I prefer gift cards promo so I can pay off immediately
I understand but a 2 1/2 year commitment without any way to upgrade is crazy IMO. I got the contracts because that only tied you to a carrier so if you're not planning on going elsewhere no big deal. This is tied to you having that phone. You might as well say that's a three year deal because by the time you get out from under that thumb it's less than six months till the next iPhone release.
If you know you don't upgrade but once every three years then it's fine. Sorry I can do every two years but no more than that is stretching it for me. I understand you've been with T-mobile for ages but this isn't just tying you to the carrier but to that specific phone. In the day I've done contracts and even when they were two years once you got the new phone it just extended it so it didn't prevent you from upgrading. At least that's how it was with Verizon. I didn't have T-mobile back then. I mean I guess this could be okay for some but no way would I do this. If I had friends I would ask how long have you had your current phone. If the answer is less than three years I would advise against it.
My point stands. If the average person (not with T-Mobile for 20 years etc.) needs to finance an iPhone for 30 months in order to be able to afford the payments (phone), said person is in over his or her financial head and needs to strongly consider cutting back.
You're not financing the phone for 30 months. They are stringing the rebate along in 30 monthly payments. Their hope is you will get the new iPhone 13 when it comes out and they won't have to pay you the whole thing.
I understand all that. They are trying to lock people in to 30 months. Unofficially, it is a contract with monthly payments. And those payments have to be financed in some manner by the customer. If a person can’t afford to buy a cellphone outright, and has to depend on officially financing it whether through the carrier, credit card etc. then that person is not spending wisely, in my opinion. T-Mobile isn’t going to take a loss.
TBH since contracts stopped being a thing the vast majority of people in the USA that buy expensive phones finance them with 24 monthly payments. I've done it and pretty much everyone I know does it. No one I know drops $800 - $1500 on a phone in one payment. I take that back one person I know does this but no one else.
I'm really considering going to Verizon because of their network. I have T-mobile right now and it's okay but I don't get coverage in many areas. I mean unless I was broke down it's not a big deal to wait for a phone call till I get in a better area but it is annoying.
I'm sure people go to the Apple store and walk out paying cash for 50,000 Mac Pros too. Most people don't get their iPhones or any phone from the Apple store. They go to the Verizon, AT&T, T-mobile store etc. I guess it depends on the income class too. Perhaps if you're around people who make mid to high six figure salaries then of course it's I want it and I go buy it. I'm talking mostly people who make mid to high five figure salaries.
I thought it seemed odd too, so I confirmed the following with t force: “If you pay the phone off, you absolutely keep receiving the bill credits until they fully pay out! The only thing is, you can't have more than one device promotion on the line at a time. But yeah if you pay the 12 off and get a new phone, you can do that as long as the new phone isn't on a promotion... you'll get all of the monthly credits”
