Existing Sprint SERO Plan Upgrade Tips & Tricks
This post is targeted for those who have the grandfathered cell phone plan called the Sprint Employee Referral Offer (SERO) plan. This plan is no longer available to the general public, but for $30 a month it gave us 500 minutes per month, unlimited 7pm nights and weekends, unlimited text messages, and unlimited data.
Many of us love the plan, but it appears that Sprint really wants to phase us out, or at least upgrade us to their new Sprint Everything Plus Referral Program (EPRP)* where a similar plan costs $60. They are doing this by not allowing many newer phones to be activated on SERO, including the Samsung Instinct HD, Palm Pre, and HTC Hero (Android OS) phones. It seems like they will continue to ban all the best new phones. Here’s what I did to keep my $30 SERO plan and still get a relatively snazzy phone for a net cost of $130.
$70 Credit For Extending Contract By 2 Years
Do this first! Follow the abbreviated directions below exactly from user t-bob of SlickDeals. Do not call in. It will extend your contract by 2 years, but you’ll still be eligible for the $150 phone upgrade credit.
At 22 months you are eligible to renew your contract. When you are eligible, login to your account at sprint.com and click on the “contact us” link at the top right of the page in the black bar. Click on the “Email us” link. Search for something like “renew contract”. Now you should finally be at the web form to submit an email to Sprint eCare. For topic select “Plans, features, and services” and for subtopic select “Plan inquires.” In the text box say that you have heard that there is a $70 service credit available for renewing your contract and you would like to take advantage of that.
HTC Touch Pro2 for $199
You should get a reply within 24 hours that you can get the $70 credit. Verify online by checking that you now have a negative balance. Now, what’s the best phone that you can get to work with SERO? The answer in my opinion is the HTC Touch Pro2. Previously, the issue was that it cost $350 even after a $100 mail-in rebate. However, simply visit this link first, and then you’ll see the Touch Pro2 for only $199 on Sprint.com with no rebates. I thought it was just Sprint.com, but it was because I first saw this thread on Fatwallet. It checked out fine for me, and I already have my UPS tracking number.
Update 10/15/09 3pm Pacific: It appears this may no longer work on SERO plans. If you already got the $70 credit, you can either use eCare and tell them you changed your mind and have them reverse it, or you can wait to see if the price will drop again as the holidays near. Samsung Intrepid which runs Windows Mobile 6.5 is also available. Again, your contract will just shift to 2 years past your new purchase date.
You can read reviews of it here, here, and here. When you buy the phone, your contract will be extended again just slightly to 2 years after your purchase date.
It may not be the best phone out there now, but it does have a nice-looking touchscreen, a big physical keyboard, and access to a decent number of useful applications including Twitter, Facebook, Opera Mini, and Skyfire. All for $130 net. I can even tether it using PDANet and make it a wireless modem for my laptop, which I’ve been doing with my Motorola Q for the last 2+ years.
If you really want an iPhone or other specific phone and are willing to pay $30-$40 more per month for it, then I would say go for it because this plan won’t last forever. I’m just not ready to pay an additional $1,000 over the next 2 years just yet. 
* Russ.S.McGuire@Sprint.com / 383
Find more in Deals & Offers, Frugal Living | 10/14/09, 10:01pm | Trackback
October 14th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Bravo, Jonathan… I had forgotten to mention the $70 retention offer in the other thread. But as I also mention, if you are willing to part with your old phone; depending on the make and model, Sprint will give you up to $50 in additional credit (www.sprint.com/recycle).
Like you, my wife and I are not quite willing to part with our Sero plans. And with all the incentives, the TP2 ends up being just $102 and secures us for another 2 years on the Sero plan. We also have corp. discounts that were applied to our Sero plans 2 years ago; the plans cost us a total of $60.65 per month with taxes. Still can’t beat that.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Good tip MattG on the recycling. Too bad my Moto Q isn’t worth anything. The Moto Q9c is worth $24.
Nice job getting those corporate discounts added, I got turned down twice.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Well they are giving me $28 for my Centro… lol…
To add more confusion to all this, it does not help matters in that Sprint has also renamed the Sero plan. When we all got it was called the Sprint Employee Referral Offer… now Sprint has redubbed it the Separating Employee Retention Offer (ain’t that a kick in the ass). Think they want us gone much. You can see a comparison here:
https://www.sprint.com/webconversionform/Separating_EPP_Plan_SERO_Everything_Plus.pdf
All in all I think we did well and are somewhat secure for two years… then… well let’s see.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Johnathan… I also wanted to not that your reviews for the TP@ are TMibile based reviews and the phone differs for Sprint. Differences include: a few more extras such as its various entertainment services, and (finally) a standard 3.5 millimeter audio jack as well as world-roaming capabilities. Oh an a far better color and a fraction shorter and lighter.
Check out the cnet reviews at http://reviews.cnet.com/smartp.....70281.html
October 14th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Answer for me: iPhone on T-Mobile (grandfathered $5.99 unlimited data plan)
October 14th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
@MattG - 3.5mm jack… sweet. The old HTC converter cable looked awful.
Looks like Pro2 can also be upgraded to WinMo 6.5 later this year as well.
@Eric - If you have an easy HowTo on unlocking an iPhone and getting it on T-Mobile for cheap, I’d be happy to have you guest post.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:48 am
Does this work if your contract has expired? I have two of $30 plans to cover me and my wife, but our contracts were up in May. I was hoping to get the new Android (hero or moment) phones, but that’s not possible. I also have my corporate discount applied and I’m worried that making any changes will flag it and they’ll boot me completely off. That makes the 1500 min everything data family plan look pretty good as it’s $40 with discount applied. We just have old flip phones now, so I’ll have to still learn about the tethering, but I’m really interested in that.
