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?
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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)
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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.

[Poll] On contract or Off contract?

So I have been thinking. What would I be willing to pay for a phone off contract? Well. Bought my Vibrant for off contract, and it took a nice piece out of my wallet.
So my question is for you guys, Would you be willing to pay for a phone off contract for the right price? What would that price be?
Please leave comments on what you think.
I realize this is a very general question but I'm turning to my fellow Vibrant owners first.

Question to you or anybody that bought it off contract...Do you guys have a data plan?

No data plan. The only reason I bought it off contract
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

emonero said:
Question to you or anybody that bought it off contract...Do you guys have a data plan?
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I bought 2 Vibrants off contract when T-Mo had some crazy Bing cash back - like 25% or something. I do have a data plan with both.
Now, we use Even More Plus, so between the two of us we're saving something like $40/month over the rates on an equivalent Even More plan. That quickly adds up to make buying off-contract a better option if you can get phones for even slightly below MSRP, and it's an absolute no brainer for a phone enthusiast who likes to switch often and trade on Ebay or Craigslist.
I'm very disappointed that EM+ seems to be going away. It's one of the reasons I switched to T-Mobile and IMO is about the best value in mobile.

Even more plus, bought off contract with payment plan (reimbursed through work though).
All of my phones eventually become my wife's phones when I choose to upgrade.

contract is a gimmick and you eventually pay full price for phone. What do you think that extra $20 or so month goes to
my no contract Even More 500TTW is $60 on contract its $80 no thanks

To quickly crunch some numbers...
On contact the phone cost roughly $200 and an additional $20 a month over the EM+ plan. Over the 24 month contract that equals a $680 phone.
From my perspective anything under that price is worth it. Not to mention out of contract allows for mobile flexibility should you need it.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Last fathers day I wanted to cash in on the 2 free phone deal, and being an existing tmobile member for the last 5 years I was not eligible, so I called them anyways and said I have been with tmobile for the last 5 years and want to cash in on this fathers day deal, long story short........got transfered to the loyalty department and they gave me 2 free phones of my choice with the signing off a 2 year contract when my current contract is up at my same no contract rate........here is the greatest part, I can choose any phone whenever I want. so haveing the G1 for so long I said screw it I'll take a Vibrant, now I still have 1 more free phone left to get, my girl likes my vibrant, so I was thinking of handing this one to her and grabbing the Nexus S, but we will see.
Anyways the moral of the story, call and talk to someone, be calm, and ask lots of questions, they are nice at tmobile and they will bend over backwards to keep you as a customer.
Edit: I should also say that I got my G1 for $20 + $50 mail in rebate, so I ended up getting paid $30 and signed a 1 year contract at my current grandfathered rate.......just call and talk to t-mobile

a400meter said:
To quickly crunch some numbers...
On contact the phone cost roughly $200 and an additional $20 a month over the EM+ plan. Over the 24 month contract that equals a $680 phone.
From my perspective anything under that price is worth it. Not to mention out of contract allows for mobile flexibility should you need it.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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Well US phones typically have their bands locked down (or are missing bands). Mobile flexibility probably would amtter to someone who has i.e. a Nokia N8 with a pentaband radio - but a Vibrant doesn't have that.
Going on Contract is cheaper. If you ever want to switch carriers you can just ETF the contract. It goes down every month you're on the contract.
That way you don't have to come up with so much up front for the phone.
Also, you get rebates on contract phones that sometimes aren't available if you buy the phone off-contract (i.e. Web Deals, etc.).

If you do the calculations, off contract is cheaper in the long term.

Not by much considerimg it's over a 2 yeat period. Mosy people don't care.
Thr upfront cost for an unlocked phone is simply too high for most.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

For me, going off-contract was good. It saved me $20 (plus tax) a month on phone charges, and, since I am planning on keeping this phone for a while, it's more than paid for. For me, having a contract and "subsidized" phones means being locked in to the carrier, and ending up paying full price (or more) for the phone on the installment plan.

