Answered: How to upgrade if you are still under contract.

[drtrmiller]

The following only applies to Verizon customers who used their New Every Two by or before 11/14/2009.

Customers who purchased advanced devices before the exorbitant $350 Early Termination Fees (ETFs) took effect for advanced devices, but who are still under contracts not yet eligible for upgrade subsidies, can always add a line of service to their existing account to get the $300 subsidy + $100 rebate for the Incredible, and cancel their existing line, paying a $0 to $150 early termination fee (based on the following).

Tiered ETF's took effect November 15, 2009. So if you purchased an advanced device or non-pda before this time, you are eligible for the $175 early termination fee that depreciates $5 after each month of service, up to the 21st month. The most that this ETF should be is $150, however if you used your New Every Two before 11/14/09, then it will be $5.00 less per month preceding that date, starting at $150 (current date of 04/16/10).

This is a surefire way to acquire the Incredible for about $300 plus taxes, which is far less than can be accomplished through any other legitimate method.

Price of the Incredible:................ $600
Discount for New Contract:......... -$300
Rebate:................................... -$100
Early Termination Fee:................. $0 to $150 (Varies based on months of completed service)
Total Price:............................... $200 to $350 (Average $300)

Cheers!

 

[icyfire]

Customers who purchased advanced devices before the exorbitant $350 Early Termination Fees (ETFs) took effect for advanced devices, but who are still under contracts not yet eligible for upgrade subsidies, can always add a line of service to their existing account to get the $300 subsidy + $100 rebate for the Incredible, and cancel their existing line, paying a $0 to $150 early termination fee (based on the following).

Tiered ETF's took effect November 15, 2009. So if you purchased an advanced device or non-pda before this time, you are eligible for the $175 early termination fee that depreciates $5 after each month of service, up to the 21st month. The most that this ETF should be is $150, however if you used your New Every Two before 11/14/09, then it will be $5.00 less per month preceding that date, starting at $150 (current date of 04/16/10).

This is a surefire way to acquire the Incredible for about $300 plus taxes, which is far less than can be accomplished through any other legitimate method.

Price of the Incredible:................ $600
Discount for New Contract:......... -$300
Rebate:................................... -$100
Early Termination Fee:................. $0 to $150 (Varies based on months of completed service)
Total Price:............................... $200 to $350 (Average $300)

Cheers!

if you cancel your original line, won't you lose your phone number? You'll only be left with the number of the newly added line.

 

[drtrmiller]

if you cancel your original line, won't you lose your phone number? You'll only be left with the number of the newly added line.

Yes, you will lose your current phone number. The only way around this would be using a forwarding service such as Google Voice.

The real question is "Is my existing phone number worth more than the $300 to $400 I'd save?"

 

[andrewzpsu]

I really do appreciate this as I bought an Eris. Perfect walk through!

 

[TPR300C]

You cannot port your number to another line with VZW. The only way to port your number is when you are porting in from another carrier. You can only get your number back on your original like but in this situation you are canceling it so the new one won't be able to take over the number. I worked for VZW and I hated when people thought they could do this.

 

[Wynnded]

The question lingering in my mind kind of goes like this:

Already having an advanced device, could I add a line (the Inc.) then "swap" the phones placing the Inc. on the primary line and the original advanced unit onto the secondary line, then change the secondary phone to an old dumb phone (dropping the data plan)?

I hope that makes sense LOL! Thank you!

Edit: Maybe this was answered in the post above, but I'm not talking about porting a number to a different line, I'm talking about moving the phones to different lines....at least in my head.

 

[ArtificialSweetener]

This is a great plan for people who bought the Eris before Nov 15th.

+$200 for the Incredible with new contract
+$150 termination fee
------------------------
$350

Sell the POS Eris easily for $150

$350 - $150 = $200

So if you bought the Eris before Nov 15th you can easily upgrade to the Incredible for $200 at most. Its as if you never had a contract at all.

Not a bad deal.

 

[Yaksha]

I'm hoping to get one of those nifty early upgrade promos in the mail for the Incredible.

I got a Storm a little over a year ago, and a few months ago I got something in the mail for Verizon saying I could get the Storm 2, Droid, or another phone for $200, even though my "Every 2 Year" thing isn't up. This is actually how I got my original Storm.

Here's hoping!

 

[ArtificialSweetener]

The question lingering in my mind kind of goes like this:

Already having an advanced device, could I add a line (the Inc.) then "swap" the phones placing the Inc. on the primary line and the original advanced unit onto the secondary line, then change the secondary phone to an old dumb phone (dropping the data plan)?