October 15th, 2009 at 1:17 am
@Scott - Yes, this post is only for those at least 22 months into your 2-year contract, if not completely past. My *feeling* is that if you upgrade online with no human intervention to a Pro2, nobody will not look at your plan and you should be fine. If anything, they would just remove the corporate discount but not boot you off SERO.
October 15th, 2009 at 2:08 am
It says that the touch pro2 is still $349 with my zip code of 85710?
October 15th, 2009 at 3:45 am
@Johnny - Very interesting. I fiddled with some things… try the new and improved directions.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:39 am
Can’t beat my $100/year prepaid phone combined with Google Voice, and office phone (and I may add Ooma later). People calls me at my Google Voice number and I can answer with my office phone or home phone (Ooma later). So, I rarely use my mobile phone.
But I miss my data plan. I hope Eric will post on how to get cheap tmobile data plan for iPhone.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:49 am
I just recently signed up with sprint using a corporate discount. I got the above $70 Everything 450 plan for $50. Not quite $30, but not bad. I was also able to get a Palm Pre which I’m pretty happy with so far. I was an AT&T Tilt user, but I had grown weary of WinMo.
It seems if you want a company discount, just go to http://www.sprint.com/companyname and you’ll see their discount rate. Doing everything online, there’s no verification whatsoever. I got free shipping, waived activation fee, and the mail in rebate was made an instant rebate.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:06 am
I currently have a BB Tour and a BB Curve on SERO, paying only $100 per month total for 500 minutes per phone, unlimited data, and 1,000 text msg per month. I also have BIS/BES on each phone. There is a rather involved process to get all of this done but in my opinion the Tour is a much better phone than the Touch Pro2 and one can be had on SERO for $50/month.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Ugh, $60 tax. They tax the pre-discounted price.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:46 am
Scott: how large is your discount to get the everything data 1500 minute family plan for $40? I get a 25% discount and the 1500 ED family plan is $97 on sprint’s site.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:54 am
Thanks for the info.
I was just wondering if I should renew my contract.
On a separate note, What is the best family plan out there.
I’ve been holding off on renewing because I wish to get an additional phone
Thanks
October 15th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Josh: I apologize for not being more clear. I get the same 25% discount, so it’s $40 *additional* per month for an additional 50% minutes (2×500 currently vs 1500). Since local, state, and federal taxes along with fees add 23%, I pretty much break even on the discount and have a total cost of $60 like MattG mentioned. I’m underestimating the real cost obviously, since the $97 would be the same as you, but I have no idea how to estimate the taxes for that since there seem to be a dozen line items and some are flat fees and others are percentages.
Put together a spreadsheet yesterday looking at the options and it seems that I can get 1400 or 1500 minutes for right at $100 on any of the different carriers with the different discounts available. I’d probably stay with Sprint as their plan really offers all the services for both lines. For T-mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, I think I had to get my wife a standard phone, get a smartphone for me, add a data plan to mine, and I could get what we would like.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:01 am
what is a corprate discount ? and how can i get it ?
i currently have everything data 450 bb plan is there a better option for me with sprint ?
thanks
October 15th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I wonder if Sprint will continue to allow future WinMo phones for sero plans. That HTC HD2 looks pretty incredible, although I don’t think there’s anything confirming that it’s coming to Sprint yet, but one can hope.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:24 am
This brings whole new set of questions. Right now I believe the TP2 ships with WinMo 6.1 that released on May 11 2009. I wonder if Sprint will give us upgrades to 6.5 or 6.5.1 when they finally release.
But Brent, your post raises the question as to whether Sprint will offer WinMo phones when the get around to shipping with WinMo 7. 7 is supposed to offer a “premium experience on par with competing devices…” does that mean more data intensive like the Hero, Pre, etc.? Will Sero users be barred still once more? Who can tell at this point, we will just have to wait.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:26 am
I have been trying to get the Touch Pro2 for a while for 199 with no success. I even tried the link but it just jacks the price up to 599 - $75 credit. I am out of contract ( I have SERO) but since my last renewal was a year ago and only for 1 year I am only able to get a $75 credit and not able to get the phone for 199. Does anyone have any suggestions for me to try to get this phone?
October 15th, 2009 at 11:39 am
You can get the iPhone on the cheap if you ‘carpool’ i.e. have a family plan with 2+ people, the more the better. I use ‘family’ very loosely, technically you can add whoever you want to a family plan.
Our 4 person AT&T family plan has 2 regular phones+2 iphones with unlimited data, 1400 minutes, A-List (similar to T-mobile myFaves) + rollover minutes. After taxes, our combined bill is around $190.
I installed Skype + gVoice in my iPhone and that saves me even more minutes
October 15th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I learned about the SERO from this site years ago, I love it! $37 with taxes - I brag to EVERYONE about it. Wife wanted to move to a black berry but after doing the math we came up with what Jonathon came up, it wasn’t work the extra yearly amount to jump off SERO
October 15th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I ditched Sprint a while back. Their customer service was awful.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I have the $7/month insurance and an old HTC Touch. Anyone know what would happen if I lost my phone? Would they actually replace it with a Touch, or do you think they’d be out of stock and give me something similar but newer (like a Touch Pro or Diamond)? Might be a good way to get a cheap upgrade.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Thanks Jonathan for the nice post on Touch Pro 2.
The $70 credit is there anyway one who is not on contract could also get it, by emailing Sprint?
October 15th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Does the HTC Hero work? I’d much rather have that.
