Database Users

No Loopsholes for Purchasing

I just switched to EM+ Family plan and recently came off of EM. I still have until September for my contract that I extended when I got the G1 back in Thanksgiving of 08.
I figured that I'd go to EM+ and use the "Subsidizing" ability to cover the $530 cost. This will not work for the unseen future due to some "duh" moments.
EM+ works this way: If T-Mobile is selling the phone on their site, you can use EM+ to purchase it and subsidize it over a maximum of 20 months. They charge you separate from your bill, and you can choose how much to pay additional each month for the phone. (Not sure if there is a minimum payment per month. I'm guessing you have to at LEAST pay 1/20th of the phone's cost).
This won't work with the N1 because Google has exclusive selling rights for the phone.
So, like a moron, I finally came to the conclusion that there are only two ways to buy the phone, and they are the ways Google has already plain-as-day outlined.
Until there is a new game in town and Google relinquishes their exclusivity and T-Mobile picks up the Nexus One of their own accord, my only option is to buy the phone outright because the EM+ plan is not compatible with the purchasing options on the Nexus One. This is because the nature of EM+ does not make the "extension" option a viable choice due to the non-contractual nature of EM+.
It is also the highest plan possible, and - aside from the $35 fee - possibly the best plan T-Mobile offers because it's packages are cheaper than EM. However, once on it, there is no backing out.
Start saving those pennies, XDA family.

wait so does that mean that i cant buy the n1 unlocked & unsub through google, then go to tmobile and get a EM+ plan?

All we can do is either pay the $530, or $180 if your line is eligible for an upgrade (contract or upgrading to EM in the first place).
TMo always lets you upgrade to EM+ if your line isn't on it, but the $35 upgrade fee applies, and you are still obligated to the contract time you signed up for before switching to EM+. IE, I still have till the end of September for the extension I signed up for at the End of November 2008 when I got my G1, even though my account will switch to EM+ on the 8th of January.
Of course, we could always do the $180 and pay the $350 cancellation fee, but that costs a total of $530 -_-

Blueman101 said:
wait so does that mean that i cant buy the n1 unlocked & unsub through google, then go to tmobile and get a EM+ plan?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do that. He's talking about upgrading and getting the 180 price instead of the full 530 price.
I have tried to talk Tmobile in waiving the ETF on one of my lines if I buy the N1 and add an aditional line but they won't do that either. Its either 530 or nothing for me. (don't want to pay 110+ dollars a month for two lines)

engagedtosmile said:
You can do that. He's talking about upgrading and getting the 180 price instead of the full 530 price.
I have tried to talk Tmobile in waiving the ETF on one of my lines if I buy the N1 and add an aditional line but they won't do that either. Its either 530 or nothing for me. (don't want to pay 110+ dollars a month for two lines)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks
*phew* I was worried that my ordering of the n1 was for nothing
-Cheers

errr tmobile
I saved my upgrade for this but their plan totally sucks for the Nexus one.
500 minutes???!!!! for 79$ [email protected]#%@%
I just bought it unlocked im going to just put my sim in it.

Lol, good job. I am in agreement with that.

This stuff is to fin complicated, they should have thought this out more. All this what works what doesnt stuff you know.

I bought my Nexus One for $530 then just went over to T-mobile and changed my G1 plan to an Even More Plus 1000 minute unlimited text/web $69.99 a month. Unlocked phone and no contract, can't beat that. I think they charged me $35 to change plans but I still think that is great deal. Oh, and all the T-mobile employees in the store were going nuts loving my phone since they had never seen it before.

No Corporate Discount for rate plans with N1??

First let me say sorry if this was posted before, I searched and found nothing on it.
I just got off the phone with a T-mobile Rep and, he explained to me, that If i sign up for a new contract when purchasing the Nexus I will not be eligable for my 15% corporate discount on rate plane.
Has anyone successfully used their discount on a rate plan using the N1? I find it hard to believe that Google cares that much about me getting a 15% discount.
Thanks!

I couldn't even get my corporate discount on the regular non-contract plans. I decided to downgrade my minutes, and I have to pay full price for the 500 min, unlimited data and text plan, which is $60.
Their reasoning was that "it's already discounted," whatever that means.
---
Oh, I just wanted to add that you can just buy the "unlocked" phone for full price and use your existing plan. That might save you in the long run, depending on how much you pay at the moment.

