Line activation question and upgrade confirmation

moot

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Hey there, I’m planning on upgrading my phone without losing unlimited. Can someone please confirm that the process is correct for VZ. I know this has been written about extensivel, but I jsut wanted to get it in my own words to make sure I'm understanding it correctly.

Also I have 2 questions that I’m hoping someone can answer as well. Thanks

Upgrade steps


  1. Transfers my upgrade to another non-unlimited line (this line has a 2gig monthly limit)
  2. Purchase new smartphone in store and activate phone on non-unlimited line
  3. Once the phone is activated on the non-unlimited line, transfer the phone to my original unlimited line

3 Questions
  • If I transfer my upgrade to another line, does that line reset its own upgrade cycle?
  • I’m planning on transferring my upgrade to my brother’s line. He’s currently in another state, so I can’t have him with me when I transfer/upgrade the phone to his line. Will I be able to re-activate his original phone, without him being there? Or will he have to go a Verizon store himself? I'm trying to make this process seamless for him/avoid having him make the trip. I'm the account manager, btw.
  • Can step 3 be done over the phone? Can it be done right after 2 in the same store?

THANKS!
 

dezymond

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1. No it transfers back to your line

2. He doesn't need to be there and Verizon can reactivate his original phone. It shouldn't take more than a few min. Just let him know when you plan in getting it done in case.

3. If you're already in tbe store just get it done there. It'll be much quicker.

I did the exact same thing a few months back and the whole upgrade process took maybe half an hour. The actual activation and transferring of the phone took roughly 15min, so let your brother know of the time window just in case

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moot

moot

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Thanks for the confirmations!! You're the best!
 

jackiescivic

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While dezymond is right, if your brother has a 3G phone, he will have to dial *228 to reactivate his phone once they place it back on his line. If he has an LTE phone, he will need to get a new sim card. Once a sim card is deactivated, it can not be 'turned on' again.
 
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moot

moot

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While dezymond is right, if your brother has a 3G phone, he will have to dial *228 to reactivate his phone once they place it back on his line. If he has an LTE phone, he will need to get a new sim card. Once a sim card is deactivated, it can not be 'turned on' again.


Yikes, I was hoping to avoid something like this! But good to know, I appreciate the heads up!
 

dezymond

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While dezymond is right, if your brother has a 3G phone, he will have to dial *228 to reactivate his phone once they place it back on his line. If he has an LTE phone, he will need to get a new sim card. Once a sim card is deactivated, it can not be 'turned on' again.
I actually used my upgrade on another line that has a 4s on it. The user of that line didn't have to be in store or do any extra steps while my s4 was being activate on and transferred to mine. In fact, they didn't notice any interference whatsoever after the transaction was complete.
 
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moot

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I actually used my upgrade on another line that has a 4s on it. The user of that line didn't have to be in store or do any extra steps while my s4 was being activate on and transferred to mine. In fact, they didn't notice any interference whatsoever after the transaction was complete.

Thanks! When you were doing the transfer, did you need any information on the 4S phone, like the ESN number? Were you able to just activate the S4, and then ask the CSR to switch the line back to the 4S without any additional information? Just trying to prepare myself, so that I have all the info I need when I go to the store and prevent as much down time, as possible.
 

jackiescivic

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I actually used my upgrade on another line that has a 4s on it. The user of that line didn't have to be in store or do any extra steps while my s4 was being activate on and transferred to mine. In fact, they didn't notice any interference whatsoever after the transaction was complete.

But if I remember correctly, the 4 and 4s do not use sim cards :)
 

jackiescivic

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Thanks! When you were doing the transfer, did you need any information on the 4S phone, like the ESN number? Were you able to just activate the S4, and then ask the CSR to switch the line back to the 4S without any additional information? Just trying to prepare myself, so that I have all the info I need when I go to the store and prevent as much down time, as possible.

The rep should be able to see the IMEI for the old phone under device history on the account. They can copy/paste it into the necessary field. It wouldn't hurt for you to have that information when you go in, just in case the rep doesn't know where to find it :) If your brother has a 3G phone, he will need to dial *228 and option 1 to reprogram the phone on the network after the rep has finished with the process.
 

dezymond

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But if I remember correctly, the 4 and 4s do not use sim cards :)

True but you mentioned dialing *228 to reactivate the phone, the other user in my plan didn't have to do that. So I dont know if they remotely re-activated it or not.

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dezymond

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Thanks! When you were doing the transfer, did you need any information on the 4S phone, like the ESN number? Were you able to just activate the S4, and then ask the CSR to switch the line back to the 4S without any additional information? Just trying to prepare myself, so that I have all the info I need when I go to the store and prevent as much down time, as possible.
Nope didn't need any of the phone info, it's all within Verizon's system and as long as you're an Account Manager you have the authorization to upgrade on that line. The s4 was activated on the iPhone line and then transferred over to my line, new contract and all.
 
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You're the best, thanks for all the info! :)
 
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