October 15th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
I’m trying to do this and even though I’m logging into the http://www.sprint.com/everythingplus site, when I try to “Upgrade/Replace” for the HTC Touch Pro2 I get the following (any ideas?):
We’re sorry, but the number you entered has been identified as part of the Everything Plus Referral Program (formerly Sprint Exclusive Referral Offer/SERO). Please visit http://www.sprint.com/everythingplus to complete your Everything Plus phone upgrade, or you may call an Everything Plus sales representative by phone at 1-888-882-4030 to place your order.
October 15th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Just received and activated the TP 2… very nice…
October 15th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Jonathan: any ideas?
CSR gave me the $70 credit and renewed my contract, but I’m not able to checkout and get the $199 price for the phone.
It keeps doing the popup thing saying I am on a SERO plan. zip 48901
it gives me the popup after inputing username and pass. I tried it for my spouse’s account and got the same thing.
October 15th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Sorry for any confusion. When I posted this I thought that Sprint had lowered the price to $199 across the board since it was rumored for a while, when in fact I still had a cookie from a previous link I tried (citigroup one above) before. It was weird because the cookie persisted even after logging out. Using that cookie by accident did work for a couple of days for everyone to get $199 price, but it appears that Sprint may have stopped allowing SERO plans for this phone.
If you already got the $70 credit, you can either use eCare and tell them you changed your mind and have them reverse it (removing 2-year extension), or you can wait to see if the price will drop again as the holidays near. The Samsung Intrepid which runs Windows Mobile 6.5 and has a smaller touchscreen is available to SERO users. Clear your cookies first. Again, your contract will just shift to 2 years past your new purchase date.
October 16th, 2009 at 3:03 am
Thanks Jonathan….I got my TP 2 for $199 and I now work for citigroup
October 16th, 2009 at 4:09 am
Got my TP2 today as well… It’s pretty slick, a nice HTC OS overlay on top of ugly Windows Mobile 6.1. Looks like there will be limited productivity this weekend.
October 16th, 2009 at 5:55 am
I received the $70 credit yesterday. Looks like I missed the TP2(Touch Pro 2) $199 online price. I read the reviews on TP2, its nice. T-mobile is selling the TP2 for $49.99 on wmdeals.com
Now, any other alternate way to get TP2 with Sprint for $199 or less? Don’t want to change carrier and loose my nice SERO plan. Jonathan, if you get to know any alternate way of getting TP2 on sprint for this price, can you please post in the comments.
–
Achiever
October 16th, 2009 at 9:12 am
I send an email to ask for $70 service credit. Sprint gave it to me but also automatically renew my contract for another two years. I call the customer service centere asking why they extended without my authorization. They said they have to do it when issuing $70 credit. Is that the case for everybody. At the end, they deicde to take off extension and reserve the credit offer for another 30days for me.
Here is Sprint’s reply:
Thank you for contacting Sprint customer service about $70.00 service
credit for renewing the contract.
We offer a one time credit of $70.00 on renewing the agreement for the
next two years based on the account status. Your account is eligible
for the $70.00 agreement renewal offer which comes with a new two year
contract.
As per your request(???) I have applied a credit of $70.00 on your account
and also renewed the contract for two years. You will be able to view
this credit on your next invoice.
We value your business and appreciate the opportunity to address your
concerns.
Sincerely,
Ian A.
Sprint
October 16th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Well, considering it was $199.00, less the $70 retention credit, less $28 for my old phone; all told I am quite happy with the Touch Pro 2 for $101 plus tax. I received the phone yesterday afternoon and played for hours. WinMo took a bit of getting used to but overall, after my Centro for the past two years, I have no complaints. It a bit bigger and heavier but I actually life that… it actually feels substantial compared to some other phones I have tested. The slide out keyboard is sturdy and the response time of the system is good as well. I will say that I love the WiFi, easy to use and very fast.
I had a bit of trouble getting my email set up, but finally got that down as well. I also got my google contacts, calenders, and tasks sync’ed easily (and more importantly, correctly). The speaker is great. I also added a bunch of great freeware programs that I found on a WinMo users forum.
All in all, I think it’s a great phone for the price that I got it for as well as the two more years of Sero that accompany it; I am a happy boy.
PS: Just played around with the Voice Command… pretty neat.
October 16th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Got my phone today. So far, the UI is a bit wonky. Not as responsive as I’d like. But it’s way better than my old phone, and the price is right.
Haven’t managed to receive a call on it yet, so I’m not sure how that will be.
October 16th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Jonathan,
Love your blog. You’ve saved me tons of money over the years, particularly through the SERO plan. Yesterday I followed the steps listed and succeeded in getting the $70 credit. As others noted earlier, I now have a new two year SERO contract, which is great. However, now while it says I’m eligible for a $150 upgrade, it won’t actually let me upgrade. Says my account is not eligible for an online upgrade. Any ideas on next steps?
October 16th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
@SK - Try to log into the SERO website first, and then upgrade that way. Here is instructions from the slickdeals post noted above:
October 17th, 2009 at 7:06 am
“Update 10/15/09 3pm Pacific: It appears this may no longer work on SERO plans.”
What no longer works? The TP2? The TP2 pricing? The $70 credit?
October 17th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Thanks for the reminder to renew our SERO plans for another 2 years. Off to get my credit and check out the new phones!
October 17th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Hmmm, when I click on “Upgrade your phone” on my SERO account page, I get this: “”Your account is currently not eligible for purchases online”" This is new. Anyone know what’s up and what the best number to call for SERO telesales?
October 18th, 2009 at 4:14 am
@Jules - The TP2 for $199. The TP2 still works on SERO, I am using it right now, and so does the $70 credit as far as I know.
