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Is there an outright buy price on VZ?

I see VZ's site has the TP2 for 400 and something for "month to month" plan option.
Now I imagine this would entail atleast signing for the first month. Is there a way to opt out of even the first month?
I plan on using this as a travel phone, as I spend most of my time traveling... so no need to lock into a US contract.
Sure there is EBay, but if the phone has problems (dead pixels, etc)... then it's a hassle to try and get fixed, rather than something bought through an authorized channel.

unless I'm mistaken, which I don't believe I am, that's the outright buy it price. month-to-month pretty much means just that, paying month-to-month, not under contract. $489 is hard to believe too, given that the TP1 is above the TP2 month-to-month price, but whatev.

Wonder if I should just get a "2 year plan" then cancel and eat the $175 as the cost of doing business.
$199 + $79 for first month minimum plan + $175 cancellation fee = $453.

twostep said:
unless I'm mistaken, which I don't believe I am, that's the outright buy it price. month-to-month pretty much means just that, paying month-to-month, not under contract. $489 is hard to believe too, given that the TP1 is above the TP2 month-to-month price, but whatev.
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You are correct. The full price of the TP2 is $489. That's how I bought mine. I am locked into a 2 year contract, but was sick and tired of my BB Storm so I went ahead and bought the TP2 full price. I have been waiting for this phone for a while so when I saw the price was under $500 I could not believe it. Not sure how it would go if you were to just buy it and have it on a month to month basis. Would they even allow that?

just buy the phone at the 2 year price and then pay the ETF. that is the cheapest way to go. i always buy my phones with out a contract. and no you wont have to pay the first month. if they give you any hassle about it then just tell verizon you will give the phone back under their worry free gurantee. 9 times out of 10 they will take your money!

The month to month is the buy it outright price....you'll have to go to a local store to actually get one w/o a VZW account (tell them it's for a gift). I just called and they added a line to my family plan and gave me the phone for $150 + tax, then cancelled the line and charged me $175 ETF so $325 total.

Thanks for the input. But I've been reading that they aren't available in the stores.
Or is that hogwash?

Finally decided to get this. Now I need some advice.
I can't find this on eBay. There are a lot of Sprint TP2s available but I prefer the Verizon one (cuz it's a looker)
My business partner in the Baltimore has had a Verizon connection for as far back as my memory goes. I'd like him to get this for me. Problem is he's pretty daft and a bit of a ***** when it comes to these things.
I need a step by step guide (literally like 1. Call Verizon, 2. Say hello you get the picture) as to how to go about ordering this from Verizon. I'd prefer if he could do it over the phone or the internet (He is registered on VZW website). Oh and lastly I don't want this to interfere with his line in anyway neither is he looking for a new line (unless we can get the phone and then immediately pay the ETF and cancel the connection.
Also can somebody re-confirm that the ETF is exactly 175.00 in Baltimore?
I like the idea of doing the ETF thing. So any help would be greatly appreciated.

If you pay full price for the Touch Pro 2 it will be $489.00 plus tax which will come out to a total of about $520.00. This is what I paid for it. And you don't get a mail-in rebate for the phone if you pay full price.

I could get it for a lot lower than that on eBay... once the stocks are back I mean.
Looking for something south of 450 though.

<<<BUMP>>>

least expensive way to purchase the TB

What is the least expensive way to purchase the Thunderbolt? I've heard someone mention "phatwallet"? Is that the least expensive route that anyone has found? If so, I'll be ordering tonight.

Its fatwallet.com which you can use to get $25 off wirefly.com to bring it to $175. I did that

do you think best buy will price match the wirefly price?

currently fatwallet then wirefly is the best way.
another way would be talking to a verizon employee, they can impose almost any amount of discount. I was just at the store and even though they are still oblivious to any information regarding the tbolt and if he does have any info, it is most likely wrong, he gave me this discount because he quote unquote couldn't wave this other fee i had prior. so take it as you will, but imma try to squeeze more out of him since I was unable to get the phone form wirefly since i can't renew my contract until june, and i may lose out on the unlimited 4g.
onelegofthestool said:
do you think best buy will price match the wirefly price?
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hell no. they wont even price match their original price they showed on the ad.

