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Pay ETF to get discount on phone?

Can I simply sign up for the cheapest contract, get the phone at a discounted rate, pay the ETF right after, and walk away with a discounted phone?
I'm 6 months away from ending my contract, and my current phone has been really messing up a lot lately. I'm really strapped for cash at the moment, and I really can't wait 6 months for a new phone. I could buy a phone on Ebay, but a few years ago I got ripped off on there, so I would rather leave that as a last resort.
The phone is $600 brand new from my carrier. I really can't pay that for a phone at the moment. Signing a 2 year and getting it online would cost under $100 including activation fee. That's without any rebates. Just immediate discounts I believe. Plan is $60. ETF is $200. That's about $400 total with room for any taxes once I cancel. On ebay it's about $400-$500 new.
Could I do this instead of paying the $600 full price? Or am I missing something?

toiletsss said:
Can I simply sign up for the cheapest contract, get the phone at a discounted rate, pay the ETF right after, and walk away with a discounted phone?
I'm 6 months away from ending my contract, and my current phone has been really messing up a lot lately. I'm really strapped for cash at the moment, and I really can't wait 6 months for a new phone. I could buy a phone on Ebay, but a few years ago I got ripped off on there, so I would rather leave that as a last resort.
The phone is $600 brand new from my carrier. I really can't pay that for a phone at the moment. Signing a 2 year and getting it online would cost under $100 including activation fee. That's without any rebates. Just immediate discounts I believe. Plan is $60. ETF is $200. That's about $400 total with room for any taxes once I cancel. On ebay it's about $400-$500 new.
Could I do this instead of paying the $600 full price? Or am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're missing the fact that your phone will still be network locked,whereas buying it from the MANUFACTURER and it's dealers gets you an unlocked sim,and such phones maintain value longer
Also the carrier has a right to charge you full price if you cancel service in under 30 days and don't return equipment.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA

Allanitomwesh said:
You're missing the fact that your phone will still be network locked,whereas buying it from the MANUFACTURER and it's dealers gets you an unlocked sim,and such phones maintain value longer
Also the carrier has a right to charge you full price if you cancel service in under 30 days and don't return equipment.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll be on the same network though, so that shouldn't be a problem right? I also don't mind paying an extra month. That would be about $450 total. I just don't want to be paying $600.

toiletsss said:
I'll be on the same network though, so that shouldn't be a problem right? I also don't mind paying an extra month. That would be about $450 total. I just don't want to be paying $600.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The savings won't be worth the hassle. I'm predicting more like $500 if you do it like you say.
But then,I'd advice you to read through your networks return policy, especially through the fine print. Like AT&T I know won't return your security deposit,another charge.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA

You are really strapped for cash, yet your require a $600 phone? I think you should get your priorities in order before trying to get over on your carrier.

lowandbehold said:
You are really strapped for cash, yet your require a $600 phone?
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Yes. When your phone is the one tool you depend on for most of the day, and considering the price trends on phones, it's worth the investment. In any case, I didn't come here for opinions on my personal finance.

toiletsss said:
Yes. When your phone is the one tool you depend on for most of the day, and considering the price trends on phones, it's worth the investment. In any case, I didn't come here for opinions on my personal finance.
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Click to collapse
Before you kill each other,he does have a valid point. Why not buy a phone in your price range,or save for the 60 days you'd have to endure in your current plan?
Sent from my U8150 using XDA

Allanitomwesh said:
Before you kill each other,he does have a valid point. Why not buy a phone in your price range,or save for the 60 days you'd have to endure in your current plan?
Sent from my U8150 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 6 months left? Not 60 days. And because I've set aside money specifically for this purpose. Non-contracted phones in the $100 range are obsolete, and I'd end up spending more money anyways. I know what I'm doing with my money. I didn't come here looking for the Suze Orman of smartphones.

toiletsss said:
Yes. When your phone is the one tool you depend on for most of the day, and considering the price trends on phones, it's worth the investment. In any case, I didn't come here for opinions on my personal finance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, considering the price trends on phones, you are way off. If you are really strapped for cash, but can pull enough together for a phone, I would suggest a Galaxy Nexus. You can pick one up for $350 brand new, even less used. It will easily be good for another 2 years, and you can get yourself on prepaid when your contract ends and save a ton per month.
When you say $600 I am assuming you are planning on getting the GSIII. Not worth it in my opinion. Best thing out right now? Probably. A major upgrade from a GSII or Nexus? Nope. With technology how it is right now..the latest and greatest isn't going to be that much greater than the other options.
---------- Post added at 08:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:44 AM ----------
One more thing...check with your carrier before doing this. Most carriers won't let you start a new contract for 6 months after paying an ETF.

lowandbehold said:
Actually, considering the price trends on phones, you are way off. If you are really strapped for cash, but can pull enough together for a phone, I would suggest a Galaxy Nexus. You can pick one up for $350 brand new, even less used. It will easily be good for another 2 years, and you can get yourself on prepaid when your contract ends and save a ton per month.
When you say $600 I am assuming you are planning on getting the GSIII. Not worth it in my opinion. Best thing out right now? Probably. A major upgrade from a GSII or Nexus? Nope. With technology how it is right now..the latest and greatest isn't going to be that much greater than the other options.
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How so? Market prices for good conditioned phones seem to level off right above $100. And this happens far down the line. Sweetspot seems to be in the $300 range, so $400 for a new phone is more than reasonable. $600 is not so reasonable. This is from the prices I've seen on CL or Ebay.
And no. HTC One S actually. And for me, it's definitely the best thing out right now.

toiletsss said:
How so? Market prices for good conditioned phones seem to level off right above $100. And this happens far down the line. Sweetspot seems to be in the $300 range, so $400 for a new phone is more than reasonable. $600 is not so reasonable. This is from the prices I've seen on CL or Ebay.
And no. HTC One S actually. And for me, it's definitely the best thing out right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get a One S for $380...

lowandbehold said:
You can get a One S for $380...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A new one? From where?

xda marketplace, swappa, craigslist...the price of that phone has plummeted.

toiletsss said:
I have 6 months left? Not 60 days. And because I've set aside money specifically for this purpose. Non-contracted phones in the $100 range are obsolete, and I'd end up spending more money anyways. I know what I'm doing with my money. I didn't come here looking for the Suze Orman of smartphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'd have to keep your phone 60 days to qualify for ETF. I wasn't referring to your current contract. Also,phone companies aren't stupid,and neither are their law firms. You will end up paying in full,or incurring a loss. There's a reason nobody is trying it.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA

As this thread doesn't have to do with mobile devices and instead service plans and carrier issues, moved to Off-Topic.

Quite frankly,to be putting this much effort into getting a HTC one S isn't worth it at all. If you have $300 to pay etf then you have enough to afford a one S,new and unlocked from your carrier you seem to despise.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1774401&highlight=one+s
Sent from my U8150 using XDA

Tried it once when the iPhone 3g first came out. It ended up costing me no less than if I had paid retail price. I think they have that all figured out.

