using at&t phone with cellone plan

[no4daughter]

My daughter currently has an unlimited talk and text plan with cellone (who have merged with AT&T) but needs a new phone. Because AT&T does not offer such a plan she does not want to switch plans to get a new phone. I am fine with switching my own plan and don't need a new phone so I was hoping to upgrade to AT&T from cellone, get a new phone and give it to my daughter to use with her cellone plan. AT&T tells me that AT&T phones will not work with a cellone plan. Is this true? Any way I can get a new phone to use with a cellone plan?

[cellular_freak]

Originally Posted by no4daughter

My daughter currently has an unlimited talk and text plan with cellone (who have merged with AT&T) but needs a new phone. Because AT&T does not offer such a plan she does not want to switch plans to get a new phone. I am fine with switching my own plan and don't need a new phone so I was hoping to upgrade to AT&T from cellone, get a new phone and give it to my daughter to use with her cellone plan. AT&T tells me that AT&T phones will not work with a cellone plan. Is this true? Any way I can get a new phone to use with a cellone plan?

This is true. You cannot have a CellularOne plan or phone with an AT&T plan or phone. You cannot mix and match. You have to have both. If you go to switch your plan, you will have to get a new AT&T phone. I'm not quite sure if when you give her that new phone it will work. I've been told that putting a non-AT&T SIM card into an AT&T phone will make the phone not work, but I'm not sure if that's true or not.

[RadioFoneGuy]

Originally Posted by cellular_freak

This is true. You cannot have a CellularOne plan or phone with an AT&T plan or phone. You cannot mix and match. You have to have both. If you go to switch your plan, you will have to get a new AT&T phone. I'm not quite sure if when you give her that new phone it will work. I've been told that putting a non-AT&T SIM card into an AT&T phone will make the phone not work, but I'm not sure if that's true or not.

This always gets me when I hear it, ATT has the abiltiy to unlock both ATT and Cellone phones but its understandable to want to migrate as many Cell One customers over so they dont have to run to customer data bases and billing systems. The sales people told me they will hold on to the old Cell One phones left over for any Dobson customers so in saying this you can get one of the old previous offered Cell One phones.

The only other option if dont want one of the previously offered Cell One phones is two buy a phone off of EBAY. Make sure the phone is an Unlock, GSM that uses both 850 and 1900 not one or the other.

[no4daughter]

Thanks for the replies. It also irks me that ATT does this. I went to the ATT/CellOne store and a nice sales person told me that they will allow me to renew my old CellOne contract and, upon renewal, I can get a CellOne phone and give it to my daughter. Seems to me that ATT would be in the same position by letting current customers renew their old contracts with CellOne as they would by allowing ATT phones to work with CellOne contracts. At least I don't have to pay $400 for a phone.

[RadioFoneGuy]

Originally Posted by no4daughter

Thanks for the replies. It also irks me that ATT does this. I went to the ATT/CellOne store and a nice sales person told me that they will allow me to renew my old CellOne contract and, upon renewal, I can get a CellOne phone and give it to my daughter. Seems to me that ATT would be in the same position by letting current customers renew their old contracts with CellOne as they would by allowing ATT phones to work with CellOne contracts. At least I don't have to pay $400 for a phone.

ATT is not very keen on losing customers and will allow quite a bit buy you have to ask as they wont advertise some things. I think they wont allow the sim swap due to billing arrangements and two different supply distribution channels I would imagine it would get confusing.