I've gotten tv's price matched to online sites for more than a 100$ difference...idk i'll try it out on Thursday cause i pre-ordered it and if it doesnt work i'll end up keeping the gift card to use on something else and get it from wirefly...they are usually pretty good about it tho in my experience

I may end up doing this, but I'm going to add a line, wait 30 days and pay the ETF of $350. Ill pay $600, but not $750

It may also be worth to wait and see what Amazon does. Sometimes their phones are cheaper than wirefly.

looks like i was wrong about best buy. they posted up their price online at 250. looks like they were forced too since verizon themselves are selling at 250. I hate you california tax!!!!

i did the wirefly $200 w/ fatwallet $25 cashback preorder last night
you also get a 4GB micro sd card with fatwallet's cashback link, note thats in addition to the 32gb one thatll come with the phone

Cheapest way to buy the HTC Thunderbolt
Wait 4 days and the buy it for $475 cash without a contact on EBay.

Just found it on AmazonWireless
Phone 1: HTC ThunderBolt 4G Android Phone (Verizon Wireless)$ 749.99List Price: Remove $ 179.99Price:
In Stock. Usually ships in 24 hours
http://wireless.amazon.com/HTC-ThunderBolt-Android-Verizon-Wireless/dp/B004M5HB6U/ref=sh_br_ph_1

wirefly is still cheaper. 199-25 for the fatwallet cashback. 175 total
plus using the coupon code you get a free 4gb card

The amazon link is great as I have gift certificates. However, is anyone else having issues choosing a text plan greater than the 500 message plan?
update: sorry for being quick on the trigger. I overlooked the $59 text and talk plan.

I have the Xoom and for some reason its eligible for an upgrade which I can transfer to another line. I am going to transfer the upgrade to my fascinate and then call to cancel the month to month dataplan on my Xoom. Hopefully then I will be able to upgrade to the Thunderbolt for $250.

amazon?
How does Amazon Wireless work? Do they ship the phone unactivated and then we contact verizon to activate and extend contract?They mention the instant carrier discount or something. Seems like a great deal as we have no sales tax on Amazon in NC.

I looked up the $25 coupon code on fat wallet, and clicked through the link to place my order. I also punched in the coupon code they listed for the 4th card, but nowhere on the order screen did it actually show a $25 cash back. Am I missing something?
Edit: Turns out they don't actually discount the order. You receive a rebate check from fatwallet directly.

Is the damn thing showing up on Verizon's site for anyone on the east coast yet? Or any coast for that matter? They said midnight EST. Argh!

thwilsonjr said:
How does Amazon Wireless work? Do they ship the phone unactivated and then we contact verizon to activate and extend contract?They mention the instant carrier discount or something. Seems like a great deal as we have no sales tax on Amazon in NC.
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I am trying to add lines to a family plan and that is something that does not work> I called them this morning and they said no go. Too bad. Next I'll call Verizon and see what they say.

anyone's wirefly order ship yet?

I went to my local best buy and they price matched Amazonwireless.com's $180 price. Which works perfectly cause Amazon is on back order.

[Q] Current lowest off contract availble?

Well, since everyone is excited on contract price, I wanted to know if anyone found the lowest off contract price on any store. I was hoping to get the phone off contract from Costco, but it seemed they don't sell it off contract. Being an Even More Plus customer, I got no choice but to buy the phone off contract.
Here are the ones I know.
T-Mobile - $499.00 + tax
Amazon - $509.00
Target - $519.00 + tax
RadioShack - $519.00 + tax
Walmart - $549.00 + tax

My local T-Mo store sold me one for $450 with $65 in accessories (car charger, screen protectors, case, and headphones).

I was able to get one for $250 and I'm an EM+ customer. I guess I got lucky. I went to a corporate store. She was even going to allow me to do the EIP, but I paid in full.
If you have some time just float around to a few and see what happens. Ask if they "can give you a deal?". Worst that could happen is they say no. I'm almost eager to put the mail in rebate form in, but wouldn't want it to backfire on me. I'll just be happy that I got the phone 50% off.

rukawa2k said:
Well, since everyone is excited on contract price, I wanted to know if anyone found the lowest off contract price on any store. I was hoping to get the phone off contract from Costco, but it seemed they don't sell it off contract. Being an Even More Plus customer, I got no choice but to buy the phone off contract.
Here are the ones I know.
T-Mobile - $499.00 + tax
Amazon - $509.00
Target - $519.00 + tax
RadioShack - $519.00 + tax
Walmart - $549.00 + tax
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Amazon looks like your best bet if you have Amazon prime. I would have suggested Cellhub because I got mine for 514.00 (no tax) 2nd shipping

okplaya said:
I was able to get one for $250 and I'm an EM+ customer. I guess I got lucky. I went to a corporate store. She was even going to allow me to do the EIP, but I paid in full.
If you have some time just float around to a few and see what happens. Ask if they "can give you a deal?". Worst that could happen is they say no. I'm almost eager to put the mail in rebate form in, but wouldn't want it to backfire on me. I'll just be happy that I got the phone 50% off.
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Well done!

