Staying w/ ATT for years, Not Going Intl - why would I buy a phone outright?

[jkel777]

BYOD = Bring Your Own Device

Basically, as long as you're off-contract with AT&T, you get the discount regardless of whether or not you have a NEXT phone. In Feb/Mar 2014, I believe AT&T allowed subscribers on contract before Feb 2014 to switch to the new plans right away and take advantage of the discount even if they're technically still on contract.

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No they're not supposed to charge you an upgrade fee if you buy outright. However, to avoid any fees AT&T might levy, just buy the phone factory unlocked straight from Apple. NEXT, I seem to recall reading somewhere about needing to wait 60 days before you can pay it off.

None of us brought our own devices though. We all upgraded on the same 2-year contracts as before. I was the most recent one to upgrade in September of 2013. We switched to the 15 GB Mobile Share Value Plan in July 2014.

So you're saying the discount is already factored in to our plan?

EDIT: Wow, you're absolutely right! We were already receiving the discount. Just checked the bill online, and for each of our lines, it says "Discount for Mobile Share Value Savings - $25."

So I guess my question now becomes: is Next still worth it for me? Haha

 

[rui no onna]

Is the $25 per line? I'm already on family share with 2 iphones for 10GB a month. I had no idea about the $25 discount and if it's per line I'm thinking I may go for it instead of contract.

It's per line.

None of us brought our own devices though. We all upgraded on the same 2-year contracts as before. I was the most recent one to upgrade in September of 2013. We switched to the 15 GB Mobile Share Value Plan in July 2014.

So you're saying the discount is already factored in to our plan?

Yes, it's already factored in. Our situation is similar. We have 2 iPhone 5s lines on our 4-line account with contract starting Sept 2013 and switched to the 10GB value plan in Mar 2014. This dropped our bill from $240 down to $160 per month.

In Feb/Mar 2014, I believe AT&T allowed subscribers on contract before Feb 2014 to switch to the new plans right away and take advantage of the discount even if they're technically still on contract.

 

[jkel777]

It's per line.


Yes, it's already factored in. Our situation is similar. We have 2 iPhone 5s lines on our 4-line account with contract starting Sept 2013 and switched to the 10GB value plan in Mar 2014. This dropped our bill from $240 down to $160 per month.

Yep, you're right! Edited my post above to reflect it

It's actually an insanely good deal. We're saving a bunch of money as well.

So if I want to upgrade to the next iPhone every year, is Next worth it for me?

 

[mostlydave]

Just so I'm clear on the $25 discount, when I view my bill now each smartphone line show a $25 discount for "Discount for Mobile Share Value Savings".

So there would be another $25 discount for each line I switch to next?

 

[jkel777]

Just so I'm clear on the $25 discount, when I view my bill now each smartphone line show a $25 discount for "Discount for Mobile Share Value Savings".

So there would be another $25 discount for each line I switch to next?

No, unfortunately not. That's the discount. I see the same thing when I view my bill.

 

[mostlydave]

No, unfortunately not. That's the discount. I see the same thing when I view my bill.

OK, I thought that sounded to good to be true, so if I want to upgrade both my phones on the next 12 month my monthly bill would be going up about $65

 

[EDH667]

Just so I'm clear on the $25 discount, when I view my bill now each smartphone line show a $25 discount for "Discount for Mobile Share Value Savings".

So there would be another $25 discount for each line I switch to next?

No you would not get an additional discount. If you go with Next for your next purchase the $25 discount will remain. If you go with the 2 year subsidized route the $25 discount will disappear on each line opting for the 2 year contract and subsidized phone purchase.

 

[jkel777]

OK, I thought that sounded to good to be true, so if I want to upgrade both my phones on the next 12 month my monthly bill would be going up about $65

Yes, that's correct. It's just added to your bill. But you pay nothing up front.

No you would not get an additional discount. If you go with Next for your next purchase the $25 discount will remain. If you go with the 2 year subsidized route the $25 discount will disappear on each line opting for the 2 year contract and subsidized phone purchase.