Yea I am currently on the Even More Plus (no Contract) and was willing to sign the two-years to get the nexus subsidized, then use my discount to get the 1000 min + Text + Web for 75 with insurance but I was told Google will not allow Discounted rate plans with the N1...

The lack of corporate discount has nothing to do with the N1 and everything to do with the Everything More + plans. EM+ plans are not eligible for corporate discount to the base plans, though the add-ons may be discounted and activation fees may be waived depending on the corp discount. This is true regardless of the phone you use.
If you are on a regular EM plan (or an older eligible plan) you can still have your corporate discount with that plan and the N1.

The way I know it as a T-Mobile rep is that if you are on EvenMore, you get get the discount (lets say it was 15%) plus the waived act fees. If you are on Even More Plus, you still get the waived act fee but you dont get the monthly discount because its already cheaper than the Contracted one with your discount on that. I understand were everyone comes from cause the discount should be applied the any rate plan but, I don't think T-Mo would be getting enough money to expand the network like we want and bring in the devices that we want if they did do that especially because they give discounts to so many different organization (business, AAA, alumni, students, faculty, gov, churchs, etc). But just to lay it out so every one understands let take EvenMoreTTW Unlimited and EvenMorePlusTTW Unlimited. EM would be $85 after discount and EM+ is still 80. Usually if you get a great discount on your phone and monthly, EM would come out better (just realize that the phone discount would only be for the new act and not upgrades later) but if its just that plan you get a discount on EM+ is the way to go for the long run.

Yea I am on the EM+ but was willing to switch to the EM plan to use my discount. I was told that the discount COULD NOT be used because when purchasing the phone from google they only allow Individual Plans not Corporate Plans.
This made no sense to me but thats what I was told.

Orangeandblue302 said:
First let me say sorry if this was posted before, I searched and found nothing on it.
I just got off the phone with a T-mobile Rep and, he explained to me, that If i sign up for a new contract when purchasing the Nexus I will not be eligable for my 15% corporate discount on rate plane.
Has anyone successfully used their discount on a rate plan using the N1? I find it hard to believe that Google cares that much about me getting a 15% discount.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple! Don't sign up for a new contract!!!

Orangeandblue302 said:
Yea I am on the EM+ but was willing to switch to the EM plan to use my discount. I was told that the discount COULD NOT be used because when purchasing the phone from google they only allow Individual Plans not Corporate Plans.
This made no sense to me but thats what I was told.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since my significant other is on a discounted plan with an N1 I am not sure as to the validity of the argument. I personally am on the loyalty plan and do not see a point in changing. Did you call business suppport? if you just dialed 611 I would not be surprised with that answer, look at the extremely inconsistent answers on everything else (plans, insurance, support...) coming out of the CSRs.
Since you already have the phone, and I assume you got it subsidized at the new contract rate ($179), your options may be more limited. If however you are on a corporate plan and bought it at existing customer subsidy (now $279 if memory serves) or unsubsidized you most certainly can have a corporate discount.

i bought unlocked so Tmobile didnt touch my corporate discount let alone know im using a n1

ok i got it all taken care of, the original CS Rep was misunderstanding what I asked. Glad I got it all cleared up.
Thanks for those of you who posted and chimed in with responses!!

Ok this may sound weird but I got the phone on contract by adding a line to my account like I stated. I just decided (after ordering the phone) that I dont wanna be on a contract and i just want to buy the phone outright.
Can I just cancel the added line with T-Mobile and pay the Recovery Fee or 350.00 to google or do I have to return the phone then let them refund my account then order it again unsubsidized.
I guess my real question is How do i go about getting google to charge me the ERF so I dont have to ship and wait for a refund just to order it again?

When I went in and got my SIM card, I got my discount. Activation fee waived, and 15% off my plan (everything more plus or w/e...the $60 one)

Also just as a referce for everyone, so if you have a corp discount you can apply, just go into any store after do the EM plan buying a N1 and then the will still add it. I have gotten no word from T-Mobile that we aren't allowed to add the discount to the plan. Its pretty much the phone is just sold through google, once your plan is set up and everything yo can do whatever as far as adding discount or changing plan. Honestly on our side you wouldn't see anything. You just can't switch to EM+ cause that would cause a ETF. As far as the loyalty plan, that 50 for unlimited minutes and 35 more if you add texting and data, so you would save $5 a month and make up the migration fee of $35 over time but just up to you if a contract is a problem or not thats all. I probably would stay contracted if you like Tmo on the single line loyalty it doesn't get too much better.

