yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] forstergis:
FYI, I hope this is true when I try to do it. I have a rezound with unlimited data and a laptop with built-in card with unlimited data. Vzw tech support told me that I can upgrade the laptop to the HTC one and then swap back to my rezound line to keep unlimited on my smartphone, but I will lose the unlimited on my laptop. No problem if it works. Laptop is old and 3g. I can tether to HTC one when a root option develops.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] bmrlin:
Anybody know if I can use the upgrade shuffle loophole with Viva Movil? I have an upgrade available on a dumbphone that I want to get their $99 HTC One with and then swap out to keep my unlimited data plan.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] antp121:
Probably. You're just switching the phone over after the fact.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] bmrlin:
That's what I'm hoping. I know 3rd party retailers like Amazon and Wirefly requires you to keep the phone on the same line for a period of time to avoid penalties. But Viva Movil is basically a part of Verizon...
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] antp121:
I've used amazon and they just want the line in service. The phone can change lines. And viva is still a 3rd party vendor. Its just backed more by Verizon.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dragonrazorz:
Soooo...just to be clear, I should be able to transfer my upgrade to my 2nd line and get an htc one for $200, activate on the 2nd line, then switch it over to my line by putting in my sim card? My unlimited data shouldnt be touched right?
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] antp121:
Hmm. Not sure. I think it would work but I'm not 100%. Does that affect your contact at all our does it switch it with the other line?
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dragonrazorz:
I don't think it touches my contract. I've read here and there that its just he upgrade eligibility transferring.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] itsmejson:
I have a question regarding keeping the Unlimited Plan:

My wife and I have 2 unlimited lines (iphone & thunderbolt), with no additional "dummy lines" on the account. In order to get the new htc one or possibly the s4 would I just need to activate 2x additional lines for the new phones & add the 2 gb data plan to the additional account or create separate account?

Once the 2x new lines have been activated:

1. do I need to activate 2x cheap phones to the newly created lines first before attempting to transfer the new devices to the unlimited lines?

2. do I call, go online or go in store to get the 2 new devices switched over to the current unlimited lines?

Is it necessary to activate 2 cheap phones to the new lines or is is possible to keep them open but not have a device attached to it?
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dragonrazorz:
Id activate the dumb phones just to safe first and i think you DO need a device attached...but im not sure
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] BigBallin:
for people that are trying to do the transfer upgrade to keep unlimited.... IT DOES NOT WORK. i spent over 3 hours talking to different levels of management about the whole situation (that im not goin to get into right now)

Basically how the transfer works is- you can transfer your upgrade date to another phone on your plan, but the line that had the upgrade is the one that gets the contract extension (which loses the unlimited data)

if you have a dummy phone on your line that has an upgrade, you can transfer that upgrade to your unlimited plan and keep the unlimited.(because the dummy phone will get the contract extension.)

if you are wanting a dummy line the best way is to get a old non smart phone so you dont have to pay for a data plan. then its only 9.99 a month and no charge for data.

in the end i just gave up my wifes unlimited to upgrade since she only uses like 1gig a month
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] wireroid:
And I've seen a lot of posts on different forums saying that's wrong. You can transfer your upgrade and keep unlimited data as long as you activate it on another line first, then re-activate it on yours, and your line will get its contract renewed. Only the line that you transfer the upgrade to loses unlimited.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dragonrazorz:
I'll find out by the end of the month when I try it, then we'll know for sure! Ha
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] BigBallin:
You have it backwards. If the unlimited line is eligible for a upgrade and you transfer that upgrade to another line,the line the upgrade came from will lose its unlimited. If you have an upgrade available on a non unlimited plan, you CAN transfer that upgrade to your unlimited and still keep your unlimited. It's not something you can walk around, it's built into the system. I tried over the internet,in store and at best buy.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] got556:
Best buy just did it for me. Two iphone 4 on unlimited and two dummy lines. Transferred upgrades to dummy lines, put note 2 on one and S3 on other, activated the two phones on dummy line numbers. Then activated dumb phones back onto the dumb lines and then transferred the new phones to the unlimited iphone 4 lines. Total out the door was $160 if u dont count the two activation fees.

---------- Post added at 08:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:21 PM ----------

See my post above. Find someone willing to work with u. I had an awesome bedt buy rep who was patient in listening to how it worked and then gave it a go. Prior to that I had two wal mart employees and three vzw reps tell me I would lose my unlimited. I remained patient and kept on trying.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] replica9000:
I have a 20% corporate discount. I know it works on the plan and accessories, but does it work on phones if I buy them outright?