On contract here. I don't think I could shell out $400+ for a phone just to be an early adopter.
I pay $120 a month for the 700 min family plan which includes my Vibrant with data, 400 texts, insurance, 2 extra lines with 400 texts each and [email protected] home. I also get a %15 discount through my work. There is no other carrier that would come close too that price. I will always buy on contract and keep my grandfathered plan.

Haha i got it free from t-mobile somehow i forgot it has something to do with trading in crappy phones.

Two year contract got me a vibrant for free not on an upgrade ;p
The day this phone came out!!
nero beta

badaphooko01 said:
On contract here. I don't think I could shell out $400+ for a phone just to be an early adopter.
I pay $120 a month for the 700 min family plan which includes my Vibrant with data, 400 texts, insurance, 2 extra lines with 400 texts each and [email protected] home. I also get a %15 discount through my work. There is no other carrier that would come close too that price. I will always buy on contract and keep my grandfathered plan.
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Sprint would be cheaper. They have just as good discounts as tmo, better for us, but unfortunately no service..
Oh, and unlimited texts, too.
Important on a droid... No push notifications for most (this) phone for fb/twitter.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

N8ter said:
Well US phones typically have their bands locked down (or are missing bands). Mobile flexibility probably would amtter to someone who has i.e. a Nokia N8 with a pentaband radio - but a Vibrant doesn't have that.
Going on Contract is cheaper. If you ever want to switch carriers you can just ETF the contract. It goes down every month you're on the contract.
That way you don't have to come up with so much up front for the phone.
Also, you get rebates on contract phones that sometimes aren't available if you buy the phone off-contract (i.e. Web Deals, etc.).
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The vibrant actually does have 3g bands for at&t, even though what you say about missing bands is usually true.
Regarding price, if you have a data plan, em+ saves at least $20/month versus contract pricing, so for contract to be cheaper you'd need to either save $480 on a phone, (or less, if you convince tmo to give you phones more frequently).
Now I only paid $300 for our vibrants after rebates, so it was clearly cheaper in our case.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

You guys getting it at full price?

or is everyone conveniently in time for an upgrade?
Just curious because everytime a major phone comes out, people rush out to get it, but are they paying full price or what?
And if you got it, thoughts?

I've been off contract for almost 5 years. Buy, Sell, Buy, Sell....

I paid in full because I have EM+ plan (unlocked phone plan).

mmas0n said:
I've been off contract for almost 5 years. Buy, Sell, Buy, Sell....
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I'm in that same boat... Usually you can re-coup most of what you paid for the original unit and come out very little out of pocket to pick up a new handset.

I bought two at full price. I'm also on the best plan available to mankind, EM+ no contract.

Full price and in my hands. Screen is nice.

irishrally said:
I bought two at full price. I'm also on the best plan available to mankind, EM+ no contract.
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A couple other members are as well. Where do you get that plan, if I may ask very very nicely?

bmstrong said:
A couple other members are as well. Where do you get that plan, if I may ask very very nicely?
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It's the even more plus plan. They stopped featuring it on the website but are (as of now) still selling it through t-mobile stores. It's not officially promoted anymore that's why you have to ask for it at your local t-mobile store.
With the EM+ plan I get 2 lines, 1500 minutes, unlimited text and web for $120. Saves me having to get a landline.

It is available at tmobile. EM+ is $59.99 for unlimited text, unlimited data and 500 minutes. If you buy this phone on contract, the exact same plan costs $79.99 and you tied to tmobile for 2 years. It is much cheaper buying the phone at full price and getting the cheaper plan on EM+.
Tmobile took the EM+ plan off their website, but you can still get it my calling tmobile or going to a store a requesting it.