Not to mention the hell it will wreak on your credit score.

Yeah, for the money you're actually talking about you could get a Nexus, a Sony Xperia Sola or U, or a number of other phones.

T-Mobile Jump: All Hype

Last time I was in the T-Mobile store, the clerk told me about their "Jump" program. It sounded great: You give them your old phone, they give you a new one, your monthly payments stay the same. No brainer. Go for it.
Something, however, didn't feel right. I went over the words again in my mind. You give them your old phone, they give you a new one, your monthly payments stay the same. What could possibly be wrong with that?
I took it apart:
1) You give them your old phone.
No problem. It's old. I want a new one.
2) They give you a new one.
Trade in your old, obsolete phone for a band new, cutting edge device. Cool.
3) Your monthly payments stay the same.
Paying the exact same amount for a brand new phone as what I was paying for my old phone. I can afford that.
Sound too good to be true?
It is.
When you do the math, it becomes obvious that when you jump, you lose money.
Think about "You give them your old phone". Notice the word "give". That means you get nothing in return. You may be thinking, "No, I AM getting something in return - a band new phone!
Wrong. T-Mobile makes it seem like it's all one big happy transaction. The Jump, however, actually consists of two separate transactions: giving them your old phone, and, getting a new phone.
1) Giving them your old phone
T-Mobile makes you think that when you give them your old phone, you get a new one in return. It sounds great because we think that the value of the old phone necessarily is less than that of the new phone. You say to yourself, Wow! I can't believe they're doing that! Well, they're not.
You have been paying off the old phone for quite a while, and have built up "equity" of a few hundred dollars, which is the basis for the true value of the old phone. When you jump, you give T-Mobile those hundreds of dollars as a gift. It seems like you get back the amount still left on the loan because T-Mobile "pays" it for you. That amount is always smaller than what you've already paid. It has to be, otherwise, T-Mobile wouldn't pay it. They make sure that they never lose money on the deal in two ways. 1) THEY tell YOU how much your old phone is worth, and, 2) You can jump only every six months (after which the amount you've paid on the loan exceeds what's left).
Now, what is the value of their payment of the balance of the old phone? Zero. When you give them the phone, you no longer owe the balance. You don't have the phone any more, they do. If you were to continue paying the loan off, you would be building up T-Mobile's equity rather than your own.
What is really happening is the following:
- You pay full price for your old phone, and then you give it away for nothing.
2) Getting a new phone
When T-Mobile says, "You get a brand new phone but the payments stay the same", they are drawing your attention away from the fact that when you jump, you take out a loan on the new phone for its full price. The payments don't "stay the same". The same as what? The loan you had on the old phone, which, as we've seen, is a separate transaction. So, the fact that the payments "stay the same" doesn't put a dime in your pocket. Ironically, you are the one ensuring that the payments stay the same by putting down a couple of hundred dollars. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot something. T-Mobile charges $10/mo to jump. So the payments actually increase.
What is really happening is the following:
- You pay full price for the new phone, and pay T-Mobile $10/mo for the privilege.
I didn't jump.

From my understanding if you owe money on the 6 month or less "old phone" then it is paid off. If you don't owe money on the "old phone" you get the trade in value of the phone. Which is what you would get anyways. And for someone who likes to switch there phone up every 3 or so months when a new "interesting" phone comes out, its a pretty good thing....
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

You're wrong on the "Jump every six months part". You initially wait 6 months after signing up to be able to use Jump, after that you can get two new devices within twelve months with no wait time in between. I verified that with three T-Mobile reps. Say I buy the Nexus 5 this week (which I am) and the Galaxy S5 comes out next month and I want that.. Guess what? I can go trade my device in for that S5. But then I'm out of upgrades for almost a year..

jump program from what i was also told is that it comes with warranty, so if i lost my phone or what not, it will be covered.....

Dude the $10 replaces your old php/ warranty which could be higher . so no its not a separate charge. I was paying 15 for insurance/ warranty and when I registered for jump it REPLACED that charge for $10. So I saved $5 a month. Also when you trade in your old phone any balance left is paid off and yes you are technically leasing a phone but you don't have to JUMP every six months. It actually works out better than their previous plan. I have two separate payment plans before jump because I didn't realize they were actually starting a new credit line for every phone you financed. I thought it was adding to the total. This plan leaves you with one balance to pay and not multiple.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 09:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:26 AM ----------
jbreeze228 said:
You're wrong on the "Jump every six months part". You initially wait 6 months after signing up to be able to use Jump, after that you can get two new devices within twelve months with no wait time in between. I verified that with three T-Mobile reps. Say I buy the Nexus 5 this week (which I am) and the Galaxy S5 comes out next month and I want that.. Guess what? I can go trade my device in for that S5. But then I'm out of upgrades for almost a year..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry that's not how it works either. If you buy your nexus device with jump you have to wait six months in between for the twice a year upgrade. I've also been told this by a few reps. I'd like to know the specifoc s of this.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

monkeypaws said:
Dude the $10 replaces your old php/ warranty which could be higher . so no its not a separate charge. I was paying 15 for insurance/ warranty and when I registered for jump it REPLACED that charge for $10. So I saved $5 a month. Also when you trade in your old phone any balance left is paid off and yes you are technically leasing a phone but you don't have to JUMP every six months. It actually works out better than their previous plan. I have two separate payment plans before jump because I didn't realize they were actually starting a new credit line for every phone you financed. I thought it was adding to the total. This plan leaves you with one balance to pay and not multiple.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 09:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:26 AM ----------
Sorry that's not how it works either. If you buy your nexus device with jump you have to wait six months in between for the twice a year upgrade. I've also been told this by a few reps. I'd like to know the specifoc s of this.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's very possible for it to be that case. But for me to be misquoted by three reps is pretty bad on T-Mobile's part. The last time I called was to verify my Jump Upgrade date last week and the guy went through all the specifics of the program and said after you wait the initial 6 months, after that you can upgrade two times in one year regardless of the time between the upgrades. But I just like the fact that I can upgrade two times in one year and have it added to monthly bill.

