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Apple Watch Series 3 Costs More Than $10/Month on Most Carriers, Can't Be Reactivated Without Fees

I am sorry, 4 dollars in fees for a 10 a month bill is just INSANE. your already paying fees for the main lines so why does the watch need the fees? not to mention most people would use the LTE feature as a backup in case the cell is not avail and thats not worth 14 a month. I have a LTE SS3 and I am debating on cancelling the LTE on it...
 
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Relentless Power said:
The Question should be what would lead somebody to want LTE? Perhaps for scenarios where running or physical exercise wjere they don't want their iPhone tethered, or they can listen to music streaming from there AirPods. Or perhaps leaving behind the iPhone for simple errands.
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I definitely see the advantage of having LTE on my Apple Watch. But at $50/device more and $13+/mo .... I chose to pass on that. Had my wife and I been a little wealthier, we might have gone with the LTE version but we're fairly happy with our GPS only editions. lol. $100 more and $26/mo more (for both of us) just seems like a rip off to use what we're already paying for. I can understand $10/mo for an iPad LTE. But a watch should have been much less imo. But I definitely see why someone would want that. The ability to call 911 or be there for a loved one if they needed you really quickly.
 
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Does anyone know if T-Mobile has any other fees? Don't they pride themselves in building the taxes/fees into the price of their plans so "what you see is what you get?"
 
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BigMcGuire said:
My wife and I bought an Apple Watch for the first time 3 weeks ago. $350 / each or ... $50/more per watch and $10+/mo each? Yeah, no brainer there. We both got AW3 GPS only. Lemme guess... Verizon charges a $30 activation fee each too! Ahahaha. Nope not happening.



Yep, we both love it :).
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Verizon waives the activation fee and gives you 3 months free. I bought from Apple and still got the deal, even though the Verizon website (and CS minions) said you had to buy from them
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mwined said:
eh, not long, I suspect.
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OT: Good looking boxer puppy. :)
 
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BasicGreatGuy said:
Verizon waives the activation fee and gives you 3 months free. I bought from Apple and still got the deal, even though the Verizon website (and CS minions) said you had to buy from them
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Ah nice - when we got ours at BestBuy the lady told us we could only activate them with AT&T. But since we were only getting GPS versions, I smiled and said thanks. lol. <cough>

How nice of them! If my bank account was a bit thicker I'd probably have opted for the LTE.
 
Carrier partnerships were needed for the last 10 years of iPhone growth but Apple now has a very good reason to start their own MVNO now. I'd like to pay Apple a monthly fee and upgrade my iPhone, iPad and apple Watch every 12-18 months and get one shared data plan that I could bundle with iCloud storage and Apple Music. C'mon Apple, you're missing a huge opportunity here.
 
I cancelled service for my Watch last week since my free service period comes to an end later this month. I always have my phone with me, so it wouldn't make sense to pay for something that I never use. For those who regularly run/cycle outdoors, the Watch and Airpods would be an excellent combo and I can understand why some would pay. Still, $10/month is a little much.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
My wife and I bought an Apple Watch for the first time 3 weeks ago. $350 / each or ... $50/more per watch and $10+/mo each? Yeah, no brainer there. We both got AW3 GPS only. Lemme guess... Verizon charges a $30 activation fee each too! Ahahaha. Nope not happening.



Yep, we both love it :).
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There is no activation fee. It was waived as was three months of service.

I have a cellular AW and it’s amazing. I leave my phone at home all the time now. Never take it when I go out to eat, see a movie, or any social function. Never take my phone when hiking or skiing. It’s really great. I routinely take calls on the lift. Then again I’m a Luddite and don’t always want to be staring into my phone, or even talking on one for that matter.

But back to the actual topic at hand, I’m always irked that US telecoms simply pass on all taxes and surcharges directly to consumers. They don’t even try to conceal it — it’s right there in your bill. Just like people say that they don’t use the National parks so they shouldn’t have to pay, I’m super tired of paying for the 911 access fee. Don’t need it, don’t want it. And don’t even get me started on schools.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
Ah nice - when we got ours at BestBuy the lady told us we could only activate them with AT&T. But since we were only getting GPS versions, I smiled and said thanks. lol. <cough>

How nice of them! If my bank account was a bit thicker I'd probably have opted for the LTE.
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I got the GPS version initially. A day later I decided to go for the LTE as I expect the carriers to offer a better deal down the road. If they don't, I will turn off the cellular. Better watch glass and back if nothing else. I have spent a lot more money on vintage baseball cards and the like.
 
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tardman91 said:
Just another way for carriers to screw customers.
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A LTE watch is additional bandwidth used and an additional connection.... That should be free?

The total 2-3 year cost of ownership of a LTE series 3 is twice the cost of the GPS series 3. That was obvious from the start. The Series 3 GPS 42mm is $360 once. The Series 3 LTE is $430 once plus $336 for the next 2 years ($14 x 24) for a total of $766.... Buying the GPS only watch now is like getting the next watch free, when compared to buying the LTE watch.

I rarely leave the house without my phone, like most people, so the LTE cost and shorter battery life just didn't make sense to me.

The series 3 LTE watch is for people with a very specific use case or people that have money to burn.
 
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As iPhones get larger, a cellular-enabled Apple Watch makes more sense since there are scenarios you may not need to bring your iPhone such as running errands or working out where a Watch will suffice for the odd call or text.

Cost is too high though for the limited usage I’d get out of it. Thankfully I can use my Watch on my gym’s WiFi and leave my iPhone in the car so all I’m missing is phone calls and SMS, which is fine since all of my urgent contacts use iMessage.
 
BlargKing said:
Why does a wristwatch even need LTE???
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While some of these answers are hilarious, in all seriousness my wife has one because she runs and bikes a lot and is on the trails, sometimes alone where the ability to make a phone call is a solid feature.. Not having the phone is one less thing to worry about. I realize this is still a need over a want, as she could still take her phone with her, but I think it's a legitimate use.
 
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BasicGreatGuy said:
I got the GPS version initially. A day later I decided to go for the LTE as I expect the carriers to offer a better deal down the road. If they don't, I will turn off the cellular. Better watch glass and back if nothing else. I have spent a lot more money on vintage baseball cards and the like.
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True true - like you said, a lot of the people complaining blow hundreds at Starbucks every month. lol. I think we will probably opt for the LTE next time we go to upgrade!
 
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