I'm telling you it DOES work that way... My statement was a statement of fact, not speculation.
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iPhone Upgrade Program [MERGED]
- Thread starter kybldmstr
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I'm telling you it DOES work that way... My statement was a statement of fact, not speculation.
To be fair I could have worded it as such:
Your at&t plan will not go to a $40 line fee so long as you do NOT purchase your device on a 2yr contract and get a subsidized price on the phone, regardless of source. If you purchase your phone at another source, your line fee will stay the same. Just don't sign any 2yr contracts to get a subsidized price, and you'll be fine.
Right, that is what I was thinking all along. The reason i asked is because a buddy of mine worked for AT&T for years and figured there would be some kind of "catch".
I wonder how the tax will work on this though. Tax due at the time of purchase probably? I believe that's how it worked with AT&T NEXT, just can't recall right now.
No catch, as long as you don't sign a 2yr.
As far as the Apple program is concerned, I'd wager you're right and need to pay sales tax up front. That's exactly how Next works, and would assume the states would treat Apple the same in terms of wanting that device sales tax pronto.
You all are overthinking this.
1. Buy the phone outright, it is yours, forever. Do with it what you want
2. Finance the phone through Apple... Pay 12 payments and you want the new phone, you can either pay off the current phone and keep it (sell or hand it down or whatever), or turn the phone into Apple and start paying on the new phone
3. Finance through your carrier (Next, etc)...same deal as with Apple, just less the AC+. Still have the choice to pay it off completely, or return the phone when you want to upgrade next year.
I don't like the requirement of forcing me to reserve an appointment to finance through Apple. We have 1 store which is ALWAYS completely packed with people and you can never get an appointment to do anything. Screw that noise.
We will stick with AT&T's NEXT plan.
1. Buy the phone outright, it is yours, forever. Do with it what you want
2. Finance the phone through Apple... Pay 12 payments and you want the new phone, you can either pay off the current phone and keep it (sell or hand it down or whatever), or turn the phone into Apple and start paying on the new phone
3. Finance through your carrier (Next, etc)...same deal as with Apple, just less the AC+. Still have the choice to pay it off completely, or return the phone when you want to upgrade next year.
I don't like the requirement of forcing me to reserve an appointment to finance through Apple. We have 1 store which is ALWAYS completely packed with people and you can never get an appointment to do anything. Screw that noise.
We will stick with AT&T's NEXT plan.
I would break even with this, roughly: I pay $27 for a 64gb ip6 WITH an extra $10 a month for JUMP which allows me to upgrade, so $37 on top of my phone/data plan. So my total monthly cost would go up $3 if I went to a 64gb 6s plus, which is what I want.
Now all that remains is to figure out what if anything it will cost me to drop the JUMP program. Anyone here done it? Do you just turn your phone in and move on?
It would certainly be less of a hassle to stick with JUMP but my first and only upgrade with them didn't go smoothly and I've felt sour toward it ever since. Chances are probably equally good that this wouldn't go smoothly either but, well.
Now all that remains is to figure out what if anything it will cost me to drop the JUMP program. Anyone here done it? Do you just turn your phone in and move on?
It would certainly be less of a hassle to stick with JUMP but my first and only upgrade with them didn't go smoothly and I've felt sour toward it ever since. Chances are probably equally good that this wouldn't go smoothly either but, well.
Yeah I'm forced to stick w/ NEXT since the nearest Apple store is 2 hours away. I would have only saved about $2/mo w/ Apple's program anyway. Only difference is the cost of replacement through insurance as opposed to applecare, but I prefer having lost/stolen coverage instead of just Phys/Water dmg.
FYI. I chatted with an ATT customer service rep this morn. He said that ATT is treating the iPhone Upgrade Program as a BYOD phone. So if you have a 2 year contract currently and are eligible for upgrade. You will still be eligible after getting your iPhone though Apple Lease Program.
The Apple Lease program will have no affect on your current plan.
He also said I could lease a phone through Apple and still upgrade using my upgrade for a new 2 year contract.
The Apple Lease program will have no affect on your current plan.
He also said I could lease a phone through Apple and still upgrade using my upgrade for a new 2 year contract.
I don't see it as the same as NEXT but close and see what you mean. I would be paying more a month(I believe) for the NEXT 18 and not have AppleCare (which I want). Perhaps the same as this Apple Deal, I don't remember the prices, I just know what I'm paying now, it would cost me $5 more a month to do this deal once I have my iPhone 6 paid off.
I live by like 3 Apple Stores that are within 30 minutes so I understand what you mean but that's never an issue for me. Personally, money the same, I'd rather deal with Apple than deal with AT&T or whatever the carrier is. The less I have to talk to them, the better. I just want my service to work.