EIP will let off contact customers spread the payments over 19 months. The best part is you can payoff early if you want.
XDA Mobile

I tried to get the EIP but they couldn't discount the phone and accessories if I did. I'd expected to pay full price up front and it's probably worth it in my case.

Are you sure you got it for $250? Mine was $246.11 and $20 a month after that. Are you sure you didn't get the installment plan?

What's eip? How does it work?
Edit : Sorry, Did not read above.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App

btmec said:
Are you sure you got it for $250? Mine was $246.11 and $20 a month after that. Are you sure you didn't get the installment plan?
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Yeah, I'm pretty sure. She basically gave it to me for the cost of the phone on contract. It's $250 w/ $50 MIR. She even offered me the EIP with the $250 price. It would've been $27 down, and $12 and some change a mo. I just forked over the full amount since I would've had to pay over $100 had I been charged full price. I really lucked up man. I was all set to pay the $499, but I walked out paying $264 ($250 + tax).
Why are you paying so much anyway? $246 + (19*20) = $626. Am I missing something?

She probably snuck in a 2yr contract on you for $250 so she gets a kickback. Look online to see your plan.
I used my EIP at first but returned.it cause the screen had bad bleeding. Since I sold my Nexus One afterwards, I just decided to buy it outright. $534 in hand from a store.
I'd rather spend a few extra bucks and have it immediately vs 2 day shipping.
-sent from my LG 2Gx

She snuck in PHP which I probably should keep, but I'll probably cancel it on principle. I definitely checked and I'm still on the EM+ 1500 for families.

Just tried one local T-mobile store and immediately after I asked for discount, the sales rep said NO. She said I can upgrade to EM plan (Which I highly doubted...) Going to try other stores later.

girlfriend works at target and gets 15% off. should i get?

I say 15% off is a pretty decent deal. I'd jump on it..

Buying the Sensation 4G off-contract or on-contract and cancelling?

I'm trying to find the best (read:cheapest), and preferably (but certainly not top priority) soonest, way to get the Sensation 4G.
The prices for T-Mobile's stores have been announced:
$200 on-contract after $50 MIR
$550 off-contract
From people posting yesterday, I've seen the Wal-Mart prices as well:
$150 on-contract
$600 off-contract
T-Mobile's ETF: $200.
Currently, I'm off-contract (and want to stay that way). So, if I were to buy off-contract, I pay $550 at T-Mobile. However, on-contract, Wal-Mart is both cheaper and sooner (06/12 vs 06/15).
However, if I'm thinking correctly about this, then buying on-contract, and then cancelling would be cheaper:
Wal-Mart: $150 for device + $35 activation + $30 for half-month of service + $200 ETF = $415.
T-Mobile: $200 for device + $35 activation + $30 for half-month of service + $200 ETF = $465.
Either way, it's cheaper than buying off-contract...
The half-month of service (cheapest data plan) is for the return period (#4 in Terms/Conditions), because if you cancel then, you have to return the device too (if I understand correctly).
So the question becomes: is there any downside to buying on-contract and cancelling as opposed to buying off-contract? Or is there some other fee/limitation?

If you buy your contract is through a third party, Walmart, they may have additional fees if you cancel the contract. If you cancel your contract before you get your rebate, you might not get the rebate.

By adding the line and then canceling it extend the 2yr contract?

also you will be forced into there 2gb max current plans.. i like my current 5gb max. did not want to lose it

Paten said:
If you buy your contract is through a third party, Walmart, they may have additional fees if you cancel the contract. If you cancel your contract before you get your rebate, you might not get the rebate.
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But if you buy it on-contract through T-Mobile and cancel, it will cost you $465, right?
BiGMERF said:
also you will be forced into there 2gb max current plans.. i like my current 5gb max. did not want to lose it
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This wouldn't affect my current plan, right?

vetruvet said:
But if you buy it on-contract through T-Mobile and cancel, it will cost you $465, right?
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If you don't get the rebate it would be $50 more then that, making it $515. I just don't think it's worth the effort to work the system like this. Just pay the $550 and be done with it. That is probably what I will be doing.
I think I'm going to wait until the phone is absolutely boot loader unlocked and rooted before I lay my cash down though. Maybe it will be on sale by then.

