Did you not just answer your own question (as long as you're on 10gb shared plan)?
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Why are people still doing contract upgrades with AT&T?
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Did you not just answer your own question (as long as you're on 10gb shared plan)?
Why would I want to make payments when i can upgrade and my bill remains the same. I am not leaving AT&T as I am happy and been with them from the old Cingular days.
Choice is good so everyone pick what they want!
AT&T is pushing NEXT for a reason!
Choice is good so everyone pick what they want!
AT&T is pushing NEXT for a reason!
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Why are people still doing contract upgrades with AT&T?
New iPhone 6, never dealt with carrier, never waited on slow overburdened upgrade servers, no weird contract details and upgrade fees, dealt soley with Apple as it should be, just swapped sim and rolled right along. So he So incredibly painless.
This, and yes, no taxes or fees. All inclusive. No games. Even $35 flat.
True, Rates and features are not locked in and guaranteed.
They are in direct competition with TMo and StaightTalk. I think I've seen a promotion that overs tmo switching credit. So should keep them roughly honest. Last month they doubled data to keep pace with Tmo.
Worst case, switch to TMo. Hair more expensive, hair worse coverage. But still significant savings.
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Oh... I read and comprehended. You and your article were discussing financing vs financing. I was showing you a way to not continue being a slave to the system. Break free. Take the red pill.
More than you may think. 3 of us engineers switched at my office back when it was Aio. At least 2 since. Its growing, at least among those who can do math, and finally realize the almost hilarious ridiculousness that is the concept of financing a mobile phone.
New iPhone 6, never dealt with carrier, never waited on slow overburdened upgrade servers, no weird contract details and upgrade fees, dealt soley with Apple as it should be, just swapped sim and rolled right along. So he So incredibly painless.
This, and yes, no taxes or fees. All inclusive. No games. Even $35 flat.
True, Rates and features are not locked in and guaranteed.
They are in direct competition with TMo and StaightTalk. I think I've seen a promotion that overs tmo switching credit. So should keep them roughly honest. Last month they doubled data to keep pace with Tmo.
Worst case, switch to TMo. Hair more expensive, hair worse coverage. But still significant savings.
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Oh... I read and comprehended. You and your article were discussing financing vs financing. I was showing you a way to not continue being a slave to the system. Break free. Take the red pill.
Yes but if you have unlimited data, you're already paying for the phone price subsidization in your monthly plan. Why not take advantage of the 2 year contract discount price?
I have 3 iPhones on our plan and a dummy line for in between upgrades.
We have had the 700 family talk plan since 2007 with the original release of the iphone. We pay for 2 of them with grandfathered unlimited data not $30 after the old $20 edge data. Then the $30 for unlimited text and picture messaging. We would get rid if that but many people we know don't gave iMessage. Then my sons iphone we pay $30 for 3 gb data.
I crunched the math and we might save just a few bucks but not enough to switch. I can keep my plan and pay the cheap subsidy price. We also get out 20% duscount with fan and don't pay for the $40 upgrade fee.
See many years ago when the first iphone came out it was all about messaging and phone call minutes. Now those dint mean a thing really anymore. Now everything is data data data for the most part.
In the end everyone does what they need to do for their particular plan and needs.
We have had the 700 family talk plan since 2007 with the original release of the iphone. We pay for 2 of them with grandfathered unlimited data not $30 after the old $20 edge data. Then the $30 for unlimited text and picture messaging. We would get rid if that but many people we know don't gave iMessage. Then my sons iphone we pay $30 for 3 gb data.
I crunched the math and we might save just a few bucks but not enough to switch. I can keep my plan and pay the cheap subsidy price. We also get out 20% duscount with fan and don't pay for the $40 upgrade fee.
See many years ago when the first iphone came out it was all about messaging and phone call minutes. Now those dint mean a thing really anymore. Now everything is data data data for the most part.
In the end everyone does what they need to do for their particular plan and needs.