Well, it sounds like if you consistently jump you're basically leasing your phones...
Pay monthly for it, JUMP to a new one, and continue paying. Might be okay for some people, might not. Really depends on how often you upgrade and whether or not you really need to. I love having the latest stuff, but the Nexus 5 seems to satisfy me in every way possible. Don't know how it could get much better right now (camera, MAYBE - I never really take pictures anyway), so I may end up keeping this phone past my typical year of owning a device.
I haven't paid insurance on my devices in quite some time. Waste of money for me considering how cheap the Nexus line is nowadays, plus I've never broke, damaged, or lost a phone in the past 10 years. Wouldn't really like paying the $10/mo, plus the new phone payments, even with a value plan.

craigbailey1986 said:
From my understanding if you owe money on the 6 month or less "old phone" then it is paid off. If you don't owe money on the "old phone" you get the trade in value of the phone. Which is what you would get anyways. And for someone who likes to switch there phone up every 3 or so months when a new "interesting" phone comes out, its a pretty good thing....
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is correct. When you first sign up with jump you have to wait six months to"jump". After that you can jump twice a year whenever you want, you can jump twice in one week but then have to wait another year to do it again. There are pros and cons to this plan and depends on the person to decide if it is useful to them. Remember OP just like flashing it's your choice, don't try to blame T-Mobile for a choice that you make.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Xparent ICS Blue Tapatalk 2

Let me break it down for you a bit:
Person 1 buys an HTC One at full price through T-Mobile at $600 (price when I purchased mine) no JUMP.
Person 2 buys the same HTC One for $0 down with payments equalling $25 beginning in Month #2 with $10 per month for JUMP.
Both parties pay the tax for the full price of the device so that's a mute point.
6 months down the road (when you are JUMP eligible for the first time) you trade in the HTC One for a Nexus 5.
Person 1 sells the HTC One for $369 (the current avg selling price according to Swappa.com) and buys a Nexus 5 from Google for $350 (again we ignore tax) making the total outlay:
0-600+369-350 = -$581
Person 2 walks into T-Mobile and trades the HTC One in and walks out the door with a new Nexus 5 for $0 down and $16.50 per month. Saving $8.50 per month from the HTC One. Total outlay:
0-150(payments of $25 x 6) - 60 = -$205
Let's also mention that JUMP gives you the insurance as well.
With the cost of mobile devices depreciating head over heels it makes no sense to purchase your devices outright if you plan on upgrading on any sort of routine. The equity drops too fast, almost 40% in 6 months. T-Mobile will make its money in 2 places:
1- people who dont want to upgrade
2- people who put money down on their device due to bad credit or when a 0 down deal isn't running
Also its a 1 time 6-month buffer period until you can use JUMP. After that point you may use it 2 times per 12 month period starting with your first JUMP date
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

moose1313 said:
This is correct. When you first sign up with jump you have to wait six months to"jump". After that you can jump twice a year whenever you want, you can jump twice in one week but then have to wait another year to do it again. There are pros and cons to this plan and depends on the person to decide if it is useful to them. Remember OP just like flashing it's your choice, don't try to blame T-Mobile for a choice that you make.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Xparent ICS Blue Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad then. That sounds great. My six months will be up in march and I'll be able to do my first jump.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

Guess I should have jumped.... Or, should I have?

PhilipTD said:
I didn't know you could get a phone with no money down.
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Click to collapse
$0 money down and 0 signal in any area not within the confines of a very large city.
You get what you pay for

jdk2 said:
$0 money down and 0 signal in any area not within the confines of a very large city.
You get what you pay for
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true. Reception is pretty bad in the countryside. Good thing I'm not into nature.

jdk2 said:
$0 money down and 0 signal in any area not within the confines of a very large city.
You get what you pay for
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Click to collapse
Depends on the area for sure. I'm in the Lakeland area (between Tampa and Orlando FL) and I've had LTE for a long time now and Verizon can't match it. T-Mobile has really taken off within the past 3 years
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

altimax98 said:
Depends on the area for sure. I'm in the Lakeland area (between Tampa and Orlando FL) and I've had LTE for a long time now and Verizon can't match it. T-Mobile has really taken off within the past 3 years
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Here's hoping they keep up the momentum. They could bring AT&T and VZW to their knees.

Nice post altimax :thumbup::beer:
I jumped the day it came out. Haven't used yet. Glad I have it though
Nexus5

jbdan said:
Nice post altimax :thumbup::beer:
I jumped the day it came out. Haven't used yet. Glad I have it though
Nexus5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, just trying to clarify it... The key is to only JUMP when they do the $0 down deals which is quite often.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

altimax98 said:
Person 1 sells the HTC One for $369 (the current avg selling price according to Swappa.com) and buys a Nexus 5 from Google for $350 (again we ignore tax) making the total outlay:
0-600+369-350 = -$581
Person 2 walks into T-Mobile and trades the HTC One in and walks out the door with a new Nexus 5 for $0 down and $16.50 per month. Saving $8.50 per month from the HTC One. Total outlay:
0-150(payments of $25 x 6) - 60 = -$205
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's a worthy mention that person 2 still owes the price of nexus 5.... so it be 396 + 205 if he doesn't upgrade again. He can jump to avoid paying the debt of the current phone, but eventually he'll be paying full price for a phone.
Person 1 can upgrade as soon as the new hot phone comes out. Person 2 has to wait for 0 down promotion or suffer a loss.

neugenusis said:
I think it's a worthy mention that person 2 still owes the price of nexus 5.... so it be 396 + 205 if he doesn't upgrade again. He can jump to avoid paying the debt of the current phone, but eventually he'll be paying full price for a phone. Person 1 can upgrade as soon as the new hot phone comes out. Person 2 has to wait for 0 down promotion or suffer a loss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, you're exactly right, the $396 loss becomes obscured in the verbiage.

I prefer to just stick to buying my phones off-contract. With the Nexus line being so great at such an amazing price, it seems way better than perpetually paying $20+ a month to basically rent a phone.
Not to mention that pre-paid prices are *so* much better. Like, half the price better. And if you want insurance, you can always get it through one of the many phone insurance companies by yourself for cheaper.

AT&T Nexus cost more??

**Warning** Kind of a long read but I'm curious to other peoples thoughts.
Wanted to share my experience today. I went into a Corporate AT&T store planning on upgrading to a 32GB MB Nexus 6 on the Next program. I'm good with it being carrier locked and I'll just remove the AT&T bloatware. I was excited that they had them in stock, however I noticed that the retail price was for $682.99 instead of $649 like Google has it for. I asked the rep and he was surprised and looked it up. I told him that other carriers were selling it for $649 also, and he verified it but couldn't explain it and mentioned that they can't match it either. I asked why do I want to pay like $30 more for it to be carrier locked and have bloatware installed (okay with it but not gonna pay for it).
At home, I called 611 to see if they would match it and see if they knew why. The first rep basically said that was the way it was and didn't really seem interested. The second time I called (I know now maybe I'm crazy but didn't think its right), I asked for their loyalty department cause I know they have more power. The guy there said he was being told that its not ATT but the Manufacture that is dictating the price. I told him that Motorola has it for $649 on their website and it doesn't make sense that they are letting everyone else sell it for one price and making AT&T sell it higher. Told them that I may change carriers if AT&T thinks that its good business practice to charge more then everyone else.
I want to point out that:
1. I was never rude or demanded anything. Just told them that I hope it gets pushed up and corrected.
2. Realize that this is a first world problem and I could just go purchase it from Google or somewhere else but I feel its the principle. Its not right to charge like $30 more and add to the fact that I would have paid higher taxes.
3. They still ended up not matching the price but did offer me a $50 discount off the contract price but told them I didn't want a contract.

