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Absolutely. Even though most carriers are doing something like T-Mobile is with their 2 year payoff period for phones with no interest, people see that their c
by JohnTHaller 11y ago
Absolutely. Even though most carriers are doing something like T-Mobile is with their 2 year payoff period for phones with no interest, people see that their cell phone bill can be less each month if they don't upgrade. On the high end for the iPhone 6s Pro with 128GB ($229 up front plus $30/month for 2 years) or a Galaxy Note 5 ($0 up front plus $29/month for 2 years), people see that they can save quite a bit of money by keeping their phone longer.
- rconti 11y agoYup- and this is key. You didn't have a choice before, at least not with the big carriers. They were going to take you for a full subsidy/installment/whatever phone plan, whether or not you reaped the rewards of it. As such, it was silly to not sign a new contract and pay a couple hundred for a new $800 phone every 2 years. Even back into the turn of the century, if you bought an unlocked phone off eBay, you were paying full whack for your rate plan, even though you didn't use a subsidy. I even had Cingular once try to tell me I was under contract, simply because I had signed up less than 2 years ago -- even though there was no contract (I paid for my own phone). Then a couple of years ago, they started offering "BYOD" pricing plans, so I paid my $300ish ETF, got my iPhone unlocked, and "saved" $15/mo. It was roughly breakeven. Now I just pay full price for my phone if and when I want a new one. It helps me recognize the full cost of what I'm buying, and it means I'm not tied to a carrier.
- JohnTHaller 11y agoExactly. Remember when your phone only worked on a specific carrier so even if you paid it off and got it unlocked you couldn't take it to the carrier of your choice (or any other carrier at all)? shudder Never again.