No data plan with Captivate

[Space Cowboy]

I agree with everyone else. When I originally purchase my HTC Fuze from ATT, they tried to force a data plan on me, but the store manager was able to remove it from their systems. The same store manager told me when I purchased the Captivate, that option was removed from their system. Therefore, there is no option... its a must from ATT!

 

[ricardo001]

It being locked or unlocked has NOTHING to do with it.

For the LAST time: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A DATA PLAN WITH THIS SMARTPHONE. YOU WILL BE FORCED ONTO A DATA PLAN SOON AFTER YOU START USING THE CAPTIVATE.

No need to yell Baldilocks, we're discussing not arguing here.

Why do you guys think I've gone about 3-4 years with almost every variation of the iphone and don't get billed for data? BTW, my original phone was a motorola flip phone and then went with the iphone. Anyone with a Captivate and didn't have data get data added?

Again, no need to yell or get frustrated, we're just discussing here.

 

[RandomPerson]

I have read the "required to have a data plan" others have posted here but when I purchased at Walmart the Captivate was one of the few phones that did not have a placard that said a data plan was required. I had them put me down as a 2 year upgrade since I don't currently have a data plan. I'm now trying to figure out how to disable data so I can use WiFi only. My signed contract has a rate plan without data. I have a photo of the sales tag which does not require a data plan. I'm going to push very hard if they try and force me into a data plan that I did not sign up for and that they did not require at purchase!

 

[mrspeedmaster]

I've been thru this. Any smartphone connected to a SIM card on ATT will automatically be enrolled into a data-plan. This has happened to me 3-4 times on different phones as I tested new phones with various SIMS. A month later, each of those account linked to those sims automatically got data plan.

THE ONLY way around this is to call ATT customer care and tell them to do an EMEI block so the particular phone WILL never be billed for data. You may have to escalate it to a level 2 support or talk to a manager.

NOW, have in mind, this CAN only be done if your phone is off-contract or you bought it OFF contract. If you are subsidize, you can't remove the data plan.

Is that clear?

 

[mrspeedmaster]

I'm going to push very hard if they try and force me into a data plan that I did not sign up for and that they did not require at purchase!

Sorry but if you got a subsidized price, it is unfair to people who bought their phones OFF-contract. That is a $500 phone ($600-800 in other countries and other carriers). If you got it for $89, $149,$199 you are bounded to a data-plan.

 

[CaCHooKa Man]

if you had a smartphone before september 2009 (somewhere around there) and didnt have a data plan on your account then at&t cant add one. at&t changed their agreement after that and now require all smartphones to have a data plan. in the case that you still have the same sim card from that time and switch it to a new phone, youll still get a data plan added to your account. youre grandfathered in only if you never change the phone that was being used prior to the change. at&t does IMEI sweeps from time to time and once they find out youve changed to a different phone, you get the friendly text that theyve added a data plan to your account for you. the only way around this is if you buy the phone at full price and call in to at&t and complain.

 

[computereyes]

if you had a smartphone before september 2009 (somewhere around there) and didnt have a data plan on your account then at&t cant add one. at&t changed their agreement after that and now require all smartphones to have a data plan.

Here's the excerpt from my contract. I got fooled thinking I wasn't going to need one because it didn't show up in my order <sigh>. I guess its going back.

Data Plans: An eligible data plan is required for certain devices, including iPhones and other designated Smartphones. Eligible data
plans cover data usage in the U.S. and do not cover international data usage and charges. If it is determined that you
are using an iPhone or other designated Smartphone without an eligible data plan, AT&T reserves the right to add an
eligible data plan to your account and bill you the appropriate monthly fee.

 

[Jiggles]

They won't automatically put you on a data plan...

When I ordered the phone over the phone, I wasn't put on a plan. After I got the phone, I used it on wifi for close to 3 days (didn't leave the house with it.)

I called that 3rd day to verify that I had a data plan on my phone because my ATT account on the website wasn't reflecting the data plan which should have been added (correct phone showing.) The lady on the phone said that a plan had NOT been added and asked me which one I wanted.

 

[eloish]

I've couple of colleagues whom i know are using smartphone, esp Captivate and iPhone 4 W/O data plan with AT & T since past couple of months and they have not been charged for any data yet...Is this surprise or is this how it really works.

