DS has requested an iphone for his Bday, I have a 32GB!

[HM]

My kids got their phones through Virgin Mobile. Iphone 4 is still available and is less expensive than a 5. We pay $30 a month for each. It is unlimited text and data and 300 phone minutes.

 

[ICF]

You need to ask him how. I've never heard of anyone being able to active an iPhone without a data plan. I've never seen one that can be used only via wifi like the iTouch or iPad.

My wife has a pay as you go phone thru AT&T that is an Iphone 4S (currently) and she doesnt have a data plan.

I started out with an Iphone 3G (?) years ago and as I've upgraded she has gotten my old phone.

The AT&T person each time I went in to get a new phone -- currently on a 5S - has done "something" and moved her # over to her new (my old phone).

It essentially is an IPod touch with an actual phone. I think she pays something like $30 every 90 days. The minutes are charged at 10 cents each and the texts are charged individually. As she works from home this is perfect for us and is much cheaper then a normal $50/mo Iphone plan.

 

[lady_hlh]

My kids got their phones through Virgin Mobile. Iphone 4 is still available and is less expensive than a 5. We pay $30 a month for each. It is unlimited text and data and 300 phone minutes.

How much did you pay for those phones? My soon to be 13 year old dd is also begging for any i-phone but the ones I see right now on their website are $279.99. I use VM but my new samsung ring was only $60 so I'm experiencing sticker shock

 

[bumbershoot]

True, I should explain to him that he won't have a data plan, there are texting and call *google voice* apps for iPods, he had an iPod touch, it disappeared :/

So he's already lost one apple product?



The only way I would let my son get such an expensive phone would be if it had a major Otterbox or Lifeproof (I like them, though not everyone does) on it. Heck, I have the lifeproof AND the warranty through Best Buy, LOL. If you insist on that, does he still want THAT phone?


One of DS's friends saved her money for over a year and bought a new ipod. She has no contract, pays nothing, but can do whatever she wants, as long as she has a wifi connection. She has free text apps (like Tango, which DH and I use) and also free phonecall apps as well (DH and I also use Tango for voice calls, when he's out of the country). And she can call 911 if she has to. It's pretty cool!

 

[dimimi]

I think you should reconsider. My kids use their iphones for everything. What if you made sure you had his passwords and monitored what he did on the phone? It seems odd to spend so much money on a phone, but they are like mini computers. Also, it is easy to just take it away if he misuses it.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

One of DS's friends saved her money for over a year and bought a new ipod. She has no contract, pays nothing, but can do whatever she wants, as long as she has a wifi connection. She has free text apps (like Tango, which DH and I use) and also free phonecall apps as well (DH and I also use Tango for voice calls, when he's out of the country). And she can call 911 if she has to. It's pretty cool!

This is great! [bolded my favorite part ]

 

[SnowBelleAlice]

So he's already lost one apple product?



The only way I would let my son get such an expensive phone would be if it had a major Otterbox or Lifeproof (I like them, though not everyone does) on it. Heck, I have the lifeproof AND the warranty through Best Buy, LOL. If you insist on that, does he still want THAT phone?


One of DS's friends saved her money for over a year and bought a new ipod. She has no contract, pays nothing, but can do whatever she wants, as long as she has a wifi connection. She has free text apps (like Tango, which DH and I use) and also free phonecall apps as well (DH and I also use Tango for voice calls, when he's out of the country). And she can call 911 if she has to. It's pretty cool!

Yep, a nice touch, he was younger...
Edited first post.

 

[MillauFr]

How much did you pay for those phones? My soon to be 13 year old dd is also begging for any i-phone but the ones I see right now on their website are $279.99. I use VM but my new samsung ring was only $60 so I'm experiencing sticker shock

My daughter uses Virgin Mobile too. Her I*Phone 4s was $400. She pays $30 + tax per month.

 

[MillauFr]

The best price on an iPhone is most likely going to come with a contract. My entire family has iPhones (all six of us) and has for years. We do prefer AT&T because it provides the best coverage where we are. We usually are locked into a 2 year contract to get the best pricing on the hardware.

You are still paying the full price for the iPhone on the contract plans. They just increase the monthly price. I have never seen a contract plan with unlimited data for $30 per month like Virgin Mobile offers. So if AT&T offers unlimited data and a free iPhone for $50 per month with a 2 year contact it is still costing you more than paying $400 for the phone and paying $30 per month.

How much does AT&T charge for unlimited data now days?

 

[traces7]

My DD bought her iphone 5c from Virgin Mobil. They had them on sale at the end of March for $319. She saved up her own money. Pay $35 a month for her plan (could be $30 if we do the auto pay), no contract. That was the cheapest we found for the phone and the monthly plan.

 

[LoriNSC]

My husband and I just upgraded our phones and gave our old iphone 4's to our kids to use as iPods. They don't have any plan. Just use home wifi. Their schools just started allowing them to use electronic devices on some assignments so they use those at school with wifi too. They can still call 911 and use the iMessage (when on wifi). And it didn't cost us a penny to give them our old iPhones.

