AT&T Requirements - Phone Upgrade Eligibility
Who is Eligible for an AT&T Cell Phone Upgrade?
Not all Cingular/AT&T customers are qualified for a new cell phone upgrade. At this time, AT&T allows customers that qualify to upgrade with no upgrade fee when they commit to a new 2-year contract.
Upgrade eligibility usually comes between 18-21 months into your contract. It will depend on many factors like price of your plan (higher priced plan means sooner upgrade), missed payments, suspensions on your account, usage history, payment record, previous phone replacement, etc.
In general AT&T customers who have had 24 months of cell phone service since their phone activation or since their last phone upgrade if they had one already are eligible for upgrade with no upgrade fee.
Selected AT&T customers may be eligible for a cell phone upgrade before their current plan expire witch is normally two years (24 months), if they renew their contract and meet eligibility requirements, which are:
- Customer has had a standard calling plan plus data services costing at least $68.99 a month but no more than $98.99 a month, and who has been in
contract (and not had a phone upgrade) for 21 months or more,or - Customer has had a standard calling plan plus data services costing $99 a month or more, and who has been in contract (and not upgraded) in the last
12 months.
A customer with a calling plan of less than $69 a month who is 21 – 23 months into contract can upgrade for a fee and a commitment of an additional two-year service contract extension. There is no upgrade fee for any customers who are on a month-to-month agreement.
To check your upgrade eligibility date online, go to AT&T MyWireless page and choose the Check Upgrade Options link in the Phone/Device box.
Note that upgrade eligibility is solely determined by AT&T Mobility at its discretion.
Browse AT&T Cell Phone Upgrades Now!
Note: IF YOU DON’T QUALIFY FOR AN AT&T CONTRACT UPGRADE, Scroll Down for Cheap Cell Phone Deals. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO USE CELL PHONE FROM OTHER CARRIER, BUY UNLOCKED CELL PHONE!
Here are some Cingular/AT&T Upgrade Policy loopholes and tips (via: consumerist.com – link)
• Avoid contract extensions by changing your rate plan at a store. “If you want to change your rate plan, do it in a retail store instead of on-line or over the phone. Officially after 1/2 of your contract is over a rate plan change results in a contract extension, but I’ve never once seen that rule enforced in the store.”
• Features are your friends. “You can just about get about get a rep to do anything you want if you offer to get a text package or a data package, and they can be cancelled on-line or over the phone the second you leave the store. The same goes for accessories. Offer to get accessories if it will get you a deal, they can be returned no questions asked within 30 days. (Let me put it this way, if a customer came in looking to get a treo w/the data package and accessories I would have sold a Treo 750 for $100 after rebate)”
• Upgrade more often with a higher priced rate plan. “[Cingular's] upgrade policies are similar to Verizon’s, if someone’s rate plan has been 75 dollars or higher (including features, but excluding taxes) for the last three months, they can upgrade 1/2 way through their contract.”
• Get the rebate in the store, and at home. “Try to get the rep to give you the rebate in the store, they’ll be likely to do this if you agree to get accessories. You can get go on-
line and print out the rebate form from www.cingular.com and send it in anyway.”• Make the store compete with the website. “Remember that the retail stores can match prices for the cingular website, so check those prices before you go into a store.”
• Get credit for your mistakes. “If you go way over on your text messaging one month, go into a store and ask if they can credit you the difference if you sign up for a bigger text package. They should be able to do this, and you can always drop your text back down after you’ve gotten your credit.”
• Use the internet for $20. “Also, regardless of what kind of phone you have a $20 mediaMAX data package will give you unlimted access to the web that will not use your minutes, whether you’re using a phone, a PDA, or even a laptop card.”
