AT&T Next

Next is just how you pay for the phone mainly. You can stretch out the payments across let's say 2 years paying a little every month, or you can pay it off right away (no Next or contract in that case), or you can go on contract and pay for it that way (basically pay something to get it, usually a lower price, and then a slightly higher price compared to the other options per month which goes toward paying the subsidy you got for getting a phone on contract).

C DM said:

Next is just how you pay for the phone mainly. You can stretch out the payments across let's say 2 years paying a little every month, or you can pay it off right away (no Next or contract in that case), or you can go on contract and pay for it that way (basically pay something to get it, usually a lower price, and then a slightly higher price compared to the other options per month which goes toward paying the subsidy you got for getting a phone on contract).

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All of this. The way it works, however, is you can replace your phone after you have completed a majority of your payments.

Basically, if you do AT&T Next 30, you can replace your phone after 2 years (only 24 months) BUT you must bring your phone in to be replaced. The returned phone covers the remaining balance.

I'm not sure I can see the advantage of next for an individual plan like mine. I have 450 minutes, 200 texts and unlimited data. I pay $67 per month and get a new phone every 24 months. I always trade in at Best Buy and always get a very decent gift card. Sometimes I use it towards the $299 cost of the phone if I buy at Best Buy. Otherwise I'll use it towards my next purchase.

I love next. My last 4 phones were done on Next. I swap phones often so Next works great for me

Technarchy said:

I love next. My last 4 phones were done on Next. I swap phones often so Next works great for me

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AT&T makes it so easy compared to Verizon, which requires you to replace the phone the second you pay it off.

AustinIllini said:

AT&T makes it so easy compared to Verizon, which requires you to replace the phone the second you pay it off.

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For Verizon Edge? You keep the phone once it's paid off since you own it at that point. You can then just continue with owned equipment, or if you want to get a new phone get on contract, or get on another Edge agreement. It's essentially the same as Next.

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Nhwhazup said:

I'm not sure I can see the advantage of next for an individual plan like mine. I have 450 minutes, 200 texts and unlimited data. I pay $67 per month and get a new phone every 24 months. I always trade in at Best Buy and always get a very decent gift card. Sometimes I use it towards the $299 cost of the phone if I buy at Best Buy. Otherwise I'll use it towards my next purchase.

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It doesn't make much sense on older plans and generally works better on current plans with more data basically.

C DM said:

For Verizon Edge? You keep the phone once it's paid off since you own it at that point. You can then just continue with owned equipment, or if you want to get a new phone get on contract, or get on another Edge agreement. It's essentially the same as Next.

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Oh okay. I see that now.

C DM said:

It doesn't make much sense on older plans and generally works better on current plans with more data basically.

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Yeah Next works best if you're willing to go to the newer mobile shared plan. On the older plans, the subsidized cost of the phone is included so Next would have him paying for the phone twice essentially.

Having said that, I ditched unlimited data for next and I love it. I can get a new phone whenever I want and I know exactly what I'm paying for.

BeeGood said:

Having said that, I ditched unlimited data for next and I love it. I can get a new phone whenever I want and I know exactly what I'm paying for.

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Precisely. It is super easy to get in and out of devices. I went from 5S to S5 in 7 months, iPhone 6 5 months later and Note4 3 months after that.

It just works for my whimsies

apple111115 said:

Hello,

I know this plan has been discussed before, but I am having trouble finding a situation in which it is just one person in search of a new phone. So, if it is just an individual on a plan, is AT&T Next the better option? I am very confused with the research I've done already. Thanks for any help you may have!

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If you are an individual on a MSVP then there are only a couple of things that need to be answered to decide if you should get a phone on Next or a two-year-contract.

Are you going to upgrade your phone every year or every two years? If it's every year, go Next 12. If every two years, continue.

Is the Next payment of the phone plus the MSVP line fee cheaper than the price of the phone subsidized cost up front, activation fee and $36/mo line access fee?

So take an iPhone 6 16GB. If you did a two-year contract the phone would cost you $200 up front. Then a $36 activation fee. Then it costs you $40/mo for two years. That's $1196 for your phone and line of service.

If you are on a 10GB MSVP (or higher), you'll pay nothing for the phone up front and no activation or upgrade fee. You will pay $27.09/mo for 24 months (Next 18) plus $15/mo for the line access. That's $1010 over two years. That's cheaper than doing the two-year contract.

Now lets say you were on a 6GB MSVP. Now your monthly line access fee is $25/mo instead of $15. Now your two-year cost is $1250. That's more expensive than a two-year contract.

But if you got that iPhone 6 16GB for free on contract at BB or something, then it's a slightly better deal than the Next 18 on a 10GB MSVP.

Say you're looking at a different phone. You don't need the latest and greatest or an iPhone but still want something nice. The LG G3. NOICE! Free on contract right now. With the activation fee and the monthly line payment, that's $996 over two years. But on Next 18 with a 10GB MSVP, that cost is $858.99. On a 6GB MSVP, it's $1098.99.

So as you can see, it really depends on what plan you're on, what your upgrade cycle is like and what phone you want. Anyways, I hope this post helps you and future searchers decide what to consider when you're deciding between contract and Next. Until AT&T stop offering contracts anyways.

Bearxor said:

For instance, ANYONE that put a 128GB iPhone 6 Plus on a Next payment is an idiot. The monthly cost for just the phone alone is $40. Plus the $15 for the line access fee on a 10GB MSVP. That makes your two-year cost $1310. If you had done a two-year contract, it's only $860.00. It is $450 cheaper over two years to do a two-year contract on the 128GB 6+ than AT&T Next under the best pricing conditions. If you have a 6GB MSVP it's almost $700 cheaper! Before anyone asks, yes, I'm an idiot.

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Please explain how you got the $860 figure for the iPhone 6 Plus 128GB on 2-year contract. By my calculation, TCO for 2 year contract is $1,460 ($500 upfront + $40 line fee * 24 months).

rui no onna said:

Please explain how you got the $860 figure for the iPhone 6 Plus 128GB on 2-year contract. By my calculation, TCO for 2 year contract is $1,460 ($500 upfront + $40 line fee * 24 months).

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Yeah, seems like the upfront part of the phone cost on contract was completely omitted in that calculation.

Bearxor said:

For instance, ANYONE that put a 128GB iPhone 6 Plus on a Next payment is an idiot. The monthly cost for just the phone alone is $40. Plus the $15 for the line access fee on a 10GB MSVP. That makes your two-year cost $1310. If you had done a two-year contract, it's only $860.00. It is $450 cheaper over two years to do a two-year contract on the 128GB 6+ than AT&T Next under the best pricing conditions. If you have a 6GB MSVP it's almost $700 cheaper! Before anyone asks, yes, I'm an idiot.

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Eh....this is completely wrong. You seem to be forgetting the up-front fee for the phone on a 2 year contract (which is 499 plus tax for a 6+ 128GB).

Thanks for calling me an idiot, but my Next plan is far more cheaper than the old plans.

rui no onna said:

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C DM said:

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af21187 said:

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I apologize y'all. I was running out of time to type that for a meeting and decided to add that part at the last minute because it made me start rethinking my next purchase of a +6. I got it crossed in my head and had done the upfront cost of the phone and $15/mo line access charge which is, of course, completely wrong. On contract comes out to about $100 more over Next over the course of two years.