I became eligible for upgrade the day this phone came out, but of course I want to keep unlimited. My 2 dumb phones aren't eligible for upgrade until sometime in 2014 :(

$600 - 20% = $480. Not as good as the subsidiary price, but better than full price.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] VA_Joe:
It worked for me today. Transferred upgrade to another smartphone line with 2GB plan and selected in-store pickup. Used VERIZON30 which saved $60. When I picked up the phone, he commented on the great discount.

They activated the phone in the store. I then attempted to swap the two phones (my Rezound and the new One) online. I got an error saying the phone wasn't activated even though I could call and text from the One.

I called customer service and let them know I was having trouble swapping two phones on my account. Used the story that my daughter thought the One was too big and I was going to let her try my Rezound. The CSR made the switch with me on the phone. He even mentioned that it would not effect my unlimited data.

My contract end date did extend for two years but my daugther's line (now with the Rezound) has my old end date.

Bottomline is it worked for me! Thanks to everyone who posted the process.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] mzrdisi:
There are a few ways to do this. Without losing your unlimited. These are ways that aren't loop holes or crying like a sissy to keep your plan.

One way is to just walk in and hand over $599+tax for the phone. Good game.

The other is to do the device payment plan. Essentially, pending approval. Good history with Verizon and good credit. They will essentially spread the cost of the full price of the phone for 12 months. You pay $2 a month as well for a "finance charge." Good game, you still keep your old plan.

The other way, and this is what the lady explained to me today and seemed halfway decent was to take advantage of their Edge program.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/18/verizon-edge/

Looks like a way to spread the cost of the device over 24 months instead. And then after 6 months, you can upgrade, assuming the price of the existing phone is at least half paid for. (You are required to turn in your device in mint condition, however) Again, if you like to change phones like me, but are tighter on money. This may be the only feasible options. And of course, you keep your existing plan.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] replica9000:
I just checked online to see if I could do the Edge plan. So I'm presented with two options: "Order Device With Service", or "Order Device Without Service". If I choose with, it wants me to choose a new plan, losing unlimited. If I choose without, I get page is unavailable...
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] antp121:
Yeah you lose unlimited with edge. That's why they introduced the new Max plans.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] karn101:
You are wrong. Don't spread misinformation. You just don't know what you're doing. I did it online 3 days ago and by looking at other's comments they are still doing it.

You don't need to activate phones on the dummy lines, but why do that? You'll be paying $80 a month for those lines ($30 data and $10 for the line x 2 lines). If you get dummy phones and activate it on those two other lines, you can drop data and only pay $9.99 per line.

Nah, you don't, but you'll still be getting charged for the line.

Nope, you have it backwards.

Line A is unlimited and and an upgrade available.

Line B is tiered data and doesn't have an upgrade available.

Go online. Click upgrade device. Click line B. Click 'Transfer Upgrade'. Transfer upgrade from line A. Line A's contract-end date gets two years added but the plan doesn't change. Switch new phone to Line A. Put dummy phone on Line B.

That's it. It really is THAT simple.

Yup, Edge is only available on shared data plans.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] antp121:
[MENTION=656835]karn101[/MENTION] thanks for the info! That's pretty interesting. Might just have to do that in the coming days :D
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] karn101:
Here's proof. Look at the contact end date and look at my data.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] BigBallin:
Thanks for posting the picture, I'm glad it worked for you. I did exactly what everyone else is doin and lost my unlimited. Tried to transfer my upgrade ( on my unlimited plan) to a 2 gb line. Did in-store pickup. When they tried to activate the phone it said i would lose the unlimited by extending the contract.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] karn101:
Which line did you click to upgrade? You have to click on the line that is tiered than transfer FROM the unlimited line.

If you touch your unlimited line, you lose it. I'm going to make screen shots tomorrow for people.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] BigBallin:
Clicked transfer upgrade on my tiered line and took it from my unlimited and then did the rest i stated earlier.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] mzrdisi:
I was informed that you don't lose your grandfathered plan if you take advantage of the edge program. You ask not to renew your contract. You're better off going to a store and speaking with someone in person.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dragonrazorz:
I just transfered my upgrade from my unlimited line TO the tiered line on my account. Went through the upgrade process, and now waiting until Wednesday when it arrives. Should just be a matter of activating the htc one and then reactivated his razr M...then there shouldnt be a problem putting it on my line \(^_^)/
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] antp121:
Nooo you transfer the upgrade FROM the unlimited one TO the tiered one.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] BigBallin:
Tried it both ways. When I went to activate the phone the store and customer service both said i would lose it. Oh well. My wife sacrificed her unlimited since she only uses about a gig a month
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] antp121:
Well that might be because you transfered to another line with unlimited. You should've transfered to a line with no data.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] xmguy:
I've been using Alternate Upgrades for years now. I have 3 lines. 2 with feature phones on them. I use one of their upgrades. Get the phone on that line that has a feature phone, then switch it over to my line with unlimited data. Then drop the data plan on the feature phone line and put the feature phone back on. I did this with my last 2 upgrades. Will be doing it again with the HTC One.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] tech_head:
But what does the dumb phone cost per month on the plan?