vetruvet said:
I'm trying to find the best (read:cheapest), and preferably (but certainly not top priority) soonest, way to get the Sensation 4G.
The prices for T-Mobile's stores have been announced:
$200 on-contract after $50 MIR
$550 off-contract
From people posting yesterday, I've seen the Wal-Mart prices as well:
$150 on-contract
$600 off-contract
T-Mobile's ETF: $200.
Currently, I'm off-contract (and want to stay that way). So, if I were to buy off-contract, I pay $550 at T-Mobile. However, on-contract, Wal-Mart is both cheaper and sooner (06/12 vs 06/15).
However, if I'm thinking correctly about this, then buying on-contract, and then cancelling would be cheaper:
Wal-Mart: $150 for device + $35 activation + $30 for half-month of service + $200 ETF = $415.
T-Mobile: $200 for device + $35 activation + $30 for half-month of service + $200 ETF = $465.
Either way, it's cheaper than buying off-contract...
The half-month of service (cheapest data plan) is for the return period (#4 in Terms/Conditions), because if you cancel then, you have to return the device too (if I understand correctly).
So the question becomes: is there any downside to buying on-contract and cancelling as opposed to buying off-contract? Or is there some other fee/limitation?
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Go to walmart and ask them if they tack on any extra ETF. If they don't then you have your answer.

Paten said:
If you don't get the rebate it would be $50 more then that, making it $515. I just don't think it's worth the effort to work the system like this. Just pay the $550 and be done with it. That is probably what I will be doing.
I think I'm going to wait until the phone is absolutely boot loader unlocked and rooted before I lay my cash down though. Maybe it will be on sale by then.
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Right. Forgot about the rebate...
Seems they've got their bases covered then... Saving $35 isn't worth all that hassle.
As for the bootloader, there's a good chance that it will be unlocked even if HTC fail to deliver. The devs have an ENG H-BOOT (rahan95 has a rooted phone, actually), Bin4ry is working on getting recovery working, and S-OFF will probably be possible via XTC Clip (raskal is working on that). Of course, I may be overly optimistic about all this, but even so, I'd like to try and help in any way I can...

harveydent said:
Go to walmart and ask them if they tack on any extra ETF. If they don't then you have your answer.
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I called two different walmarts asking if they had the sensation, and asked about ETF while I was at it. One said yes, but didn't have the sensation. The other said no, but they don't sell T-Mobile phones on-contract (?? strange, but that's what they told me)...

I'm wondering the same thing, but I'm currently not a T-Mobile customer. I don't want to be on contract, so I'm questioning whether I should buy the phone outright or buy from Walmart, pay the ETF, then pay another activation fee which would still be cheaper than $550+activation. I read in the Walmart thread that Walmart does not charge an additional ETF on top of T-Mobile's but with all this conflicting information, it may be best to get something in writing from the Walmart we're purchasing from.

If you want it new in box, wait two weeks and get one in the classifieds or ebay, just make sure it was originally gotten from a T-Mobile store, if you have insurance/extended warranty on your account, you'll still be able to do a warranty exchange with it...

BiGMERF said:
also you will be forced into there 2gb max current plans.. i like my current 5gb max. did not want to lose it
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They still have 5 GB (and even 10 GB) plans...

how bout this... would this work?
adding a line to the current plan and buying the sensation from walmart at 149, then a week later calling t-mobile and canceling that extra line under the 14 day cancellation thing and keeping the phone and not returning it to walmart.

^^ yeah I don't think that would work

LGS1231 said:
^^ yeah I don't think that would work
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Curious... why wouldn't this work? I'm not saying that gaming the system is right, but if Walmart doesn't tack on their own ETF, you're only out the cost of the phone, T-Mobile's ETF, and any service-related costs incurred during that line's use. It could turn out to be a tad cheaper than buying the phone outright.

jankyboy said:
Curious... why wouldn't this work? I'm not saying that gaming the system is right, but if Walmart doesn't tack on their own ETF, you're only out the cost of the phone, T-Mobile's ETF, and any service-related costs incurred during that line's use. It could turn out to be a tad cheaper than buying the phone outright.
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Click to collapse
personally, i decided it's too much hassle. i'm just gonna pay the off-contract price and avoid all complications...

Guys, from your experiences, does walmart really track the pre-14 days cancellations from T-Mobile? Would they come after someone who has cancelled service during the trial period and not returned the phone? I mean they got their 150.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App

Total cost of ownership.

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