Saw the thread in the general forum mentioning that ATT may have been switching a few people's data plans to a more expensive one. Something that I noticed when I switched to my TP2 from my XV6800 (Titan) when I changed phones using the over-the-phone activation method. I used to have a 23.XX data plan (it was 20% off from the regular plan) but when I checked out the features on my account on the Verizon website, it was bumped back to the 29.99 Data plan. Anyone else notice a bump in their data plan prices?
you should see if your 20% is still being applied
football0552 said:
you should see if your 20% is still being applied
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I checked the website after I activated to TP2, my data plan discount was removed. I called Verizon customer service and asked why, but the only excuse I got was that my new TP2 is more of a data hog than my XV6800, which really isn't true because my old titan used as much data as my TP2.
I too looked at the website and I was coming from a BlackBerry Storm.
From what I can tell the discount will only apply if I choose the "Unlimited Data Plan" that includes tethering access for $45 before discount. My plan cycle ends on the 12th so I will see very soon if the discount is really there or not. If not I may go back to the Storm for a while, probably only until the hardspl is done and there is an amazing custom wm6.5 rom to use on this phone to justify paying more for the same data.
The discount USED to apply to both data plan options (for smartphones), they where both 20% off, looks like now they're only willing to discount the tethering option, which you can do yourself by looking for the internet sharing program in the windows directory.
This is still showing on my verizon services:
Promotion details
19% ACCESS DISCOUNT
20% - FEATURE DISCOUNT (which is the $29.99 "unlimited" smartphone data plan)
papeluv said:
This is still showing on my verizon services:
Promotion details
19% ACCESS DISCOUNT
20% - FEATURE DISCOUNT (which is the $29.99 "unlimited" smartphone data plan)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is this on your CURRENT plan, found on verizon's add/remove services page, or from your bill?
It is that way on my bill too. However, i see 29.99 price in features list for other lines that do not already have that plan.
I wonder if it is an issue with the site or if they actually removed the discount from new activations.
AstarteSV said:
is this on your CURRENT plan, found on verizon's add/remove services page, or from your bill?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was a copy and paste from the verizon services page. Not from the bill.
Still got mine...
I get a 19% discount because of where I work and I'm still getting the discount on my and my wifes data plan. We both have the TP2 and the $29.99 smartphone and email plan.
Mine was upped
I had $29.99( $24.xx discounted) plan.. they changed it to $44.99 ($35.99 discounted). when i moved it back to 29.99 online they no longer showed my 20% feature discount.
Same here. As of 10/12, convienent that its the same day my 30 days was up for my TP2, my line no longer shows the 20% feature discount.
I called Verizon and they said that I was actually never entitled to the 20% off features on secondary lines when it was them who offered it to me. She said that they have an offline corporate team that just goes through accounts with corporate discounts to confirm their eligibility for discounts. So they're systematically checking accounts and removing the discounts.
How can any of you stand for this? I have 2 Email and Smartphone plans, so that's an automatic $15+tax hike a month.
I'm definitely going to write the BBB about this one. The discount was OFFERED to me, was on my account for 8 months, then gets removed without any notification. Not only that, if I go online, add and remove the phone, the 20% feature shows up again and confirms when activating a eligible phone. I did this while I was on the phone with the rep and she just said that its going to be removed by the end of the day.
I should just add, that this seems to be happening on secondary lines with monthly charges of $39.99 or less and is according to their contract. But that just seems like bait and switch to me, get all this people to add the plan, then remove the discount and see if they notice.
I've been a customer for nearly 10 years, my bill is $250 a month. I only get an 8% discount through my corporation. I recently removed my blackberry and got the Touch pro 2. The date plan was 29.99 for the blackberry and with the 8% it was $27.59/month (8.0% off)
When I added the touch pro 2, the data plan was 29.99 with no discount. I called and the representative says she shows it still has the discount but I told her the website doesn't show it. She said it may take a day to update, its been a week and its still 29.99.
This company is starting to piss me off after 10 years. They removed me from my VIP discount because my primary line was dropped and the other line that was moved to primary "wasn't the primary for 6 months when open enrollment in February was open for VIP discounts"
Related
I apologize in advance if this question a bit off-topic but since I just bought the TB, thought I would ask here.
