Doesn't offer tethering, I'll give you that, but their data is truly unlimited.
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What's so good about buying an iPhone outright?
- Thread starter Squilly
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Doesn't offer tethering, I'll give you that, but their data is truly unlimited.
if it doesn't include tethering it's not true unlimited in my book, it's restricted to only my phone. Besides that three uk offer twice the amount of minutes for the same price...
There's a reason why three are the only company giff gaff don't compare to on their website
What's so good about buying an iPhone outright?
Yeah, 3 provide great value but their coverage is sub-par in my experience compared to O2/gg, at least when I last tried it last year.
Yeah, 3 provide great value but their coverage is sub-par in my experience compared to O2/gg, at least when I last tried it last year.
I can't disagree with you there, O2/gg definitely have better general coverage, however their networks are often choked ( probably because it's shared between O2, giffgaff, and Tesco)
I'm fortunate in that I live in an area with good 3 coverage so it doesn't really cause me any issues apart from when I visit my gran, but she lives in a deadspot for every carrier except Vodaphone, and I won't ever go back to them.
anyhow we've strayed well off topic so we best leave this here
Do a lot of travelling?
I'm also in berks and find 3 better than vodafone who have their head office just down the road and are meant to have the best(?) coverage! Better is probably a little biased, to be perfectly honest, they both work 99.9% of the places I go.I did convince a local friend to switch to 3 a while ago, who cancelled quite quickly after discovering his reception was non existent while inside his home (which didn't on his previous O2 account).
Then again, I get a single bar with 3 at my dads in remote Surrey, while his O2 handset and my vodafone handset get nothing.
My point? No idea! You're screwed whatever you do I think, need to try before you buy with a load of sims in whatever handset you're planning on using!
Do a lot of travelling?
I did convince a local friend to switch to 3 a while ago, who cancelled quite quickly after discovering his reception was non existent while inside his home (which didn't on his previous O2 account).
Then again, I get a single bar with 3 at my dads in remote Surrey, while his O2 handset and my vodafone handset get nothing.
My point? No idea! You're screwed whatever you do I think, need to try before you buy with a load of sims in whatever handset you're planning on using!
I know what you mean, it's impossible to tell really what kind of signal you're going to get
Although I'm in Berks in the Reading area, I found that at my school I only get three bars max and a lot of buildings I get nothing. With giffgaff, it hovers around three bars but I always have service. At home with 3 (only 3ish miles away from school) it was fine.
O2/gg also seem much better in Alton, where I go fairly often to see my grandparents. However, I did find 3's 3G to be quicker.
It all boils down to where you go and what you need, unless you want to take 5 SIMs wherever you go
Sorry Squilly, back on topic.
Comes off a little isolated and arrogant?
Sorry, did not mean it like that. I guess if I was outside of the USA I too would buy off contract.
It depends OP. I for one will go another two year contract (Pay $199.00, and save a bundle on paying full) since Verizon in my area is good, do not like paid plans on carriers not up to par, Verizon is usually very good around the U.S. and I for one do not plan on leaving the country, and if I did I will leave the phone at home. Been over the pound a couple of times and never needed a smartphone.... Ever.
If you are the same, go the contract rout. If not...You know
If you are the same, go the contract rout. If not...You know
Most people in the USA are on family plans and most also have corporate discounts.
I have 4 lines plus 24% discount. My total cost including unlimited data on 4 smartphone lines was $210 a month for post paid plan.
That works out to about $52 per line for unlimited text/data and 700 min plus rollover plus any mobile (essentially unlimited minutes).
Plus ATT also gives me upwards to a $400 subsidy per line every 24 months.
Don't think Americans are stupid. $52 a line that includes taxes and a subsidy is a good deal.
In Europe and Asia there aren't any true family plans that offer significant savings like in the USA.
The stats don't lie. Something like 60% of Americans are on family lines and 88% are on family lines and or also have corporate discounts.
When Verizon and ATT brag about have 100 million customers. That has come back to haunt them cause many of those lines 2-5 are really family lines which generate far less revenue than the primary line yet lines 2-5 all receive the same $400 subsidy as the primary lines.