October 18th, 2009 at 6:19 am
@David - I get the same message when I tried to upgrade from my account page. My guess is they want you to call so they can get you to switch to the Everything Plus Referral Program.
I’m looking to score a Touch Pro off Ebay and activate it on my SERO plan so that I’m not locked in for 22 months.
October 18th, 2009 at 7:46 am
”Your account is currently not eligible for purchases online”
I am a SERO user and I am getting the same message when I attempt to upgrade online. This just started 2 days ago (10/16/09). Any ideas?
October 18th, 2009 at 10:08 am
The following be worth a try to those who still want to get the Touch Pro2 for $199. Visit site and try to upgrade your phone, I’m already upgraded so I can’t tell if it works.
http://www.sprint.com/usps
October 18th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Jonathon: Yeah, that won’t work. When you select a phone to upgrade, you are asked to sign in and then you get this message:
We’re sorry, but the number you entered has been identified as part of the Everything Plus Referral Program (formerly Sprint Exclusive Referral Offer/SERO). Please visit http://www.sprint.com/everythingplus to complete your Everything Plus phone upgrade, or you may call an Everything Plus sales representative by phone at 1-888-882-4030 to place your orde
October 19th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Can this be done w/ a blackberry? If so, how? Is there any risk involved? Thanks for any feedack.
“I can even tether it using PDANet and make it a wireless modem for my laptop, which I’ve been doing with my Motorola Q for the last 2+ years.”
October 20th, 2009 at 12:10 am
Jonathan:
How do you activate your TP2? Via phone or online? I didn’t find the answer from fatwallet or sprintusers. Anyway, I am still looking site that sells it for $199. Hopefully, Sprint will lower the price.
H.
October 20th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Hey J…. how are you liking the TP2. After getting the hand of the WinMo OS I gotta say, that I like this phone… a lot. I found a great online forum with applications and tweaks that really help a lot. Let me know if you want the url.
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:51 am
[...] to slickdeals (via My Money Blog) for saving me $140 on something I was going to do anyways! Print Email [...]
October 24th, 2009 at 10:28 am
It appears that once you get the $70 credit for account renewal you no longer qualify for an upgrade through one of the corporate discounts. It would probably go through on the everything plus site, but it’s 349 there… Now to wait for them to reverse the credit, I guess 199 is still a pretty good deal, heh.
October 24th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Interesting thing with the TP2. Although GPS is not supposed to be available on the SERO plan, the Sprint Navigation programs is included on the TP2. I was unsure if it would connect and low and behold it does. Worked fine for a 2 hour trip I made yesterday… flawless plotting and great spoken directions and visuals. Also, said good-bye to my iPod. Loaded up the TP2 with my music. and played it through to my car’s radio using my Motorola ROKR T505 blue-tooth transmitter. What is especially nice about this set up, is that while the GPS and phone run in the background, the music transmits to my car stereo and when it comes time for a GPS instruction, it mutes the music and the GPS voice is pushed through, the same with a phone call; music is muted and the incoming phone call is announced with all the contact information… take the call and when finished, the music resumes. Great set-up.
October 24th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Call today- the pick3 is gone. The operator said the management took if off a couple days ago..damn
October 24th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
@MattG - I think the GPS is only a limited time trial. Recently I tried using it again and had to pay. If it isn’t for you, then score! GPS feature still works with Google Maps app though.
I’m liking the phone, although it has plenty of quirks. Every time I get a text the phone unlocks, and I end up calling a bunch of people by accident. There is a third-party fix for that.
Otherwise, I find I can moderate blog comments and check e-mail on the go without using office internet, which is good. I don’t play games very much, but the free Real Dice poker is fun. My favorite non-standard apps so far are Facebook and Google Maps.
October 26th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Got a HTC Hero two weeks ago, with Android. It’s extremely cool and I’m very happy with it. Don’t believe the fanboys spreading the rumor that there’s lag on this unit, there’s none; I haven’t experienced any. The phone cost $179 (with rebate) and my $59.99 / month plan includes the following:
* 500 anytime minutes
* Nationwide long distance included
* Roaming included
* Unlimited calls to any mobile, anytime
* Unlimited SMS text messaging
* Unlimited picture mail
* Unlimited data usage
* Sprint Navigation (with voice) included
* Sprint data pack
* Unlimited night and weekends from 7 pm to 7 am
* Sprint TV included (yes, the cell even plays TV, with several channels avail.)
Meanwhile, iPhone users pay $90 for a basic plan and can’t use the phone. A similar plan from AT&T would cost at least $180 / month, with poor coverage and weak signal inside buildings, dropped calls, no streaming allowed, no Google Voice allowed, etc. AT&T charges $10 for navigation and another $20 for unlimited messaging/texting alone. What good does it do to have an iPhone if you can’t use it because is either too expensive or has poor coverage? Please, jailbroken units are nothing but trouble and can’t get 3G, so what’s the point? I can text, stream, IM, upload pictures, use navigation, watch TV, talk, etc, until I drop for just $59.99.
October 26th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
“My favorite non-standard apps so far are Facebook and Google Maps.”
Try these great apps: Trapster, Google Sky Map, ShopSavvy, Compare Everywhere, Shazam, Places Directory, Craigs Notification, Calorie Counter, Flashlight, Cab4me, Listen, Pandora, Ustream Brodcaster…
October 27th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Anyone tried to upgrade their phone OS to Windows Mobile 6.5 ? HTC released a ROM update for Touch Pro 2 for 6.5 OS, few weeks ago. But, I am not sure if it is for CDMA phones like that of Sprint or only GSM phones.