I'm a new Verizon cust. Looking at the estimate first month's bill, I see a $17.93 Total Estimate Verizon Wireless charge, plus the $35 Activation fee, regular, admin charge...the Total Equipment, Surcharges and Other Charges Credits includes Activation fee comes to $54.85.
Question 1: is the $17.93 (part of the $54.85) monthly charge in addition to my voice+data plan and taxes? It was listed as Total Estimated Verizon Wireless Surchages, excluding Regulartory Charge, Admin charge and taxes.
Question 2: does this "$54.85 Total Equipment, Surcharges and Other Charges Credits includes Activation fee" on you gent/ladies' contract as well?
I have the 900 min individual plan $59.99 plus the 29.99 data. My first bill's estimate is $167. That seems a bit crazy...Sorry I'm noob to Verizon and need to confirm.
TIA.
I called Verizon customer service at *611 or whatever it is, pressed 0 to speak to someone. I politely explained that I have had nightmares dealing with Sprint customer service and still have my line open with them. I said I was happy with Verizon so far but wondered if they could waive my activation fee as a nice gesture to convince me to keep the thunderbolt and cancel Sprint. I was put on hold and then he said yes he could do that for me ($35 credit). I asked how much my first bill would be and he said $40 (450 minutes voice) +$30 (unlimited data) +tax/fees should put me around $80/month. I'm using google voice for text so I don't need a texting package. He said the first bill might be a little more since they will add a pro-rated charge for the few days before my billing cycle officially begins. He also mentioned the data is in fact truly unlimited when I asked if there were any overage charges or fees or caps, that I can use "as much or as little as you want." nice.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Thanks for the quick response.
I also did call Verizon and she asured me that for the subsequent bill I will only pay around $90+tax/fees to somewhere around $105.
I guess I was just a bit shocked with the Verizon surcharge. I know I have 14 days but so far I like the phone and the speed and prolly want to keep it. Just wanted to see if anyone else has similar estimate on their first bill.
quattr0 said:
Thanks for the quick response.
I also did call Verizon and she asured me that for the subsequent bill I will only pay around $90+tax/fees to somewhere around $105.
I guess I was just a bit shocked with the Verizon surcharge. I know I have 14 days but so far I like the phone and the speed and prolly want to keep it. Just wanted to see if anyone else has similar estimate on their first bill.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm gonna cheat a little and copy/paste my explanation from another thread.
"... your sales rep should have explained [that Verizon bills for its service, on contract and off, one month in advanced]. Your first bill will be higher than all the others. You'll be prorated for whatever's left before the end of your billing cycle. So if your billing cycle ends on the 15th, and you activate on the 10, your first bill will be 1month+5 days prorated. Billing cycles are randomly assigned by the system and don't necessarily correspond to when you activate. Hope I explained that adequately."
unremarked said:
I'm gonna cheat a little and copy/paste my explanation from another thread.
"... your sales rep should have explained [that Verizon bills for its service, on contract and off, one month in advanced]. Your first bill will be higher than all the others. You'll be prorated for whatever's left before the end of your billing cycle. So if your billing cycle ends on the 15th, and you activate on the 10, your first bill will be 1month+5 days prorated. Billing cycles are randomly assigned by the system and don't necessarily correspond to when you activate. Hope I explained that adequately."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beat me to it! I was going to mention the prorated charges. Btw, my first bill came out to 145. It will be under 100 next month.
unremarked said:
I'm gonna cheat a little and copy/paste my explanation from another thread.
"... your sales rep should have explained [that Verizon bills for its service, on contract and off, one month in advanced]. Your first bill will be higher than all the others. You'll be prorated for whatever's left before the end of your billing cycle. So if your billing cycle ends on the 15th, and you activate on the 10, your first bill will be 1month+5 days prorated. Billing cycles are randomly assigned by the system and don't necessarily correspond to when you activate. Hope I explained that adequately."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't get me wrong and I'm sorry if I wasn't clear...The cut-off date for billing cycle is on the 22nd. I just signed up today so they will charge me 2 days ($4 and change). I have not received any bill yet. I was just looking at the estimate first month bill from the contract.
