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AT&T Next plan: worth it?
- Thread starter Jessay
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In my experience, ATT has been very lenient in terms of phones' conditions. In my case, the worst case was a warranty request for a Galaxy S2. It was accepted despite numerous scrapes on the body from being dropped on concrete.
Yes, but the point behind Next is they refurb the phones for warranty replacements. They HAVE to be in good condition or AT&T is out more money. Most warranty turn-ins are stripped for expensive parts if not recycled entirely.
And this is just to anyone who really doesnt want to full retail a phone. Think about all the other stuff you waste money on throughout the year. A phone the way I think of it is something I use all day everyday. This is how i justify spending a lot for it. Someone who doesn't really utilize their phone everyday or just doesn't like to embrace new technology or who just doesnt have the money may feel differently.
LOL, This def made me ROFL! As others have stated, you have to exchange the device at AT&T in order to use the rip off, I mean Next program.
If you like being broke, its a great deal. It's designed for consumers who don't use their brain. It's basically like buying a 2,000 dollar laptop and paying 16 dollars a month for 16 years at 40% interest. 
The next plan is great for those wanting to make a quick buck.
What you can do is open as many lines as you can, and then DO NOT make your monthly payments. All you have to pay is the first month payment and the activation fee I believe. So essentially, you can have iPhones in your possession for roughly $50 dollars. Before AT&T blacklists your phones, you sell them on eBay or Craigslist. Easy money for a con artist who doesn't care about his credit and is just looking for some quick cash.
If I understand him correctly, he can pay it off early, effectively making an installment plan on the device with one larger payment due at end when he wants to upgrade. He also doesn't pay upgrade fees for this, saving $39. It's still way more expensive than signing the contract and taking the subsidy, but it's nowhere near as bad as paying the fees every month and then handing them the phone at the end.
You can pay cash and not have a credit card on file.
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no problem.
Even though it has been proven to be a rip off I'll add my comment.
It's a lot cheaper to just add a dummy line (9.99) to an account and use that upgrade than it is to sign up with Next. You do have to carry that line for at least 2 years ($278 w/ taxes) but you always have an upgrade available and you can sell the phone to cover all the cost.
Cost of phone plus dummy line 199.99 + (24x9.99) = 439.75
I've sold all my previous iphones for around $400-600.
I've made money most years except for the $400 where I just was to lazy to sell it for 4 months.
It's a lot cheaper to just add a dummy line (9.99) to an account and use that upgrade than it is to sign up with Next. You do have to carry that line for at least 2 years ($278 w/ taxes) but you always have an upgrade available and you can sell the phone to cover all the cost.
Cost of phone plus dummy line 199.99 + (24x9.99) = 439.75
I've sold all my previous iphones for around $400-600.
I've made money most years except for the $400 where I just was to lazy to sell it for 4 months.
isn't that dummy line tied to a data and text plan as well? how can it only be 9.99?
Gotta love the uneducated. It's like those people buying used cars with no credit and ending up paying more for a used car than a guy buying a brand new one at 0 APR.
In conclusion, if you're a giant company selling a service/product, the most money you'll make is on the uneducated.
In conclusion, if you're a giant company selling a service/product, the most money you'll make is on the uneducated.
interesting...but still, $10 per month still adds up to a big chunk of money. but it would be nice to have the ability to purchase new iPhones every year at the full subsidy price.
This is what I do, since I have a second line with a basic phone. But it isn't really $9.99/month for most people. On the old plans it was $9.99 to add a line, but it was also $30 instead of $20 for unlimited text, essentially $20/month for that second line. Today the cheapest way is an additional $20/month for the basic family plan over the basic individual plan, plus the extra $10 for text - or $30/month.
Edit: I guess on the old plan you can still choose the $20/month text if the second line will never use it. Not sure if those are still available to new customers though.
Its a HORRIBLE scam! You lose the subsidy and pay the entire retail cost of the phone over 20 months, and you get no discount on service. So that means if you upgrade yearly you are paying for 2 phones for 8 months. Total BS and should be illegal!!! You're better off just adding another line to crossgrade every other year!
Keep the line associated to a phone that doesn't require a data plan.
Edit: As mentioned 2 posts above, this would work for users that still have that $9.99/mo family line.
Yep. The largest subprime lender in the US is...H&R Block. Thanks to their refund anticipation loans.
OK, but to initially get an iPhone, that extra line would have to be active for 2 years in order to get the subsidy price, right? Because if you purchased an iPhone right off the bat you would be required to have a data and text plan.