 

[Kage_]

As long as the phone never ever uses any carrier data then they can't detect you have a smartphone. On the captive the best way to do this is to setup the phone w/o the sim card in it, download APNDroid and disable the data. Once you do this insert your SIM card and go to town. Again, as long as the phone never uses any carrier data you won't get pinged with the carrier data requirement. I did that with an iPhone for two years and then a Nexus One for four months.

 

[CrimsonPride]

As long as the phone never ever uses any carrier data then they can't detect you have a smartphone. On the captive the best way to do this is to setup the phone w/o the sim card in it, download APNDroid and disable the data. Once you do this insert your SIM card and go to town. Again, as long as the phone never uses any carrier data you won't get pinged with the carrier data requirement. I did that with an iPhone for two years and then a Nexus One for four months.

that wont work with att. my dad used my old blackberry, never used any data and received a text a day after he started using it telling him he had been signed up for the $15 data plan. i dont remember how att checks but they dont have to used carrier data to detect the phone

 

[Kage_]

Humm... I wonder why they havn't pinged my wife's line yet. She uses a 2G iPhone with the data disabled. I use that phone and then a Nexus one for several months w/ no data till I was able to expense the data plan at work.

 

[CrimsonPride]

Humm... I wonder why they havn't pinged my wife's line yet. She uses a 2G iPhone with the data disabled. I use that phone and then a Nexus one for several months w/ no data till I was able to expense the data plan at work.

well its a pretty recent thing they have started. when i used my blackberry i didnt have a data plan. as soon as a sim card is inserted in a new smartphone requiring data they will find out somehow. i know my dad didnt use any data, and it didnt have wifi and he was texted less than 24 hours saying he had been signed up for a data plan. if you had a smartphone prior to the data requirement they may not force a plan on you but i bet they would if you, or your wife, upgrades

 

[jdCaptivate]

As long as the phone never ever uses any carrier data then they can't detect you have a smartphone. On the captive the best way to do this is to setup the phone w/o the sim card in it, download APNDroid and disable the data. Once you do this insert your SIM card and go to town. Again, as long as the phone never uses any carrier data you won't get pinged with the carrier data requirement. I did that with an iPhone for two years and then a Nexus One for four months.

Thanks. I didn't know about APNDroid until I saw your post. I don't have any trouble controlling my data usage on my Captivate. However, my wife just got the Motorola Flipside, obviously with Motoblur (with only the 200 mb plan) and even after I disabled everything I could think of... the thing was still sucking down data. Finally installed APNDroid and put an instant stop to that.

Probably saved her phone to. I was planning on taking her back to the store tomorrow and finding a different phone, which wasn't going to be easy, because she insists on Android and a physical keyboard. She's happy now.

 

[smartphonenewb]

Ok, I have this really weird situation that is totally confusing. First, I'm kinda young so I don't really have a great need for a data plan. Tthe $0 Captivate comes bundled w/ a data plan in contract, therefore, we decide to buy the phone from Ebay, out of contract. The phone is at&t branded and we plan to unlock it, and use a Rogers SIM card (Canada).

1) Would at&t be freakishly able to track down the phone (with Rogers SIM card) and charge me (unlikely, just putting it out there).

2) Would Rogers charge me for using wi-fi, if there was a way do disable data packets from Rogers network to my phone?

Thanks

 

[slntdth93]

Ok, I have this really weird situation that is totally confusing. First, I'm kinda young so I don't really have a great need for a data plan. Tthe $0 Captivate comes bundled w/ a data plan in contract, therefore, we decide to buy the phone from Ebay, out of contract. The phone is at&t branded and we plan to unlock it, and use a Rogers SIM card (Canada).

1) Would at&t be freakishly able to track down the phone (with Rogers SIM card) and charge me (unlikely, just putting it out there).

2) Would Rogers charge me for using wi-fi, if there was a way do disable data packets from Rogers network to my phone?

Thanks

1)Rogers won't put a data plan on your mobile plan.AT&T now has nothing to do with it because you arent on ATT
2)to disable data, theres some dialer command that allows you to or i use APNdroid

 

[smartphonenewb]

Thanks slntdth93, i feel quite relieved now. Very glad to live in Canada =)