[Moto X General] Cozume:
Transfer UDP Upgrade Method

There is another method that works if you have a family plan and at least one line has a basic phone or a capped data plan on it. This works because you can transfer your upgrade from your UDP line to the basic or capped data plan line and then upgrade and activate the new subsidized phone on that line. Then you switch the new subsidized phone to your UDP line and you will not lose your UDP. I have done this personally so I know it works. If you want a Moto X Dev Ed, since you can't get one using an upgrade, I suggest you get a subsidized iPhone 5s with your upgrade and sell it and use the cash from the sale proceeds to put toward purchasing a Moto X Dev Ed.

If you are transferring your UDP line's upgrade to a basic phone line, you will have to pick a data plan when you purchase a new subsidized smartphone on the basic phone line. You can later drop that data plan but the only three retailers that will let you do this without charging you a secondary ETF of $400 are Verizon, Best Buy and Costco. So don't buy from any other retailers if you are using a basic phone line to transfer your UDP line's upgrade to. And when you do buy from those three I mentioned, double check that they are still not charging a secondary ETF for downgrading a data plan before 181 days are up. It is hit or miss whether a Best Buy or Costco rep will know how to do the upgrade transfer properly. I have done this once at Best Buy and the rep was very knowledgeable so it worked without a hitch but I have read others have not been so lucky. The safest way is to do it yourself through Verizon online. I avoid the Verizon stores because some of the reps get ticked off that this works and refuse to do it for you. YMMV.

Also, you cannot transfer an upgrade from an UDP line to a line that currently is eligible for its own upgrade. You have to use that line's upgrade first. That is no problem though because you can just then transfer your UDP line's upgrade to that line when you are ready to get a new phone for that line.

Here are the steps if you have a capped data plan line on your family plan and are doing this through Verizon online:

1) Log onto Verizon online and click Shop;

2) You will now see which lines in your family plan are eligible for an upgrade - the CDP line you are going to use to transfer your UDP line's upgrade to cannot be eligible for an upgrade;

3) Select your UDP line and click Transfer on your UDP line and select the CDP line to transfer the UDP line's upgrade to;

4) Purchase a subsidized phone of your choice on the CDP line and have it shipped to your home;

5) When you get the new subsidized phone at your home, turn off the CDP line's current phone and follow the instructions to activate the new subsidized phone on the CDP line - THIS IS A CRITICAL STEP THAT MUST BE DONE;

6) Turn off the new subsidized phone and click My Verizon Activate or Switch a Device to put the CDP line's original phone back on the CDP line by following the directions; and

7) Turn off the phone currently on your UDP line and click My Verizon Activate or Switch a Device to put the new subsidized phone on your UDP line by following the directions.

Steps 6 and 7 also can be done by putting the new subsidized phone's SIM card into the CDP line's original phone after activation and then putting the SIM card from the UDP line's original phone into the new subsidized device if all of the SIM cards are the same size.

If you are using your UDP line's upgrade to get a subsidized iPhone 5s to sell, you stop after Step 6 and then the iPhone 5s is off of your account and available to sell. Remember to take the SIM card out of the iPhone 5s and discard it before you ship your iPhone 5s to its new owner.

Here are the steps if you have a basic phone line on your family plan and are doing this through Verizon online:

1) Log onto Verizon online and click Shop;

2) You will now see which lines in your family plan are eligible for an upgrade - the basic phone line you are going to use to transfer your UDP line's upgrade to cannot be eligible for an upgrade;

3) Select your UDP line and click Transfer on your UDP line and select the basic phone line to transfer the UDP line's upgrade to;

4) Purchase a subsidized phone of your choice on the basic phone line, pick the 2GB data plan and have the new subsidized phone shipped to your home;

5) When you get the new subsidized phone at your home, turn off the basic phone and follow the instructions to activate the new subsidized phone on the now 2GB data plan line - THIS IS A CRITICAL STEP THAT MUST BE DONE;

6) Turn off the new subsidized phone and click My Verizon Activate or Switch a Device to put the basic phone back on the line by following the directions;

7) The 2GB data plan may or may not drop off when you complete Step 6 - if it doesn't, you can block data on the basic phone line and the data plan will drop off or you can call Verizon and tell them to take the data plan off of the basic phone line and they will do it; and

8) Turn off the phone currently on your UDP line and click My Verizon Activate or Switch a Device to put the new subsidized phone on your UDP line by following the directions.

Step 8 also can be done by placing the UDP line's original phone's SIM card into the new subsidized phone if the SIM cards are the same size.

If you are using your UDP line's upgrade to get a subsidized iPhone 5s to sell, you stop after Step 7 and then the iPhone 5s is off of your account and available to sell. Remember to take the SIM card out of the iPhone 5s and discard it before you ship your iPhone 5s to its new owner.