Military Discount for Cell Phone Service Customers

TwoToneGT · 02-01-2006, 04:32 PM

The "Federal Telecommunications Act 1996 Discount to Federal Employees Past and Present" gives discounts on personal cell phone bills to ALL military and civilian employees of the Federal Government...IF you call your cell phone provider to ask for the discount.

Some of the numbers are listed below, but your own customer service department can assist you. Just mention the specific act mentioned in the title of this e-mail!

Cingular is 1-800-319-6393 19% discount

T-Mobile ( 866-646-4688) 22% discount

The Sprint Business line direct number is 1-888-788-4727 15% discount

Nextel 1-800-639-6111 18% discount

Verizon (800-865-1825) 23% discount 0r call 611 on your verizon cell and ask for help, or call 800-922-0204

TwoToneGT · 02-02-2006, 08:40 AM

Thank you

Coolbean · 02-12-2006, 01:19 PM

Hey, I'm new to this thing, and I have a query that I'm hoping you can help me with.

I'm going to the New York soon, (I live in england) and I'm hoping to buy a new phone. If I were to buy a new phone over there, would it still work back in the u.k?

Excuse my stupidity.

Alice.

PrimeWoman · 03-22-2006, 02:02 PM

I hope this isn't to late for your use. Your best bet is to purchase a quadband phone which supports 850/900/1800/1900 frequencies. U.S. providers use 850 or 1900, while the rest of the world uses 900/1800. This is only the tip of the iceberg however. I will assume you will be buying a GSM phone which relies on a SIM card to transmit the data necessary to your provider for billing purposes. Stateside, these phones come locked, unlocking services are available so that you can use the SIM card that is made for your service provider. ...just don't expect it from the store from where you purchase it. Unbranded SIM cards exist as well. I suggest you do alot of searching on the web to become as informed as possible. You are by no means stupid, as you are asking questions. The reality is, it is all terribly complicated. Good luck, and I hope your experience here is a positively memorable one.

PrimeWoman · 03-22-2006, 02:06 PM

Oh, and Alice, don't expect the sales staff to be helpful in the tech area....they are trained and motivated to sell, often providing misinformation either due to ignorance or indifference.

PrimeWoman · 03-23-2006, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwoToneGT

The "Federal Telecommunications Act 1996 Discount to Federal Employees Past and Present" gives discounts on personal cell phone bills to ALL military and civilian employees of the Federal Government...IF you call your cell phone provider to ask for the discount.

Some of the numbers are listed below, but your own customer service department can assist you. Just mention the specific act mentioned in the title of this e-mail!

Cingular is 1-800-319-6393 19% discount

T-Mobile ( 866-646-4688) 22% discount

The Sprint Business line direct number is 1-888-788-4727 15% discount

Nextel 1-800-639-6111 18% discount

Verizon (800-865-1825) 23% discount 0r call 611 on your verizon cell and ask for help, or call 800-922-0204

I did quite a bit of searching in regard to this post. Let me paste a few things:

https://132.13.30.4/Family%20Readine...0Discounts.mht (This link was updated Jan 06)

******** NOTE: many emails with this information have circulated at many major military installations citing a "Federal Communications Act of 1996, Federal Employees Past and Present" -- this particular act does NOT provide for these cell phone discounts. In other words, this Federal Act has absolutely nothing to do with the current discounts, the military discounts are 100% voluntary on the part of these service providers.
Cellular phone companies are offering 15-20% military discount. Current military discounts apply to most carriers. You may be able to leverage other carriers to match these military discounts. You may need to provide proof of Federal employment - such as your supervisor's name, phone number and your unit's address. We have contacted these companies and confirmed their discounts!

· Sprint offers a 15% military discount. Update: call 1-888-703-9514 and you must reference AAFES code #0109565715. Call and you will get the discount with no problems and no additional service commitment!

· Cingular offers a 19% military discount. Call 1-800-319-6393. Update: for Cingular's discounts to take effect, you will need to sign up for at least a 1-year service agreement. With a .mil email address, you can sign up for the discount at their website.
To apply, it is done totally online. Go to http://www.cingular.com/discounts You must enter your existing number and your WORK (.mil) email address. It will send you an email that gives the instructions and a link for validating that you qualify.
For new customers the POC number is: 1-800-356-9752
For current customers and for the accessories: 1-888-290-1338
Foundation code numbers on the Cingular Discount:
US AIRFORCE 32497

COAST GUARD 36776

MARINES 32438

NAVY 32437

ARMY 33645

· T-Mobile Call 1-866-646-4688. No additional contract required. Their military discounts are: Activation Fee: Waived, Voice rate plans: 9.3%, Data Standalone plans: 3.3%, Add on features: 5.3%, Blackberry Plans: 3.3%, Equipment: $20 off, Overages: 11.3%, Long Distance: 11.3%, International Long Distance: 11.3%

· Nextel offers an 18% military discount. Call 1-866-456-7892. No additional contract required.

· Verizon customer service number is 1-800-511-1150 and is open 8am-9pm M-F - the military discount is 15%. Download the online form. No additional contract required.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/b...gisterline.jsp

It can't hurt to ask to whom discounts are extended to, what the conditions are and if any discounts for eligibles are available on new phones and/or accessories.
So...there you have it folks.