$54 for activation fee ($35) and Verizon surchage+taxes (the difference of $54-35). Again, my question here is if this is normal for any new Verizon customer as it seems high for just activation fee & Verizon surcharge (this is excluding tax & fees from govt). Just wanted to make sure that I didn't get overcharged as I bought it from dealer (not directly from Verizon).
Thanks again.
quattr0 said:
don't get me wrong and I'm sorry if I wasn't clear...The cut-off date for billing cycle is on the 22nd. I just signed up today so they will charge me 2 days ($4 and change). I have not received any bill yet. I was just looking at the estimate first month bill from the contract.
$58 for activation fee ($35) and Verizon surchage+taxes (the difference of $58-35). Again, my question here is if this is normal for any new Verizon customer as it seems high. Just wanted to make sure that I didn't get overcharged as I bought it from dealer (not directly from Verizon).
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, okay, I think I understand.
It's not so much that you're getting overcharged because of shady business practices or anything like that. Whenever you're dealing with an authorized retailer, you need to keep in mind that they are a third party. They are a business who has been authorized to purchase and sell VZW products and services. Note that I say purchase. Those guys buy their gear from VZW and resell them to you. Like any business, their aim is to make a profit. So I would not be surprised to see if they had tacked on a surcharge for themselves.
That being said, I'm looking at my bill and I do see a section marked "Verizon Wireless Surcharges and Other Charges & Credits." I'm not sure if this will work because your first bill might not have actually been generated yet, but if you set up and log onto Verizonwireless.com, you should be able to see a more detailed bill.
I'm a happy new customer. They indeed credit back the activation fee on my 1st bill!!! I guess I worried for nothing lol
So, I have a real problem. I've been with Sprint for 10 years as of this August. I have perfect payment history and a credit rating above 780. I currently own the HTC Hero, which has been a good little phone, but I want to upgrade. I have the $150 credit to get a new phone, but that's where the issues begin to crop up.
My current contract expires Feb. 19, 2012. Because of successful negotiations in the past with Sprint's Executive Services, I pay $36 and change after taxes and fees for the following:
Plan details
Everything Data 450 $69.99
450 Anytime Minutes Included
Nationwide Long Distance Included
America - Roaming Included
Unlimited Any Mobile, Anytime
Unlimited SMS Text Messaging
Unlimited Picture Mail
Unlimited Data Usage
GPS Navigation
Sprint Data Essentials Pack
Nights: M-TH 7pm-7am Wknd: F 7pm-M 7am
Caller ID
Call Waiting
Three-Way Calling
Voicemail
Add-on services for:
Sprint Navigation
$0.00
Cellular Call Detail
$0.00
Unlimited Nights&Weekends-7pm
$0.00
Premium Data $0 add-on charge
$0.00
300 bonus Anytime Minutes per month
$0.00
Unlimited Any Mobile, Anytime
$0.00
Data Usage
$0.00
Picture Mail
$0.00
I don't use a whole lot of minutes (mostly mobile-to-mobile), don't use a whole lot of data (never more than 2GB/mo), and my max texts are typically around 3500/mo.
I want to upgrade my phone, and I'm considering the SGS2. I have been in contact with Executive Services recently, and the lowdown is that if I want to get a new phone, I will have to pay $200 for the phone. Then, since I was grandfathered in, I'll have to pay the premium data fee of $10/mo. But, I will also have to renew my contract and I will lose the extra $20/mo service credit that is currently offsetting the price of my service. I will retain my corporate discount of 27%, but, all told, after taxes and fees, simply upgrading my phone for $200 will actually increase the price of my service to about $65-70/mo after taxes and fees. This is nearly doubling the price of my service, and without a free phone to boot.
This is nearly the price of similar competing Verizon and AT&T service plans (after my corp discounts there), but Sprint doesn't offer 4G in my area (Albuquerque, NM), and their 3G service is spotty, at best.
Why should I stay with Sprint? Are there better options?
If your bill is going to go up anyway you might want to consider going with a carrier that offers GSM phones (t-mobile, AT&T). That way if you manage to wangle the price of your contract down over the years and face a similar situation as you're in now you can just go out and buy any GSM phone, unlock it (if necessary), stick your current SIM card in and voila, you have a new phone, but you get to keep your existing (cheap) contract.
