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... I already get pretty much any phone for free with a 2 or more year plan. How is this different?
by Raphmedia 13y ago
... I already get pretty much any phone for free with a 2 or more year plan. How is this different?
- ireadzalot 13y agoExcept it is not free. You pay for the phone in monthly installments when you pay your phone bill.
- stephengillie 13y agoYou pay at least $800-1000 for that $600 smartphone when you pay for it across 24 months instead of paying for it all at once.
- f0under 13y agoI've never quite understood this statement. Aren't you still going to pay the monthly installments regardless of whether you were in a contract or not? On ATT, Verizon, etc, the non-contract prices aren't cheaper than the ones on contract. So, at the end of two years, you'll be paying the same amount for your phone bill and have a subsidized device.
- untog 13y agoYou're right. However, some telcos do offer cheaper monthly rates. T-Mobile is leading the charge on that in the US.
- sliverstorm 13y agonon-contract prices aren't cheaper than the ones on contract. That's just because of how ubiquitous the subsidized phone model already is.
- abruzzi 13y agoYes if you stay with ATT/Verizon/Sprint. If you instead choose a MVNO like StraightTalk or Virgin Mobile, you'll pay less. I pay $45/mo on StraightTalk, and when I buy a new phone in the next year or so, I'll jump to $30/mo with Virgin Mobile since I don't need unlimited voice (or text...).
- cube13 13y agoIf you're paying for yourself and either buying used or slightly outdated hardware(or getting a new Nexus 4), this is probably completely true. If you're bundling several smartphones and regular phones, the contract price can win out. You still need to shop around to see what the best price is if you're going with iOS or the more expensive Android devices. For example, since I'm sharing a plan with my family, the ATT contract comes out to around 20% cheaper than a similar contractless byo device Virgin Mobile service for iPhones, upgrading only after the contract is up.
- bad_user 13y agoIn Romania I pay 15€ monthly for a PrePay plan with 1 GB of data, 3000 minutes in the same network and 150 national/international minutes. It's a PrePay, no contract, and I've seen similar deals in other European countries. Trust me, you're being ripped off.
- graeme 13y agoI have an iphone, but don't want a data plan. I pay $35 per month (Chatr, in Canada) for unlimited calling and texting. I bought the phone outright. Most telcos would make me pay $80 per month over a couple of years to get the subsidized phone. A much more expensive deal for something I don't want.
- dlhavema 13y agocan you do that on other networks? most of the phone reps say you can't use a smartphone without a dataplan, since "everything goes over data" as they say.. my wife would love a smartphone, but not the dataplan...
- alanctgardner2 13y agoYou absolutely don't need a data plan - my girlfriend is on Rogers with a smartphone kitted out as a dumbphone. Just turn off packet data (in the network settings menu) and you're set. You might not be eligible for subsidies on some devices though: many carriers have a minimum monthly cost to get the full discount.
- graeme 13y agoAlmost always, yes, as long as you own the phone. I had a non-data plan for years with FIDO. If the rep says you can't, ask for someone else.
- jusben1369 13y agoWow would love a US equivalent of this if it's out there? Could turn an older iPhone 4 into a cell phone for kid without an expensive data plan (they're without a wireless option about 12 minutes of the day)
- IanChiles 13y agoI have a AT&T-mvno Straight Talk plan here in the US that costs 45$/month for unlimited data/talk/text - it's vastly cheaper to just purchase the phones outright. Too bad straight talk quit selling AT&T compatible SIM cards a few months ago.
- gr2020 13y agoThe article is referring to being free with no contract required.
- carmentop 13y agoYou poor fool.
- Raphmedia 13y agoWell, that escalated quickly! I wasn't thinking about the latest iPhone. I was talking about how some companies will chip in a "old" phone to get you to sign with them.
- darren_ 13y agoOver in Japan (only experience I have of contract-cellphone-ownership) it is spelled out very clearly when you start a 2-year cellphone contract with a 0-yen upfront phone that you're actually buying the handset over a period of 24 months and the cost is x yen per month (and this is broken out in your bill). Do they not do this in the US?
- jusben1369 13y agoHeck no! That would spoil the fun.
- alanctgardner2 13y agoNope! The best part is, if you bring your own phone (or hold onto one longer than 2 years) - no savings! You get to subsidize someone else's phone (or bonus). Frankly, this is something I wish the CRTC would sort out.
- rprospero 13y agoImagine that you're heading out to a restaurant for dinner and getting a nice plate of nachos. However, at the start of your meal, you pull out a big bag of tortilla chips. You then tell the waiter that you've brought your own chips and don't want to use the restaurant's chips. I've known a couple of friendly restaurant owners who would agree to something like this (e.g. for allergies), but not one of them would have given a discount for it. The meal comes with chips, even if you don't want them or eat them. You're going to pay for their chips, even if you bring your own. Most of the US phone carriers have the same attitude towards phones. Your cellular contract comes with a phone. If you want to bring your own phone, that's fine, but the price is going to be the same whether you use their phone or your own. Thankfully, some of the smaller carriers are moving away from this attitude, but bringing your own phone can still be a major pain. After all, the only thing better for a salesman's commission than selling you an expensive contract in exchange for a phone is selling you that same contract and not giving you a phone.
- silentOpen 13y agoNo. In the US, you continue to pay your original contract fee (including overpriced handset payment) even after the contract expires. The handset cost is not broken out. After 2 years, the telco expects you to re-up a new 2 year contract and get a new phone. Consumer mobile telecom in the US is fundamentally broken.
- AsymetricCom 13y agoSame, I got my house for free. IT sector has a long way to go to catch up with financial products.