The extra cost is for the high quality paint used for the death star logo on the back. (The one that comes off if you stare at it hard enough.)
Actually, I didn't mind the extra 30 for one simple reason: it didn't require waiting 6 to 20 weeks for moto to get stock and ship.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Ha on the paint. I'm still torn. Almost talked myself into going back and just pay for it.

You know what? I just bought a Nexus 6 from AT&T web ordering and I knew it was $30 more than everyone else, but you know what?! AT&T has them in stock and nobody else does!! Get over it. If you don't like it wait until Google has them on their site and then wait some more until they really have it and can send it to you! I had no problem getting mine from AT&T and I really didn't care that it has their logo on it!

ILuvRice said:
Ha on the paint. I'm still torn. Almost talked myself into going back and just pay for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you going to leave a service because they charge 30 bucks for a device no one got in stock? Sound like a great business strategy for me... They know they can provide it today while others can in weeks. I will advice you go back

Appreciate the feed back. I realize that's it only like 30 bucks but there is also the added cost of paying taxes on 682 instead of 649. Not outrageous but still there. I doubt they are charging higher because they know they have them in stock. Especially when they are late to the game. They had to send their initial batch back. I wonder if this is fair to be who don't realize they are paying more. I noticed the price difference and accept the added cost, I'm okay with it but it's not fair to an unsuspecting customer.

Complain about it on at&t's Facebook page. The first person that contacts you probably won't be alot of help. They will eventually have someone else contact you. This person can help you. They gave me a $100 bill credit. I could have paid the balance of $582.99 plus tax but I chose to do the next 12 plan. So I paid $682.99 in order to do next and the $100 came off my monthly bill.

Well to update. I ended up going back and getting it. Really wanted to check it out and decided it was worth to walk out with it now. I hope its corrected still though. Now to run it through its paces before the 14 days are up. Like it so far. It is my first nexus device.

Mine was 249.99 with the 2 year contract.

$249.99 + $25 per month extra for 24 months = $849.99 + tax and upgrade / activation fees.

Best buy has the at&t n6 for 649 but the sprint n6 is 699 dosent make sense
Sent from my LG-D950 using XDA Free mobile app

That's interesting, on Sprints website its 648.

Who bought nexus 6 on VZW edge?

I know buying it outright would probably be the best option, but i don't think that is in the cards for me currently. Leaving vzw also won't happen because the only other service around me that is decent is att, so not much choice. I could ask at a store, but i try to avoid going there if at all possible
1. Am i correct in the math that really the phone will only raise my bill by about 3.00/mo? 27.xx/mo-25 credit.
2. Is my only insurance option vzw if i do edge?
3. Currently 6mo from upgrade ( which would cost me more 249 + lack of a discount) ?
4. Do i have to surrender my note2 not purchased with edge? I would like to keep it as a backup.
4. I could do moto credit i guess, at which point in Sept. I could still get the service credit because i didn't take upgrade?
Thanks.

flyboy1100 said:
I know buying it outright would probably be the best option, but i don't think that is in the cards for me currently. Leaving vzw also won't happen because the only other service around me that is decent is att, so not much choice. I could ask at a store, but i try to avoid going there if at all possible
1. Am i correct in the math that really the phone will only raise my bill by about 3.00/mo? 27.xx/mo-25 credit.
2. Is my only insurance option vzw if i do edge?
3. Currently 6mo from upgrade ( which would cost me more 249 + lack of a discount) ?
4. Do i have to surrender my note2 not purchased with edge? I would like to keep it as a backup.
4. I could do moto credit i guess, at which point in Sept. I could still get the service credit because i didn't take upgrade?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No idea
4. Yes
Your best bet is to buy the phone outright, if you buy a phone on contract you pay $50 per month per line of service. If you buy a phone outright you only pay $15 per month per line of service do the math 50x12=600 you can almost pay for the phone in one year.
This is assuming your on a similar plan to me.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app

I pay 40 per line plus data. So that would be 15 instead, over 2 years i could save 600, not 2. Either way i could just save that monthly and have cash for next upgrade.

Because we have a 10GB plan, I get $25 off my monthly line access (originally $40) since I'm on Edge making my line access $15. My bill is no different than before I came to Edge. Where they get you is when you trade in your phone to Edge Up (each time).
If you have less than a 10GB plan, you'll get $15 off the monthly line access of $40 dropping it to $25.

brholt6 said:
Because we have a 10GB plan, I get $25 off my monthly line access (originally $40) since I'm on Edge making my line access $15. My bill is no different than before I came to Edge. Where they get you is when you trade in your phone to Edge Up (each time).
If you have less than a 10GB plan, you'll get $15 off the monthly line access of $40 dropping it to $25.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have 10gb.
Even though im not edge now, i still need to surrender my note2 ive had for 18mo?
Do you think it is worth it? Ultimately i know buying it outright is cheaper

flyboy1100 said:
We have 10gb.
Even though im not edge now, i still need to surrender my note2 ive had for 18mo?
Do you think it is worth it? Ultimately i know buying it outright is cheaper
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to trade in a working phone...at the time I had the M7 but luckily I had my super old OG Droid...I just activated that on my plan right before I went in to Verizon and then sold my M7.
It depends if you can front the money for the phone outright...I could, but my wife thinks its stupid so I chose the Edge route haha.

flyboy1100 said:
I know buying it outright would probably be the best option, but i don't think that is in the cards for me currently. Leaving vzw also won't happen because the only other service around me that is decent is att, so not much choice. I could ask at a store, but i try to avoid going there if at all possible
1. Am i correct in the math that really the phone will only raise my bill by about 3.00/mo? 27.xx/mo-25 credit.
2. Is my only insurance option vzw if i do edge?
3. Currently 6mo from upgrade ( which would cost me more 249 + lack of a discount) ?
4. Do i have to surrender my note2 not purchased with edge? I would like to keep it as a backup.
4. I could do moto credit i guess, at which point in Sept. I could still get the service credit because i didn't take upgrade?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. YES!!! That is if you are on a 10gb or higher plan you get the $25 discount.
2. I think you should still be able to use your own insurance still, but Verizon only offers insurance through Asurion.
3. If you are planning on keeping the N6 for the full 24 months you basically get it for ~$50 on edge b/c of the discount. If you upgrade at the 18 months though, you trade in your device to upgrade so it's not quite owning the phone.
4. Yes, when you upgrade through the edge program you trade in your old device, its kind of the trade off to being able to upgrade in 18 months (or by paying off 75% of the device) vs only every 2 years.
4 again?. Yes purchasing through Motorola has no impact on your upgrade date with Verizon.
---------- Post added at 10:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:00 PM ----------
Konfuzion said:
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No idea
4. Yes
Your best bet is to buy the phone outright, if you buy a phone on contract you pay $50 per month per line of service. If you buy a phone outright you only pay $15 per month per line of service do the math 50x12=600 you can almost pay for the phone in one year.
This is assuming your on a similar plan to me.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must be on an older plan. For current plans (More Everything, or Single Line plans) off or on contract does not make a difference with the smartphone line access fee, only verizon edge. It's in no way cheaper to buy off contract. There may be other benefits, but not cost.