I joined t-mobile about 2 months ago on a monthly rolling contract, I wanted to change my phone so I just bought a Samsung Exhibit 2 outright from Amazon and stuck my current SIM card in. No hassle.
That's sage advice. Thank you!
How much of a difference from $65-70/mo am I looking at from other cellular providers for the same level of service? Just a cursory check finds $0.01 Verizon phone deals through Amazon, and similar monthly recurring charges for 450 anytime, unlimited text, and 4GB data, after corporate discounts.
Im currently on sprint, and plan on going to t-mobile. I was planing to get the galaxy s4 (no contract) and hop on t-mobiles 500 min unlimited text/data plan since the price was good and i only use like 100 min a month. I dont see this plan on their website anymore though (or i cant find it) i can only find the new uncarrier plans which wont let me adjust how many minutes i want a month, it only shows unlimited. and it is more expensive then the one i wanted.
so my question is, does the plan i originally wanted still exist? I will be really dissapointed if it doesnt
I think they're not having "plans"anymore. From what I've read, $50 will get you unlimited talk and text, plus 500mb of data. Then you either buy unlimited data for $20, or they charge $10 for each additional 2gb you use.
-Accidental Asshole aka Jeremy
[Guide] Headphone/Earphone Buying
This page is still up : http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
If I were you, I'd hurry up and buy a SIM card and even just a $20 pre-paid phone/one of CL/whatever and get it activated if it's still possible instead of waiting.
If they kick me off it I'll just go to buying minutes only and they'll lose quite a bit of money, so meh. Or maybe I'd go to data-only. Or another carrier.
Pennycake said:
This page is still up : http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
If I were you, I'd hurry up and buy a SIM card and even just a $20 pre-paid phone/one of CL/whatever and get it activated if it's still possible instead of waiting.
If they kick me off it I'll just go to buying minutes only and they'll lose quite a bit of money, so meh. Or maybe I'd go to data-only. Or another carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that wasnt the page i was looking at before. To get to the page i looked at before i would navigate to plans>individual plans>value plans
also, do these prepaid plans include unlimited text/data? i see no mention of it.
TheAtheistOtaku said:
that wasnt the page i was looking at before. To get to the page i looked at before i would navigate to plans>individual plans>value plans
also, do these prepaid plans include unlimited text/data? i see no mention of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's just a page with the old plans, that's all it is. I have no idea if or when they'll implement changes to their system when you activate a SIM card.
It's also still advertised on WAL*MART's web site along with the new plans. You could go to WAL*MART, buy a cheap phone/SIM and then switch it.
They've just been talking about this on CNBC squawk box, they seemed positive from the company's point of view, $100 a month for unlimited everything then after 2 years knock $20 pm off your bill because you've paid for the phone by then, still seems expensive to me, at the mo an S3 costs £32 all you can eat then after 2 years go sim only for £17 or less to suit.
Euthye said:
They've just been talking about this on CNBC squawk box, they seemed positive from the company's point of view, $100 a month for unlimited everything then after 2 years knock $20 pm off your bill because you've paid for the phone by then, still seems expensive to me, at the mo an S3 costs £32 all you can eat then after 2 years go sim only for £17 or less to suit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i wont be doing this "financing" they are talking about. i will be paying off the phone then and there. ITs certainly dissapointing that they dont have what i was looking for anymore, though i will still be switching
Euthye said:
They've just been talking about this on CNBC squawk box, they seemed positive from the company's point of view, $100 a month for unlimited everything then after 2 years knock $20 pm off your bill because you've paid for the phone by then, still seems expensive to me, at the mo an S3 costs £32 all you can eat then after 2 years go sim only for £17 or less to suit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For family/group plans its a rip or breaking even with current rates.
The plan seems worth it to me.
I'm a person that barely uses my minutes, so I was paying 40 for 500 minutes and then 10 bux for texting and then 30 for 5GB data.
I switched to the no contract plan already and I'm going to be saving 10 bux a month now and have unlimited data with no throttle. Only downfall is that the mobile hotspot now has a restriction of 500MB before they shut it down and require you to get a hotspot plan, but nothing that a usb tether or bluetooth tether can't fix.
For individuals, this makes sense, because with the lowest minutes plan, txt and data (seems like they have moved everyone to 5gb plans now on smartphones) you were paying 80, so there is instant savings on the plan now going contract-less.