October 27th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
You can find some interesting cooked ROM’s here.
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=79579
October 27th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Thanks for the deal updates, Jonathan. My wife and I are coming up for renewal soon and will definitely lock in two more years of the SERO.
October 28th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Can I get a $70 credit if I still have one more year left of my contract? Or do you have to be out of a contract to qualify for the $70 credit?
October 29th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
@jose
it has to be after 22 months. so you would not qualify…
October 29th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Question:
if i am renewing family plan (thereby activating the $70 loyalty credit per line for all three lines), am I still eligible for the $150 upgrade credit for all three lines?
secondly, would the loyalty credit and upgrade credit apply if i use the EPRP promotion (employee referral)?
November 9th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Trying to upgrade and extend my sero plan. I have 4 lines 1 with 1200 $50 and 3 with 500 minutes $30 unlimited data etc. Total $140/ mo + taxes etc. I do NOT want to give up the SERO. I am techno impaired. Want to get new phones Contract expires in 2 weeks. HELP Please!
November 19th, 2009 at 8:16 am
folks, you can still get the $70 credit, but SPRINT will extend your contract for 2 years if you decide to do so. Also, the HTC Touch Pro2 phone is no longer available at $199, so if you are doing this hoping to get the phone, don’t bother. I have tried and failed. That’s all.
November 19th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
SlickD is correct. I was able to get my TP2 for $101 all told, but my wife’s contact was not up yet and we missed out. Now to try to research what other SERO phone would be best under the current restrictions. As for me, I am loving the TP2 especially with the free Google Voice fowarding through Sprint.
November 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Still told me I could Not get the $70 and a discounted phone? Jim
November 22nd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
It seems that the online price is $199.99 [599.99 - 150(instant savings) - 250 (web special)]. So is this deal on again???
November 30th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Currently I have a Centro in Sero plan that expire on 04/2010.
I want to upgrade the phone without loosing the sero. Should I wait or upgrade now. How cheap can I get a TP2 and how?
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:50 am
I am in the same boat as Luciano (expiry 5/2010). What did you find Luciano?
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 pm
I have a question, I followed all the instructions and I was able to purchase HTC Hero for 279.99 with 100 rebate. So my question is, when I receive my phone, how do I get to activate my phone? By calling Sprint, right? And wouldn’t they ask me to upgrade my plan to the everything plan? And also, what if I buy a phone off ebay with clean ESN, would I be able to use it? Please give me some details regarding activating the phone.
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:06 am
Check your receipt when you bought the Hero. It should have a URL address on it to activate your phone.
Being that you make no mention of the plan you are currently on, I can make no guess as to any of answers to your questions.
Since you have gone ahead and bought a Hero, I assume that you are not on the Sero plan. If you are, you will not be able to get it activated omn your account. Not now, not ever. It simply is not going to happen. There have been countless threads on it in other forums and I’ll not debate it here, if you’d like to see for yourself, google Sero Hero.
Ther are a number of newer phones that will not work with the Sero plan and the Hero is just one of them.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:02 pm
in response to drdomore
Probably this old news for most of the folks here.
after a year of the plan but before the 22 month, the dicount to buy the phone is only $75. @ month 22 the discount is 150.
I still have a couple of months more. so I’ll worry then, . I heard that when trying to activate a new phone , the representative @ sprint insist in upgrade the plan too. and that people that succeded in keeping the plan had to spend a few hours and talk to a few people and managers.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
I ordered my TP2 through the Sprint EPRP website. The receipt had an link to go to when the phone was received. This link was the address to activate the phone. It took me about two minutes to enter the information and for the phone to be activated. Not fuss at all. Never asked me to upgrade my plan from the Sero. And my account remains as is. Easy as pi.
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Hey MattG
Did you also renew the sero plan for two more years when you activated the TP2?
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:21 pm
OK, As I am from N.Y. and a SERO Customer Scams are all over This is how u beat the Sprint removal of SERO http://www.sprint.com/hp They Never Check your Email So Anyname.Anyname@hp.com gets u a Plan Discount and New Android Phones. You NEVER talk to a rep U just order with NO check-up and the phones arrive and on your 1st bill minus 20% I took Everything Data 3000 $169 2X $19.99 ea Additional line Minus 20% About the same. Locked up for another 2 years and New Android Phones! Merry Xmas!!!
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Sorry 25% OFF
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:44 pm
@luciano: thanks
@jim: how is $169 / month a good deal? am i missing something here?
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:47 pm
@Luciano - yes… the SERO was renewed for a 2 year contract.
@Jim - I am not sure ho9w that is a “deal.”
December 4th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Guys, I had 4 phones on my plan SERO 1200 min/ $50 3 500 minutes @ $30 each Total $140 I now have 4 Phones Everything Data 3000 $209 - 25% discount $150 It worked for me and got 4 new Android Phones at $29.99 Each.
December 4th, 2009 at 11:45 am
I have the $7/month insurance and an old HTC Touch. Anyone know what would happen if I lost my phone? It doesn’t seem like they’d have any Touch phones left, so I think they’d probably give me something else. Has anyone been in a similar situation and lost their phone? I’m considering telling them that I lost it and seeing if they’ll give me something similar but newer (like a Touch Pro or Diamond). There’s a $50 deductable, but it could be worth it, depending on which phone they give me as a replacement. I could always tell them that I found it later if the phone they give me is actually a downgrade.
December 5th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Hey Brent, I think you are mistaken about the $50 dollar deductable. Asurion, the insurance company that the plan is through courtesy of Sprint, raised the deductables for smart phones from $50 dollars to $100 dollars.
