Originally Posted by
josephstern
I really wanted the T-Mobile plan, which has unlimited data in theory, but slow after a tier that you pay for. In this case, for you, 5 GB is $70/month. But then you get some free international roaming, which is slow, but could be nice. And tethering works AFAIK, on the US service.
T-Mo won't work for me, domestically, at least. I travel very extensively by road across the US each year. T-Mo's coverage is not sufficient for me. Heck, their coverage map shows
2G both at home and in every place my family lives and that I visit each year, not to mention the roads in between those places.
Internationally, it would be nice to have data upon arrival in each country, but the throttled speeds would not be acceptable to me for anything more than a brief transit through the country. I would likely still end up purchasing a local SIM for faster speeds and the ability to tether, so the appeal of the free international roaming is limited.
Originally Posted by
josephstern
Another important note here: you said you switched your SIM on your old phone. That won't work on a new subsidized one from AT&T for two years, and after two years, you'll still need their mysterious blessing.
I'm aware of that. A relative is upgrading to the 6, too, and I will be obtaining that person's old iPhone 5 for use as my international travel phone (since my unlocked iPhone 5 was stolen).
I do appreciate you trying to offer alternative solutions, but I'm pretty knowledgeable about the options available to me, and I have very specific reasons I want to purchase the specific model and carrier I mentioned at the subsidized, contract price. My question for the thread here was about availability of that specific model and how best to improve my chances of securing that specific model.