I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?

irishrally said:
It is available at tmobile. EM+ is $59.99 for unlimited text, unlimited data and 500 minutes. If you buy this phone on contract, the exact same plan costs $79.99 and you tied to tmobile for 2 years. It is much cheaper buying the phone at full price and getting the cheaper plan on EM+.
Tmobile took the EM+ plan off their website, but you can still get it my calling tmobile or going to a store a requesting it.
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Very cool information. Many thanks to you both. My company offers a T-Mobile discount, got a guess if I could use it on these plans?

I had to get mine for full price. Apparently I was only eligible for some thing where I pay the first month upfront and pay slightly more for the phone because my credit doesn't exist, and the Nexus couldn't be activated with that option. Instead, I got a "free" phone with contract, then I just got an unlocked Nexus to put on my account. Unfortunately, they'd only let me get a free Sony Ericsson instead of an LG Optimus since it was their idea in the first place. Best Buy did pay my first month's contract and all fees that go with the first activation, though. That made me very happy since it was about $190.

ecapox said:
I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?
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I'd call tmobile or go into a real tmobile store and see if they can do anything for you.

ecapox said:
I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?
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Do what I did:
Get a 2-year contract with a free LG Optimus then get an unlocked Nexus. You can sell the Optimus for quite a bit (definitely more than $100).

bmstrong said:
A couple other members are as well. Where do you get that plan, if I may ask very very nicely?
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Go to the nearest T-Mobile corp store and ask for Even More Plus (aka Unlocked Phone Plan).

irishrally said:
I'd call tmobile or go into a real tmobile store and see if they can do anything for you.
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yeah. My idea is to do what someone else suggested. Go get a free phone and then pay full price for the Nexus S. I can sell the free phone andmake soem $$ back. OR i could just get a contract free monthly plan and buy the Nexus S for full price. That way i wont be locked into a contract. Problem is, there is only 4 stores in my area that are the Best Buy Mobile stores where they have boxes and boxes of Nexus S phones.
To be honest, i dont know what the problem is with the Best Buy Mobile i went to. If i can qualify for a $250,000 house with no issues, i think i can buy a dam phone for the 2 year contract price.
Lets see how much i can sell the Nexus One i have for on Craigslist. That may help me decide.

better than EM+
...is EM+ FAMILY plan. Just got my wife and I on it. Only available by phone or in a T-Mobile store. Saves you > $1000 over normal contract, over 2 years. Hey, that's about the price of two phones!

I bought two outright. I've been with t-mobile for 12 years. I get unlimited talk, text, and web for $93.87 a month.

ecapox said:
I make over 80k a year and have a 700 credit score and they wouldn't give it to me for $199. I could only get $100 off with a 2 year service plan. Wtf?
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Same exact thing happened to me! I was floored! wtf?
I was approved for a $400k mortgage, but not a $200 phone?! What?
So, I'm in the store, bewildered, and then asked them to put the plan in my wife's name (I was getting a family plan). So, we type in all her info, totally expecting everything to be ok, and her credit check comes back exactly the same as mine.
We have good credit, my wife and I make good money, and we pay our bills on time. I'm still in shock.
I've spent all day on the phone with Best Buy, T-Mobile, and Transunion to try and figure out what happened and I still don't know.
The only thing I can think of is we recently bought a new home and we've only been there for 1.5 years, but seriously. All this because of that?!
And the guy at Best Buy is telling me about this Flex Plan thing, and I'm just like, hold up -- just give me the two year contract. I totally didn't understand what he was saying. And he's telling me like he's doing me a favor -- pay $480 for the Nexus S and pay the same $140/mo contract deal -- what? Why would I want to do that?

