He's probably talking about the increase of $25 in the monthly access fee. Not hidden.
For old plans it was hidden BUT those plans are WAY WAY WAY cheaper than current plans, people are not getting that.
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Apple Store No Longer Sells iPhone With 2-Year Contract on AT&T
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He's probably talking about the increase of $25 in the monthly access fee. Not hidden.
For old plans it was hidden BUT those plans are WAY WAY WAY cheaper than current plans, people are not getting that.
You should pay about $25 less per month for service on the NEXT plan to compensate. It works out to about the same.
If Apple will sell the sim free or unlocked version of the next phone on launch day (or for pre-order) to me that isn't a big deal. I'll just buy our phones outright and contact ATT later to move our grandfathered data plans over.
The problem will be if Apple delays these versions of the phone until a month or so after launch......
The problem will be if Apple delays these versions of the phone until a month or so after launch......
Thanks for the link. If we can keep our grandfathered unlimited, then I'm "fine" - next does seem comparable...
It depends on which voice plan you have.
With the old FamilyTalk plans you would be paying twice for subsidy next financing.
With the new Mobile Share (DATA) Value plans you get a surcharge (pay twice) for using the subsidy.
so basically you gotta switch your plan along with next if you choose that path.
its so hard to keep up with thread like this. because people have different needs.
so the people that are actually complaining are the ones that have the grandfather unlimited plan, which I feel you. so hold on to that as long as you can.
however in the end. you will lose your grandfather unlimited plan!!!! maybe not this month or next year. but it will come to an end. just like what T-Mobile did.
so the people that are actually complaining are the ones that have the grandfather unlimited plan, which I feel you. so hold on to that as long as you can.
however in the end. you will lose your grandfather unlimited plan!!!! maybe not this month or next year. but it will come to an end. just like what T-Mobile did.
Yes it 2nd this.
The problem with those online calculators and most people's math is they fail to take into account iphone resale value.
to put it simply the old familytalk nation plans (especially with unlimited data) and subsidy then reselling phone on craigslist was cheaper for the person upgrading yearly or every 2yrs.
The share everything and next plans are cheaper for people that keep the same phone long-term and don't upgrade.
t-mobile offers unlimited data plan.
if apple ever pulls the 2yr subsidy completely i will switch over to t-mobile.
I don't see the issue here. This is in general a better deal vs the 2 year plan. Plus now if you bring your own you can get a nice 5c used on Amazon about $200. The cost is less vs. a 2 yr plan to the tune of $15/ mo so $360 more over the two years plus the original price of phone $200+.
If you want to pay $200 down you can on the next plan. https://m.att.com/shopmobile/wireless/modals/next-faqs.html
Frankly I left the main carriers over this issue. Either buy a new phone every two years you are paying each month for it anyway. Now no longer.
If you want to pay $200 down you can on the next plan. https://m.att.com/shopmobile/wireless/modals/next-faqs.html
Frankly I left the main carriers over this issue. Either buy a new phone every two years you are paying each month for it anyway. Now no longer.
I also work for AT&T and 9/10 upgrades I do are on the Next plan. In fact, if the customer is on a 10GB or higher mobile share value plan (which most are) it's cheaper to be on Next than a 2 year contract. You save a bunch of money up front and usually pay less monthly.
For now you can still upgrade at AT&T corporate owned stores, not authorized retailers. Most people are switching to the mobile share value plans for significant savings and the 2 year contract is dying out. I believe Verizon is about to only offer upgrades with their Edge plan, and will not offer 2 year contracts even for grandfathered plans.
Because until recently, you paid the same monthly access fee even if you paid for your phone in advance, rate plans were not discounted at all.
I decided to run the numbers for myself as my family upgrades phones every 2 years. According to AT&T for the past year, the three of us have averaged 12 GB of data per month so I selected the 15GB plan for pricing. I got this information directly from AT&T when I logged in and looked at the available options for me.