I calculated the additional on my plan and it's about $30. So over two years that is 24x30 = $720 + $200 = $920 over the course of two years.

To make it even a wash the monthly on the dumb line can cost no more than $16x24 + $200 = $600.

For me anyway, there is no way on my plan to make it work out just to keep a line for upgrades. The monthly cost associated with the upgrade line makes it a non-starter for me. It's cheaper to pay the $400 difference in cash up front. The $199 + tax on full retail in Ca. happen no matter what. So for me the difference is $400, and like I said, for me anyway, it is $30 to add the phone on my plan with unlimited texting, etc.

Looks like I'll be going to the store for either the G2 or the HTC One.

I need to hold the G3 to see if it feels big or not.

The HTC One is very cool.

Anyway, my mother-in-law is on my plan and up until Friday she had a dumb phone.

It got dropped into water...

The real story is Verizon was running a special a couple of years ago giving a $20 loyalty credit on data for long time customers.

I had them add a smartphone data plan to a dumb phone line. It was a manual edit and they were confused why I would want to pay for an unlimited data plan ($10 after credit) on a dumb phone.

Fast forward to Friday. I put a new smartphone on her line with unlimited data. :laugh:

It cost an extra $10 a month for the last year, but she has grandfathered unlimited data.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] karn101:
A dumb phone costs 9.99 a month. For ease of math, that's $240 over the term of the contract. $199 for the phone up front, and you're looking at a total cost of $440 for a new smartphone, not $920.

Wait, you activated it ON the unlimited line? That's why you lost it. You activate the phone on the tiered data line. If you activate it on the unlimited line, then you never really transferred the upgrade.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] itsmejson:
Thanks Karen for the advice. I just called a rep at my local Costco and I told him what I wanted to do and he said either way I do it I would lose my unlimited. I was just a little irritated with the rep to begin with.

For me I would need to open a 3rd line with the feature phone. Activate phone on new line then device switch to line A.

Next transfer upgrade from line B to newly created line C. Activate new feature phone. Then device transfer new phone from line C to Line B. Reactivate non-smart phone to line C. Is that correct?
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] tech_head:
Like I said before *On MY PLAN* it's not just $9.99 a month. You also have to add in taxes etc.

For some reason Verizon, when I try to add a dumb phone calculates my difference including taxes and fees at about $23. I said $30 but I forgot to rip out the insurance on the line.

Anyway even at $240 + $199 = $440. For *ME* over two years the cost differential isn't huge. We are talking $200 worth of coffee over two years. That's not even a dent in my Starbuck/Peets habit. Let's see $12/week is $48/MONTH. 24x$48= $1152 over two years...... I guess I should stop drinking coffee..
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] mzrdisi:
The woman at the Verizon store informed me I'd keep my data plan if I had gone that route, with the edge plan. However it appeared I was not eligible, because I have a device out already on their device payment plan. Plus I'm off contract now since I never renewed.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] karn101:
What plan do you have?
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dashbored:
Hey, so your situation is exactly same as mine. But I've been afraid to do the transfer upgrade from my line 1 (mine with unlimited) because all the store reps tell me that the donor line gets the contract extension, and will lose unlimited data in the process! So did you see any pop-up warning signs about this during your checkout? I am dying to get the HTC One. The Rezound is a bit long in the tooth!
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dunemessiah:
If all I do is get a phone with my dad's upgrade, would I have to activate the phone with his SIM card first? Or can I just plug in my SIM?
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dashbored:
Hey Karn, just read through this entire thread and couple others, have a few questions about the process, hope you don't mind - you seem to know first hand what's going on:

1. Does it matter if the donor line with upgrade available is the primary line? Since that is technically the line associated with the family share plan. I was thinking it wouldn't, since the data plan is a per-line item. But a friend of mine who used to work with VZ seems to think otherwise.

2. So, I am currently chatting with a Verizon online rep via the MyVerizon site. She's giving me the same info as the store reps - that as soon as you use the upgrade on an unlimited line, you renew the contract on the donor line regardless of which line the actual upgrade is used on. A renewal of contract means the loss of unlimited data, since that option is no longer available. Is she completely wrong?

Thanks!
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] karn101:
I will give you step by step instructions with pictures in about an hour. Watching something and my finace is already about to kill me just for typing this. Speak to you soon!
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dashbored:
Haha dude no worries - priorities bud!

I think I have the steps down. I've done the upgrade transfer before from the dumb line to the smart. I am just REALLY afraid of going the other direction, because I keep hearing that the contract extension = loss of unlimited data!