This may or not be worth it to you.
December 5th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Hey so does this 70 dollar credit still work for SERO users? I’m thinking about renewing and picking up a Tour at Best Buy…
December 14th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Hey, I’m trying to get the $199 deal for the TP2. I have tried the Citibank and Postal employee websites. I’m getting the following message when I try to log in my account: Your account is currently not eligible for purchases from this website. Please add an account to your profile to continue. Any suggestions. I have just sent an email to Sprint to extend my contract and get the $70 credit.
December 18th, 2009 at 5:09 am
How do I get the TP2 with a $30 SERO plan? I tried the websites as stated above but I keep getting an error message stating that he number entered is part of the everything plan. PLease help……
December 18th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Rob: go to http://delivery.sprint.com/m/p.....anding.asp
Enter: Russ.S.Mcguire@sprint.com and 383
Once in… log into your account - should work.
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:36 am
Matt,
Thanks for the info. Is there anyway to get the TP2 for $199 with SERO?
December 24th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Rob, I have been looking as well and don’t see a way to get the TP2 for $199. Cheapest I see is $349 with new contract.
December 24th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Thanks Rich! I was able to get a $70 credit for renewing my SERO contract for another 2 years. Guess I will have to pay $349 for the TP2. Thanks
December 25th, 2009 at 2:50 am
Ive been on the SERO plan for years. I just got another line with TP2 . They gave me a hell of deal. After bitching for 30 min. They priced matched with me and gave me the TP2 for $169.00. The phone will be here on the Dec 26th. But can I get the Everything Plus Plan with it? I have the everything data plan for $69 .
December 28th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I have a centro and I am a month away from renewing my Sero Plan.
While I see most af you choosing TP2 , I went to sprint stores and I felt that, even though tp2 web access is more complete, centro is far faster, the same happens with google maps. Also sending pictures to phones or emails is also very fast in my centro. I know that you can not compare the two phones, but since fast web access and quality of calls are my main concern, I would like to hear your opinions.
Thanks
December 28th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Luciano:
No comparison, the TP wins over the Centro on all fronts. I had the Centro for 2 years… I am not sure of the circumstances of your testing (signal, etc.) but I have had far greater speeds and performance from my TP 2 than I ever had with my Centro. Keep in mind that my use has always been in metropolitan cities where the fastest speeds are usually available.
December 29th, 2009 at 10:42 am
MattG
I have a $30 Sero acct. and I just tried going into the site with the russ s mcguire and the went into my online account and tried to buy the Tp2, but got the same message from sprint that stated that I was not on the everything plans and couldn’t buy phone. Did I do something wrong? thanks for all your postings.
December 29th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
I am seeing a lot fo misinformation on this site. YOU CANNOT upgrade your phone if you have a SERO plan. I have repeatedly tried to upgrade and Sprint will not allow the upgrade unless you change your plan to a EVERYTHING PLAN for $59.99/month. They will tell you its a compatibility problem, etc. The real reason you cannot keep your plan is that somebody at Sprint realized that $30/month for 450 min, unlimited texting and data is a steal therefore they are trying to phase it out. They have been proactively trying to push everyone off this plan to a more expensive plan. They are accomplishing this by not allowing SERO account holders the opportunity to upgrade the phone unless you upgrade the plan. So I hope you like the phone you have!
December 29th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
That happened to me recently when I was upgrading my wife’s Sero account. Then I cleared the cart and logged out and back in and it worked fine. Give that a try.
December 29th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
SAM:
Sorry to burst your bubble, pal, but both Jonathan (the owner of this site) and I, along with several others HAVE indeed upgraded our SERO phones and also successfully extended our SERO contracts.
I am posting a screen shot of my Sprint account page. I have blocked out all identifying info… but notice the expiration date, phone model and Plan.
http://i48.tinypic.com/2hfmmu8.jpg
December 30th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Would it be possible to use the link in the post to set up a new account?
December 30th, 2009 at 6:54 am
What is the cheapest I can get a TP2 for on a SERO plan? And how?
December 30th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Tony: I do not believe there is any way to set up a new SERO account. All the accounts I have are old and grandfathered. I have heard that there have been some folks that have existing SEROs and were able to add another, but I am unfamiliar as to how to go about this. However, surf on over to ebay.com and search Sprint Sero and you see about 8 auctions going on for the plans. Also, you may have some luck buying someone’s existing contract on a site that specializes in that sort of trade.
Rob: Looks like the cheapest you are gonna get a TP2 right now is $349, that is IF you have the$150 credit from Sprint toward an upgrade. You may be able to get the $70 credit (as mentioned in Jonathan’s article) if you are out of contract and get the credit through ecare. And you’r old phone may be eligible for Sprint’s recycle program. Looks like the $199 special has gone for now.
December 30th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
If I apply for the $70 credit for extending my contract, will I still get the $150 credit from Sprint towards a phone upgrade?
Thanks!
January 5th, 2010 at 12:04 am
If you have the credit you will not lose it…
January 5th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Hi Matt, (or anyone who can answer my question)
I caught this thread way too late. I am on Sero and I am trying to upgrade my phone. I really like the TP2 (and I need a phone that can tether). I tried to go through the link and purchase a tp2 on the sprint website but the sprint website didn’t allow me.
My question is, is there anyway that I still can obtain a tp2 at a reasonable price through sprint? Also, if I do get a tp2, can I still activate it with no issue?
Thank you!