Whatever more everything plan was 18mo ago is what we are on. So in september i would not get the service credit if i didn't take my upgrade? I have read a lot, but no one ever says what plan they have when they mention that part.

flyboy1100 said:
I know buying it outright would probably be the best option, but i don't think that is in the cards for me currently. Leaving vzw also won't happen because the only other service around me that is decent is att, so not much choice. I could ask at a store, but i try to avoid going there if at all possible
1. Am i correct in the math that really the phone will only raise my bill by about 3.00/mo? 27.xx/mo-25 credit.
2. Is my only insurance option vzw if i do edge?
3. Currently 6mo from upgrade ( which would cost me more 249 + lack of a discount) ?
4. Do i have to surrender my note2 not purchased with edge? I would like to keep it as a backup.
4. I could do moto credit i guess, at which point in Sept. I could still get the service credit because i didn't take upgrade?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I work customer service for Verizon wireless so I completely understand not wanting to go into the store for info.
1. Yes Verizon does $25 dollar edge credits on non loyalty 6gb more everything plans and up (changed in February 6 and up get 25 off instead of 10 and up).
2. Yes and no. Yes if you intend to edge up. no if you intend to ride out the full 24 month agreement. I say this because edge agreements are based on the imei. And the only way to edge up a phone that has either had a warranty replacement or been replaced through insurance is to do an edge over ride which is only possible through assurion replaced phones or tech clnr replacements.
3. Not sure on the question.
4. Yes if you early edge you must return that device. Don't try swapping it to a crappy phone then early edging because that removes that lines eligibility for 90 days. And you would be doing ee if you're still under a contract.

3. You can keep note 2 if its out of contract and your not doing early edge
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

cody11777 said:
I work customer service for Verizon wireless so I completely understand not wanting to go into the store for info.
1. Yes Verizon does $25 dollar edge credits on non loyalty 6gb more everything plans and up (changed in February 6 and up get 25 off instead of 10 and up).
2. Yes and no. Yes if you intend to edge up. no if you intend to ride out the full 24 month agreement. I say this because edge agreements are based on the imei. And the only way to edge up a phone that has either had a warranty replacement or been replaced through insurance is to do an edge over ride which is only possible through assurion replaced phones or tech clnr replacements.
3. Not sure on the question.
4. Yes if you early edge you must return that device. Don't try swapping it to a crappy phone then early edging because that removes that lines eligibility for 90 days. And you would be doing ee if you're still under a contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But i am not edge now and 75% through my contract, with the 200 paid upfront haven't i already met the 75% cost? I guess i would just like to keep my unlocked otherwise fine note 2 as a backup in case something weird happens. With my job i can't go w/o a phone

when it comes to the bottom line is it worth it to switch to the edge program over full upgrade?

flyboy1100 said:
But i am not edge now and 75% through my contract, with the 200 paid upfront haven't i already met the 75% cost? I guess i would just like to keep my unlocked otherwise fine note 2 as a backup in case something weird happens. With my job i can't go w/o a phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you would have to return it. Going from any point that's not 1 day past the end of the 2 year contract to edge is considered early edge and you must return the device currently on the line qualifying for early edge. Its how Verizon recoups the cost of you getting a new device before completing the 2 year contract where they sold you a device at a significantly discounted price. I mean the best route to take here would be to buy the phone at full retail activate it on your line then wait for the contract to run out and collect the 15 or 25 dollar month to month discount depending on the more everything plan you're on.

Yes edge is cheaper in the long run than 2 year upgrade for any high end device
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 04:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:13 AM ----------
Cody1777 sometimes says his name is mudd referencing primus when answering phone calls, he must be stopped
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

Eetabeetay said:
1. YES!!! That is if you are on a 10gb or higher plan you get the $25 discount.
2. I think you should still be able to use your own insurance still, but Verizon only offers insurance through Asurion.
3. If you are planning on keeping the N6 for the full 24 months you basically get it for ~$50 on edge b/c of the discount. If you upgrade at the 18 months though, you trade in your device to upgrade so it's not quite owning the phone.
4. Yes, when you upgrade through the edge program you trade in your old device, its kind of the trade off to being able to upgrade in 18 months (or by paying off 75% of the device) vs only every 2 years.
4 again?. Yes purchasing through Motorola has no impact on your upgrade date with Verizon.
---------- Post added at 10:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:00 PM ----------
You must be on an older plan. For current plans (More Everything, or Single Line plans) off or on contract does not make a difference with the smartphone line access fee, only verizon edge. It's in no way cheaper to buy off contract. There may be other benefits, but not cost.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope only been with Verizon since October 2014, and I know I'm only paying $15 per line where I bought my own phone. Might have been a promotion at the time?
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app

So for sure it sounds like in September i can start taking the service discount. I know this would be the cheapest route in the long run, just have to convince the finance manage that it is.... otherwise i will just do edge

I have a Droid Turbo in Edge, and the only issue is because they changed the Edge Up value to 75%. This means, no matter the age of the phone, to them its worth 25% of the price (in this case $162.50). Which I think is kinda crappy. Maybe, maybe, at the 18 months mark the phone on the secondary market might be worth less than $167.50. But I would think you could get more selling it yourself. For example. I have the Droid Turbo. I have had it for about 6 months. Lets say I want to buy the Nexus 6 on Edge. I have 2 options. I can pay them around $300 and give them the phone and "Edge Up" to the Nexus 6. I pay $300 out of pocket and give them the phone. Even though they can probably sell the phone for, I dunno, $400 maybe. They are only giving me $167.50 for the phone, I have to make up the rest. Or, I can pay it off in full, around $467 and I get to keep the phone. Then I can go to ebay or swappa and sell it for about that much. Leaving me out the monthly payments I have already made (could vary from phone to phone). So, at this point, I can pay them $300 or I can pay them $467 and try to get some of my money back. I sure as heck will get more than $167 for the phone.
Now lets say I am at the 18 month point. I can just give them the phone and I can "Edge Up" to a new phone. Or I can pay them $167.50 and get the phone and sell it myself. So if the phone at that time id worth $150, then yeah its a good deal. If its worth more you are better selling it.

I think I am going to wait until it is available at Costco, then i can get the good squaretrade warranty and just do the Edge thing at that time.
thanks everyone!

