Carrier AT&T: 40% now opt for monthly installments instead of subsidy/2 yr-contract

[Le Big Mac]

Yeah, but he has a grandfathered unlimited plan, so there would be no break on his bill regardless of whether he is on a contract or not.

I tried to talk AT&T into that - I have unlimited, and asked whether they would give me a price break if I didn't opt for a new phone. They declined that so I ordered a new iPhone.

I understand an individual CSR can't act alone, but I was surprised they didn't have any incentives to move me off the subsidy model. (And none of the other available plans were close to comparable - I could pay more per month without even getting a new phone).

 

[barkomatic]

I tried to talk AT&T into that - I have unlimited, and asked whether they would give me a price break if I didn't opt for a new phone. They declined that so I ordered a new iPhone.

I understand an individual CSR can't act alone, but I was surprised they didn't have any incentives to move me off the subsidy model. (And none of the other available plans were close to comparable - I could pay more per month without even getting a new phone).

AT&T is more interested in getting you off that unlimited data plan. If you use a lot of data and have a single line, its a much better deal than anything they offer right now.

 

[C DM]

On Verizon Wireless:

Monthly bill on contract: $110
Monthly bill buying phone outright: $110

Seems like a great deal.

On the current plans you can get a discount for each line where you bring your own device/buy the phone outright/finish your contract.

 

[jdag]

You may spend more up front with these new plans, but over a 2 year contract you can actually save about $500 on a plan with 5 lines. Additionally, if you keep your phones beyond the 2 years(which people probably will now that they see the true device cost), that difference will grow.

I did the math and compared the cost of 5 lines on the old Nationwide Family plan to the new 10GB shared plan. While they're not exactly even feature wise(more data per line on the Nationwide plans, unlimited minutes on the shared plans), you save money on the new plans even though you have to pay more for the phones.

Oh I know and understand...I am not in any way debating that the 2 year contract cost would be higher.

I am just stating that for 4 or 5 lines, plunking down $2,000-$3,000 just may not be possible. And that doesn't mean that the family can't afford the phones. It just means that many people don't have that cash just available for phone purchases...even though long term there will be higher total cost.