When I was with Sprint I looked at my minutes usage and I averaged 100 minutes a month and was paying $46/mo for 500 minutes and unlimited texting, no data.
Now I pay $30/mo plus only state sales tax ($1- something) and I have all the minutes I need plus 5Gb of data I didn't have before.
With the $400 phone cost, it evens out to about $40/mo for the first two years. And I'm getting everything I had plus more for still slightly less per month.
I also have various VOIP apps that I can use to call and essentially get as many minutes as I could want.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
This post will be divided into several posts for the sake of reading cimplicity.
Contents
Contents
Introduction
AT&T breakdown
T-Mobile and Verizon breakdowns
Conclusion
Alternatives for $$$-savvy consumers
Since AT&T announced their NEXT program (and Verizon subsequently their Edge program), I've wanted to do a comparison, but long hours at work have gotten in the way.
Last week, T-Mobile announced their JUMP program (just upgrade my phone), which allows two upgrades in a 12-month period. Since then, AT&T and Verizon have followed suit in announcing their own plans that allow a 12-month upgrade path. So, which is cheaper and how do they compare?
On the surface, AT&T and Verizon have designed their plans to look cheaper. They're actually more expensive as you now pay a double-subsidy. For this comparison, I'm going to use the 16GB iPhone 5 (the best selling phone in the US), and I'm going to compare plans that offer unlimited talk, text, and approximately 2GB of data on an individual line.
AT&T: There are two plans which meet the criteria. We'll be comparing 3 plans (one alternative)
Voice/Data/Messaging - unlimited talk is $69.99, text is $30, and 3GB data is $30, bringing this to a total of $129.99/month. There was no 2GB option, and using the $20/300mb option would incur too many overages. Alternatively, you could use the 450 minute plan + rollover minutes for $30 less per month.
Mobile Share - $45 for smartphone unlim talk/txt, $40 for 1GB of data, and $15 for a 1GB overage brings us to $100/mo.
T-Mobile: T-Mobile has one plan
$60/mo for unlim talk/txt, 2.5GB of high-speed data (unlimited thereafter, no overages).
Verizon: Only one plan, and it meets our criteria exactly.
Unlimited talk/txt on a smartphone for $40, plus $60 for 2GB of data, $100mo total.
AT&T has two plans that I wanted to focus on, with one alternative plan with lower minutes. The alternative isn't an apples to apples comparison, but it's not AT&T's fault that Verizon and T-Mobile don't offer more flexibility with their minutes.
Under AT&T's next program, you pay $0 down when you get a new phone, but you pay the full cost of the phone over 20 months. This would be a great deal on its own if they would remove the subsidy from the calling plan, but they don't. You still pay the phone subsidy, and then you pay for the phone. The perk here is that after 12 months (paying for 60% of the phone), you can trade in your phone for another $0 upgrade.
Using our iPhone 5 16GB example, you pay $0 down and an additional $32.50/month on your bill. Here's how the AT&T plans compare over 12 months with this method.
Voice, Messaging, and Data (unlimited minutes):
$0 down, $32.50/mo for the phone ($390)
$69.99/mo for voice ($839.88)
$30/mo for unlimited text ($360)
$30/mo for 3GB data ($360)
$162.49/mo
Grand total of $1,949.88 over 12 months with an initial phone and one subsequent upgrade
ALTERNATIVE - Voice, Messaging, and Data (450 minutes):
$0 down, $32.50/mo for the phone ($390)
$39.99/mo for voice ($479.88)
$30/mo for unlimited text ($360)
$30/mo for 3GB data ($360)
$132.49/mo
Grand total of $1,589.88 over 12 months with an initial phone and one subsequent upgrade
Mobile Share:
$0 down, $32.50/mo for the phone ($390)
$45/mo for unlimited voice and text ($540)
$40/mo for 1GB data ($480)
$15/mo for 1GB data overage ($180)
$132.50/mo
Grand total of $1,590 over 12 months with an initial phone and one subsequent upgrade
T-Mobile and Verizon each have one plan that truly fits into this comparison, so I'm combining them into one post. One again, we'll be using the 16GB iPhone 5 for this comparison.
