Cell phone upgrade, how do you surprise them?

[Terry36]

We're upgrading Dd's phone to an iPhone for Christmas. But how do we surprise her on Christmas with the phone. She's keeping the same number so how do we activate that one and deactivate her current phone without her knowledge.... . What are others doing in this instance other than taking her to the store?

 

[MouseEarsForAll]

We're upgrading Dd's phone to an iPhone for Christmas. But how do we surprise her on Christmas with the phone. She's keeping the same number so how do we activate that one and deactivate her current phone without her knowledge.... . What are others doing in this instance other than taking her to the store?

Which provider do you have? I did a Google search that brought up a few main providers that do activations online: https://www.google.com/search?q=Activating+phones+online&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari.

HTH!

 

[Minnie Momma]

When you buy the phone you can set an "activation date" for later. This is what we did for our DD.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

Yep, you just get the phone and then activate it later. With Verizon, it's just an automated phone call and takes just a few minutes. Sometimes there can be a backup on Christmas morning but we did it a few years ago without a problem. DD is getting an iPhone for Christmas and I'm thinking that I'm going to go ahead and transfer service after she goes to bed on Christmas Eve. Hopefully, on Christmas morning she'll be too distracted to go for her phone first thing....which she does every other day.

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

Our phone service mysteriously went down last Christmas Eve, and dd wasn't able to use her phone. She was not happy....until she found her iPhone Christmas morning!!! I had gone in to do the switch on Christmas Eve.

I'm pretty sure they told me I could have just called to get it activated, but since I was able to go in in person, I decided to play it safe!

 

[jmb912]

Yep, you just get the phone and then activate it later. With Verizon, it's just an automated phone call and takes just a few minutes. Sometimes there can be a backup on Christmas morning but we did it a few years ago without a problem. DD is getting an iPhone for Christmas and I'm thinking that I'm going to go ahead and transfer service after she goes to bed on Christmas Eve. Hopefully, on Christmas morning she'll be too distracted to go for her phone first thing....which she does every other day.

I wonder if it makes a difference on where you get the phone. We have our plan through AT&T but we upgraded both our daughters phones for Christmas at bestbuy. They had the $99 16 mb 4S. They told me we couldn't buy the phones without doing the switch right then. I didn't want to wait on my shopping so we did it right before thanksgiving and gave the girls their phones early. They were surprised nonetheless, just a bit early!

 

[Terry36]

Thank you all for your responses!

 

[2mickeys1minnie]

Our phone service mysteriously went down last Christmas Eve as well...DS14 was maddddd lol! He kept saying Mom can you call At&t? Something is wrong with my phone!! He was thrilled Christmas morning when he opened his iphone. It hasn't left his side in a year now. It's probably the only thing he never loses lol.

 

[florep1]

Our phone service mysteriously went down last Christmas Eve, and dd wasn't able to use her phone. She was not happy....until she found her iPhone Christmas morning!!! I had gone in to do the switch on Christmas Eve.

I'm pretty sure they told me I could have just called to get it activated, but since I was able to go in in person, I decided to play it safe!

Yup. If you order online, you can wrap the present and it won't be activated till you actually turn it on. It'll be ready for activation. Takes a few minutes.

 

[linnylu]

I hadn't even thought about this. DD is getting an iphone from Christmas. She has Virgin Mobile. I hope that it's easy to upgrade on Christmas morning.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I wonder if it makes a difference on where you get the phone. We have our plan through AT&T but we upgraded both our daughters phones for Christmas at bestbuy. They had the $99 16 mb 4S. They told me we couldn't buy the phones without doing the switch right then. I didn't want to wait on my shopping so we did it right before thanksgiving and gave the girls their phones early. They were surprised nonetheless, just a bit early!

Ya know? That may be the trick. Every time I've done this, I've always ordered the phone online and activated it at home. It hadn't even occurred to me that I might not be able to do this if I bought the phone in store. Hmmmm. Well, the plan for today was to purchase dd's iPhone at Sam's Club. I'll have to ask about this. If it's a problem, I'll order from verizon. I think it's only $3 difference in price. I'll report back!!

 

[SaraJayne]

We upgraded DS to an iphone 4 for Christmas and just gave it to him early.

