan. I saved a screen shot of every page in the ordering process. I also will get a $50 gift card from a promotion I applied for a few weeks ago. I know not to turn the new phone on until I replace the sim in the new phone with the one from the old phone. If this doesn't work I'll return the phone and order again from Verizon and take advantage of the 6gb for $30 they offered me. The downside now is that shipping is scheduled for between March 17th and 25th. I don't understand why so long for an item I'm sure they have plenty of.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hbar98:
Sounds good! Though I've read that if they take away your unlimited data you can return the phone within a few days and have your unlimited data restored, but YMMV. Wish I had known about the $50 Best Buy promotion... that would have made the phone almost better than free!

My wife's phone was shipped the same day that I ordered and was delivered the next day, so you may luck out yet.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Eddie Hicks:
The phone was actually delivered yesterday on the 12th, 2 days after ordering so I do not understand those delivery dates they gave me. Anyway it worked, wooohooo. There was one little snag. My last phone, a HTC Rezound had the larger SIM card that was too big for the S4. I searched to find if they was a way to transfer info from my old SIM to the new. What I found out was that there are SIM cutters to cut down SIM cards to the smaller sizes. I overnighted a cutter from Amazon, (thanks for Amazon Prime). The cutter arrived today. It worked perfectly and the SIM fit with no problem. A few seconds after booting up the S4 it activated without me doing much of anything. I checked my account online, the S4 is listed and the Rezound is gone. Under my service options nothing has changed. I still have unlimited data. See screen shot. Thanks again because without your tips I would have messed this up.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
I used to work for Verizon Wireless retailer. I saw somebody that averaged 60 gig of data over a 3 months span with no added charges. So you should be fine. If you buy the phone outright or use this method you won't lose unlimited.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Eddie Hicks:
You should be allowed to keep everything the same except unlimited data. Texting is separate from data usage. And It's not 2gb of storage, its the data bandwidth you use. Also if you ask they can give you 6gb of data for the same $30 price they are charging for 2gb. I used the method of buying my S4 online from Best Buy with home delivery to keep unlimited data. It's a very simple and easy process without having to switch phone lines around.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hbar98:
Glad that I could be of assistance. XDA has been a huge help to me, so I'm glad to give back when I can!
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] XenoBreak:
So i'm alone on my plan and have a Galaxy Nexus with unlimited data.

So from what i understand, if i want to upgrade my phone without losing unlimited i have to add another line? I thought adding another line automatically changes the plan type, thus losing my unlimited data... Also wouldn't another line, even if its a basic phone, cost me at least $30 more a month? I'm kind of confused how this all works. Am i just out of luck with how my plan is set up currently?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
Adding another line will not change your current plan. Hypothetically, if you were to add another smartphone your original Nexus would still have unlimited data and the new smartphone would have a tiered package such as the two gig for $30 per month. However, if you add a basic phone, it will share the min/text plan that your unlimited line has and will only cost $10 per month since its a basic phone and does not require a data plan.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] XenoBreak:
The Verizon guy i talked to must have not known his stuff then. He said since i have only my one single line, adding anything, even a basic phone, would result in my plan needing to change to a shared plan. I'm gonna go again and ask someone else today
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
I'm going to take a wild guess and say you asked someone at a corporate store, right? They are required to try to push people off of unlimited data.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] XenoBreak:
Before yes. I actually just left a best buy and they said the same thing. Any new line, even a basic phone, will cost $30 more per month. They also mentioned the only way it would work is if I had my own old "dumb phone" laying around to reactivate. I do have 2 so that's good. They said it used to cost $10 for a dumb phone but now its $30 per month, even with no data.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
That's news to me. I'm not saying they are wrong. The policy may have changed in the last month. But if you look back at other comments that other users have made as of a month ago this still works. I can honestly say I have never heard of a basic phone costing $30 on ANY plan. $10 for the old plans and $10 for the share everything plan. So I have no idea what they are talking about.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] XenoBreak:
Yeah its weird. I actually saw this thread a few months ago and asked about it at a different store and received the same answer. $30 even for a basic phone. I figured something had changed since this thread started. But after checking it again recently and seeing that people were still getting it done for $10 in the last month I figured I would check again. I'll have to find a cool rep somewhere that can help me out. Maybe show him the thread haha. Not that it would help change any rules though. I'm kinda dissapointed now. My gnexus blows and the battery only laats a few hours, even little to no use. That and the internet speeds have degraded to that of 90s dialup. Even when I get 4g the speed is slow. I think the antenna is shot haha. No way im paying $700-800 for a phone to keep my unlimited.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Shaftamle:
If you can't find a good rep to help, try www.swappa.com. its a very good reliable sight for used phones.

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[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] urthling:
Thinking about doing this with the HTC M8 BOGO offer and was wondering if I could get some guidance. Currently on a Nationwide Talk Share Plan, with 5 lines (2 smartphones ULD, and 3 basic phones (upgrade eligible)). Can I do this all on-line?

1. Upgrade two basic phones to HTC M8 with basic data plan.

2. Receive phones, and activate them.

3. Pull SIMs from old smartphones, and insert into M8s.

4. Switch devices on-line (old smartphones > M8s)

5. Re-activate old basic phones.

Or is it easier to receive the new phones, pull the new SIMs without activating, insert old SIMs into new M8s, call to swap M8s to ULD lines, and re-activate the basic phones on the lines that were originally upgraded?

Thanks for your input.