Even More Plus plans were never eligible for corporate discounts, but Even More plans are. I have a discount on mine. However, T-mobile dropped the discount... so when I switched to buy the subsidized phone, my discount went from 15% to 6%. Sucks, but better than nothing.

DynaBass139: Sort of off topic but I would not switch to EM+ because I would lose number portability. I am not under any contract obligation at this point so ran the numbers and debated the subject a great deal. Granted I am unlikely to change carriers but I have had the same phone number for close to a decade now. If I decide/need to switch carriers I want to keep it.. The deal is good enough, though I wish T-Mo would drop the web to $30 to put it on parity with EM+ for cost.
(I have historically not subsidized my phones because T-Mo has not had the phones I have wanted. I have gone through a long list of HTC phones starting at the Blue Angel in 2004 I think, down to the N1 I bought on release day. If a N2 comes out on T-Mo with a keyboard I might try and subsidize that though. 2 $500+ phones in a year would be a bit too much.)

I was just gonna say I went in the day after I got mine and received the Fedex corporate discount no prob. Too late.

Ok i am just going to stay on my EM+ without the discount but I made the mistake of choosing the subsidy by opening a new line.
anyone know if I can just cancel that new line that I opened and just pay the other 350.00 off. i know google has the equipment recovery fee so how does that get charged?

Egzthunder1's "TMOUSA" Method for Saving Money on HD2

For my 3000 post, I figured I would do something special for those of us fresh into TMOUSA's crappy 2 year contract (and for those thinking about it).
We all drooled and drooled consistently until TMOUSA came out with the HD2. There is a catch though, it is through TMOUSA. Many people have reported crappy service (cell-wise) and flat spots for data coverage (3G areas turning into Edge, turning into GPRS, into no-data). On top of that paying $450 for a device is not exactly appealing either ($199 sounds like a much better deal after all). I have been thinking about it long and hard and I came up with the perfect mathematical solution for getting a cheaper HD2, sticking to TMOUSA cheaper plans (or leave TMOUSA altogether), and not paying for such crappy data plan/coverage. If you are like me, you are surrounded by an accessible Wifi signal about 70-80% of your waking day, so being forced to pay $30 per month is borderline stupid.
[highlight]Edit: My method is only for brand new devices. A lot of you are suggesting cheaper solutions by buying them off eBay or craiglist, which will come with the added risk of device malfunctions or scams. If you feel adventurous enough to go down these paths... by all means. It usually works out better in the end anyways. But this method ensures a brand new device, that you will get on the spot.[/highlight]
Without Further Ado, I give you the "Scr3w You Very Much, TMOUSA" Method...
Getting HD2 without contract from the store:
$450
Cheapest Unlimited voice only plan from TMO: $49.99 (without contract)
Cost over two years: $49.99 * 24 months = $1199.76
Getting HD2 with contract from the store:
$199
Cheapest Unlimited voice + Data (they will force you into this) plan from TMO: $89.99 (2 year contract)
Cost over two years: $89.99 * 24 months = $2159.76
Cost to get out of the contract (option available only after 15 days from establishing a contract - aka remorse period): $200
Difference in phone price (with and without contract difference):
$450 - $199 = $251
Cost of breaking Contract and Keeping New Phone: $199 + $200 = $399
so we are saving $50 right off the bat (remember that the no contract price is $450, so $450 - $399 = $51)
Plan Cost:
$2159.76 - $1199.76 = $960 savings over two years
Total Savings over 2 years ($960 plan cost savings - $200 early cancellation fee + $50 for savings versus purchasing HD2 @ full price)= $810
You may think "but I still need internet" on the road... simple answer to that too:
Internet package from non contract plan = $25
Internet package from contract plan = $30
Savings over 24 months contract = $120
May not seem like much, but when you add that to the $240 from the unlimited voice plan difference (49.99 w/o contract vs $59.99 w contract), it adds to $360 for the life of the contract, plus you can leave them dry at any point you want...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope this is useful into deciding if you are getting a HD2 but don't want TMOUSA as your carrier or simply don't feel like paying a lot to them.

Good to know for us tmobile users my friend.. i'll stick it as requested.

But there are those of us who actually need more than the basic services.
My business requires me to have unlimited minutes, texts, and e-mail access at all times.
So, over all, T-Mobile is cheaper than At&T or Verizon.
But I do see your point.
$30 a month for 3G internet service does seem a bit too much, when I pay the same amount for 4G (Clear Wireless) at home.