Lis
January 5th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Lis, did you try the regular sprint website or the one we mentioned here (http://delivery.sprint.com/m/p/sprint/epc/epclanding.asp) using Russ.S.McGuire@Sprint.com / 383 to gain access? You should have no problem using the latter. You should be able to upgrade to the TP2 with no problems… as for the price… beware of the sticker shock… the $199 deal is not to be had anymore… I managed to get that along with a $30 credit for my old phone plus the $70 ecare incentive, so the $100 was not a big pinch… but I think now the price is back to its $350 tag… hopw this helps.
January 8th, 2010 at 7:07 am
I receive the following response when I ask for the $70 credit: Your line is eligible for $70.00 Service Credit against the contract renewal on your account. It is also eligible for handset upgrade at the online price with two year contract. However, it is not possible to avail both the offers together on your account. You can opt either of the both the offers.
It means that if I choose the $70 credit, I will lose the $150 upgrade credit, which is contradict to what Jonathan previously said. So is there is a way out or something changes here.
January 9th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
I am also on SERO, and I am up for my 24 month upgrade, I want an android phone so bad, and I can afford to upgrade to the 59.99 450min Everything Plan, (Right Now), but I dont know about a year from now.
Its hard to beat a $37 phone bill with insurance included.
I currently have a Palm Treo 800w. It is a decent phone, and I decided to just stick with my plan, but I am seriously thinking about buying the HTC Touch Pro 2, since it is the best phone SERO users can use, and I kinda wanna get it before Sprint decides that we cant get that phone either.
Does anyone here think that sprint will ban the HTC TP2 for SERO users anytime soon?
January 9th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
i too have sero and will be looking to upgrade my phone come this summer.. been out of contract for over a year now. subscribing to this thread to keep informed. thanks everyone for the info.
January 9th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
my 2 year sero account ended a year ago.. looking to upgrade my phone to a nice smartphone this summer and keep my sero account. thank everyone for the deals, comments, tips, etc.
January 10th, 2010 at 8:46 am
Sero Ebayer336: Sprint has never disallowed a phone that worked on Sero. They have either disallowed it from the launch of a phone model or allowed it; they have not yet arbitrarily pulled one from the plan. I think you’ll be ok.
I have to say, I love my TP2. It is a very well made phone and quite versatile.
January 10th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Yes, I think I will buy the TP2 off of Ebay in the next month or 2. Because they are going for 350 NEW on Ebay, with NO contract extension.
It would be 350 from the sprint store, with a 2 year contract extension, so Ebay will allow me to stay month to month
January 10th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Where do all the used cell phones go? People would pay decent money for a good used cell phone, and we all know people that upgrade to the latest and greatest phone regularly. Where do all those phones go? And why can’t they be found easily?
January 10th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
They can be found on Ebay, and on your local craigslist.org.
I am selling my Palm Treo 800w on craigslist now for $150
January 12th, 2010 at 1:02 am
I am on $30 sero plan using a Palm Centro. A few months ago, Sprint started to charge this:
Premium Browsable - SprintR Mobile Email -11/29 $9.99
I didn’t notice it until today! I have contacted Sprint.
Anyone has same experience? thoughts?
January 12th, 2010 at 1:05 am
Xingye,
I received the $70 credit. Now on my online sprint account, it shows that I am eligible for $150 credit in phone upgrade…
January 15th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Hi MattG, I have a SERO plan that’s been out of contract since June 09, but I have a slight twist, I have Nextel service. The Nextel phones are useless for navigating the Web and my wife is very fustrated with her phone. I want to keep SERO but am worried about making changes and loosing the plan. I tried my SIM card in my Nextel Blackberry from my job and it fired up fine, except for the data. It was looking for a wi-fi signal, so I guess I can’t use that phone. I was looking at the Samsung Instinct HD, but it’s only available as a Sprint phone. I know Sprint & Nextel are one company, but I’m still uncertain if they’ll try to boot me from SERO if I try to switch. Before I go and try, I’d like to hear your take on it. Thanks!
January 15th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
LarryC: Honestly, I have no clue. I’d imagine that you could switch your existing plan from Nextel to Sprint PCS but I really have no idea how to go about it. Perhaps drop by a Sprint store and see if they could do it, or drop an email to ecare and see what they say. Get that done first and worry about the rest later.
January 15th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Larry, have you ever heard of sprintusers.com ? It’s a great forum where people just talk about Sprint, their phones, there plans, and different strategies for getting the most from Sprint. It’d be a great place to ask your question.
January 15th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Where to find the list for phones not allowed with SERO plan? How about those blackberry or palm phones? Heard some people refreshing blackberry for GPS.. Any comments?
January 17th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Hello, I want to comment that I was able to keep my grandfather plan and get an HTC Pro 2. Thank you for the help. I have a question regarding the sprint navigation application. Is that included with the data plan or do I have to pay extra for that? I was able to use it once and now when I try to launch the app it states that I can either purchase a monthly plan or 24 hours rate. I didn’t want to call sprint about this because I was afraid they would see I have a HTCPro2 and state I need to upgrade my plan. Any input???
January 17th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
They give you a few days of Navigation free to try to get you hooked… after that you’d need a subscription to have it work.
January 18th, 2010 at 10:57 am
you can put your own GPS navigation program on there and use it with the free sero data right?
January 18th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Thanks to all for the suggestions! Dude I will check out the Sprint Users site. Thanks again!
January 18th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
@Frankzie, what GPS navigation programs are you thinking of?
January 18th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
google map, tomtom, others? i don’t know i’ve never done.. i just assumed there were free options that worked.
January 19th, 2010 at 10:33 am
Hi Matt,
Thanks a lot for your reply. I caved and bought the phone at $490. Sneaky Sprint people only gave me $50 credit (instead of $70). I had to call several times to get that $50 credit, but it was worth it. You mentioned you can use the TP2 tethering ability. I was wondering how that can be done. Would you shed light on it. I browsed a lot of web pages but it’s all Greek to me (I am a newbie to Smart phone). I need a step-by-step. Thank you.