Interesting. So if I did an early upgrade instead of Next for the 6, the $25 discount on my line would disappear?

 

[rui no onna]

So if I want to upgrade to the next iPhone every year, is Next worth it for me?

That really depends. Personally, I'm not a fan of the trade-in portion of Next. A trade-in value of just 40% of MSRP seems a bit low for a 1-year old phone. If I do go Next, I plan on paying off the phone instead of trading it in.

Then again, it seems trade in value for iPhones has dropped considerably compared to 3-5 years ago so the Next trade-in might actually be par for course.

 

[jkel777]

That really depends. Personally, I'm not a fan of the trade-in portion of Next. A trade-in value of just 40% of MSRP seems a bit low for a 1-year old phone. If I do go Next, I plan on paying off the phone instead of trading it in.

Then again, it seems trade in value for iPhones has dropped considerably compared to 3-5 years ago so the Next trade-in might actually be par for course.

Oh, so you don't just give them your phone and get the 6s, like an exchange? You get money for it? I guess that part of Next confuses me too haha.

Maybe that's why so many people, like yourself, are saying they'd just rather pay off the rest of the phone instead of trading it in.

 

[rui no onna]

Oh, so you don't just give them your phone and get the 6s, like an exchange? You get money for it? I guess that part of Next confuses me too haha.

Maybe that's why so many people, like yourself, are saying they'd just rather pay off the rest of the phone instead of trading it in.

No, you don't get money for it.

Basically, with Next 12 (iPhone 5s 16GB) you have this:
12 pmts of $32.50/mo = $390
8 pmts of $32.50/mo = $260 (waived with phone trade-in)

Not having to pay the $260 ($650 * 40%) is essentially the trade-in you're getting when you give your Next phone back to AT&T. If you sell on Swappa. etc, you could get $400-500 for your phone instead of the $260 you "get" from AT&T.

 

[jkel777]

No, you don't get money for it.

Basically, with Next 12 (iPhone 5s 16GB) you have this:
12 pmts of $32.50/mo = $390
8 pmts of $32.50/mo = $260 (waived with phone trade-in)

Not having to pay the $260 ($650 * 40%) is essentially the trade-in you're getting when you give your Next phone back to AT&T. If you sell on Swappa. etc, you could get $400-500 for your phone instead of the $260 you "get" from AT&T.

Ahhh okay I think I understand now.

So if I were to pay the rest off ($260, in this example) and sell on Swappa, Craigslist, or eBay for $400-$500, could I still then purchase the iPhone 6s on Next with $0 down?

 

[mostlydave]

No you would not get an additional discount. If you go with Next for your next purchase the $25 discount will remain. If you go with the 2 year subsidized route the $25 discount will disappear on each line opting for the 2 year contract and subsidized phone purchase.

Why would I lose the $25 for staying subsidized? I thought it was for being on a family share plan. I'm just trying to make sure I understand how all of this works

 

[EDH667]

Why would I lose the $25 for staying subsidized? I thought it was for being on a family share plan. I'm just trying to make sure I understand how all of this works

Because AT&T wants to move people to the Next plan. They will only allow you to keep the $25.00 discount if you go to Next or stay off contract with your current phone once the contract expires or BYOD.

 

[mostlydave]

Because AT&T wants to move people to the Next plan. They will only allow you to keep the $25.00 discount if you go to Next or stay off contract with your current phone once the contract expires or BYOD.

OK, I just wanted to be sure I was clear, I see why everybody is saying that next is worth it now!

 

[jkel777]

Because AT&T wants to move people to the Next plan. They will only allow you to keep the $25.00 discount if you go to Next or stay off contract with your current phone once the contract expires or BYOD.

Dang, didn't know you'd lose the discount by going to a 2-year contract! Better let my family know

 

[bueller1]

Sorry if this has been answered already but I have two lines, on a 700 Family Talk plan, both lines have grandfathered unlimited data and unlimited text. My bill comes out to about $155-160 with FAN discount. One line has a contract that ends Sept 13, and the other has a contract that ends in May 2015. My question is, if I upgrade with Next on the contract free line, how will this affect my bill? And if I upgrade both lines on Next will it be any different? I don't mean in terms of the NEXT payment, I know i will be paying extra for that. Thanks in advance

 

[rui no onna]

Ahhh okay I think I understand now.