I would much rather opt out of TMOUS 2 year contract and jump ship to AT&T/Verizon/Sprint...
TMOUS has the absolute WORST service...

I guess you forgot the %35 Bing cash back when you shop online and pay full price! $300 with no contract is the best deal

Funkyrocemz said:
I would much rather opt out of TMOUS 2 year contract and jump ship to AT&T/Verizon/Sprint...
TMOUS has the absolute WORST service...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on where you are...they work quite fine in many major areas.

This does make sense. But then again it doesnt. Think about it!
Tmobile sells it on a 2 year contract for $199.
Walmart sells the samething (online) for $99 plus theres many coupons foe $25 off. So thats $75 on a new 2 year contract. Walmart also pays taxes.
Thats $75 vs. $450+ tax.
Now let me get to the point. If you want data+text+500 minutes. Its 59.99 on even more plus. Vs. $79.99 on contract.
So thats $20 more a month.
Heres the catch. If you cancel your contract after 6 months. The fee goes from $200 to $100 per line.
So lets add this up.
Buy the phone for $75. Add ($20 extra a month for 6 months= $120). And then add another $100 for the contract cancellation. Thats a total of $295.
So $295 vs. $450+ tax. Which sounds like a better deal?
After you cancel the contract. Just sign up for even more plus..

As an alternative (I did that personally), buy one get one free from T-Mobile promotion ... and pay $200 + tax for TWO HD2 phones. Activation waived.
So you pay $214 (in FL) for 2 phones.
Then you pay for 2 weeks of cheapest service (around $70) and cancellation fees of $400 for 2 phones
Total loss: $684
And you eBay your 2nd HD2 for $500 (around 450 after all fees)
You get your new shiny HD2 for $234 and you did not even extended your contract yet

Don't Forget HTC has extended the turn in a old phone and get 50.00 on top of that with teh purchase of a HD2, G1, etc... I think till May 19th
recyclerebates.com/htcWebQuote.do;jsessionid=B386A281A1471313D8E724CBA74DD8B4

joshkoss said:
Good to know for us tmobile users my friend.. i'll stick it as requested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot josh!
Always a pleasure hearing from you, my friend!

rickyoon.vegas said:
But there are those of us who actually need more than the basic services.
My business requires me to have unlimited minutes, texts, and e-mail access at all times.
So, over all, T-Mobile is cheaper than At&T or Verizon.
But I do see your point.
$30 a month for 3G internet service does seem a bit too much, when I pay the same amount for 4G (Clear Wireless) at home.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may think "but I still need internet" on the road... simple answer to that too:
Internet package from non contract plan = $25
Internet package from contract plan = $30
Savings over 24 months contract = $120
May not seem like much, but when you add that to the $240 from the unlimited voice plan difference (49.99 w/o contract vs $59.99 w contract), it adds to $360 for the life of the contract, plus you can leave them dry at any point you want...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Internet with the cheaper plans is cheaper ($5 a month cheaper to be more precise)

alefsin said:
I guess you forgot the %35 Bing cash back when you shop online and pay full price! $300 with no contract is the best deal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't as much as I forgot, but rather I had no idea about it (then, again, I have never used Bing)

