New GoPhone SIMs don't work in all phones?

holychao · ‎03-18-2008

I have a friend who just bought a GoPhone with the intent to use my old Tilt. I also do GoPhone service so I know in theory this should work. When she put the SIM in the phone it didn't show up. I did a few more hard resets on it and then tried the SIM in my new phone (Touch Pro) neither phone sees the SIM. On a hunch I compared both our SIM cards and found that hers is different from mine. They both say the same things (AT&T G3) and are the same size but the metal on the back is different. Hers is much smaller than mine is so it doesn't make contact on all points when placed in the Tilt and TP. Does anyone know what's going on with that? Has AT&T decided to not let people switch to nice phones or is there a different way to get the SIM she needs?

Thanks a lot in advance for any info!

pablocrego · ‎04-10-2008

The best way to go is to show up at any ATT store (corporate not franchise) and ask for a new gophone account with SIM only. They dont ask on which phone you are going to use the SIM. There is a fee of $25 for the SIM that is usually waived if you purchase a refill of $25 or greater.

Im not sure, but I think I read that some GoPhone packages with special phones or discounts comes with a gophone-only SIM. Im sure that someone will come here with that answer soon.

thomppa · ‎07-23-2009

This happened to me as well. I'm on vacation in US (from Europe) for one month and brought my phone and laptop from Europe (LG X120 with embedded 3G module) with me (they have WCDMA band II and V support and GSM 850 and GSM 1900...) . Since the roaming cost is huge I decided to go for a prepaid solution. The best I could find was "Pay as you go" with 100MB data for 19.99$. When I was looking around for this I found out that I was able to get a simple phone to a very attractive price when I signed the deal. So, I signed a prepaid deal including a phone and I went to the hotel happy with the deal. But unfortunately it was not exactly what I expected. I can use the "Gophone" with the prepaid-sim card, but the prepaid sim-card is not useful in my phone and laptop that I brought with me from Europe. (they can be used with my sim-card from Europe, but that is way too expensive...)

Hope to see "real prepaid data sim cards" useful in the equipment I bring in the future. (and 100MB for 19.99USD is way too expensive...)

I think I have got my questions answered already earlier in this thread, but it would be interesting to know if someone else have had a similar problem or any more info to share regarding this.

rkkeller · ‎07-02-2007

I wonder what would have happened if you activated the prepaid sim in your "old phone" not the prepaid phone you got with it?

Message Edited by rkkeller on 09-16-2009 07:48:25 AM

holychao · ‎03-18-2008

I'm thinking Pablo hit the nail in the head here. I'm not sure about buying a new SIM yet, we're a little worried that all the GoPhone SIMs might be this way now. Her phone did come with a small amount of free airtime. She compared her SIM to my sons and they are the same. I bought his off line a few months ago and it didn't come with any time at all.

@ Thomppa Honestly this is a new problem. I've been on prepaid almost 2 years and have had 2 HTC phones so far. For about 6 months there was even an unlimited data plan... I can survive with the 100mb...kinda

@ Rkkeller Unfortunately the "upscale" phones can't be used to activate them. I tried when I first got my TIlt. I had been worried that the SIM would be locked down to the cheepy $20 Motorola. Yay it wasn't. But the problem isn't really service related, its a physical difference in the new SIM cards.

So now I wonder... Can GoPhone SIMs be reactivated? I have an old one that hasn't been used for a while. I'm just worried that an AT&T store will give out the same modified SIM.

thomppa · ‎07-23-2009

I'm a bit surprised. I have for sure heard of operator locked phones, but never that a simcard is locked to a phone. Wonder who benefits from this? AT&T should benefit if I want to use their sim card as much as possible? Right?

holychao · ‎03-18-2008

I'm surprised also. The ability to switch phones and still have decent coverage is why I chose AT&T over everyone else for prepaid.

In doing some more trouble shooting (SIM/phone switching) we have found that her SIM does not work in any other phone. I bought my son a Sony GoPhone from the online store. His SIM looks the exact same as hers. His SIM card works in her phone (Nokia 2610) and it works in the Tilt and my Touch Pro. Her SIM doesn't show up in his phone though. So I'm really stumped now.

Has anyone tried to get a replacement SIM out of the GoPhone side of AT&T? I really don't wish calling them on anyone, my last few experiences with them haven't been very good. I'm pretty sure transferring the balance on this card to a new one would be out of the question though.

rkkeller · ‎07-02-2007

My friend just received yesterday a $15 Nokia GoPhone he ordered from the att.com website and he activated it pulled the sim and popped it in an iPhone and Treo with no problems.

Works fine. The sim looked the same as his old one. I dont know why some work and some don't.

