Keeping Unlimited: Does this sound like the best idea?

[kleinishere]

Verizon's announcement yesterday was terrifying but, with today's clarification, I'm trying to find the light.

Current Contract
I am in contract right now on a iPhone 4 with unlimited data and upgrade eligible. My original plan was to wait until iPhone 5 to upgrade, then use the LTE sim card in a eBay-ed Verizon Jetpack as my internet (thus the value on unlimited data).

Proposed Plan
If I upgrade before they make shared plans official (as in ASAP), I could upgrade to a 4G LTE device while keeping my unlimited data plan.

I can use the 4G phone, sell the iPhone 4, and wait until the iPhone 5 release. At that point, I will sell the 4G LTE device, and use those earnings to purchase the iPhone 5 unsubsidized with less of an impact on my wallet.

The gain would be the $ associated w/ selling the 4G LTE device, helping to pay for an unsubsidized iPhone 5.

Relevant Verizon Clarification Bullet Points
- Customers who purchase phones at full retail price and are on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan.

Any input from the rest of you trying to figure this out would be appreciated!

 

[MacDawg]

The announcement was terrifying? LOL

I'm sure you have a bulletproof plan
If not, somebody will point out the flaws

 

[Vizin]

.

 

[aneftp]

It sounds Verizon expects and assumes once people are eligible for a full upgrades. People will use wise economics.

If Verizon is discounting you up to $400 per LTE iPhone. Consumers have a choice. Don't upgrade. Pay the full $650 or go the eBay/Craigslist route to say a little. But you are going to end up paying a lot more than the $199 (plus $30 upgrade fee) in order to "stay grandfathered on unlimited).

So in essence you are giving up about $350 in subsidies (when factoring upgrade fees and taxes) every 20 months in order to keep a grandfathered plan. Nth is makes sense if you may be on an individual plan or planning to leave or like to be month to month.

But once you factor in family lines. If someone has 4-5 lines. All those lines have to give up the $350 plus per line in subsidies just to try to keep unlimited. That means a family plan of four is willing to give up $1400 in free money from Verizon?

You see the math. 99% of people will see the math and just suck it up and give up their unlimited plans. No one wants to throw $1400 away in potential subsidies if they have 4-5 lines.

Very few people are willing to do this. Verizon knows this. I know this. It's just not practical. In the end you can al,ost justify giving up unlimited if you are on a family line because of the subsidies. $1400 plus for 4 lines can pay for a lot of data overcharges in a Verizon family data share plan (assuming Verizon charges $10/GB that you go over your allotted amount).

 

[wxman2003]

You actually may come out ahead buying your phone full price. For example, i use 5GB of data a month with unlimited data. Currently that cost $50 a month on Verizon if on a tiered plan. So for me that would cost me $20 a month more or $480 more for data over 2 year if I were to do an upgrade. Now add the $200 for the subsidized phone and $30 to upgrade, a subsidized phone with a new contract with 5GB of data would cost me $710 more over a 2 year contract. Now if I paid full price of $650, I would stay on unlimited data and save $60. Even if verizon raised the price for an unsubsidized phone to $750 vs $650 I then would only end up paying $40 more for unlimited data or about $1.67 more a month for unlimited data vs a 5 GB cap.

 

[macMD]

For me at least I have (2) MiFi's and one is going to be converted to an iPad 3 LTE (on Verizon) and of course my smartphone. I will be getting the next iPhone 64GB LTE which runs $849, I for one will take the $450 discount since having a pool of data that our (3) devices share is beneficial.

Since I am in the office all day and can just switch my iPhone and iPad over to WiFi and save my data that way it will end up saving me money.

Besides I rarely use more than 2-3GB on my smartphone as it is. I know there are those who use 10-50GB or more a month and for those users I say you should be paying for it of find free WiFi hotspots.

 

[frank.deale]

My wife upgraded yesterday in New York City from a 3G Palm Pre + to a 4G Droid 4. She was unlimited and they “grandfathered” her into the new contract notwithstanding what Verizon has been saying.

 

[dontwalkhand]

My wife upgraded yesterday in New York City from a 3G Palm Pre + to a 4G Droid 4. She was unlimited and they “grandfathered” her into the new contract notwithstanding what Verizon has been saying.

I don't think this is something they are implementing right away, rather probably next quarter when they roll out new rate plans.