on a two year contract you do not pay full retail!
Oh yes, you do. You pay your $199 up front, and then you pay what works out to about $19/mo for the phone for 24 months, except that it's built into the plan. At the end of the 24 months, you better upgrade again immediately, or you're losing money starting in month 25, because that $19 never goes away, whether or not you upgrade your phone.
The Mobile Share Value plans actually let you upgrade on your own schedule without losing money. Once your device is paid for (either by you outright or by the Next loan program), you get the "subsidy" rebated to you.
If the service plans are identical in price and allowance, MSV is the better deal. The problem is that a lot of people have better prices on better plans that no longer exist. But that doesn't have anything to do with Next.
How do you rest your case? ATT next is more expensive than a family plan and they offer a 15-25$ discount because they are screwing you to switch to next.
Next is a financing plan, not a service plan. It's not "more expensive" than a family plan because it's not an alternative to an older family plan. It just doesn't make financial sense if you're sticking with an old-style service plan because you're leaving money on the table by continuing to pay for a subsidy that you no longer receive.
With next you are out of contact but you still pay monthly fees. if we consider that 2 customers stay with att for 2 years than the contract is WAY cheaper.
No, it's not. The only time a subsidized contract plan is actually cheaper is if you're holding on to a plan that no longer exists. For a new customer, the Mobile Share Value service plans and the Next financing plan are the cheapest option, hands down.