T-Mobile separates the subsidy from the plan, which means that you'll be paying less for the monthly service plan, and you'll pay the full price of the phone, up-front or through a 24 month 0% financing program. As part of JUMP, you can upgrade twice at any time within a 12-month period by simply trading in your phone and paying the down payment for the new phone. Participation in this program requires a $10 monthly fee that includes their otherwise $8 insurance program.
T-Mobile Simple Choice Individual Plan:
$145.99 down, $20/mo for the phone (385.99)
$10/mo for JUMP participation ($120)
$50/mo for unlimited talk/text, 500MB high-speed data ($600)
$10/mo for additional 2GB high-speed data ($120)
$90/mo
$145.99 down for next similar upgrade
Grand total of $1,225.99 over 12 months with an initial phone and one subsequent upgrade
Verizon's Edge program is close to AT&T's in similarity, in that you're paying a double-subsidy. However, unlike AT&T, who requires at least 12 months and 60% paid off before your upgrade, Verizon requires 6 months and 50%. Their phone payments are spread over 24 months instead of 20. It seems (unsure) that you can actually pay your choice of $0 down, or the normal subsidy rate, which would get you the upgrade at 6 months as opposed to 12. We'll go with $0 and 12 months for this example.
Verizon Share Everything Plan:
$0 down, $27.08/$27.08 fluctuating per month for the phone ($325)
$40/mo for unlimited talk and text ($480)
$60/mo for 2GB of data ($720)
$127.08/$127.09 fluctuating monthly total
Grand total of $1,525 over 12 months with an initial phone and one subsequent upgrade
So, as a conclusion, here's the 12-month ranking from cheapest to most expensive.
T-Mobile Simple Choice Plan - $1,225.99
Verizon Share Everything Plan - $1,525
AT&T Voice, Messaging, and Data Plan (450 Minutes) - $1,589.88
AT&T Mobile Share Plan - $1,590
AT&T Voice, Messaging, and Data Plan (unlimited Minutes) - $1,949.88
Across the board, AT&T seems the worst, but to be fair, they give the most flexibility. They do not have a NEXT compatibile plan that offers unlimited talk and text with 2GB of data. So, I had to fudge their plans to give more data, or fewer minutes. Verizon and T-Mobile offer plans that fit the criteria almost exactly (2.5GB on TMO's plan), which is why they came out "ahead".
You can alter all of these plans to some degree. For T-Mobile, reducing the total cost by $120 ($10/mo) brings your data down to 500Mb of high-speed. I'm currently using this, and they are VERY generous with their post-500MB throttling. I've had no problems with basic tasks and web browsing, and even Pandora works with rarely a hiccup (while driving, no less). Or, you can go $120 in the other direction for truly unlimited data, and still come out cheaper than the plans from other carriers.
But for some, T-Mobile isn't an option. Verizon and AT&T are about the same in price between their Mobile Share and Share Everything Plans. Verizon's EDGE program requires a lower monthly fee for the phone to participate, so they will always be cheaper than AT&T in this regard. However, AT&T still offers their older plans, listed as Voice, Messaging, and Data. You can reduce the minutes as low as 450 + rollover, switch to pay as you go texting if you're not a big texter, and/or go down to 300Mb of data. Doing so will STILL cost more than T-Mobile's offering (unless you literally never send/receive a single text message outside of messaging apps). But, it will beat anything that Verizon offers.
So, what are the alternatives if you want to upgrade more quickly, but save some money? For AT&T and Verizon, the option is simple. Buy their phone on contract on subsidy, and when it's time to upgrade, sell the phone and buy a new one full price.
For Verizon, this is more costly when compared to AT&T, as CDMA phones have much lower resale value. For example, let's say that you bought the Galaxy S3 when it came out for $199.99, and now you want to upgrade to the Galaxy S4 ($649.99). Used SGS3s on Verizon are currently trading around the $200 mark. So, you'd sell it for about what you paid for it, bringing your 12-month cost to $1,849 after the cost of your new phone. The next year, though, you're upgrade would be at subsidy price, bringing your second year cost down to $1,200. You'd average an annual price of approximately $1,525, or, exactly what Verizon offers without having to go through the hassle of finding a buyer for your phone. So in this case, Verizon's plan is a fair deal. If you're an iPhone user, you'll get more money on your resale, making it worthwhile to sell and upgrade on your own.