sshtac said:
Same exact thing happened to me! I was floored! wtf?
I was approved for a $400k mortgage, but not a $200 phone?! What?
So, I'm in the store, bewildered, and then asked them to put the plan in my wife's name (I was getting a family plan). So, we type in all her info, totally expecting everything to be ok, and her credit check comes back exactly the same as mine.
We have good credit, my wife and I make good money, and we pay our bills on time. I'm still in shock.
I've spent all day on the phone with Best Buy, T-Mobile, and Transunion to try and figure out what happened and I still don't know.
The only thing I can think of is we recently bought a new home and we've only been there for 1.5 years, but seriously. All this because of that?!
And the guy at Best Buy is telling me about this Flex Plan thing, and I'm just like, hold up -- just give me the two year contract. I totally didn't understand what he was saying. And he's telling me like he's doing me a favor -- pay $480 for the Nexus S and pay the same $140/mo contract deal -- what? Why would I want to do that?
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The one thing we have in common is a recent house purchase. Mine is about 14 months. My credit is fine, not perfect, but still very good.
I felt the same exact way "just give me the 2 year contract price and stop trying to confuse the **** out of me with all this other crap."
Why the hell would I pay $490 for a phone AND a 2 year contract when I can just buy the stupid phone for $530? I think ill just wait for an att version or the PlayStation phone. Screw T-Mobile.

Adding A Line Just To Get G2x Discounted - Good Idea?

I'm this close to adding a line to my contract just to get the phone for $199.
It would cost me an extra $20/month ($10 for the added line and in order to not breech the contract to get the phone discounted I would HAVE to have data package and they have a $10/month plan) for that line, get the phone for $199, then just never use the line...put my SIM from my N1 into the G2x and change my current data plan to 4G.
I'm kind of weighing the options.
I figure $20/month for 24-months is $480 plus the $199 for the phone. Means I'll pay $679. Really not that much more, plus I pay it over the course of 2-years instead of plopping down a straight $600 out of pocket.
Opinions?

uoY_redruM said:
I'm this close to adding a line to my contract just to get the phone for $199.
It would cost me an extra $20/month ($10 for the added line and in order to not breech the contract to get the phone discounted I would HAVE to have data package and they have a $10/month plan) for that line, get the phone for $199, then just never use the line...put my SIM from my N1 into the G2x and change my current data plan to 4G.
I'm kind of weighing the options.
I figure $20/month for 24-months is $480 plus the $199 for the phone. Means I'll pay $679. Really not that much more, plus I pay it over the course of 2-years instead of plopping down a straight $600 out of pocket.
Opinions?
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That's almost $200 more. Considering you haven't had the N1 for that long, how many times will you want to do this in the future? I knew that dual core was coming so paid full price for my N1. I can now flip it for 200-250 and make out "ok".
PS... the G2X is $499.99 without discounts...not $600

There are always options
option number 1
save money and sell few of the items you don't need and come out with 550.00
option 2
get a best buy card and buy it and they wont charge interest if you paid it off before 18 months.
option 3
paypal has a billmelater which you can buy things on ebay, newegg and walmart etc. etc. and pay it in payments and they wont charge you interest if you paid in full in like 6 months.
option 4
Wait maybe 2-3 months and it might turn out to be free in sites like wirefly and you end up spending $480 in a 2 year contract paying 20 bucks a month like i think you said.
option 5
Just wait dual-core still seems green and there are not many things to take advantage of it unless you want heavy gaming & movie watching. Plus a new android device gets announce like every 3 months so you shouldn't feel so rushed the nexus still pretty good device it wont get old until maybe end of the year.

Find out what the early termination fee is. If the fee is less than $480, then you can buy the phone at a discount and then pay the early termination fee...

Thanks for your advice guys, I think you guys are absolutely correct. I think I'm getting way to hyped about this phone and trying to jump the gun on it.
I bought my N1 off contract as well, on release date, and had a non-contract plan. I signed a contract in November to get two Blackberry's, which I sold just for extra cash to move into a contract and get my wife on my plan so, I have until 9/13/2012 before I can upgrade but I think I'll just hold out a while and keep using the N1.
No reason to jump ship.
Thanks again.

Well I just bought the g2x cause I had a $400 flex pay credit on my line. I'm out of contract like you. So I paid $100 out of pocket and just $20 a month or until it's paid off.
Check your account for flex pay or just call a tmo rep and see what they can do for you.
Don't add a line cause you'll have to pay for a data line and the monthly fees for adding a line. I tried doing this before and the cs rep said it'd be like $35 a month extra... Ie not worth it.