joefx13 said:
This does make sense. But then again it doesnt. Think about it!
Tmobile sells it on a 2 year contract for $199.
Walmart sells the samething (online) for $99 plus theres many coupons foe $25 off. So thats $75 on a new 2 year contract. Walmart also pays taxes.
Thats $75 vs. $450+ tax.
Now let me get to the point. If you want data+text+500 minutes. Its 59.99 on even more plus. Vs. $79.99 on contract.
So thats $20 more a month.
Heres the catch. If you cancel your contract after 6 months. The fee goes from $200 to $100 per line.
So lets add this up.
Buy the phone for $75. Add ($20 extra a month for 6 months= $120). And then add another $100 for the contract cancellation. Thats a total of $295.
So $295 vs. $450+ tax. Which sounds like a better deal?
After you cancel the contract. Just sign up for even more plus..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! I had no idea Walmart sold these... I bought mine at Best Buy (had a $70 coupon from Rewards)
I was looking at this option and it is done through "Let's Talk"... and they do have their own set of rules (apart from TMOUSA)
$200 LetsTalk instant discount
Purchase select T-Mobile phones online or through our customer service department and receive a $200.00 instant discount when you activate new T-Mobile service on a plan of $59.99 per month or higher and in conjunction with any feature or bundle or any other plan option at least $30.00 per month or greater. This exclusive offer is limited to select online retailers and is not available in any stores. Certain rate plans may not apply. This promotion applies only to individual plans or line 1 to line 2 of a family plan and requires a (2) two-year service agreement.
Offer Qualifications and Restrictions:
Cancellation of this purchase option within the first 61 days of activation will result in a $100 penalty charge.
Customers who add a qualifying feature after their service has been activated by LetsTalk.com are NOT eligible unless the feature is activated by LetsTalk.com directly.
If the customer receives their phone and the qualifying data feature is not active, the customer must contact LetsTalk.com directly to have the feature added in order to avoid a chargeback.
If the customer receives their phone and wishes to add the qualifying feature to take advantage of the offer, the customer must contact LetsTalk.com's Customer Service center and LetsTalk.com must add the qualifying feature through their activation system.
Customers who contact T-Mobile directly to have the qualifying feature added to their accounts post activation will not be eligible for this offer.
The customer may not change the feature activated by LetsTalk.com through T-Mobile's website, call center retail stores or any other T-Mobile agents or representatives and must maintain the same qualifying feature selected at the time of purchase for 61 days in order to avoid a deactivation chargeback.
If the customer wishes to change to a different qualifying feature they must contact LetsTalk.com directly and LetsTalk.com must change the data feature directly otherwise the customer may be liable for a chargeback.
LetsTalk.com imposes this chargeback solely to recoup plan feature commissions deducted by T-Mobile.
Phones Eligible for this Promotion:
Samsung Behold II (T-Mobile), HTC HD2 (T-Mobile)
Qualifying Plan Features for this promotion:
Android Unlimited Web, Android Unlimited Web for Flexpay, myTouch Unlimited Web, myTouch Unlimited Web for Flexpay, BlackBerry Unlimited Web, BlackBerry Unlimited Web for Flexpay, BlackBerry Unlimited Web w/Enterprise Email, BlackBerry Unlimited Web w/Enterprise Email for Flexpay, Sidekick Unlimited Web, Sidekick Unlimited Web for Flexpay, SmartPhone Unlimited Web, SmartPhone Unlimited Web for Flexpay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But you are absolutely correct about everything you are saying... There will be various methods for doing this (which result in different savings) based on personal usage of the features of the plan. In my case, (as I explained in the first post) I don't really need internet 24/7 on my device since most of my waking time, I am in areas where wireless is available, so for me this translates into at least saving $30 per month (without accounting the fact that the unlimited voice is $10 cheaper as well), and here is the thing why I posted this. Remember that having internet when you are in a contract is not an option, it is a requirement... there is no way out of it unless you break your contract or pay full price for the phone. I figured this way to be cheaper for my usage type.
Maybe I will change the title of this thread to "Ways of Getting a Cheaper Device and No Contract" or something like that. I appreciate your input on this

bogdatov said:
As an alternative (I did that personally), buy one get one free from T-Mobile promotion ... and pay $200 + tax for TWO HD2 phones. Activation waived.
So you pay $214 (in FL) for 2 phones.
Then you pay for 2 weeks of cheapest service (around $70) and cancellation fees of $400 for 2 phones
Total loss: $684
And you eBay your 2nd HD2 for $500 (around 450 after all fees)
You get your new shiny HD2 for $234 and you did not even extended your contract yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not bad, but why would someone pay $500 for a device on eBay (assuming shipping is included), when they can buy it brand new, from the store, no contract needed for $450?

alooohaboy said:
Don't Forget HTC has extended the turn in a old phone and get 50.00 on top of that with teh purchase of a HD2, G1, etc... I think till May 19th
recyclerebates.com/htcWebQuote.do;jsessionid=B386A281A1471313D8E724CBA74DD8B4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just checked it out and in order to do this, you have to have proof of purchase (receipt or UPC box label). I have a 7 year old Wallaby bought in eBay, a 5 year old Blue Angel, 2 0.5 year old Vogues (soon to be 4), soon to have a Tytn, and a Wizard (which I sold, but for the sake of argument, I will throw it in as well).... I cannot use any of these devices for that since I have no way of providing them with proof of purchase (and this happens to be the case for a lot of htc device owners around here).
It is a good resource to have though. Thanks for sharing.

