How? Why would they just reverse the charge? Info for the less informed please.
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When did AT&T raise the activation/upgrade fee to $40?
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How? Why would they just reverse the charge? Info for the less informed please.
I'm saving $20 per line a month with MSV+Next compared to the old family plans. That means I pay $300 + $20*12 months = $540 vs just $450 on Next.
Next 12 with trade-in (32GB)
$37.50*12 + $37.50*12 = $450 + $450 = $900
2-year contract, sell and early upgrade
$300 + $20*12 - $300 + $550 + $20*12 = $1030
2-year contract, sell and buy outright
$300 + $20*12 - $300 + $750 + $20*12 = $1230
I've done my math and based on our usage, Mobile Share Value+Next (or buy outright) is a savings of at least $240+upgrade fees over the course of 2 years compared to the old style Family Plans. Given we really only upgrade 2 lines every year, out actual savings with MSV+Next is $920+upgrade fees for 2 years. Mind, I wouldn't be using Next to trade-in since our devices get handed down to family members.
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We have 4 iPhones/lines. 2 iPhones get upgraded every year. The other 2 every 2 years.
So the 2 subsidized phones that get upgraded every year are basically free after selling them at the one year point(e.g. I am getting $400 for my iPhone 5s I bought for $399 last year). The other 2 phones have net cost of $200 or 400 in total. So phones cost me about $16 month (400/24) vs $113 on Nest (2 12 month $849 phones and 2 18 month $749 phones). So far I have gotten ATT to waive activation fees.
So Phones cost $97 more a month on Next in our situation
The family value plan saves me $60 a month over subsidized plans.
So subsidized vs next/family is $37 more a month.
Am I missing something? Please let me know because if I can save going to Next/family plans I will.
32GB Next 12 is $37.50. This takes your Next 12 calculation to $1,350... or $320 more than the 2 year, sell and early upgrade. For what it's worth, if you tag along a $15 line, you also don't have to pay the early upgrade fee, saving yourself another $140 over the life of the contract.
So --
Next 12 with trade-in
$37.50 * 12 + 37.50 * 12 = $900 + $450 = $1,350
2-year contract, sell and early upgrade
$300 + $20*12 - $300 + $300 + $20*12 + $15 * 12 + $15 * 12 = $948
The "activation fee" is just a price you pay to support the multi-billion dollar network infrastructure/company. It's just called an "activation fee," it doesn't necessarily mean that it costs $40 to activate a phone.
As far as the rise in price, I assume it's to make Next even more lucrative, AT&T is trying hard to move away from standard contracts, so it gives discounts and other financial intensives to pull people away from the 2 year contract model and into non-contract and non-contract/next plans.
As far as the rise in price, I assume it's to make Next even more lucrative, AT&T is trying hard to move away from standard contracts, so it gives discounts and other financial intensives to pull people away from the 2 year contract model and into non-contract and non-contract/next plans.
Hopefully you're using the $200 price point as an example. I have never gotten less than $325 for a 16g year old model.
Actually, no. I made a mistake and typed in $32.50 instead of $37.50 but the calculation for Next is correct ($37.50*12 = 450 or $850*60% = $450).
What $15 fee is that? Because on the Mobile Share Value plans, if you sign a contract, you pay $40 for the line for the life of the contract. The older style family plans do allow you to add a line for $10 per month which you can use for a cross upgrade but I already use my mom's line to cross upgrade anyway (I give her my 1-year old phone).
I'm not saying that Mobile Share + Next is cheaper for everyone. It's just that in my family's case, it's cheaper for us (we don't plan to use Next trade-in).
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Nah, that number came from BD1. I tend to keep my phones to be handed down to family members or for use as backups.
You're right, my mistake. Not sure what the 60% is for, but it's $900 for the phone over two years.
The $15 is for an additional line. You already have your mother's line so you don't need it. Which makes the deal even sweet for NOT going with Next.
The point is that you pay more for the device with Next... period. Over the course of 12 months, you pay $450 vs. $300. When you sell the device, you still owe $300 to AT&T with Next vs. nothing. You can get your next phone for FREE if you do not use Next. FREE. And for your trouble, they give you a discount (actually, they gave that to everybody -- they are just going to take it away from everybody now) of $25/mo (or $300/yr). So, you still pay $450 for your device, versus FREE.
That's what seems to be lost here, after the first iPhone purchase, every subsequent iPhone is FREE. As in, it costs $0 ... or ZERO, nada, nil, nothing. A free iPhone, every year. Now, it's a $450 iPhone every year (AFTER the $300/yr plan savings). What a shame.
So if you factor in the value of selling the old phones you are actually paying more on Next/Mobile Share. Let's say you sell each phone after 2 years and get $200 a phone that is $800 or $33.33 a month you are paying more.
They you guys probably havent upgraded a device lately because as of last month, ATT NO LONGER WAIVES UPGRADE FEES FOR ANYONE, NO EXCEPTIONS, not even if you had a line for 15 years and they waived it for the last 10 years. theyve stopped doing it. I was stuck with the $40 upgrade.