For the heck of it i stopped in at a store today. They told me i can only switch to edge/edge up when i am eligible for an upgrade? What is the point of edge then? Is it because it wasn't a corporate store? Or are they right? If that is the case eff vzw and i will just go monthly when my contract is up and buy a new phone outright.

flyboy1100 said:
For the heck of it i stopped in at a store today. They told me i can only switch to edge/edge up when i am eligible for an upgrade? What is the point of edge then? Is it because it wasn't a corporate store? Or are they right? If that is the case eff vzw and i will just go monthly when my contract is up and buy a new phone outright.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are on a subsidized plan (i.e. you paid $200 for the phone up front and nothing more) then you do have to either wait for your upgrade or an "Early Edge" promotion (thye had one for the Droid Turbo). The reason is you are "paying" for the phone over your contract. Depending on how far from your upgrade you are you might be able to convince someone at a corporate store.

[Q] at&t next?

Hey all,
I went out and got the at&t s6 yesterday and I hopped onto my wife's family plan. While there, they were successful in convincing me the AT&T Next payment plan is the way to go, compared to a 2 year contract.
Next: $23 monthly for phone, $15 monthly for service charge, $40 up front payment for tax.
2 year contract: $200 for phone, $40 monthly for 2 year contract, $40 one time initiation fee.
Doing the math in store convinced me that after 2 years is done in both situations, the Next plan was cheaper. However, I remember reading in the past that monthly payment plans are for suckers. Any ideas?

It's about convenience in my opinion. Not everyone has 684-784 for a new S6. $37/mo is a reasonable and usually unnoticeable. I also think you forgot to mention the $15 monthly smartphone service charge is $40 if you're on contract. It's a minute difference if any. The only way you got hosed is the locked bootloader. But this phone is golden. I don't miss root at all

eddiekang said:
Hey all,
I went out and got the at&t s6 yesterday and I hopped onto my wife's family plan. While there, they were successful in convincing me the AT&T Next payment plan is the way to go, compared to a 2 year contract.
Next: $23 monthly for phone, $15 monthly for service charge, $40 up front payment for tax.
2 year contract: $200 for phone, $40 monthly for 2 year contract, $40 one time initiation fee.
Doing the math in store convinced me that after 2 years is done in both situations, the Next plan was cheaper. However, I remember reading in the past that monthly payment plans are for suckers. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really depends on how long you keep your phones or if you want to be able to upgrade very often. If you keep your phone for more then 2 years then yes next is cheaper because once you pay it off then you will continue to pay $15/month instead of the $40/month if you signed a 2 year contract.
If you want to upgrade quicker then you need to choose the more expensive next plan so you can upgrade sooner.

eddiekang said:
Hey all,
I went out and got the at&t s6 yesterday and I hopped onto my wife's family plan. While there, they were successful in convincing me the AT&T Next payment plan is the way to go, compared to a 2 year contract.
Next: $23 monthly for phone, $15 monthly for service charge, $40 up front payment for tax.
2 year contract: $200 for phone, $40 monthly for 2 year contract, $40 one time initiation fee.
Doing the math in store convinced me that after 2 years is done in both situations, the Next plan was cheaper. However, I remember reading in the past that monthly payment plans are for suckers. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I calculated it out, you end up paying more for the phone when you switch to the Next plan, which is why they are trying to get people to switch.
I've dealt with them with this and they do everything they can to make it seem cheaper, but I don't buy it.
---------- Post added at 01:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 PM ----------
xeni said:
It really depends on how long you keep your phones or if you want to be able to upgrade very often. If you keep your phone for more then 2 years then yes next is cheaper because once you pay it off then you will continue to pay $15/month instead of the $40/month if you signed a 2 year contract.
If you want to upgrade quicker then you need to choose the more expensive next plan so you can upgrade sooner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think you ever pay the phone off, you just pay the monthly fee, until you hit the minimum amount to upgrade. However, it divides the full price of the phone over 30 months.
Also, you have to make sure the phone is perfect when you go to trade it in or else you will run into issues with them accepting the phone as part of your upgrade...
Edit: I read up a little bit more on it, they are offering discounts on data plans depending on if you have Next or not. I can see this maybe factoring into the pricing. I haven't priced it out since the first time I got asked to switch to a Next plan. The real advantage from the program is not being tied down to a 2 year contract.

Do you mind explaining the calculation? For me, it's
Next 30: 24 x 23 = 552 for the phone
15 x 24 = 360 service fee
~40 up front tax for the phone. Total after 24 months= 952
If i want to buy the phone outright after 24 months, i pay the difference on the phone which at that point would be 680-552 = 128.
952 + 128 = 1080 total after 2 years and i own the phone.
2 year contract: 40 x 24 = 960 monthly service fee
40 initiation fee + 200 subsidized phone cost= 240
960 + 240 = 1200 total after 2 years and i own the phone.
(This doesn't even include taxes throughout 2 years.)
What am I missing? Thanks for your replies.
yoman258 said:
When I calculated it out, you end up paying more for the phone when you switch to the Next plan, which is why they are trying to get people to switch.
I've dealt with them with this and they do everything they can to make it seem cheaper, but I don't buy it.
---------- Post added at 01:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 PM ----------
I don't think you ever pay the phone off, you just pay the monthly fee, until you hit the minimum amount to upgrade. However, it divides the full price of the phone over 30 months.
Also, you have to make sure the phone is perfect when you go to trade it in or else you will run into issues with them accepting the phone as part of your upgrade...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

yoman258 said:
When I calculated it out, you end up paying more for the phone when you switch to the Next plan, which is why they are trying to get people to switch.
I've dealt with them with this and they do everything they can to make it seem cheaper, but I don't buy it.
---------- Post added at 01:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 PM ----------
I don't think you ever pay the phone off, you just pay the monthly fee, until you hit the minimum amount to upgrade. However, it divides the full price of the phone over 30 months.
Also, you have to make sure the phone is perfect when you go to trade it in or else you will run into issues with them accepting the phone as part of your upgrade...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said it really depends on what you want to do. I just got he Galaxy S6 (after upgrading from my M8 AT&T Next 12 and buying off the phone so I can resell it) on the AT&T next plan and this is how it works out, just like it did with the M8.
1. Instead of paying $40 a month per line I pay $15 so I save $25 on the monthly service plan.
2. If I choose the AT&T Next 12 (20 Payments of 34.25 = 685 + tax), I can make 12 payments and then upgrade after 12 payments and get a new phone and start a new payment plan depending on how much the phone is. Or I can choose to make the full 20 payments and keep the phone and maintain the $15/month line charge. Or I can pay off the entire phone at anytime and keep the $15/month charge.
3. If you buy this on contract it works out like this. 24 x $40 = $960 + 200 = $1160, and you continue to pay $40 a month after the 2 years.
4. If you buy this on AT&T Next 18 which allows you to pay it off over 2 years just like the contract term then it works out like this. 24 x $28.55 = 685.2+tax ~ 740 or so + 15/month x 24 = $1100, however after the 2 years are up you continue to pay $15/month and not $40 a month so if you keep your phone past the 2 year mark you are saving $25/month where as with the contract you wouldn't be.