Just spoke to LetsTalk customer support. aka Walmart $99 purchase.
They'll give you the phone for $99 but if you break the contract within 6 months, you'll have to pay $250 disconnect fee to LetsTalk in addition to the $200 charged by T-Mobile.
I went to a Sams Club last week and they had it for $142 + tax. The guy there said I can keep my existing plan (family plan and $25 android data plan).
So my plan is to buy the phone from Sams Club. If I like it, I'll stay on the new 2 yr contract and if I don't I'll break the contract after 30 days and sell it on craigslist (ebay charges a lot of fees).
I've been waiting for a good android phone for a long time (my contract on the G1 got over more than a year ago. But since T-Mobile is not getting any good androind phones, I'll try WM 6.5. Microsoft wins and Google loses. The last WM device I used was an MPX200. I would have bought the Nexus One if they allowed me to add it to my family plan with a discounted rate.

before u go getting phones at contract discount and canceling. you may want to read this http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1634784
basically says tmobile will start blcking IMEI's of phones from canceled contracts. I dont know if its legit but i just bought a HD2 from ebay and now im paranoid anyone heard of this?
Edit seller assured me thats not the case for me but still thats kinda scary.

kcaj32 said:
Just spoke to LetsTalk customer support. aka Walmart $99 purchase.
They'll give you the phone for $99 but if you break the contract within 6 months, you'll have to pay $250 disconnect fee to LetsTalk in addition to the $200 charged by T-Mobile.
I went to a Sams Club last week and they had it for $142 + tax. The guy there said I can keep my existing plan (family plan and $25 android data plan).
So my plan is to buy the phone from Sams Club. If I like it, I'll stay on the new 2 yr contract and if I don't I'll break the contract after 30 days and sell it on craigslist (ebay charges a lot of fees).
I've been waiting for a good android phone for a long time (my contract on the G1 got over more than a year ago. But since T-Mobile is not getting any good androind phones, I'll try WM 6.5. Microsoft wins and Google loses. The last WM device I used was an MPX200. I would have bought the Nexus One if they allowed me to add it to my family plan with a discounted rate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true!
But if you plan on keeping the phone for atleast 181 days, then lets talk will remove the fee (plus tmobile will only charge $100 per line). This would be the best decision for someone looking to keep the phone and not sell it anytime soon.

mrbox23 said:
before u go getting phones at contract discount and canceling. you may want to read this http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1634784
basically says tmobile will start blcking IMEI's of phones from canceled contracts. I dont know if its legit but i just bought a HD2 from ebay and now im paranoid anyone heard of this?
Edit seller assured me thats not the case for me but still thats kinda scary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess this would apply more to being careful about buying the phone from 3rd party (places like ebay, craiglist, etc)

joefx13 said:
This is true!
But if you plan on keeping the phone for atleast 181 days, then lets talk will remove the fee (plus tmobile will only charge $100 per line). This would be the best decision for someone looking to keep the phone and not sell it anytime soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I spoke to T-Mobile too. Their policy for canceling 2 years contract is:
If you have more than 180 days from the end of the contract, you pay $200.
If you have more than 90 days but less than 180 before contract ends, its $50, and less than 90 days for contract to end, you pay $25.
But yes, I agree that someone who plans on keeping the phone for 2 years, its a good deal.

Samsung Epic 4G $199.99 on Amazon.com

EDIT: The phone seems to be back in stock online. Still says ships in 8-9 days.
Amazon.com just got the EPIC 4G on their site for preorders, it's $199.99 with new contract, or $499.99 without any service. Best deals I've seen anywhere. If these don't sell out, I bet it'll hit $150 by september 1st. This is just great if you are a new customer on Sprint.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Epic-Android-Phone-Sprint/dp/B003ZDO2H6/ref=cell_dp_wplan

Kinda blows if you're an existing one though...

Does sprint allow you to cancel and then sign up as a new contract? Because of the pro-rating of their cancellation fees, it would be significantly cheaper to get the discounted Amazon phone (even better if it follows the other Galaxy S phone pricing) than it would be to buy the unsubsidized Epic.

chipstar1 said:
Does sprint allow you to cancel and then sign up as a new contract? Because of the pro-rating of their cancellation fees, it would be significantly cheaper to get the discounted Amazon phone (even better if it follows the other Galaxy S phone pricing) than it would be to buy the unsubsidized Epic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean cancel your current sprint plan, then take the amazon.com epic deal with a brand new contract? I think you can do that. However like you said, there is the prorated early termination fee, and you also need to consider that you would of course lose your current phone number. You could of course also switch to a prepaid account with some other carrier for a week or so though, and just port your number over a lot, but that could be a bit risky/flawed.
If you wanted to buy a cheap amazon epic 4g then cancel right after though, you'd pay a ton, amazon.com would hit you with early cancel charges, as would sprint.

