The end of phone subsidies

[EL PRESIDENTE]

http://www.cnet.com/news/apple-best-buy-other-retailers-drop-at-t-phone-subsidies/

Looks like AT&T and the Verizon are going to follow T-mobile's lead for ending phone subsidies. Now you'll have to put phones on "payment plans" I guess or buy them outright in cash.

Hello $800 iphones! :MARIS61:

 

[donkiez]

Sprint has this also as an option and they try and push you into it on upgrades.

 

[porkchopexpress]

Good. The only way the subsidy benefits you is if you upgrade the minute you qualify. I've been subsidy free in T-Mobile for 6 or 7 years. The first one I bought hurt cause it was $400 out of pocket, but now you can pay X down and then 20-30 pet month. Separate line item in your bull and it actually goes away once you pay it off.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I just switched to tmobile. i'm looking at getting last year's model of phone on discount or keeping the phone I have longer.

financing a phone is kinda ghetto fab

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Phone subsidies suck. I've been with t mobile for 12 years, you don't notice that the service sucks if you live in a legit city

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I came from Sprint so it was an upgrade. BTW, the international roaming is so fucking clutch.

 

[crowTrobot]

Hello $800 iphones! :MARIS61:

The full price of the phone was always built into contracts anyway.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Well, we'll see if the contract prices drop. I think they will....a little bit, its not a dollar for dollar thing.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

although i'm paying SIGNIFICANTLY less on Tmobile than Sprint. Like half, but no unlimited data

 

[crowTrobot]

Well, we'll see if the contract prices drop. I think they will....a little bit, its not a dollar for dollar thing.

Haven't been paying attention to other carriers but Verizon is discounting line access $25 per phone for 6 gig and above plans on their (no-subsidy) Edge program, which works out to more or less offset what an added monthly payment on a new model smart phone itself would be over 2 years.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

More often than not, customers are essentially leasing phones with these programs.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Find a job that covers your phone!

I have the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy.... Both phones were free, as are the bills.

We were already paying for the phone via your phone bill. The last time I bought a phone (prior to the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy), my phone was a free upgrade and my phone bill was some odd amount every month. Now, I am paying for my phones over 24 months, and my phone rate decreased by like $30/month. So, in the end...... I assume it's all roughly the same, just a different way to look at it.

 

[julius]

Im assuming, as I didn't read the link (tl;dr), but is this just on new phones?

I know you can still get last years phones for 1 cent at Costco and continue paying the same monthly cost.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Im assuming, as I didn't read the link (tl;dr), but is this just on new phones?

I know you can still get last years phones for 1 cent at Costco and continue paying the same monthly cost.

Its only for iphone now, but it will proabably extend to all phones eventually. The new business model is no subsidy, phones on payment plans, and getting into a carrier's "upgrade/jump" program.

I think they are doing this so carriers can't buy out your contracts or pay cancellation fees for plans. When the phones are on payment plans I believe they are harder to get rid of those.

 

[crowTrobot]

Its only for iphone now

The no-subsidy Verizon Edge program at least is for every phone they carry. I was just considering the 32GB Galaxy S6 $24.99/month/24 months.