I hope that makes sense LOL! Thank you!

No, If you drop the data plan on the secondary phone you will be hit with $350 termination fee.

You want drop your current line since it only has a termination fee of $150. You will lose your current phone number though.

 

[Vanek_26]

I'm hoping to get one of those nifty early upgrade promos in the mail for the Incredible.

I got a Storm a little over a year ago, and a few months ago I got something in the mail for Verizon saying I could get the Storm 2, Droid, or another phone for $200, even though my "Every 2 Year" thing isn't up. This is actually how I got my original Storm.

Here's hoping!

Not fair, i've never EVER gotten anything like that lol

 

[Wynnded]

No, If you drop the data plan on the secondary phone you will be hit with $350 termination fee.

You want drop your current line since it only has a termination fee of $150. You will lose your current phone number though.

...even though I'm not terminating the line, just changing it.....dang! Thanks again!

 

[Scooter70]

Not fair, i've never EVER gotten anything like that lol

I've gotten them about once a month for the last few months. I just got one the other day for BOGO on the Palm Pre and Pixie. Before that it was for a Droid. I, too, am hoping that I get one for the Incredible.

 

[rockstar323]

This has worked for me in the past, just not sure for how long if a lot of people do it or if it still will. Port your number to Sprint for 2-3 weeks. Your account at Verizon will close and they will add the ETF to your bill. After 2-3 weeks call Verizon and tell them that you had a change of heart and will come back if they will give you an Incredible for $199.99 and you will sign a new 2 year contract. Port your number back into Verizon. Your account will be reinstated and the ETF will drop off since you're back with Verizon. The reason i picked Sprint is they are now doing their worry free guarantee thing where you can return a phone and cancel your contract within the first month with all charges being refunded. I know this may seem like alot of steps but it's only 3 phone calls. 2 to Sprint, 1 to port your number in and then 1 2 weeks later to tell them you are going back to Verizon and 1 to Verizon to port your number back.

I have done this a few times but only once on my personal account. I did it with a clients account of 22 lines all with 1-2 years left on the contract. I was able to get new Blackberrys for $100 less than 2 year pricing at the time.

Do this at your own risk since i cant guarantee it will still work. Worse case scenario you will have to pay the ETF but you will get the phone at new contract pricing and still have your number.

 

[Wynnded]

This is my last angle at trying to avoid paying full retail and retain my current number (I really must keep this number).

About six months ago, my Omnia bricked so I reverted back to my Razor until I could sort things out with insurance. When I got my bill, I noticed that VZ prorated things for the time that I didn't have the data plan with the Razor. Prior to going into the VZ retailer, could I again change my account to the Razor (probably the evening prior) then try to get VZ to maneuver be back into a data plan with an appealing deal (just about anything less than full retail) on the Inc.? Plausable...likely? It's about all I have for ideas.

Cheers and thanks to all for humoring my attempted shenanigans.

 

[rileyra]

just add a 2nd line and have vzw swap the numbers on the devices, you'll pay like 10 bucks more a month until the older line's contract is up, verizon does this all the time...no need to cancel anything or pay a termination fee

 

[drtrmiller]

No, If you drop the data plan on the secondary phone you will be hit with $350 termination fee.

You want drop your current line since it only has a termination fee of $150. You will lose your current phone number though.

Verizon's "Worry Free Guarantee" allows you to change your calling plan at any time without penalty.

The data plan is a feature, not a calling plan. Features can be removed or modified without penalty anyways, as long as the modification is in line with the minimum requirements for a particular device.

 

[rileyra]

Verizon's "Worry Free Guarantee" allows you to change your calling plan at any time without penalty.

The data plan is a feature, not a calling plan. Features can be removed or modified without penalty anyways, as long as the modification is in line with the minimum requirements for a particular device.

exactly, if need be you can just drop the old device and put an old junk phone on the line again but i doubt you would even need to do that, the guys at the kiosk in the building i used to work at would add/swap lines all the time with no problems

 

[svensett]

This is my last angle at trying to avoid paying full retail and retain my current number (I really must keep this number).

About six months ago, my Omnia bricked so I reverted back to my Razor until I could sort things out with insurance. When I got my bill, I noticed that VZ prorated things for the time that I didn't have the data plan with the Razor. Prior to going into the VZ retailer, could I again change my account to the Razor (probably the evening prior) then try to get VZ to maneuver be back into a data plan with an appealing deal (just about anything less than full retail) on the Inc.? Plausable...likely? It's about all I have for ideas.

Cheers and thanks to all for humoring my attempted shenanigans.

