But these are not truly free right, because they also force you into a contract extension. I think the trick is, with a family plan, you get a new phone once a

But these are not truly free right, because they also force you into a contract extension. I think the trick is, with a family plan, you get a new phone once a year or whatever, so if you take them up on that offer, they are constantly extending your service contract. And of course, you are paying for the "free" phone with higher monthly costs. My PureTalk USA phone plan (AT&T reseller) is $22/mo including all taxes and fees for unlimited talk/text and 2GB fast data, throttled after that. I just checked, and Verizon for 1 line, unlimited, is $65/mo + taxes & fees, so probably $70/mo. That extra $50/mo is $600/year. I bought my refurb iPhone XR on eBay a couple of years ago for $500, indistinguishable from new, and will keep it until it dies.