Lol, at this. If AT&T hasn't gone out of business for being a **** service, and has actually grown exponentially when adding in the acquisitions, THIS is not going to cause them to go out of business. I don't see Ma Bell going anywhere for a long, long time. They've been around since 1885.
People don't realize that there is a subsidy built into the 2 year contract on the grandfathered plan. Part of the $40 monthly access fee for the line is an equipment charge for the phone. If you think any carrier is going to sell you a $650 minimum iPhone for $200 you're delusional. The whole reason you have to wait 2 years is so the carrier can make up the difference.
But until recently you paid the same monthly access rate regardless of whether you took the phone for $199 and agreed to 2 years of service or you paid $649 with no commitment. And face it, only a small percentage change carriers on a regular basis. It's the physcological factor that's important for many people, I'm not committed, I can leave whenever I want, yet most seldom do.
That is the case for older plans, but not for the current plans where the subsidy is being offset by the carrier giving you a discount for being on Next, or being off-contract (and basically using your equipment).
You, sir, have an unparalleled ability to connect the dots, even they're not even the same type of dots. For that reason alone, I have to like your post!
I know right? Makes me glad I switched to T-Mobile a year and a half ago (although, in retrospect, I wish I had waited until their program to reimburse you for deactivation fees).
I pay 265 dollars a month right now with a 25% corporate discount. I have 5 lines and I staggered the upgrades so every year 2 or 3 are eligible. I resell the old phones on craigslist for atleast 200 and that offsets the 200 subsidized cost; sometimes i even make more which offsets the 76 upgrade dollar fee and tax. So i always have 3 top of the line iPhones and 2 last gen iphones. It's a nice setup.
To get what I have now with next I would need three 12mo next agreements and 2 24mo agreements, along with a 20gb shared everything plan. total cost is ~330 a month after my corporate discount. (assuming it still works).
So I'd be paying upwards of 65 dollars extra a month on next.
Also I did the same calculation and on T-Mobile I would pay about 290. So the takeway is that ATT/NEXT isn't cheaper (for me at least) and it's more expensive than the competition.
We'll just have to order from AT&T online at midnight.
This is the thing that made me cringe. My upgrade isn't technically available till November, but will have to go into AT&T store to get them to move it up. I have this bad feeling they will hold me hostage and try to force me into a Next plan or wait till November. My only ammunition is to threaten to switch to T-Mobile.
I have 5 lines, too. I have 15GB shared for $100 ($75 after corporate discount) and $15 per line on the Mobile Share Plan.
That is $150 per month + taxes. You're paying too much for service.
All my phones are paid off and I don't use NEXT. Just buy them full price or on the used market.
This is cheaper in the long run.
Did you include the discount per line when on Next? Looks like the 15gb plan as a -$25 discount when each line is on Next. Thats $1800 over 2 years...
Are you including the phones' monthly installment costs into that? Assuming you 1) BYOD and 2) choose their 4.5GB plan for a 5-line data plan, the price per month (before fees/taxes) should be around $160.
We have 7 lines and our costs are hovering around $130-$150 (variable data plans, and all phones have been paid off).
You also have to factor in $40 upgrade fees for each line. Usually with the upfront cost of about $300 per phone and the $40 upgrade fee factored in it's
I definitely agree that it's not better for everyone. If I see an account that will end up paying more on the new plans I obviously don't recommend that they switch. I think it's better for the majority of people though. The average user isn't using very much data and they're overpaying to keep their unlimited plan.
That's a great option IF you want to use last-gen iPhones from the used market. I however want to use brand new top of the line iPhones as soon as they are released, every year.
if i got the 20GB plan it would be 112.5 after discount + 75 for 5 lines. 187 total.
725*2 each year for new iPhones (after tax)
- 400 resale of old phones.
= ~1000 cost
/ 12 months
= 83 extra per month
187 + 83 = 270.
Except I would get 2 new iphones each year instead of 2/3 staggered.
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