How long have you had your current contract? If over a year you can get the $199 price with a new 2yr contract. That is what I am planning on doing to get out of my crappy Saga.

 

[drtrmiller]

This has worked for me in the past, just not sure for how long if a lot of people do it or if it still will. Port your number to Sprint for 2-3 weeks. Your account at Verizon will close and they will add the ETF to your bill. After 2-3 weeks call Verizon and tell them that you had a change of heart and will come back if they will give you an Incredible for $199.99 and you will sign a new 2 year contract. Port your number back into Verizon. Your account will be reinstated and the ETF will drop off since you're back with Verizon. The reason i picked Sprint is they are now doing their worry free guarantee thing where you can return a phone and cancel your contract within the first month with all charges being refunded. I know this may seem like alot of steps but it's only 3 phone calls. 2 to Sprint, 1 to port your number in and then 1 2 weeks later to tell them you are going back to Verizon and 1 to Verizon to port your number back.

I have done this a few times but only once on my personal account. I did it with a clients account of 22 lines all with 1-2 years left on the contract. I was able to get new Blackberrys for $100 less than 2 year pricing at the time.

Do this at your own risk since i cant guarantee it will still work. Worse case scenario you will have to pay the ETF but you will get the phone at new contract pricing and still have your number.

One caveat: If your credit score has changed since you opened your Verizon Wireless account (if it is currently difficult for you to get service with wireless carriers or they want to charge you a refundable deposit, sometimes in the hundreds of dollars), then you will be applying as a new customer with *no* tenure or payment history.

Some people who try this will be denied service, or else it will cost them a fortune.

I would recommend this option only as a last resort, and for those who have good credit histories or better.

 

[gatorjm7]

Somebody help me out with this scenario. I have a Storm that I can upgrade in August, but this things a piece so I'm going to change phones to the Incredible. I'm in a Family Plan, but I'm not the primary number. I could add a new line, put the Incredible on that line with the subsidized price, and then put a dumb phone on my old number so I could drop the data plan. Then, I could just let old line with the dumb phone expire in August, correct? Since I'll get a huge break on the phone price, and only pay for a few months of unnecessary service that should work out to be a cheaper option, right?

 

[VZW RSR]

Somebody help me out with this scenario. I have a Storm that I can upgrade in August, but this things a piece so I'm going to change phones to the Incredible. I'm in a Family Plan, but I'm not the primary number. I could add a new line, put the Incredible on that line with the subsidized price, and then put a dumb phone on my old number so I could drop the data plan. Then, I could just let old line with the dumb phone expire in August, correct? Since I'll get a huge break on the phone price, and only pay for a few months of unnecessary service that should work out to be a cheaper option, right?

Yes thats the best way to do it. Be aware that if your upgrade on the line is in August, its likely your contract doesn't expire until December. VZW normally allows a four month grace period on two year upgrades so you can upgrade four months before the contract ends. Even with $40 dollars for four more months this is still your best bet.

As others above have suggested, for people on a Family Share plan with fewer than five lines, adding a line then eventually cancelling the line or another line, is always better than paying full retail. The subsidy and rebate gained from the new contract is always greater than the monthly cost over the length of the contract. This isn't always true with dumb phones but it is on the Incredible due to the larger subsidy given on smartphones.

 

[emmur0]

so you can add a new line to a family plan, that way getting the device for $199 and then swap my original number to the newly established line?

 

[gatorjm7]

Yes thats the best way to do it. Be aware that if your upgrade on the line is in August, its likely your contract doesn't expire until December. VZW normally allows a four month grace period on two year upgrades so you can upgrade four months before the contract ends. Even with $40 dollars for four more months this is still your best bet.

As others above have suggested, for people on a Family Share plan with fewer than five lines, adding a line then eventually cancelling the line or another line, is always better than paying full retail. The subsidy and rebate gained from the new contract is always greater than the monthly cost over the length of the contract. This isn't always true with dumb phones but it is on the Incredible due to the larger subsidy given on smartphones.

Ok, that what I figured. Anyway in this scenario to keep the number I'm using now and have the "new number" be attached to the contract that gets terminated in August or December? Or are the contract and number attached at the hip?

 

[rileyra]

Ok, that what I figured. Anyway in this scenario to keep the number I'm using now and have the "new number" be attached to the contract that gets terminated in August or December? Or are the contract and number attached at the hip?

they can/will swap the numbers on the lines if you ask them to

 

[gavin77]

they can/will swap the numbers on the lines if you ask them to

I was told by Verizon that they will not do this? If they will that is awesome news?