So if I were to pay the rest off ($260, in this example) and sell on Swappa, Craigslist, or eBay for $400-$500, could I still then purchase the iPhone 6s on Next with $0 down?

Yes, you can do that once your old Next phone is paid off.

 

[jkel777]

Yes, you can do that once your old Next phone is paid off.

Gotcha. Thank you for the help!

Why wouldn't everyone do that then? Haha

 

[rui no onna]

Sorry if this has been answered already but I have two lines, on a 700 Family Talk plan, both lines have grandfathered unlimited data and unlimited text. My bill comes out to about $155-160 with FAN discount. One line has a contract that ends Sept 13, and the other has a contract that ends in May 2015. My question is, if I upgrade with Next on the contract free line, how will this affect my bill? And if I upgrade both lines on Next will it be any different? I don't mean in terms of the NEXT payment, I know i will be paying extra for that. Thanks in advance

I don't think the discount applies to older plans. If you get a NEXT device, you'll likely end up just having to pay an extra $32.50-42.50 per iPhone on top of your current monthly bill. In your case, I think you're probably better off using your subsidy.

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Why wouldn't everyone do that then? Haha

The hassle and risk of getting scammed on ebay/CL. Just as an example, there's a thread on the iPad section where the OP received fake cash.

 

[kilcher]

No they're not supposed to charge you an upgrade fee if you buy outright. However, to avoid any fees AT&T might levy, just buy the phone factory unlocked straight from Apple. NEXT, I seem to recall reading somewhere about needing to wait 60 days before you can pay it off.

Awesome, thanks. I remembered reading one of the advantages to NEXT was not paying an upgrade fee but maybe that was if you buy a subsidized device on-contract.

 

[jkel777]

I don't think the discount applies to older plans. If you get a NEXT device, you'll likely end up just having to pay an extra $32.50-42.50 per iPhone on top of your current monthly bill. In your case, I think you're probably better off using your subsidy.

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The hassle and risk of getting scammed on ebay/CL. Just as an example, there's a thread on the iPad section where the OP received fake cash.

Oh wow

I've never had that happen to me, but I can see why people would want to avoid that process. Personally, I don't mind it. Usually eBay/PayPal is pretty good at cracking down on problems like that.

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Awesome, thanks. I remembered reading one of the advantages to NEXT was not paying an upgrade fee but maybe that was if you buy a subsidized device on-contract.

I'm pretty sure there's no upgrade fee when you buy a phone with Next.

 

[rui no onna]

I've never had that happen to me, but I can see why people would want to avoid that process. Personally, I don't mind it. Usually eBay/PayPal is pretty good at cracking down on problems like that.

CraigsList + cash means no recourse aside from reporting the case to the police.

 

[jkel777]

CraigsList + cash means no recourse aside from reporting the case to the police.

Oh I didn't know you meant through actual physical fake cash from a Craigslist transaction. Then yeah I see what you mean. I'm gonna stick with eBay and Swappa.

 

[C DM]

None of us brought our own devices though. We all upgraded on the same 2-year contracts as before. I was the most recent one to upgrade in September of 2013. We switched to the 15 GB Mobile Share Value Plan in July 2014.

So you're saying the discount is already factored in to our plan?

EDIT: Wow, you're absolutely right! We were already receiving the discount. Just checked the bill online, and for each of our lines, it says "Discount for Mobile Share Value Savings - $25."

So I guess my question now becomes: is Next still worth it for me? Haha

It's per line.


Yes, it's already factored in. Our situation is similar. We have 2 iPhone 5s lines on our 4-line account with contract starting Sept 2013 and switched to the 10GB value plan in Mar 2014. This dropped our bill from $240 down to $160 per month.

If there are lines with contract starting in Sep 2013, meaning that they are still under contract, then those particular lines wouldn't be receiving the discount on the new plans (since they are under contract still), right?