For AT&T, you have the option of using branded handsets and unlocked handsets that have higher resale. You could sell an AT&T branded SGS3 for about $300. When you upgrade, you could opt for a lower-priced Nexus handset for $350. Alternatively, you can use AT&T's excellent new prepaid plan, which is $60/mo for unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of data. This brings them roughly on par with T-Mobile, except that you have to pay full price for the handset, and you have to sell it on its own. If you like T-Mobiles costs, don't mind paying up front, but need better nationwide coverage, this is the best plan out right now (among the big 4 carriers).
With T-Mobile, there's not much flexibility, but you're already at the bottom in price. As mentioned in the Conclusion post, you can move the annual cost $120 in either direction based on your high-speed data needs. You could forego the $10/mo JUMP program and just resell your old handset, buying a new phone either full-priced or financed through T-Mobile. Or, you could switch from their Simple Choice to their prepaid plan. They cost exactly the same on paper, but there is a cost difference. Simple Choice supports corporate discounts, while prepaid does not. Simple Choice carries the usual unfees, IE, fake taxes and fake regulatory charges, whereas prepaid only charges the sales tax associated with the seller (you can buy online refills from many sites with no sales tax). Our $80 Simple Choice 2-line plan costs $80 on paper, but after a 15% corporate discount and numerous unfees, it's $87.22. To get the same from prepaid, it's $80/mo flat from some places, or $87.60/mo with local sales tax. Prepaid doesn't carry the option of financing the phone, so it should only be considered if you always buy outright, and you have no eligible corporate discounts.
Good write up. Note, also, that in "changing the rules", I imagine that we might see cries of price-fixing, as there doesn't seem to be a viable way to shop a phone's price.
Sprint's upgrade program will be called OFF-THE in order to complete the sentence: JUMP OFF-THE NEXT EDGE
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 4 Beta
PAPB0007 said:
Sprint's upgrade program will be called OFF-THE in order to complete the sentence: JUMP OFF-THE NEXT EDGE
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If only I knew more people in real life who would appreciate this humor.
Wow, I probably should have done more research on this. Just got my first bill.
So for anyone else researching, the total cost (on AT&T) for an S3 watch over 3 years is $1068. And it's actually 21.50/month don't get fooled by the fake $10/mo quote.
$249 purchase price
$45 "activation" (lol)
$10/mo device fee
$1/mo "service fee"
$10.50 taxes/fees/mo (yes, you read that right that's over a 100% tax you're paying)
Over 3 years that adds up to $1068. My guess is only about 25% of people will still be wearing their S3 after 3 years.
It's kind of a rip-off, I probably wouldn't have bought if I'd thought about it a bit more. Caveat emptor. The big problem is the over 100% monthly fees and taxes.
$10 sounds reasonable, $20+ doesn't really and I would have probably balked. My own fault, I guess, but make sure you know this.
EDIT: OK, as I was fuming about this I checked my order email and due to corporate discount they were supposed to waive the $45 activation fee. They didn't, I assume because they are scumbags and just wait to see if you notice the incorrect charge and call. I called and they took it off, so that's.. umm.. nice I guess?
Ha yes. Same kind of experience. ATT rep told me it would be 10 bucks too and I would just share data off my unlimited plan for my phone. I signed up for the pre order of the watch at 349 out right so it was not on contract. Due to pre-order the $40 service activation was supposed to be waived. Got my bill sure enough it was on there. I chat with an AT&T rep over IM on their site. I did get the fee waived but still what a pain in the butt it raised my bill over $50 not 10. Will have to see what it is next month
Having taxes and fees that double the monthly bill does seem excessive... But, if you view the S3 as essentially a phone, its reasonable to expect to pay $20-30/mo for it's plan. If it's just a companion device for your smartphone, then fork over the extra $100 to buy it outright and cancel the plan.
The biggest complaint I have with regard to this watch is the eSIM, which restricts the carriers it can be used with, eliminating the possibility of using on an inexpensive MVNO plan.
Yeah. So, buy the bluetooth, non-LTE version and save about $768 over that same time frame.
Sent telepathically