The only reason I overthinking this was because I could see Apple taking away a lot of the finance deals the cell companies are doing however maybe they are ok with that. If they have to stock less their stores, that's less capital they have to shell out and if more phones are done this way, less commission they have to pay their retail salesmen/women. Meanwhile they just sit back and collect their money for the "service" they provide.
Am I the only one who is sick that they quit doing the 1-2 year pricing for phones now? So now the only options are RENT/Lease your phone through your carrier/Apple or buy it outright...
When I got my 6+ I paid $598 (with AppleCare) and signed a 2 year contract. Now if I want the same phone it's damn near $50/month. I'm not one who likes to have a monthly payment on a phone, But that looks like the only options anymore (unless I want to shell out $1000+).
When I got my 6+ I paid $598 (with AppleCare) and signed a 2 year contract. Now if I want the same phone it's damn near $50/month. I'm not one who likes to have a monthly payment on a phone, But that looks like the only options anymore (unless I want to shell out $1000+).
The initial expense of buying outright is expensive, but I can get the 64gb model each year and it cost right at $300 after I sell my old phone.
I will probably get $500 for my 64gb 6 that is in flawless condition, and then after taxes pay $780 for the 6s.
I guess you have a point there, I could go and sell my 128gb 6+ to buy the 6s+ and it would probably cost me $400ish...that might be the way I do it.
Now I just need to decide if the 6s+ is worth the upgrade from my 6+...
The installment plans are for a) the carriers to actually make money off of the devices and b) consumers who want to upgrade every year. In 2015, most people want the latest iPhone, whether they actually buy it or not, and the companies are recognizing that trend and making it hard for buyers to resist when they don't owe the cost up-front.
In the end, for my family, it works out, because of our access line discounts and the decreasing price in data plans.
In the end, for my family, it works out, because of our access line discounts and the decreasing price in data plans.
They also said replacement VZ phones *should* be unlocked too, what did dealing with absolutes get us? A lot of confusion.
I stand by my assessment that the phones will NOT be unlocked and Apple employees will simply pull the VZ/ATT/Tmo/Sprint 6S as per each person's chosen new activation carrier.
I doubt anyone knows the details, even Apple employees - I wouldn't trust carrier employees or Apple's general keynote. Remember when Jobsy 'lowered' the price on iPhones to $199? I couldn't believe how many people simply chose to forget that they SHOULD get a hardware credit from their carriers when signing 2 year contracts!
If it isn't sept 25th yet I wouldn't be so sure man.
One thing to think about, these carriers were NEVER phone providers. They're service providers. Does your internet company subsidize your computer? Does your tv company subsidize your tv? The carriers have moved to a platform to allow people to be contract free (What most people wanted for a long, long time), and have made the plans a LOT cheaper than what they used to be and esp how much you get for what you pay... and now people are complaining that they have to be responsible for their $650-$1000 devices?
The mindset is just amazing. I mean think about it. At at&t, if someone had a family of 5, and wanted Unl Talk/Text and 3 gigs of data per person, that cost would look like this:
$70 host line (unl talk)
$200 ($50 x 4) partner lines (unl talk)
$30 text
$150 ($30 x 5) data per line (3 gigs)
---------
$450
Or even if you went with a 700 min plan w/ unl mobile to mobile
$60 host (700 mins)
$40 ($10 x 4) partner lines (700 mins)
$30 text
$150 ($30 x 5) data per line (3 gigs)
---------
$280
A 15 gig MSV with 5 lines:
$100 data/talk/text
$75 ($15 per line out of contract)
---------
$175
So savings there.
Not to mention, people didn't really ever calculate the cost of equipment. So lets take the 700 min plan compared to the msv.
$280 for service.
$1224.95 Plus tax for 5 devices in store = an extra $51/mo over 24 months if you were to spread that cost out ($199.99 + 2 yr upgrade fee ($45) per entry level current iphone)
That's $331 per month for 700 min plan + 5 subsidized phones.
On the MSV, $175 + 27.09 (x 5) for same iphones on NEXT 18 = $310 per month on the plan and only sales tax inside store (Would be $178.75 in my state), so even if i tacked on the sales tax over time on the monthly plan, it's only $317 per month. To me, $317 is still cheaper than $331. PLUS, unlike the old subsidized plans, if you pay off your phones or buy them outright, you go back down to the $175 base rate. The lowest rate you'll get on the old 700 min plan for that same grouping would be $280.
This isn't the case with EVERYONE, but a majority of the plans people were on ended up saving them money somehow. Either on a monthly basis or over time esp if they didn't upgrade every two years. Remember, not everybody is like us on these forums and upgrade as often.