 

[mjkacmom]

Yep, you just get the phone and then activate it later. With Verizon, it's just an automated phone call and takes just a few minutes. Sometimes there can be a backup on Christmas morning but we did it a few years ago without a problem. DD is getting an iPhone for Christmas and I'm thinking that I'm going to go ahead and transfer service after she goes to bed on Christmas Eve. Hopefully, on Christmas morning she'll be too distracted to go for her phone first thing....which she does every other day.

We have verizon, and I just order the phone online, and activate it Christmas morning (ds14 is always losing/finding/losing/finding his phone, so I re-activate phones here on a monthly basis - very easy).

We also have a huge verizon store 5 minutes away.

 

[codimouse]

I went to upgrade my phone to iPhone 5 and upgrade DH's to an iPhone 4S. I did it via apple's website. I used the store pick up option.
They were ready in an hour. I was hoping to put DH's under the tree but it did not work out that way. As soon as they scan it for release at the store it automatically activates that phone. I was so disappointed. But DH got an early gift. :/

 

[AllisonK]

We upgraded DS to an iphone 4 for Christmas and just gave it to him early.

The year my parents got me a new phone for Christmas they did it about a week early - I was coming back from my first semester at college and so they picked me up at the train station, we went to dinner and then on the way home we hand "one more stop to make" and we went to the Verizon store and they upgraded my phone for me (prior to that I had always gotten the "free with new 2-year contract" phone that I would pay for and send in for the rebate, so my parents buying me a phone was VERY nice!) They next time they upgraded my phone was a birthday present a year and a half ago and I was still at school with a broken phone and so they gave me the money about a month early so I could just go upgrade it myself. (I still have that iPhone - it's been the best/sturdiest phone I've ever had and I don't plan on upgrading until its pretty much dead!)

 

[Ladcassidy]

I'm getting DH a new smart phone for Christmas, too. Will wrap it new in the box and activate it after Christmas. If we need help, the Verizon store is right down the road. But I've done the same drill in the past without any problems.

 

[SaraJayne]

The year my parents got me a new phone for Christmas they did it about a week early - I was coming back from my first semester at college and so they picked me up at the train station, we went to dinner and then on the way home we hand "one more stop to make" and we went to the Verizon store and they upgraded my phone for me (prior to that I had always gotten the "free with new 2-year contract" phone that I would pay for and send in for the rebate, so my parents buying me a phone was VERY nice!) They next time they upgraded my phone was a birthday present a year and a half ago and I was still at school with a broken phone and so they gave me the money about a month early so I could just go upgrade it myself. (I still have that iPhone - it's been the best/sturdiest phone I've ever had and I don't plan on upgrading until its pretty much dead!)

The iphone 4 8GB was free with a 2 year contract, but I knew that wouldn't be enough, so I "splurged" and paid $50 for the 16GB.

 

[kalliyan1]

We're upgrading Dd's phone to an iPhone for Christmas. But how do we surprise her on Christmas with the phone. She's keeping the same number so how do we activate that one and deactivate her current phone without her knowledge.... . What are others doing in this instance other than taking her to the store?

We are doing the exact thing and I was in the exact situation...I found out that if you order the iphone through apple and have it sent to your house, it wont be activated until you open it and activate it.
I had ordered it online and did store pick up because we were moving and didn't know if it would arrive in time. When I went to pick it up, the apple people said it had to be activated to which I said cancel the order...long story short, they allowed me to pick it up without activating it and said that if you order online it will come unactivated.
Now she will open it on Christmas morning!!!

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

FYI....I just called and spoke with someone at the cell phone kiosk at my local Sam's Club. She said that they could sell me an iPhone without activating the phone BUT that I would have to actually physically come into the store for them to do the activation. Ummmm....no thanks! They're only $3 cheaper than verizonwireless.com anyway, so I'm just going to order directly.

 

[starbird]

Just did this yesterday on Verizon. Go in to a Verizon store (corporate one not authorized reseller) and explain what to do. Was in and out in less that 15 minutes, and walked out with a sealed box with delayed activation (as if I had ordered online).

Of course online orders shipped do the same. When they open the iPhone on Christmas morning, the follow the instructions to activate it.

In a nutshell, BEFORE TURNING THE iPhone ON, make sure anything they want backed up on the old phone is. Use backup assistant to backup contacts. Then turn the old phone off.

Turn on the iPhone and follow the instructions on screen

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