I actually had this conversation with an At&T rep the other day when deciding how to upgrade our phones. With a 2 year contract they build in an extra $25 per month for the cost of the phone. So you pay your 2 year contract price $200-500 depending on what you get, plus your upgrade fee, then you pay $25 per month for 24 months = $600 over the course of your 2 year contract for the phone cost no matter what the retail cost of the phone is. So we just did for an example a 16 gb iPhone 6 plus since that is what my husband wants....and the total cost was $963 with a 2 year contract for a $750 phone. With Next you pay the tax up front then your monthly payment. Once the phone is paid off your bill goes down. I was also told that you can pay the phone off at any point if you want to and the Next payment is removed from your bill since the phone is paid for
A lot of people here on the two year contract seem to have unlimited data. Not so much for those of us that jumped aboard afterwards.
For me, it evens out. Well, it's a little higher but I get upgrades every year. If I were to pay the phones off, I would see a significant decrease. Depends on your needs exactly. The best part of Next IS the yearly upgrade.
For me, it evens out. Well, it's a little higher but I get upgrades every year. If I were to pay the phones off, I would see a significant decrease. Depends on your needs exactly. The best part of Next IS the yearly upgrade.
I'm currently paying
29.99 for 300 minutes
30 for unlimited data
10 for unlimited text
I was told my currently monthly bill won't change once my contract is up on dec 6. If I'm paying a subsidy for my current phone, then wouldn't my current bill go down once the contract is up?
conversely, if I were to enroll in Next I was told my current bill wouldn't change at all. If I'm paying a subsidy now, then wouldn't that discount my bill on next?
It really all depends on how much data you use. If you have unlimited data and use a lot of data, it makes sense. I have 4 iPhones and a dummy line on my account. 700 monthly minutes, unlimited text, 2 lines have unlimited data, one has 3 gb a month and the last iPhone has 300 mb (my mom, she barely uses it haha), between the 4 iPhones even with the unlimited data that we could use, we use around 10 gb a month, but we don't want to lost that unlimited data. I also get a 23% discount on service and waived upgrade fees. So above, I was just explaining how they get their money for the phone cost with next vs. 2 year pricing. It really all comes down to the math and how much data you use.
That is my reason as well. I used to get throttled every month, but it hasn't happened in a while.
Thats where they get us....they don't lower your bill on a 2 year contract once your subsidy is up. There was a Consumer Reports article about this a few months back. CR basically said, if you have 2 year contract and don't upgrade at the end of your contract because you don't want or need a new phone you are not making a smart choice because you are still paying for a phone that is paid off (and then some, as the rep explained to me)
That's because the plans are fairly new. Aio started just last year, I think and Cricket was CDMA-based prior to the AT&T acquisition.
Personally, I'm gonna miss official tethering and being able to add tablets to the plan. We don't actually use tethering on the phones much but I do use my iPad daily as a wifi hotspot for my laptop. For me, the additional cost of the tablet data plans offset the savings from Cricket+Group Save.
That said, Cricket increased data allowances just recently and I think with the new plans, we might actually be able to save with Cricket even if I do need to get a more expensive data plan for the iPad. My question is this, how do I go about switching 4 lines to Cricket? Will I experience any interruption of service?
Because I'm on an individual plan and it doesn't matter if I upgrade or not, stay on contract or not - my monthly bill will remain the same. So why should I pay full price for something I can pay half? Doesn't make sense.
That's crazy!
Still, I guess i'm just wondering how a subsidy is built into my current plan since I feel like I'm paying a pretty low amount for what I'm getting. (Avg data usg is just shy of 5gb/month)
It's different for everyone depending on your use and your plan. I actually just registered here because I recently took my family off our unlimited plans in order to sign up for Mobile Share (4 smartphones, 1 dumb phone, 1 iPad -- 20gb on a corporate account).
The thing about unlimited data is if you truly are someone who would want "unlimited" the grandfathered plan is awful because you are throttled after 5gb, and no tethering allowed. I was the only one getting throttled and it was happening consistently. Average usage for me was between 6-7gb a month with the rest of the lines combining for 5gbs. So, we switched to Mobile Share 20gb -- everyone can now tether willy nilly and we should be safe -- and saved about $120 on the plan alone. Factoring in 4 new 6s on Next program and it's around the same as our old bills.