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NOPE, Not anymore. I have 2 different fan accounts, no waivers anymore. I even called back and spoke to 3 different reps. New policies are in place, no more waivers
Again, that's only if you trade in the phone which is entirely optional. We don't plan on trading in our iPhones so MS Value+Next is cheaper for us.
That said, it's only free in the sense where you don't have an upfront cost (which you don't have with Next, either). You still pay the subsidy as part of your monthly service fee.
Here's what I pay on the old Family Plans with 2-year contract:
Year 1: 2*$300 (upfront) + $245*12 (service) = $3,540
Year 2: 2*$300 (upfront) + $245*12 (service) = $3,540
TOTAL: $7,080
Here's what I'll pay with MS Value 10GB + Next 12:
Year 1: $160*12 (service) + 2*$37.50*12 (installment) = $2,820
Year 2: $160*12 (service) + 2*$37.50*12 (installment) + 2*$37.50*8 (payoff) = $3,420
TOTAL: $6,240
In both cases, I own the phones and can do whatever I want with them including unlocking and selling.
You can do the same thing on Next. You only have to trade in the phone if you want to upgrade early while you still haven't paid off your balance. Once the phone is paid off (which it will be after 20 or 24 months), you can do whatever you want with it including unlocking and selling.
Then it will be an interesting conversation when I call to have my fee waived.
It also depends on the specific FAN agreement (discount amount, fee waivers...). At&t cannot alter the already existing FAN agreement.
Year 2, and every subsequent year becomes $600 cheaper because you get your new phones for free.
There is no math in the world that can possibly show that the device is cheaper using Next. I've already demonstrated that. The device is $300 without and $750 with. AT&T gives you a $300/yr discount on your plan. That makes it $750 with and $600 without. You still save $150 over the course of 12 months on a subsidized phone.
Just keeping it simple here. Nevermind FAN discounts or anything else. Just the phone.
10GB+ Mobile Share
BYOD
$25/mo * 12 = -$300
32GB iPhone 6 = $750
Total: $450
Subsidized
32GB iPhone 6 = $300
No discounts
Difference
BYOD = $450
Subsidy = $300
Difference = $150 in favor of subsidy
Now, if you don't hang on to old paper weights, this is what happens in year 2.
Year 2
BYOD
$25/mo * 12 = -$300
32GB iPhone 6 = $750
Total: $450
Subsidized
32GB iPhone 6S = $0
No discounts
Difference
BYOD = $450
Subsidy = $0
Difference = $450 in favor of subsidy
Total benefit to subsidy over two years: $600. It goes up by $450 each year from then on out.
Well done.
I am going to copy and save this. Everytime I see someone posting they are saving with Next/Family share I need to go redo my math to see if I missing something and should move off my subsidized, unlimited data plans.....
I'm sure they needed to raise the price of it for their "network improvements".
AT&T - cleverly finding new ways to dig in their customers pockets, 1 dollar at a time.
AT&T - cleverly finding new ways to dig in their customers pockets, 1 dollar at a time.
I just spoke to an AT&T rep and they put a note in my account to waive the upgrade fee once I sign up for another 2-year contract. So there are sill ways of getting the fee waived.
Some fallacies:
I'm guessing you sold the subsidized device that's why the cost is $0. However, on the BYOD calculations, you now own two devices (6 and 6S). You need to sell one of the BYOD phones to make a fair comparison.
How much did you sell the device and did you do a cross upgrade? If you have 2 lines and did cross upgrade, then you need to factor in the total discounts for both lines which makes it $600 and not just $300.
Nope, on the BYOD you don't get to sell your device after just 12 months. You have to give it back. If I pay it off, I've still paid $750 for it. If I trade it in, I'm still paying $750 for the next one. That's where the rub is. That's where they get you.
We discussed the cross upgrade above. You said you have your mom's line. But Again, my point was to keep it simple and not complicated like AT&T has. They are feeding off of that confusion. The numbers are simple when you just look at the phone.
Nothing I posted above is false.
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Is there a recurrent fee or just a one time $40 charge?
If so for me that's still cheaper than the NEXT plan.
I just upgraded to 5s 16 gbfor $50 and a 5c 16 gb free no fee.
Is there a recurrent fee or just a one time $40 charge?
If so for me that's still cheaper than the NEXT plan.
I just upgraded to 5s 16 gbfor $50 and a 5c 16 gb free no fee.
Dude, if you bought your own device, you don't have to give it to AT&T at all. Also, if you're talking about Next, then you didn't pay $750 for your device. You just paid $450 during the year. $750 is only if you pay for all 20 months in which case, you own the device and it's yours to keep.
Yes, I use my mom's line for the cross upgrade. However, I'm also the one who pays the entire cellphone bill so I factor in the total cost of the entire plan including whatever discounts are eligible for my mom's line.