Same here. Nearest store from me is over two hours away, and I've already checked with AT&T. Will be able to pre-order at the same time and have it shipped directly to my house.I will say that needing to do the upgrade program in store is kind of a dealbreaker. I have to drive over an hour to get to any of the apple stores in my tristate area
I look at it like this: I can upgrade every year for $300 or every 2 years for probably $550 (my 2 year old phone will not be worth as much). I prefer the former.
I just wish the SIM free version was available from the get go.
It will be unlocked. It's pretty straightforward.
You're paying installments on a full price, unlocked iPhone. Apple does not have the authority to lock you to a carrier if you're paying full price.
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Remind me. Are iPhones now compatible with both GSM and CDMA ?? In other words if I use the Upgrade Program, select AT&T, and 6 months later decide to switch to Verizon will the iPhone 6s work ?
I'm confused. How are the carriers making money off of you when you finance the phone through them?
$949/20 = $47.45/month for 20 months. That is exactly what AT&T is charging me for my device. I've already paid the taxes on the device. After 20 months, my bill will decrease by $47.45.
Looks like an interest free loan to me.
Unless of course you believe that the carriers get a discount from Apple for the device.
One thing to think about, these carriers were NEVER phone providers. They're service providers. Does your internet company subsidize your computer? Does your tv company subsidize your tv? The carriers have moved to a platform to allow people to be contract free (What most people wanted for a long, long time), and have made the plans a LOT cheaper than what they used to be and esp how much you get for what you pay... and now people are complaining that they have to be responsible for their $650-$1000 devices?
I mean think about it. At at&t, if someone had a family of 5, and wanted Unl Talk/Text and 3 gigs of data per person, that cost would look like this:
$70 host line (unl talk)
$200 ($50 x 4) partner lines (unl talk)
$30 text
$150 ($30 x 5) data per line (3 gigs)
---------
$450
Or even if you went with a 700 min plan w/ unl mobile to mobile
$60 host (700 mins)
$40 ($10 x 4) partner lines (700 mins)
$30 text
$150 ($30 x 5) data per line (3 gigs)
---------
$280
A 15 gig MSV with 5 lines:
$100 data/talk/text
$75 ($15 per line out of contract)
---------
$175
So savings there.
Not to mention, people didn't really ever calculate the cost of equipment. So lets take the 700 min plan compared to the msv.
$280 for service.
$1224.95 Plus tax for 5 devices in store = an extra $51/mo over 24 months if you were to spread that cost out ($199.99 + 2 yr upgrade fee ($45) per entry level current iphone)
That's $331 per month for 700 min plan + 5 subsidized phones.
On the MSV, $175 + 27.09 (x 5) for same iphones on NEXT 18 = $310 per month on the plan and only sales tax inside store (Would be $178.75 in my state), so even if i tacked on the sales tax over time on the monthly plan, it's only $317 per month. To me, $317 is still cheaper than $331. PLUS, unlike the old subsidized plans, if you pay off your phones or buy them outright, you go back down to the $175 base rate. The lowest rate you'll get on the old 700 min plan for that same grouping would be $280.
This isn't the case with EVERYONE, but a majority of the plans people were on ended up saving them money somehow. Either on a monthly basis or over time esp if they didn't upgrade every two years. Remember, not everybody is like us on these forums and upgrade as often.
Yeah, I guess if you're talking about a family plan, I don't think about it that way because my phone bill is paid by my company every month, I just have to worry about buying the phone, and this 6+ was the first one I took advantage of the 2-year pricing (I usually always bought the phone outright straight from Apple). I am going to switch back to buying the phones outright from now on knowing I can sell my 1 year old phone for top dollar and just buy the new one for a few bucks more.
Again, thanks for breaking it down like you did, I never really realized how much a family of 5 ends up paying for cell service, I guess I am fortunate that we only have to pay for my wife's phone, and not mine and hers.
Yeah, not a problem. One thing to keep in mind is not all configurations are the same and really boil down to each individual plan, but I can tell you that MOST people will benefit from the MSV/No Contract/Next as opposed to the old styles. And if the old styles are less expensive, it's usually not by much and there are a lot of people who would switch to the new plans for the convenience of upgrading earlier and paying MUCH less up front.
Everyone's mileage varies, but alot people aren't looking at the entire picture, just what they're paying for the phone and calling shenanigans.
But they have the authority to force a new iPhone activation? Read the fine print. I'm sure the phone *can* be unlocked once you pay your ETF to get out of a new activation but what the site says and what the stores do is another thing. I stand by assessment that employees will simply pull out a Sprint 6S when you choose to activate on Sprint come Sept 25th.