eddiekang said:
Do you mind explaining the calculation? For me, it's
Next 30: 24 x 23 = 552 for the phone
15 x 24 = 360 service fee
~40 up front tax for the phone. Total after 24 months= 952
If i want to buy the phone outright after 24 months, i pay the difference on the phone which at that point would be 680-552 = 128.
952 + 128 = 1080 total after 2 years and i own the phone.
2 year contract: 40 x 24 = 960 monthly service fee
40 initiation fee + 200 subsidized phone cost= 240
960 + 240 = 1200 total after 2 years and i own the phone.
(This doesn't even include taxes throughout 2 years.)
What am I missing? Thanks for your replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've hit the nail on the head. AT&T Next/Verizon Edge are legit. It's a reorganizing of costs. Instead of getting the phone at a massive discount and paying a higher amount on your bill, you are now paying more for the phone with monthly installments added to your bill in order to earn/retain a billing discount. If you calculate almost any phone with a 10gb or higher data plan, NEXT will save a minimum $140 every time.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

If you're on a mobile share plan, it definitely works out in your favor to use Next. Otherwise you're paying a premium for the service itself. I think it's compelling that once you've made your payments, your monthly bill goes down, whereas on 2 year, if you decide to hang on to your phone longer, you're paying to keep your device.

Next is cheaper for those that like to get their phones at launch price. If you wait for one of Amazon's $1 deals or Bestbuy deals, then the contract way is not so bad due to less money up front.

I've been trying to figure this out myself. They already signed me for the Next24, but I'm still within the time period to make a change. I'm not sure if the cost/benefit ratio works for me in my circumstances. Perhaps one of you guys that understands the voodoo can help me figure it out.
Let's take the 1G plan as an example. First, I'm going to examine the costs, then I want to ask for your help to understand the mechanics of the Next plan.
NOTE: Because of the different tie periods between the two plans, I adjusted the 2 year plan for another six months of cost to more accurately compare.
Next:
$25 - 1g Data
$40 - Voice
-$15 Discount
$50/month
$23.64 Phone Finance
= $2209 total ($1500 service plan cost for 30 months + $709.20 in phone payments)
2 Year Contract
$25 - 1g Data
$40 - Voice
$200 Phone
= $2190 total ($1950 in service plan costs for 30 months + $200 phone cost + $40 renewal/upgrade fee
There seems to be only about $20 difference between the two. What matters to me is what happens in the event I want to upgrade next April to a new phone with the Next plan, or what happens at the end of my Next contract.
Upgrade: My understanding is that in the event I want to upgrade to a newer phone in a year, I pay off the phone balance, turn in the phone and presuming it's in good condition, I get the latest-and-greatest. I can only do this once in any given Next plan, but if I do, there's a question about who owns the phone (see below).
Contract End: Who owns the phone? In the case of the traditional 2-year contract, I know that the phone is mine. But under the Next plan, if I get to the end of the 30 month period and have paid off the phone (whether I've upgraded or not), is it mine to keep or do I have to turn it in?

Once you make all the payment, the phone is yours. If you upgrade early without paying it off, they get the phone back as a trade in. You have to make a minimum number of payments before you can upgrade which I believe is based on which next program you choose. Course after you've had it a while you could then pay it off and upgrade. Would be better than paying all up front.
BillTheCat said:
I've been trying to figure this out myself. They already signed me for the Next24, but I'm still within the time period to make a change. I'm not sure if the cost/benefit ratio works for me in my circumstances. Perhaps one of you guys that understands the voodoo can help me figure it out.
Let's take the 1G plan as an example. First, I'm going to examine the costs, then I want to ask for your help to understand the mechanics of the Next plan.
NOTE: Because of the different tie periods between the two plans, I adjusted the 2 year plan for another six months of cost to more accurately compare.
Next:
$25 - 1g Data
$40 - Voice
-$15 Discount
$50/month
$23.64 Phone Finance
= $2209 total ($1500 service plan cost for 30 months + $709.20 in phone payments)
2 Year Contract
$25 - 1g Data
$40 - Voice
$200 Phone
= $2190 total ($1950 in service plan costs for 30 months + $200 phone cost + $40 renewal/upgrade fee
There seems to be only about $20 difference between the two. What matters to me is what happens in the event I want to upgrade next April to a new phone with the Next plan, or what happens at the end of my Next contract.
Upgrade: My understanding is that in the event I want to upgrade to a newer phone in a year, I pay off the phone balance, turn in the phone and presuming it's in good condition, I get the latest-and-greatest. I can only do this once in any given Next plan, but if I do, there's a question about who owns the phone (see below).
Contract End: Who owns the phone? In the case of the traditional 2-year contract, I know that the phone is mine. But under the Next plan, if I get to the end of the 30 month period and have paid off the phone (whether I've upgraded or not), is it mine to keep or do I have to turn it in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

beaverslayer said:
Once you make all the payment, the phone is yours. If you upgrade early without paying it off, they get the phone back as a trade in. You have to make a minimum number of payments before you can upgrade which I believe is based on which next program you choose. Course after you've had it a while you could then pay it off and upgrade. Would be better than paying all up front.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so let's say I qualify for an upgrade at 12 months. If I upgrade to a new phone, I pay off the remaining balance, turn in the old phone (let's use the S6 as an example) and get a new phone to replace it, say it'll be the S7. Do I have to begin making payments on the new phone, or is it mine to keep?

BillTheCat said:
OK, so let's say I qualify for an upgrade at 12 months. If I upgrade to a new phone, I pay off the remaining balance, turn in the old phone (let's use the S6 as an example) and get a new phone to replace it, say it'll be the S7. Do I have to begin making payments on the new phone, or is it mine to keep?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's say you get the AT&T Next 12 which is 20 payments at $34.25 for the Galaxy S6. After 12 payments you can give back the S6 and get the S7 and the payments start over depending on which phone you pack along with which Next plan. If you keep the phone for the full 20 payments the phone becomes yours and you can keep it. Let's say you want to upgrade your phone after 10 payments (12 is minimum), then you would have to pay an additional 20 payments at 34.25 before you can upgrade your phone and give back the S6.

xeni said:
Let's say you get the AT&T Next 12 which is 20 payments at $34.25 for the Galaxy S6. After 12 payments you can give back the S6 and get the S7 and the payments start over depending on which phone you pack along with which Next plan. If you keep the phone for the full 20 payments the phone becomes yours and you can keep it. Let's say you want to upgrade your phone after 10 payments (12 is minimum), then you would have to pay an additional 20 payments at 34.25 before you can upgrade your phone and give back the S6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, let's go with your scenario because I still have a week to change my mind.
What I hear you saying is that if I were to go with the Next 12 plan and upgrade at one year, it will look like this for an (imaginary) S7, presuming it will be the same price as this year's phone:
$411 for the S6 phone RENTAL FEE over the course of a year (because I'd be turning in the phone)
+ $685 for the cost of the S7 which would require a NEW F'n CONTRACT that resets all over for another 20 months of payments
= 1096 for a next generation phone that would retail for $685 on a straight purchase by the end of year two
I see no reason why anyone would want to bother. It would make more sense to just buy the phone outright from Amazon at a discount (because AT&T charges more - this is the only business I can think of where the retailers charge more than the manufacturer!) and keep the old phone as a backup or sell it on Ebay.
Do I have it right?