Message Edited by rkkeller on 09-18-2009 07:57:21 AM

thomppa · ‎07-23-2009

I would guess it's not the SIM itself that is the problem. Probably the setting for the "subscription" that the SIM is connected to at ATT. Wonder if this ATT can change this "setting"?

holychao · ‎03-18-2008

I will have her call and see if she can't get something changed with it. Hopefully it wont be to tramatic LOL

I will post results.

thomppa · ‎07-23-2009

My problem was solved today. I can now use my unlocked Nokia 5800 with my AT&T prepaid... This is what I did:

I went to an AT&T store and described my problem. (The SIM card which I got with the Gophone only works together with the Gophone that was bought) They were suprised by this. They advised me to call to the customer support. I did this from the store, but they said this was because of the phone AND the SIM are locked to each other for 6 months. The person in the AT&T store couldn't belive this, so we tried the SIM card in this phone. Same problem there, it didn't register to the network. So he replaced the SIM card with a new (keeping the same prepaid supscription), and after that it was working both in my nokia 5800 and his phone as well.

Great for me and great for AT&T, since I will now be able to use the phone more. Nokia 5800 is for sure much more advanced compared to the Nokia 2610 that I got as "Gophone" and due to this I will soon need to go for another 100MB data and additional 19,99USD.

Has anyone any idea of why the SIM card is locked to the Gophone? The opposite that the Gophone is locked to an AT&T SIM is easy to understand...

hme83 · ‎11-01-2005

thomppa wrote:
My problem was solved today. I can now use my unlocked Nokia 5800 with my AT&T prepaid... This is what I did:

I went to an AT&T store and described my problem. (The SIM card which I got with the Gophone only works together with the Gophone that was bought) They were suprised by this. They advised me to call to the customer support. I did this from the store, but they said this was because of the phone AND the SIM are locked to each other for 6 months. The person in the AT&T store couldn't belive this, so we tried the SIM card in this phone. Same problem there, it didn't register to the network. So he replaced the SIM card with a new (keeping the same prepaid supscription), and after that it was working both in my nokia 5800 and his phone as well.

Great for me and great for AT&T, since I will now be able to use the phone more. Nokia 5800 is for sure much more advanced compared to the Nokia 2610 that I got as "Gophone" and due to this I will soon need to go for another 100MB data and additional 19,99USD.

Has anyone any idea of why the SIM card is locked to the Gophone? The opposite that the Gophone is locked to an AT&T SIM is easy to understand...

It's not just that the GoPhone is locked to *an* at&t SIM - it seems that it is locked to *that* at&t SIM card. My guess is that they were trying to mimimize the opportunity for users to purchase GoPhones as a inexpensive "replacement" for a lost/damaged post paid phone - one reason at&t may care about this practice is that it potentially inflates the number of GoPhone users they believe they have (depending on how they actually measure the number of users).

Another thing that I would imagine they may have wanted to accomplish by locking the SIM to the GoPhone is a reduction in the opportunity for users to utilize a prepaid SIM with the $19.99 MediaNet plan in devices that at&t has designated to be a smartphone/PDA's. (Smartphone/PDA's are not sold for prepaid service by at&t; and on a postpaid plan they require a $30 data plan.)

=^..^=
There must be a happy medium somewhere between being totally informed and blissfully unaware.

- Doug Larson

holychao · ‎03-18-2008

@ thomppa

It's great you got yours fixed!

Sadly the nearest corporate AT&T store is a good hour from us. I did have my friend call the GoPhone customer service. She told them she had broken the phone she had bought and the card wouldn't work in any other phone. All they kept telling her was that the SIM was activated. We ended up getting a SIM from online that works perfect. I have asked a friend who works with AT&T about this 6 month thing and they seemed like it was news to them too. They were kinda stumped by this whole ordeal really.

@ hme83

I don't know why they would really care about the data, so long as I'm spending money. I love my Windows Mobile phones. On good months I can just squeak by with the 100mb... On ones that work is super boring I can eat that up in 2 weeks... or less. So I'm probably averaging out to paying as much as post paid customers do or maybe more for data that IS limited. My thing with a contract is that I ~have~ to get a voice plan. I hate hate hate talking on the phone especially in public. I text and I have a silly need to be connected with email and a multitude of social apps. I see no reason to spend and extra 30$ or more a month for a voice plan that I might use once a month for 2 minutes. Being able to use whatever phone seems like it would be a good thing... There is another company out there that has prepaid plans that don't lock you down to very basic phones.

rkkeller · ‎07-02-2007

Not all GoPhone sims are locked to the phones, only the ones that comes with "free air time".

My friend bought a refurb GoPhone from the att.com website about 2 weeks ago and the sim works

in every phone he has tried, Treo, iPhone, Nokia, etc....

hme83 · ‎11-01-2005

...............

@ hme83
I don't know why they would really care about the data, so long as I'm spending money. I love my Windows Mobile phones. On good months I can just squeak by with the 100mb... On ones that work is super boring I can eat that up in 2 weeks... or less. So I'm probably averaging out to paying as much as post paid customers do or maybe more for data that IS limited. My thing with a contract is that I ~have~ to get a voice plan. I hate hate hate talking on the phone especially in public. I text and I have a silly need to be connected with email and a multitude of social apps. I see no reason to spend and extra 30$ or more a month for a voice plan that I might use once a month for 2 minutes. Being able to use whatever phone seems like it would be a good thing... There is another company out there that has prepaid plans that don't lock you down to very basic phones.

