Question about iPhone 5 upgrade

[rosskin92]

A word of warning: I am new to the world of upgrading. I know this question has been asked before, but I haven't found an answer that pertains to my situation.

Well, I have a question about an iPhone 5 upgrade.

Currently, I am on a family plan with my family members. We have:

• 4 basic phones
• 1400 minutes a mth
• unlimited texting
• no data.

Here is my situation. I currently have the kin oneM. Its my third since I upgraded, and while it works, it is starting to go on the fritz again.  (I do not abuse my phones, I take good care of them) Plus, my needs have changed, and the basic phone doesn't fit them

My upgrade isn't until March of 2013. The account holder and another line seem to have an upgrade in January, while I have no clue what the upgrade date is for the fourth line.

I have been looking at the iPhone for some time, having resisted getting it when I was first eligible for my upgrade.

Given that situation, should I wait for my date, call to see if we can negotiate an early upgrade (the posts point towards this being no, but it is worth a shot), or should I try another way to get an iPhone?

Thanks.

[tikibar1 · Accepted solution]

Apple doesn't allow early upgrades, so you could wait until March and upgrade your line then, or, if one of the other family members doesn't object, transfer one of their upgrades to your line in January and upgrade your phone then.  Then in March you could transfer your upgrade to their line if they then need to upgrade.

[rosskin92]

Wait. If I take the other family members upgrade, I can transfer my upgrade to them in March? I thought I lost it if I took another family members upgrade.

[tikibar1]

No, you shouldn't lose your upgrade if you take an upgrade transfer from another line on the account.  Just keep in mind that if you transfer an upgrade, whoever was eligible is the one who gets the contract extension.  In other words, if you transfer an upgrade from Family Member A to your line, then Family Member A's contract is extended two years, not yours.  So if you then transfer your upgrade to Family Member A's line in March, your contract is then extended two years.

However, I have to admit I agree with Jim ... if it were me, I'd wait until March and upgrade to an Android.

[rosskin92]

Ah I get it now

And I would go for an Android, I just don't like the fragmentation though :S Plus, I have more experience with Apple, and don't mind getting locked into that ecosystem. Android is a whole new system for me

But who knows, my tastes could change with in a month.

[tikibar1]

Also keep in mind that if you upgrade through a retailer, I believe they only have the ability to switch your account to Share Everything.  And some folks are reporting on this forum that it's sometimes tricky when upgrading on-line.  My point is that you can upgrade and just choose a tiered (i.e., $30 for 2 GB) data plan; you don't have to switch to Share Everything unless you want to.

[rosskin92]

Ah I  see. I think it may be cheaper to switch though. I need to do the calculations first

I will keep these in mind when I discuss the upgrade with the account holder.

[Ann154]

You could try and convince the user of one of the line eligible in January to let you use their upgrade.  You could agree to let them use your upgrade in March.  Whichever line you use for the upgrade will have the contract extended on that line and not your line.  Your line would then have the contract extended when they use your upgrade in March or later.