Lis
January 20th, 2010 at 11:49 am
@LiS as of January 2010 you can no longer tether on the SERO plan. I tethered for the past 3 years no problem until as of recent. If you can find a way around it, please post. I have looked all over for a solution to still tether my Moto Q.
Thinking about upgrading to the Samsung Intrepid = anyone have any feedback to this device?
Also to my understanding the Blackberry Tour is a SERO choice.. do you have to pay the extra $10 blackberry fee for internet or can you keep the plan at $30/month ?
January 20th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Here is a .cab file to enable Tethering Stealth Mode - Hook your phone to your pc and use it as a modem undetected.
(SIM card must be inserted into phone)
ftp://ppcgeeks.com/Touch%20Pro.....%20Fix.cab
January 20th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
@MattG, I downloaded the *.cab file to my PC. Then do I need to install this file? On PC? On Phone? Would appreciate any feedback!
January 20th, 2010 at 7:21 pm
Matt, I’m not sure how well you know Sprint service….Sprint doesn’t use sim cards. It’s GSM that uses them. Sprint runs on CDMA.
January 20th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Dude: I’ll let you in on a little secret… the TP2 has a sim card….shhhhh… The TP2 is CMDA is the US but GSM in other countries…
DrDoMore: cab files for the phone. It has been a long time since I tethered, any questions should be asked on the ppcgeeks forum, they are truly the wizards.
January 20th, 2010 at 11:08 pm
I knew that you’d use that loophole.
The sim card wouldn’t be used on Sprint’s network, so how would that help with tethering? I’m curious, not being a smart aleck this time.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:37 am
I’m on the $30/month SERO plan (2 year anniversary coming up) and I’ve been tethering a lot over the last three days with my HTC Touch with no problems whatsoever. As far as I know, Sprint can’t tell that I’m tethering, although I changed some registry value (can’t remember what it was — did it a long time ago) after reading about it on ppcgeeks.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:44 am
You need the sim card in to unlock the phone for tethering.
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:01 am
MattG, that is a total lie needing a sim card on sprint for tethering. There is no such thing. The GSM touch diamond 2 and CDMA version are different phones. It can be done with a USB cable & activesync without any changes; bluetooth is broken in the stock rom, but aftermarket ones it’s fixed; Or you can buy WMWIFIRouter for $30 and it will fix the bluetooth for non-techies, and allow tethering over all 3; bluetooth, usb cable, or wifi hotspot.
January 23rd, 2010 at 9:19 pm
D, I never said that to tether with “Sprint” you need a sim card, I said that with the TP2, not the Diamond, you need to have the sim card inserted in order for the phone to be unlocked. If you know of another way for the TP2 to be tethered please go ahead and share.
January 23rd, 2010 at 10:14 pm
I bought WMWifiRouter, and it still works on my SERO + TP2 as of 1/23/10. Pretty cool to have a WiFi access point whenever I travel, can even share the connection with friends. I do try and keep my data usage using this method to a minimum unless there is no other option.
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:26 pm
I’d like to chime in on the tethering thing (which is what I am doing at this moment). After reading so much info here (thanks a lot Matt), and PPC Geeks forum, I have much better understanding what to do with my phone so I can use its full potential.
@drdomore — I highly recommend that you read through this page http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=91619
There are two ways (that I know) to tether. The way I chose to tether is follow the instructions on http://rhodiumw.htc-unlocks.com/hard-spl.php and then install Mighty Mike’s ROM. In Mighty Mike’s ROM, there’s built-in stealth tethering option. The other way (someone correct me if I am wrong) is to keep your own stock ROM and install the cab file provided by Matt above on the phone.
One thing you should know is, the .cab files are like zip files, so your computer will attempt to unzip it. Just select the save to option, don’t unzip it. And then hook up your phone to your computer so you can transfer the .cab file to your phone and then just run the file on your computer.
January 24th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
correction on the prev post.the last word should be phone, not computer. sorry about the confusion.
January 31st, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Sorry for being repetitive, but tomorrow starts my month 22nd of my sero plan.
In order to get the $70, SHOULD I CALL OR SHOULD I EMAIL THROUGH THE CONTACT US LINK?
Then for the $150 , Do I have to sign in in the sero page using the email and number given before in this mailing list?
January 31st, 2010 at 8:30 pm
email to see if you can get the $70… some have recently said that that is no longer being offered, but see if you get a cool CR… then sign on and upgrade… you $150 credit should be on the upgrade page.
February 1st, 2010 at 3:36 pm
My TP2 is on its way.
I requested the $70 in the contact us page then signed in the sero page and got $150 off+ $100 mail in rebate.
That formula works mathematically
Do you guys have a recomendation for accesories. I know I will get a case or pouch but I don’t know which one.
Thanks everybody.
February 1st, 2010 at 6:56 pm
As for cases I can highly recommend wiwaycn on ebay. He does custom cases very reasonably and the quality is incredible. You can specify what type of leather for the exterior and interior and the finishing is beautiful. Here is an example: http://cgi.ebay.com/D2-Custom-.....563896647c
February 4th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
i GOT mY TP2 running , it’s pretty slick.
I am having problems with google maps and live search.
when Itry to get my location, it shows me way off( sometimes in other states) .
Any of you have the same problem?.
any tip for URL to get apps?
February 6th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
so, just to clarify, the HTC Touch Pro2 is compatible with a $30 SERO plan?