The big carriers are trying to figure out a way to generate more revenue yet their hands are tied since their real growth in customers have been through family lines.
But if they make family lines expensive than they risk losing customers to prepaid like Tmobile USA and straight talk etc.
They are in a catch-22 situation. Those is reason they are trying to make upgrades 24
Months instead of 12-18 months in the past. 12 month upgrades for their best customers used to be the norm but they got rid of that almost 2 years ago.
Most don't have 24% discounts. 10% to 15% is probably the norm. A $210 phone bill per month is crazy, no matter how many lines you have. $2500 yearly phone bill is absurd for a family. And many families that pay that price also say they can't afford health insurance at that same price.
I don't plan leaving ATT and will spend the same on my monthly bill anyway so why not let ATT help pay for my phone? Silly not to in my situation IMHO.
But for those that company jump a lot it's a no brainer to purchase outright.
But for those that company jump a lot it's a no brainer to purchase outright.
Don't look at the $210 number.
Look at the average cost per line. $52-53 per line with data and text.
In the old days many families would pay $30-40 for a landline plus pay long distance costs. So I remember our family landline bill being $60-70 routinely each month.
Now landlines are dying. I only have one because its inclided in triple play package or else i wouldn't need it at all except for a few faxes i use each month.
Imagine a young adult in old days having to have landline and paying $40 a month. Now most young adults are on their family plans. So $52-53 isn't a lot per individual plus the subsidy.
I agree. As a military personnel I got %15 from att. Still paying 90 a month with the discount. Had to move to aio prepaid for 40 bucks a month.
I called AT&T about this and they said they do not unlock in-contract phones regardless of reason, not even for international travel. (Unless you're getting deployed in the military.)
IMO, the Average Joe is also not buying their iPhone outright, either.
Paying AT&T or Verizon's international data fee when traveling internationally for just one week a year is expensive enough to warranty buying an iPhone outright, to get it unlocked.
A quick forum search for "prepaid SIM" shows the topic usually comes up several times a month.
AT&T is stupid, lots of times their left hand doesn't know what their right hand is doing. So the heck with them and use a third party unlocker.
Covered in prior posts but to sum up:
- Not subject to ETF
- Can use cheaper prepaid services
- Typically fully unlocked for domestic and international use
- Can retain grandfathered plan/features
Yup. Contract is always on the service -- not the device. Contract comes with the subsidized device but it's on the service.
You don't have to. One person not seeing the point in something doesn't mean that others don't see the point. The universe doesn't revolve around any one single person despite how that one perspective may make it appear so.
You're right about saving money, my GF's AT&T Go plan has the exact same service as my "standard" AT&T plan (LTE signal identical), for $60/month ($55 with auto-refill), unlimited talk & text, 2.5GB data, no tax, no fees... $55.00000 period. When she travels with me, it's unlocked so SIM swap in any country with GSM and she's good to go. I would definately do it too (buy unlocked, use AT&T Go Plan), but I'm on a corporate plan, company pays, no choice on plan. My contract is only one year which is very cool, I unlock after the year is up and upgrade, old phone becomes my travel phone (Asia). Could sell I suppose, but never do. Older ones go to friends overseas.
If you do the math, it's cheaper to buy outright (IF you use one of the many pre-paid plans out there) and very nice to use for travel.
Correct. We don't need them because we don't get ripped off by carriers like you do. Plus we pay for our own phones when reaching adulthood rather than having our parents do it for us.
You have these 1000-minute a month plans that we don't need because we don't pay for calls made *to* us or texts sent *to* us. I pay €19.50 a month including taxes and whatnot ($25 right now) for a SIM-only with unlimited texts, unlimited voice and 2GB of data (which is enough for me; I could get more) on 4G. And I'm actually on one of the more advanced, expensive plans.
Exactly. I paid full price for my phone and I'm using it on cricket. Next week I will port to tmobile to enjoy unlimited full speed lte for one year special. After a year I may port back to cricket.
Wow really? That's outrageous. Here you have special bring your own phone plans which are significantly cheaper than those you get if you get the phone too. It's actually better to buy a phone outright and go on a cheap plan.