Double check your plan options. I added a line and got a free phone for $20 less a month.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App

TheSneakerWhore said:
Double check your plan options. I added a line and got a free phone for $20 less a month.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App
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10 dollars for the extra line and 10 dollars for base data plan... so 20 in total

i wonder what the cancellation fee is

[Q] Expected Price Drop?

I really want to get the Note 4 but the price is too high for me at the moment, the current price is $299.99 pretty much everywhere. Best Buy has been dropping it to $249.99 but I still find it a bit high. I'm with AT&T and they usually are slow with deals. How long do you think the wait will be for a set price of $249.99? Not that I want to pay that, but I'd expect some store to go to $199.99 for at least a few days. It's not that I don't have the money to pay for the phone, it's just that I don't want to pay that much for it.
I'll be keeping my phone for 2 years, so I want to buy it at a reasonable price for me not to feel bad of when I purchased it... I bought the Galaxy S3 two years ago and about a month later the S4 was announced and the S3 price was dropped and I could have gotten the S4.
Any input?

299.99$ and you're still complaining? It's two and a half times cheaper than in Europe!!!

$299.99 for a 2 year contract, I think you're talking about the phone unlocked.

That's right. But in your OP there's no single word about contract.

youre going to spend $1400 over the life of the contract for the phone and youre cribbing about $50 ? really ?
Just buy it for $900 like the rest of us and save yourself $500.

zurkx said:
youre going to spend $1400 over the life of the contract for the phone and youre cribbing about $50 ? really ?
Just buy it for $900 like the rest of us and save yourself $500.
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What?
bat0nas said:
That's right. But in your OP there's no single word about contract.
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Then again, there is no way I'd find an unlocked phone for $299.99...
Not a hard one, but you're out of country so you might of not known about the options.

you do understamd they charge a huge markup on the contract phone price, right ?
Your $200 note is actually $1400 or more on a 2 year contract or $900 unlocked today.

lol
I bought one 2 days ago on kijiji for 460$ Canadian use for 1 day, reason i got it so low is i managed to convince the guy that root voids the warranty and so i got it at that price with no contract

CrazyMav said:
Not a hard one, but you're out of country so you might of not known about the options.
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You are out of country. Not me

zurkx said:
you do understamd they charge a huge markup on the contract phone price, right ?
Your $200 note is actually $1400 or more on a 2 year contract or $900 unlocked today.
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What are you talking about.
I pay the $299.99 and taxes and that's it. Not hard to figure out. When I got my S3 I only spent the $199.99 plus tax and that was it. I didn't spend more on it...

what about the extra you pay every month during the 2 year contract ?

CrazyMav said:
What are you talking about.
I pay the $299.99 and taxes and that's it. Not hard to figure out. When I got my S3 I only spent the $199.99 plus tax and that was it. I didn't spend more on it...
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He's talking about the price of your contracted plan per month compared to what other providers might have. Let's assume you are paying $80 for your service....while same service can be had for $50 elsewhere... you are paying $30 more a month x 24 = $720 + the $300 you spend initially + tax.
It's theoretical... no one knows what you're paying monthly on contract.
I was paying $250 for 6 lines on AT&T... that was my contract price... I could upgrade all 6 lines on contract and get phones etc.
I switched to T-mobile and pay $120 a month. The savings was substantial and not every line need a smartphone or an upgrade. I can get new phones on installment and pay $0 down. and still cost would be less than AT&T.
It's different for everyone. You might have a cheap grandfathered plan..who knows.