Believe me, I'm not saying that I think they *should* care - but historically they have.

To me, data is data - it shouldn't matter what type of device is using it if you are charging based on a usage level (whether PPU based or via data plan allotments). In my opinion, the problems have come in that at&t postpaid service terms have required a "special" (aka more expensive) plan for tethering your laptop (regardless of data amount actually used) and "special" (aka more expensive) data plans for devices they designate to be smartphone/PDA's - again, without any recognition as to the actual data amount being used. Simply moving to fair pricing within the data plans (based on usage, not device type) would have eliminated the need for at&t to take this SIM/GoPhone locking step, at least when it comes to trying to gain more control over the data aspect of things.

They seem to have recently removed the "free airtime credit" promotion from the phones available on the at&t website - I don't know whether the GoPhones in stores (at&t and third party retailers (?)) had this promotion or not. But I'm curious to see if all new GoPhones sold are now locked to their SIM, since initially it seems to have only been the ones that came with the "free airtime credit" promotion.

=^..^=
There must be a happy medium somewhere between being totally informed and blissfully unaware.

- Doug Larson

panic_at_my_dis… · ‎09-22-2007

Urg, this is really stressing me out. The only reason I decided to come back to At&t was to use my Treo. My treo on T-Mobile was a waste of money. I had the sidekick plan and was paying 30bucks a month for just texting because I couldn't get internet access using the sidekick data. and since my treo is At&t branded/unlocked, I thought it wouldn't matter. I can't use this nokia 2610 for 6 months. And, I'm a 18 year old college student and I just spent my last 30 bucks on this stupid Gophone. I talk to waaay too many people for this phone to be of any use to me. I'm a text addict and I can't do that on this phone. I'm broke, so it's not like I can go and pay for a new sim card. Nor do I have the time or a car to go to the nearest at&t store which is like a 30 minute drive...

This is making things such much more difficult. If I knew about this stupid Phone to SIM locking, I would have just continues to stay with T-Mobile and only get texting.

This had made me furious and actually dislike At&t more than T-Mobile... And T-Mobile was eating my money!!!

So, not only can I not use the Treo I bought a month ago, but I'm stuck with a crappy phone for 6 months.

AT&T didn't advertise this anywhere... It should say on the front of the box "For new GoPhone customers, once the device and SIM are activated SIM cannot be used with any other device for a set period of time..." But, no. It's in the box in pamphlets that no one reads! {word filter} This is a scam.

No one wants the cheap phones.

{Uncalled for comment edited - please keep it courteous}

Message Edited by Glomag on 10-22-2009 08:08:40 AM

Message Edited by Glomag on 10-22-2009 08:11:20 AM

Irish Rose · ‎11-30-2008

panic_at_my_disco wrote:
Urg, this is really stressing me out. The only reason I decided to come back to At&t was to use my Treo. My treo on T-Mobile was a waste of money. I had the sidekick plan and was paying 30bucks a month for just texting because I couldn't get internet access using the sidekick data. and since my treo is At&t branded/unlocked, I thought it wouldn't matter. I can't use this nokia 2610 for 6 months. And, I'm a 18 year old college student and I just spent my last 30 bucks on this stupid Gophone. I talk to waaay too many people for this phone to be of any use to me. I'm a text addict and I can't do that on this phone. I'm broke, so it's not like I can go and pay for a new sim card. Nor do I have the time or a car to go to the nearest at&t store which is like a 30 minute drive...

Perhaps eBay would be a better option for you, since you can pick up a new SIM card for less than $10 shipped, and would eliminate the long drive to the store to get a new one.

panic_at_my_dis… · ‎09-22-2007

Yes, true, Ebay seems to be the only apparent alternative to this ridiculous situation.

However, I still need to purchase airtime as gophones come with with $0.00... which, is rather preposterous.

This is a hassle.

Message Edited by panic_at_my_disco on 10-22-2009 06:36:25 AM

Irish Rose · ‎11-30-2008

panic_at_my_disco wrote:
Yes, true, Ebay seems to be the only apparent alternative to this ridiculous situation.

However, I still need to purchase airtime as gophones come with with $0.00... which, is rather preposterous.

This is a hassle.

I understand your frustration here, but at least you still have a workable solution to using the phone that you want. There are online sites that you can go to, to purchase cheaper Go Phone refill cards, if that helps any.

holychao · ‎03-18-2008

panic_at_my_disco wrote:

However, I still need to purchase airtime as gophones come with with $0.00... which, is rather preposterous.

Did yours come with out any money? My friends (the original problem) came with 15$ "free" but my sons phone (bought just 3 months ago) came with no perks at all and his SIM works in any phone. I'm trying to figure out the why/how of this mess. Sadly I can say that because of all this I recommend AT&T a lot less these days.

And I suggest eBay too.

panic_at_my_dis… · ‎09-22-2007

No, it came with the 15.00.

but, in order to get a new sim, I would have to put at least 25$ on as other people have said because just buying the sim, it won't come with any airtime.