If you cancel your contract, you have to wait 90 days before you can qualify for new customer pricing on devices.

ben7337 said:
You mean cancel your current sprint plan, then take the amazon.com epic deal with a brand new contract? I think you can do that. However like you said, there is the prorated early termination fee, and you also need to consider that you would of course lose your current phone number. You could of course also switch to a prepaid account with some other carrier for a week or so though, and just port your number over a lot, but that could be a bit risky/flawed.
If you wanted to buy a cheap amazon epic 4g then cancel right after though, you'd pay a ton, amazon.com would hit you with early cancel charges, as would sprint.
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Yes, I meant the first part. Cancel my sprint contract (and risk losing the #), then rejoin sprint on the cheaper (possibly much cheaper) amazon phone deal. Switching phone numbers isnt always a bad thing.

$199 wow! Way to stick it to Wirefly and their cheapo $10 off price.
I'm currently on the $30 SERO plan, and converting to either a 5-line EPRP, or a 5-line corporate discount plan. I guess there's no way in hell I can do either one thru Amazon.

entropism said:
If you cancel your contract, you have to wait 90 days before you can qualify for new customer pricing on devices.
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Aha, thanks for the definitive answer. Could a family member qualify immediately? We don't share a last name.

Oh man Amazon is annoying, is there any way to see the final review order page without submitting the credit check info? I'd assume they don't actually perform the credit check until you submit the order, but I'd rather not take that risk, especially just to see a check-out price! I just want to see if they charge taxes and activation.

chipstar1 said:
Aha, thanks for the definitive answer. Could a family member qualify immediately? We don't share a last name.
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It has to go under someone else's social security number. That's all.

It says "currently unavailable" now...

this should be the sprint price for it, no mail in rebate.

I'm kinda regretting reserving through Radioshack now!
$250 + taxes comes out to around $270. I'm assuming Amazon will provide Prime shipping and next day shipping being around $20 bucks.
Can't refund the $50 deposit i put for the pre-order through Radioshack either. :|

How much is Sprint's early contract termination fee?

im trying to buy it on amazon. apparently there's no option to add a new line to an existing account. if there is can some1 point me out to it. all im seeing are the options to buy it for 500 as an existing customer or 199 as a new customer

INeedYourHelp said:
How much is Sprint's early contract termination fee?
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I did that before, and it's 200$ per line... a very hefty sum

wettems35 said:
im trying to buy it on amazon. apparently there's no option to add a new line to an existing account. if there is can some1 point me out to it. all im seeing are the options to buy it for 500 as an existing customer or 199 as a new customer
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I called and they said they dont do that with sprint yet.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

radioshack has 10 dollar off coupons, so its 240 + tax. I would do amazon, but with 2 phones, it will be a hassle, so I'm doing radioshack for ease of return if there are any problems.
NeonMonster said:
I'm kinda regretting reserving through Radioshack now!
$250 + taxes comes out to around $270. I'm assuming Amazon will provide Prime shipping and next day shipping being around $20 bucks.
Can't refund the $50 deposit i put for the pre-order through Radioshack either. :|
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rawsoup said:
I did that before, and it's 200$ per line... a very hefty sum
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From what I was told at the Sprint store, its a total of $240 early termination, or $10 a month, for each of the 24 months of the 2 year contract.
The longer you have the contract, the lower the termination fee is.

Does Amazon charge an activation fee of $36 per line? Also has anyone purchased from them before? Just wondering if they would actually ship the phone on 8/31 and if the return policy is any good? Thanks in advance.

Who got there focus for less than $200

I got mine for 108 customer loyalty discount .

i got mine for $0.00
:-D

$99 - Loyalty discount NM
NM
There is no message.

I paid $212.13 after tax. They did wave $18 upgrade fee.
However, this was my first smartphone. Where I won was them allowing me to reverse grandfather into the $30 unlimited plan. The last update to my data usage was 2457MB as of 6:27pm 11/14/10, 6.5 days after I got it.

I got mine for free, my wife's was 199.

