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I was recently informed that it's not that easy to do this in the US.
by meaty 14y ago
I was recently informed that it's not that easy to do this in the US.
- dublinben 14y agoIt's not easy, nor does it make financial sense. Only one 'major' carrier (T-Mobile, at less than 10% of the market) offers a discount on monthly contracts when you decline the subsidized phone. On AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon, you are throwing away a $300-400 discount that you're paying for anyway. Only very recently, with Google's $300 Nexus 4 and improving prepaid GSM data plans has it even been feasible to avoid the lock-in when shopping for a smartphone. Europe, Asia, and the developing world are far ahead of the US in terms of wireless competition.
- dubcanada 14y agoFunny, it's extremely easy to do outside of US. I can walk into most cell companies up here get a 3 year contract with a new phone, pay some fee ($10-75 or so depending on the carrier) and walk out with a fully unlocked phone on a 3 year contract.
- meaty 14y agoSimilar here in the UK. I bought an unlocked Nokia Lumia 710 for £99 new and am on a £20 a month giffgaff pay as you go service. 800 mins to any number, free calls to other giffgaff users, free texts to any network and unlimited data.