AT&T new upgrade policy

Yeah it's always best to give these carriers a try first. Of course we all would like to have extra money that we don't have to toss at a phone bill but T-Mobile just doesn't cut it for those of us who travel. 2G in 2013 is pathetic on the interstates so that's why I have Verizon.

Even Sprint has 3G along most interstates (despite the speeds primarily being 2G/EDGE like).

The worst part is that T-Mobile actually has the spectrum to deploy HSPA in many of their current 2G only areas but so far have chosen not to do so. They neglected their entire network that year they tried to whore themselves out to AT&T and now they're paying for it. Yeah they're building out LTE now at a good pace but it's in the same areas that already have HSPA+ 42. Their CEO and no one near the top has publicly commented on when/if they will finally address the large 2G areas.

T-Mobile's motto is get them to come and then build the network later instead of build it and they will come.

lordofthereef said:

No, I am not assuming any such thing. An early (yearly) upgrade on AT&T is $450 flat out ($200 off retail). So the numbers I posted are spot on. I can renew my contract yearly, and get the current gen iphone for $450 out of pocket. With TMO, I would pay $630 each year, out of pocket, for the new iPhone.

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Are you sure you can do that yearly? I heard you can only do the early upgrade once, and then you have to wait until the regular upgrade period the next time. That was also how it was for me, but that was a while ago (in fact that line I early upgraded wasn't available for any discount at all until a month or two ago).

lordofthereef said:

Why would there not be an ideational $150 down payment? Of course there is one... It's part of the price of the phone. At 12 months you want to buy a new phone, you still have 12 months left on the first phone you bought, therefore you are responsible for the next 12 months of payments ($240) plus another $150 for the next phone as a down payment.

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You're still missing what I'm saying. The new $150 down payment is part of the $390. Due at renewal after 12 months is $240 (the remaining balance on your phone) and $150 (the down payment on the new phone).

If you do this every year then it will equate to you paying $390 out the door every 12 months for the new iPhone.

Remember you've already paid $390 of $630 on the first phone if you've had it for 12 months already.

Either way no need to continue this. I'm not trying to convince you or anyone to switch, you've tried them and they didn't work in your area. At least you gave it a try.

Apple Trees said:

Yeah it's always best to give these carriers a try first. Of course we all would like to have extra money that we don't have to toss at a phone bill but T-Mobile just doesn't cut it for those of us who travel. 2G in 2013 is pathetic on the interstates so that's why I have Verizon.

Even Sprint has 3G along most interstates (despite the speeds primarily being 2G/EDGE like).

The worst part is that T-Mobile actually has the spectrum to deploy HSPA in many of their current 2G only areas but so far have chosen not to do so. They neglected their entire network that year they tried to whore themselves out to AT&T and now they're paying for it. Yeah they're building out LTE now at a good pace but it's in the same areas that already have HSPA+ 42. Their CEO and no one near the top has publicly commented on when/if they will finally address the large 2G areas.

T-Mobile's motto is get them to come and then build the network later instead of build it and they will come.

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I think T-Mobile's strategy is to provide a strong network where the people are located. Sprint has taken the opposite approach where they are placing their LTE network in smaller towns first (who knows why) wheras T-Mobile has decided to focus their efforts on where the vast majority of their customers reside and work. Its a business decision they've decided to roll with and they reap the results of that choice with customers like you who have chosen to do business elsewhere.

dave420 said:

Are you sure you can do that yearly? I heard you can only do the early upgrade once, and then you have to wait until the regular upgrade period the next time. That was also how it was for me, but that was a while ago (in fact that line I early upgraded wasn't available for any discount at all until a month or two ago).

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Unless they changed the yearly thing alongside the new 24 month thing (they may have) then yes, I am sure. Been doing it for years on multiple lines.

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CEmajr said:

You're still missing what I'm saying. The new $150 down payment is part of the $390. Due at renewal after 12 months is $240 (the remaining balance on your phone) and $150 (the down payment on the new phone).

If you do this every year then it will equate to you paying $390 out the door every 12 months for the new iPhone.

Remember you've already paid $390 of $630 on the first phone if you've had it for 12 months already.

Either way no need to continue this. I'm not trying to convince you or anyone to switch, you've tried them and they didn't work in your area. At least you gave it a try.

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The phone is $150 + $20 x 24 = $630
You are payng this EVERY YEAR for a new phone in one way or another. You can pay it off early (and you would have to in order to get the next phone broken up like this) or you can pay it off over the two years. No matter how you look at it, a new iPhone will cost you $630 a year. I PROMISE.

Here's the scario. Let's say TMO had the iPhone 5 at launch day.

I paid $150 that day, plus $20 a month for 12 months. That puts my total at $390, right? But now I want the new phone. I need to pay off what was left on the first phone, which is another $240 before I can get the new phone.

The way you are calculating it, you are dismissing a few thing. First, you are dismissing the fact that you have $240 left to pay off on your handset after only having made 12 months worth of payments. Second, you will have another down payment on the new handset. Buying an iPhone through TMObile is basically like buying it retail, but they give you a small break ($20 off, and no taxes). I don't see why you are sitting here complicating this more, but you are right, the back and forth is pointless.

dave420 said:

Are you sure you can do that yearly? I heard you can only do the early upgrade once, and then you have to wait until the regular upgrade period the next time. That was also how it was for me, but that was a while ago (in fact that line I early upgraded wasn't available for any discount at all until a month or two ago).

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That's what happened to me before.
They told me I got the early upgrade last time so I can't keep getting early upgrades every year. I had to wait the whole 2 years then I got a full upgrade. And after that I could do another early upgrade again.

This means that my contract will have ended when I'm eligible for an upgrade. September/October 2014.

Once my 2 years is up, I'll unlock my phone, then I can decide whether to go to TMobile with a new phone, or possibly a MVNO service with my existing phone to save money. I told myself when I bought the 5 that I would try to extend to 3 years. Of course, I may decide differently at that point. But I could still get a new unlocked phone and go MVNO.

Where this may hurt ATT is if there is an earlier upgrade of a desirable iPhone in the summer of 2014. I might have just stayed with ATT and did an early upgrade, but now it is open to alternatives.

newskin said:

How does this work exactly. $10 extra a month but doesn't the new iPhone line also require a data plan adding around another $30? Isn't it really am extra $40 a month?

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You move the phone to the primary line and put a dumb phone on the other line.

Either things are very different in other states or some folks forget the extra $3 or so in taxes/fees. That $10/mo is more like $13.50/mo or $324 per 24 months.

I get one every 18 months I should be fine.