Trying to get Iphone 4. Best Option??

[Animal72001]

So I am trying to figure out the cheapest method of getting the 4g.

I currently have a 3gs on a family plan(2 lines). One line is a dummy. I had to open it because my previous iphone got stolen so it was the only way to get the discounted price. My goal is remove one line permanently but Ive heard that if you pay the ETF then you'll have to wait 90 days in order to open a new contract. So how can I get around that with having 2 lines open?

Unfortunately I am not eligible for the early upgrade fee on any of the lines.

 

[ajohnson253]

4G? What are those? Sounds cool though.

 

[saving107]

Either:
1. Pay the early upgrade fee of $399 and be done with it.

2. Go through hassle of paying the ETF and wait the 90 days to so that you can open up another line and pay the $199 new account price.

3. Ask a Friend/Family Member to use their upgrade eligibility so that you can buy a the new iPhone 4 and you give them your 3GS in return.

4. eBay/Craigslist/Some guy selling them out of the trunk of his car.

5. Maybe you sit this one out and wait until next June/July to buy the iPhone 5 (because you know your going to want to).

 

[Space Moose]

Either:
1. Pay the early upgrade fee of $399 and be done with it.

Or, you could buy a factory unlocked phone, which would still be worth $500-600 dollars in a year, and it would let you ditch AT&T when your contract expires.

You're paying full-price for the iPhone whether you buy it unlocked or from the carrier (the 'subsidy' is paid back in your contract prices). Do you really think you'll save money by buying it through AT&T? Do you really want to pay AT&T $400, just so you can re-sign another contract and start paying the subsidized contract rate? No.

I did all the math, and I've got a factory unlocked iPhone. I can take it to any carrier I want, I can pop any SIM in it I want when I'm overseas, and I can call up my carrier and threaten to leave, and most importantly, they will believe me, because I actually *can* leave!

There's lots of factory unlocked iPhones on eBay. There's also a shameless plug for mine below. Look at the one I've got, or buy somebody else's, you'll be saving a ton of money in the long run.

 

[colder]

I just got mine a few minutes ago from the AT&T store.

According to the employee I talked to, they receive product every day, usually around 2pm for this store (presumably, by UPS). The base employees don't know what will be in the shipment.

She offered to take my number and call when they came in and sure enough she called me back around 2:30 saying they had received 10 32GB iphone 4s. By the time I got to the store, a 10 minute drive away, they were down to 7, and by the time I left they were down to 5.