The thing about unlimited data is if you truly are someone who would want "unlimited" the grandfathered plan is awful because you are throttled after 5gb, and no tethering allowed. I was the only one getting throttled and it was happening consistently. Average usage for me was between 6-7gb a month with the rest of the lines combining for 5gbs. So, we switched to Mobile Share 20gb -- everyone can now tether willy nilly and we should be safe -- and saved about $120 on the plan alone. Factoring in 4 new 6s on Next program and it's around the same as our old bills.
Let's examine brand new sign-ups, because grandfathered Unlimited Data people are obviously a different case.
A contract can sometimes be cheaper, specifically if you want to get a new phone every two years. I'm not talking about NEXT (leasing anything is a ripoff), I'm comparing the 2-yr Contract vs. Bring-Your-Own-Device prices. If you pay full price for a new phone, BYOD monthly discounts only start to pay off if you keep that same phone longer than two and a half years.
Let's say I want two iPhone 6 (16Gb) with a 2GB Mobile Share data plan.
With a 2-yr Contract, that is $40 (smartphone) + $40 (smartphone) + $40 (data) = $120 per month.
For 24 months that is $2880.
Add the two phones at $199 each and you're at $3278 for two years.
BYOD gets a $15 discount per line on Mobile Share plans, so that is $25 (smartphone) + $25 (smartphone) + $40 (data) = $90 per month.
For 24 months that is $2160.
Add the two full-priced phones at $649 each and you're at $3458 for two years.
So, at the two year mark, BYOD costs you $180 more. Your monthly bill is $30 cheaper, so you would need to keep using the same phones for another six months to catch up and be even with the price of a subsidized phone.
If you plan to get the latest and greatest phone every two years, and you know you will stay with AT&T, then the contract pricing can work in your favor.
BYOD can pay off if you keep your device longer. Or if you're truly budget-minded, go with an older model phone and find a good deal on a refurbished one. But if you absolutely must have the brand new iPhone 6, plan to keep it for a long time so the savings catch up with you.
A contract can sometimes be cheaper, specifically if you want to get a new phone every two years. I'm not talking about NEXT (leasing anything is a ripoff), I'm comparing the 2-yr Contract vs. Bring-Your-Own-Device prices. If you pay full price for a new phone, BYOD monthly discounts only start to pay off if you keep that same phone longer than two and a half years.
Let's say I want two iPhone 6 (16Gb) with a 2GB Mobile Share data plan.
With a 2-yr Contract, that is $40 (smartphone) + $40 (smartphone) + $40 (data) = $120 per month.
For 24 months that is $2880.
Add the two phones at $199 each and you're at $3278 for two years.
BYOD gets a $15 discount per line on Mobile Share plans, so that is $25 (smartphone) + $25 (smartphone) + $40 (data) = $90 per month.
For 24 months that is $2160.
Add the two full-priced phones at $649 each and you're at $3458 for two years.
So, at the two year mark, BYOD costs you $180 more. Your monthly bill is $30 cheaper, so you would need to keep using the same phones for another six months to catch up and be even with the price of a subsidized phone.
If you plan to get the latest and greatest phone every two years, and you know you will stay with AT&T, then the contract pricing can work in your favor.
BYOD can pay off if you keep your device longer. Or if you're truly budget-minded, go with an older model phone and find a good deal on a refurbished one. But if you absolutely must have the brand new iPhone 6, plan to keep it for a long time so the savings catch up with you.
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For brand new sign ups, it's pretty simple. If you're on a 10GB or higher plan (ergo, $25/line discount), NEXT/BYOD is cheaper. If you're on a 6GB or lower plan (ergo, $15/line discount), 2-year contract is cheaper. That simple.
Almost that simple, because as I said in my last point, BYOD can still save you money on the lower data plans if you are the type of person who keeps the same device for a long time. I speak from experience, as my wife and I both still use an iPhone 3Gs.
Next is literally a 0% APR financing contract (see the attachment) where you own the phone after it's paid for.
Why would you call that a lease?
Attachments
Totally agree. I'm grandfather in on two phone with unlimited data and will never give it up.
The thing is this, on the new Mobile Share Value Plans, once you finish your 2-year contract, your price still drops $15/25 as you're considered off-contract/BYOD at the time. The only time you'll be paying extra is for the duration of the 2-year contract.