I think the key info I was missing before was that you HAVE to activate the new phone (say HTC One) on the line that doesn't have unlimited data. Then you do the switcheroo of activating the old device back, then activating the new phone on my unlimited line. I've gone as far as the page before checkout on MyVerizon, but I am scared to go through with it since I keep hearing that voice saying that the donor line whose contract is getting extended WILL lose unlimited data.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] replica9000:
Does the One use the same size SIM as the Rez? If so, can I just swap the SIM between phones to use them, or do I need to do an activation each time?
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] Flyhalf205:
Nah it doesn't use same. If you have the One. Just take to Verizon store and they'll put a working activated SIM in for free.

Then use a adapter to use the smaller micro SIM in the Rezound. It what I do.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] karn101:
Okay, so let's start at screen one. That's this one.

Click on 'Upgrade Device' on the left pane.

Now, screen 2.

Okay, so here's where I see people are getting confused. Line 1 (HTC One in the image) has an upgrade and has unlimited data. WE DO NOT TOUCH IT. We click on line 2. The tiered data plan.

It doesn't show up here because I no longer have the upgrade but when I did (and it should show on yours), there's a box that appears (my ultimate paint skills put one there) which allows you to transfer the upgrade. Click on that and transfer the upgrade from Line 1. Now, buy the phone!

THAT'S IT!

Activate the new phone on line 2. Do EVERYTHING on line 2. For all intents and purposes, your new shiny phone IS for line 2. Don't tell ANYONE it's for line 1.

After all is said and done, you can switch your new phone (I like to wait an hour or so from activation) to your unlimited line.

Now, click activate/switch device on the left pane. Put the dummy-phone on line 2 and remove data from it's plan (it might happen automatically).

Boom. Done.

-----

I think where people keep messing up is that they touch the unlimited line. You NEVER touch it. Leave it. It's the Holy Grail!

As you can see from the pictures, I did this the day the HTC One came out (Aug 22). My contract end date is in 2015 and I still have unlimited data.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dashbored:
Cool thanks! That is EXACTLY what I did in the past to transfer the upgrade from dumbphone to smartphone. I've been scared to go the other direction, because the store reps all tell me I will lose the unlimited data. It looks like they are either ignorant or intentionally trying to put out misinformation.

To clarify, by "doing EVERYTHING on line 2", you are just emphasizing that the activation of the new phone should be on line 2 correct? Or is there any additional steps? My intention is to get the HTC One, activate it on my line 2 (currently a dumb phone), and then immediately reactivate the dumbphone. I can do all this online through the website without going to the store, correct? Do you know if I can reactivate the dumbphone immediately after the new phone as been activated? The reason is that the dumbphone is actually being used by someone who's currently a couple states over, and is her main method of communication. She isn't tech savvy, so I'd like to minimize any service interruption this might cause on her line.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] karn101:
So you're dummy-line is the one with the upgrade? Dude, you have no issues what-so-ever. Upgrade it. Activate it on line 2, and then put your SIM in the new phone. Reactivate the dummy phone on the dummy line and you're set.

Why anyone would tell you that upgrading a phone on another line would cause a separate line to lose unlimited is beyond me. You're good.

And say, you can reactivate it right away. The website saves the ESN so you don't even need the phone physically.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] dashbored:
Oh no, that was before. Now it's my line with the unlimited data that has the upgrade. Actually it's been available for a couple months now.

Yeah I know it sounds stupid, but the store reps were all consistent (and this was spread out across many stores in multiple states) - they say that when you transfer the upgrade from an unlimited data line and use that upgrade on another line, the unlimited data line gets its contract extended by 2 years. So far, we all agree this is fair and right. But... they then say that the contract extension will cause the unlimited data to drop and automatically add the 2GB for $30 plan because "the unlimited data option is no longer available, and a new data plan must be selected". I was so paranoid about losing my unlimited data, that I didn't even bother to play with it on the Verizon site.

That's cool - so I can do everything online without wasting time with a rep! Awesome man.

Did you ship your new phone or pick up at the store? I am tempted to go pick up, but I wonder if that would complicate things. There's free 2 day shipping anyway... maybe patience is a virtue? haha
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] karn101:
I, and others, are proof they're wrong. I picked up the phone in store.
[Verizon HTC One (M7)] shook187:
Pretty stupid what people do just to keep unlimited data. With Sprint and T-Mobile both offering unlimited data, why don't you guys say screw it and run with one of those carriers? It's bad enough you're paying the highest price for cellular service but you're also paying full price for phones that been out for 6 months and with locked bootloader.

Why do you guys even bother staying with this company? Even AT&T seems like a better option than Verizon.