 

[hsmamato2]

this is confusing.... OP, you said you already bought a phone off a craiglist ad(?) if so, then aren't you stuck with your purchase? and You seem to have lots of info one certain things,and nonexistent info on other very important things pertaining to cell phones.... what is going on?
Firstly, that IMEI site you noted, is NOT 100% accurate, you could be buying a phone you can't use at all....so be aware of that
( I used that site last year to check,and it was wrong,long story)
2nd.... if you have already purchased an iphone 5 32gb at such a low price.... then you have to use it with whatever prepaid plan will accept it,unless you use the straight up at&t contract...... in which case you would have gotten that phone with your contract price...so....
3rd, if you know about checking the meid,etc before buying, then you should also understand something about the TYPES of phones that work with certain companies,and no other.
(example, an iphone can be verizon branded,or at&t branded,which work on different companies exclusively,as one uses a card,cdma vs. gma,I believe)
I don't understand the original question,I guess.
jailbreaking is another thing all on it's own.
Virgin mobile sells it's own branded iphone- but there are other companies out there in the prepaid market that can utilize an at&t iphone, and NOT use the data. (Just turn off 'data' in the settings if you don't have a data plan at all,or are limited)
But again, there are a lot of ins and outs of doing something like this. OP you need to google and read up on your options, esp. if you have already bought this phone from someone in a parking lot,as you indicated.
I showed a friend the other day how to 'shut off' her data unless she wants it turned on with her iphone,as she is on a very limited data plan.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You are still paying the full price for the iPhone on the contract plans. They just increase the monthly price. I have never seen a contract plan with unlimited data for $30 per month like Virgin Mobile offers. So if AT&T offers unlimited data and a free iPhone for $50 per month with a 2 year contact it is still costing you more than paying $400 for the phone and paying $30 per month.

How much does AT&T charge for unlimited data now days?

You are absolutely right that the phone actually costs more with the 2 year contract "discount."

AT&T did away with their unlimited data plan several years ago. The only users with it were grandfathered in when the plan changed. We still have it on 2 of our iPhones.

 

[patsal]

Wow, so many of you are very generous to your children, want to adopt me?

 

[SnowBelleAlice]

IMEI is clear per AT&T - phew!

this is confusing.... OP, you said you already bought a phone off a craiglist ad(?) if so, then aren't you stuck with your purchase? and You seem to have lots of info one certain things,and nonexistent info on other very important things pertaining to cell phones.... what is going on?
Firstly, that IMEI site you noted, is NOT 100% accurate, you could be buying a phone you can't use at all....so be aware of that
( I used that site last year to check,and it was wrong,long story)
2nd.... if you have already purchased an iphone 5 32gb at such a low price.... then you have to use it with whatever prepaid plan will accept it,unless you use the straight up at&t contract...... in which case you would have gotten that phone with your contract price...so....
3rd, if you know about checking the meid,etc before buying, then you should also understand something about the TYPES of phones that work with certain companies,and no other.
(example, an iphone can be verizon branded,or at&t branded,which work on different companies exclusively,as one uses a card,cdma vs. gma,I believe)
I don't understand the original question,I guess.
jailbreaking is another thing all on it's own.
Virgin mobile sells it's own branded iphone- but there are other companies out there in the prepaid market that can utilize an at&t iphone, and NOT use the data. (Just turn off 'data' in the settings if you don't have a data plan at all,or are limited)*snipped*

 

[hsmamato2]

IMEI is clear per AT&T - phew!

that's good, I really do hope that you can do what you want to do with the phone, I have,in the past, made mistakes in purchasing the wrong item- I hope it works out for you

 

[SuzanneSLO]

You are absolutely right that the phone actually costs more with the 2 year contract "discount."

AT&T did away with their unlimited data plan several years ago. The only users with it were grandfathered in when the plan changed. We still have it on 2 of our iPhones.

I'm confused about your comments.

We also have 2 iPhones with unlimited data and pay $130 per month (before discount and without tax). If we upgraade to a new iPhone, we get a $450 discount off of the non-subsidized price, so $199 for a 5s with 16gb.

I look at the ATT Family Share plan, and it would cost us $130 for 2 iPhones (before discounts and without tax) for 10 gigs of data, plus the same phone would cost $649 (paid over 20 months).

For our family, the 2 year contract discount seems to be much less expensive. -- Suzanne

 

[disney1990]

I guess my question would be what does he think he'll do with it without a data plan. Isn't that the whole point of having a smart phone? I think I'm lost as to why you'd have a smart phone without data.

Even without a data plan. He would be able to go online at a place with wifi and download apps and songs. I do this with my iPad all the time from our home wifi.

 

[lady_hlh]

My DD bought her iphone 5c from Virgin Mobil. They had them on sale at the end of March for $319. She saved up her own money. Pay $35 a month for her plan (could be $30 if we do the auto pay), no contract. That was the cheapest we found for the phone and the monthly plan.

Our dd already destroyed the screen on an i-touch and cracked the corner of the screen on her new i-pad so I decided to get her a used i-phone 4 from verizon for $99.

 

[traces7]

Our dd already destroyed the screen on an i-touch and cracked the corner of the screen on her new i-pad so I decided to get her a used i-phone 4 from verizon for $99.

My DD has had a couple ipod touches in the past and she has done very well with them and takes care of them. We ended up selling them after she was done with them. Plus she used her own money so she knows if anything happens I won't be buying her a new phone!