BillTheCat said:
Alright, let's go with your scenario because I still have a week to change my mind.
What I hear you saying is that if I were to go with the Next 12 plan and upgrade at one year, it will look like this for an (imaginary) S7, presuming it will be the same price as this year's phone:
$411 for the phone RENTAL FEE over the course of a year (because I'd be turning in the phone)
+ $685 for the cost of the S7 which would require a NEW F'n CONTRACT that resets all over for another 20 months of payments
= 1096 for a next generation phone that would retail for $685 on a straight purchase by the end of year two
I see no reason why anyone would want to bother. It would make more sense to just buy the phone outright from Amazon at a discount (because AT&T charges more - this is the only business I can think of where the retailers charge more than the manufacturer!) and keep the old phone as a backup or sell it on Ebay.
Do I have it right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you buy out the phone today at $685 and then buy the S7 at $685 (presuming the price stays the same) then you are paying $1470 over the course of 1 year and you would be owning both handsets outright. When you make 12 payments at 34.25 and you want to upgrade you have the option of paying off the remainder of the loan (8 payments at 34.25) and keeping the phone so you are back at $1470.
Also good luck finding the phone on sale on Amazon for the forseable future and remember the more you wait the less months you have until S7 comes out. So if you wait until July for an S6 sale on Amazon you are now 3-4 months back and the phone is 3-4 months old meaning that you are $105-140 back on payments so technically the phone is only worth $545-580.
Either way you look at it, you are paying for the phone full price, whether you are buying it outright today or paying it off over 20 months (unless you give it back after 12 months and get a new phone and start a new payment plan).

BillTheCat said:
Alright, let's go with your scenario because I still have a week to change my mind.
What I hear you saying is that if I were to go with the Next 12 plan and upgrade at one year, it will look like this for an (imaginary) S7, presuming it will be the same price as this year's phone:
$411 for the S6 phone RENTAL FEE over the course of a year (because I'd be turning in the phone)
+ $685 for the cost of the S7 which would require a NEW F'n CONTRACT that resets all over for another 20 months of payments
= 1096 for a next generation phone that would retail for $685 on a straight purchase by the end of year two
I see no reason why anyone would want to bother. It would make more sense to just buy the phone outright from Amazon at a discount (because AT&T charges more - this is the only business I can think of where the retailers charge more than the manufacturer!) and keep the old phone as a backup or sell it on Ebay.
Do I have it right?
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You are getting what you are paying for. You are buying on a payment plan. You wouldn't go out and buy a new car this year with 60 months of payment ahead of you and trade it in after one year and not expect to loose money in the deal now would you. You are making the decision to trade it in before it's paid for, not AT&T.
---------- Post added at 05:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:39 PM ----------
I've always heard the cheapest way to get a phone ls to sign a 2 year contract then go home and call AT&T and say you want to do an early termination which cost roughly $350, which means you at out about $550 and get to keep the phone.

beaverslayer said:
Once you make all the payment, the phone is yours. If you upgrade early without paying it off, they get the phone back as a trade in. You have to make a minimum number of payments before you can upgrade which I believe is based on which next program you choose. Course after you've had it a while you could then pay it off and upgrade. Would be better than paying all up front.
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I'm thinking that's what I'll do. I guess I'll ride it out and see what the landscape looks like next year.
xeni said:
If you buy out the phone today at $685 and then buy the S7 at $685 (presuming the price stays the same) then you are paying $1470 over the course of 1 year and you would be owning both handsets outright. When you make 12 payments at 34.25 and you want to upgrade you have the option of paying off the remainder of the loan (8 payments at 34.25) and keeping the phone so you are back at $1470.
Either way you look at it, you are paying for the phone full price, whether you are buying it outright today or paying it off over 20 months (unless you give it back after 12 months and get a new phone and start a new payment plan).
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I guess it just seems that $411 for one year's use seems a tad steep considering for a couple hundred more, you can use it forever. Though there is the benefit of the lower pricing on the Next plan compared to the 2 year contract.
beaverslayer said:
You are getting what you are paying for. You are buying on a payment plan. You wouldn't go out and buy a new car this year with 60 months of payment ahead of you and trade it in after one year and not expect to loose money in the deal now would you. You are making the decision to trade it in before it's paid for, not AT&T.
---------- Post added at 05:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:39 PM ----------
I've always heard the cheapest way to get a phone ls to sign a 2 year contract then go home and call AT&T and say you want to do an early termination which cost roughly $350, which means you at out about $550 and get to keep the phone.
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An interesting strategy. I might consider it, but it seems 'dishonest' in some strange way. And I'm sure there will be repurcussions, I wonder what the chance of getting a new plan might be after cancelling another one.

BillTheCat said:
I'm thinking that's what I'll do. I guess I'll ride it out and see what the landscape looks like next year.
I guess it just seems that $411 for one year's use seems a tad steep considering for a couple hundred more, you can use it forever.
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You can buy it out for the remainder of the balance, you don't have to give it back if you pay it off. After 12 months you have a few choice, either give it back and get a new one, buy out the remainder of the balance or continue your payments until you have it completely paid off and it is yours to keep.
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BillTheCat said:
I'm thinking that's what I'll do. I guess I'll ride it out and see what the landscape looks like next year.
I guess it just seems that $411 for one year's use seems a tad steep considering for a couple hundred more, you can use it forever. Though there is the benefit of the lower pricing on the Next plan compared to the 2 year contract.
An interesting strategy. I might consider it, but it seems 'dishonest' in some strange way. And I'm sure there will be repurcussions, I wonder what the chance of getting a new plan might be after cancelling another one.
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Not dishonest at all. That's a reason they have ETF. You won't need a new contract. You shouldn't want one either. You'll be paying for the service month to month as people do when their contracts expire.
It's actually brilliant and I'm an idiot for not thinking of it myself

DigitalUnderground said:
Not dishonest at all. That's a reason they have ETF. You won't need a new contract. You shouldn't want one either. You'll be paying for the service month to month as people do when their contracts expire.
It's actually brilliant and I'm an idiot for not thinking of it myself
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I would worry that they might not start new service with you if you were to cancel, even if you did pay the ETF.
I suppose I could just change my Next 24 plan to a Next 12, accelerating the payments, pay the 'balloon' at a year to own the phone, and see what things look like at that point. It seems there's no point in buying the phone from the carrier anymore.