n19htmare said:
He's talking about the price of your contracted plan per month compared to what other providers might have. Let's assume you are paying $80 for your service....while same service can be had for $50 elsewhere... you are paying $30 more a month x 24 = $720 + the $300 you spend initially + tax.
It's theoretical... no one knows what you're paying monthly on contract.
I was paying $250 for 6 lines on AT&T... that was my contract price... I could upgrade all 6 lines on contract and get phones etc.
I switched to T-mobile and pay $120 a month. The savings was substantial and not every line need a smartphone or an upgrade. I can get new phones on installment and pay $0 down. and still cost would be less than AT&T.
It's different for everyone. You might have a cheap grandfathered plan..who knows.
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He mentioned a "huge markup" on the phone. That was what I read and he said. Of course we have to pay for our service, for me, I am in a family plan with no actual contract for our service.
I was simply wondering about the price of a 2 year contract on the Note 4, I figured the $299.99 price would be more than a hint that I am interested in contract prices.
Now I have no choice though. Just this morning I was in the restroom and as soon as I was about to do #1, I got a notification and picked up my phone and dropped it in the bowl, luckily it was "clean" water but now I have no sound on my phone, can't watch Youtube videos, can't use the camera and there is a red light that literally doesn't go away, even if the phone is off... Trying the rice method but don't think it'll work.
Note 4 here I come I guess.

do you seriously think youre going to get a $900 phone for $300 without getting into a plan with substantial markup over 2 years ?
they are going to loan you the $600 at 50% interest for 2 years. then youre going to pay for the voice/data/network access on top of that.

zurkx said:
do you seriously think youre going to get a $900 phone for $300 without getting into a plan with substantial markup over 2 years ?
they are going to loan you the $600 at 50% interest for 2 years. then youre going to pay for the voice/data/network access on top of that.
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I'm done. I don't believe you understand how it works here or you might not get what I am saying.
I found out that Best Buy has a price adjustment policy so I'll take advantage of that, I'll be getting it next week and hopefully the price drops for a day or so, if not, oh well.
$299.99 plus tax, that's it, for the phone.

its simple arithmetic. they arent going to sell you a $900 phone for $300.
you pay every month for the cost of the phone with markup and you pay for the plan on top of that. not sure what else is there to understand. at&t is a business like any other carrier. they arent in it for charity. just because they bake it into other places on your bill like access charges doesnt mean the phone only costs $300.

I guess it'll work just like it does here. You simply pay the cost of the phone (£0.00 in the UK), then you pay the rest with your monthly payment to the carrier (The actual minutes /texts /data are irrelevant as they have to provide them and 99% of companies offer unlimited everything now anyway barring data).

No
zurkx said:
its simple arithmetic. they arent going to sell you a $900 phone for $300.
you pay every month for the cost of the phone with markup and you pay for the plan on top of that. not sure what else is there to understand. at&t is a business like any other carrier. they arent in it for charity. just because they bake it into other places on your bill like access charges doesnt mean the phone only costs $300.
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In the US, regardless of whether your phone is unlocked or on contract, the amount you pay for a phone/text/data plan is the same.
Plans have just been recently introduced (AT&T Next, Verizon Edge, etc) where you owe nothing up front for the device and pay extra on your monthly payment to pay for the phone, but you wind up paying more in the long run than you would have if you'd just shelled out the cash up front for a 2-year plan.
Cell phones are subsidized here if you lock into a 2-year mobile contract and pay anywhere from $50-$400 up front depending on the phone.

OP, along with me, just cares about when the expected price drop will be. Was anyone around or paying attention when, approximately, the Note 3 dropped in price for those in contract? Instead of talking about how awesome off-contract is or correcting the poor fella, a proper response would be, "Yeah, man, I recall after the Mobile World Congress last year, the Note 3 dropped to $200 on-contract." Or, "The Note 3 is still $300, give it up, it will never go down."
I'm an unhappy AT&T S5 (grandfathered "unlimited" data plan) owner and am going off-contract once this one is up. My girlfriend wants the Note 4 and her grandma pays her cell phone bill so all we care about is the up-front cost. She is eligible to get a new phone in a month and we'd like to plan around that. Many of you fine folks are ridiculously resourceful and your prior experience can help us plan around that.