There are only two ways to get the loyalty discount:
1. You paid too much each month (> $100).
or
2. You haven't upgraded for ages ( out of contract for over a year or two).
Either way, it's a chimp change for AT&T to give you a small discount out of the $$$ they made out of you every month
I pay only $95/mo for entire family account of 3 lines and upgrade every single year (can live with any phone for over a year). So, no discount for me. But also means I saved $$$ every year, more than $100 or $200 discount for sure.

foxbat121 said:
There are only two ways to get the loyalty discount:
1. You paid too much each month (> $100).
or
2. You haven't upgraded for ages ( out of contract for over a year or two).
Either way, it's a chimp change for AT&T to give you a small discount out of the $$$ they made out of you every month
I pay only $95/mo for entire family account of 3 lines and upgrade every single year (can live with any phone for over a year). So, no discount for me. But also means I saved $$$ every year, more than $100 or $200 discount for sure.
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My thoughts exactly.

foxbat121 said:
There are only two ways to get the loyalty discount:
1. You paid too much each month (> $100).
or
2. You haven't upgraded for ages ( out of contract for over a year or two).
Either way, it's a chimp change for AT&T to give you a small discount out of the $$$ they made out of you every month
I pay only $95/mo for entire family account of 3 lines and upgrade every single year (can live with any phone for over a year). So, no discount for me. But also means I saved $$$ every year, more than $100 or $200 discount for sure.
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Or you have 4 smartphones...and associated data plans to go with them and unlimited messaging.
If I priced out 4 separate individual plans, I'd be paying through the nose. I think $150 for four smartphones with unlimited data (pre cap) and unlimited text/pix/vids etc. along with 2k mins is a pretty good deal

V DidDy 210 said:
Or you have 4 smartphones...and associated data plans to go with them and unlimited messaging.
If I priced out 4 separate individual plans, I'd be paying through the nose. I think $150 for four smartphones with unlimited data (pre cap) and unlimited text/pix/vids etc. along with 2k mins is a pretty good deal
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Only the service charge on the primary line counts into loyalty discount. You can pay for 100 lines and your loyalty discount remains the same.

foxbat121 said:
Only the service charge on the primary line counts into loyalty discount. You can pay for 100 lines and your loyalty discount remains the same.
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that's true but i'm not even talking about the discount. He's saying that people who pay way too much are the only one's eligible for loyalty discount.
but I'm arguing that I think that 150 for all that i get is a very good deal

I paid $499 and tax. And promptly returned it the next day. I'll wait to see if any holiday sales pop up before thinking about purchasing one again.

V DidDy 210 said:
that's true but i'm not even talking about the discount. He's saying that people who pay way too much are the only one's eligible for loyalty discount.
but I'm arguing that I think that 150 for all that i get is a very good deal
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Yes, $150 is a good deal for 4 smartphones, but he's also right because you don't qualify for the loyalty discount since you don't pay "too much".
Right now Focus is AT&T store exclusive, as soon as Amazon or Newegg has it, it'll be $100 less at least. Surround was available for free with a new contract at Amazon and it's a damn good phone for free!

I paid $106 for the Focus(haven't upgraded in almost a year) and got the unlimited data for smartphones on AT&T.I used to have the unlimited data for iphone so no change in monthly bill.

rexian said:
Yes, $150 is a good deal for 4 smartphones, but he's also right because you don't qualify for the loyalty discount since you don't pay "too much".
Right now Focus is AT&T store exclusive, as soon as Amazon or Newegg has it, it'll be $100 less at least. Surround was available for free with a new contract at Amazon and it's a damn good phone for free!
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Correct. What I refered to was monthly bill, not how much you paid for your phone. It's the monthly bill that matters dollar wise, not the one time phone cost. Assume you pay $30 extra per month than most others, it could add up to $720 extra in 2-year contract and for that you get $100 discount on the phone. No a greatest deal but if you could use all that features you paid for, good for you. But personally I don't see any point of this poll/thread.

i'm curious as to how you got 3 lines with unlimited data/messaging and minutes for 95...?

Revaric said:
i'm curious as to how you got 3 lines with unlimited data/messaging and minutes for 95...?
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I didn't say that.

Someone over at Engadget tipped regarding a $100 off holiday coupon for select phones - the Focus was included. I called AT&T customer service and asked them to credit me for the $100 so I didn't have to go through the trouble of returning it to the store and buying it again online just to save. They credited me $105. So I ended up paying $145 for my Focus after tax.

Does that coupon work for the non contract price? A $499 Focus would then be $399?

I don't know. I suggest anyone thinking about the focus. Which is awesome pressure the sales associate for the customer loyalty discount. and then report back here.

bmstrong said:
Does that coupon work for the non contract price? A $499 Focus would then be $399?
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The coupon specifically stated it was only valid with certain phones and a 2 year contract