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The problem with the US is that if you get a phone from the carrier, your plan will be $X a month with a 2 year contract but if you BYO phone, the plan will sti

The problem with the US is that if you get a phone from the carrier, your plan will be $X a month with a 2 year contract but if you BYO phone, the plan will still be $X a month with no contract. This significantly reduces the incentive to provide your own phone as you're essentially giving up on a $30 a month subsidy. Other countries (and T-mobile) have much more reasonable pricing models where BYO gives you the option to avoid the subsidy.

baddox 14y ago
Well, this is a bit of a stretch, but if you already have the unlocked phone, you could still pay the subsidized price for a new device and instantly sell it for a hefty profit. I say it's a stretch because it is still fairly annoying, but I always do it for every upgrade on each of my family plan's phone lines. We're going to keep paying for service for the foreseeable future and not changing carriers anyway, so we might as well take advantage of the subsidies that are built into the monthly bill. Plus, I can always have the newest device if I so choose.
- prostoalex 14y ago
  Why would the other guy buy it from you at a hefty profit instead of getting a subsidized unit from the carrier? They have the same issue - if they're on a mobile plan with a US carrier, the price of the plan won't change for them.
  - baddox 14y ago
    I never asked them, but plenty of people certainly do (you can check eBay to verify this, but I've experienced it numerous times in person). I can speculate a few reasons: someone on contract broke or lost their phone and needs another, someone simply wants the newest best phone but isn't eligible for a device upgrade (AT&T's upgrades come every 18 months, which is too long to even stay on the latest iPhone, much less Android flagships), or someone actually wants to use the device without a contract (I think some carriers have prepaid plans that will work with their locked phones).

baddox 14y ago

Well, this is a bit of a stretch, but if you already have the unlocked phone, you could still pay the subsidized price for a new device and instantly sell it for a hefty profit. I say it's a stretch because it is still fairly annoying, but I always do it for every upgrade on each of my family plan's phone lines. We're going to keep paying for service for the foreseeable future and not changing carriers anyway, so we might as well take advantage of the subsidies that are built into the monthly bill. Plus, I can always have the newest device if I so choose.

prostoalex 14y ago
Why would the other guy buy it from you at a hefty profit instead of getting a subsidized unit from the carrier? They have the same issue - if they're on a mobile plan with a US carrier, the price of the plan won't change for them.
- baddox 14y ago
  I never asked them, but plenty of people certainly do (you can check eBay to verify this, but I've experienced it numerous times in person). I can speculate a few reasons: someone on contract broke or lost their phone and needs another, someone simply wants the newest best phone but isn't eligible for a device upgrade (AT&T's upgrades come every 18 months, which is too long to even stay on the latest iPhone, much less Android flagships), or someone actually wants to use the device without a contract (I think some carriers have prepaid plans that will work with their locked phones).