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Going to get an iPhone 3g 16GB

For $199, only to turn around and resell it on ebay for $500-$600!
Then I can have money for when HTC releases a phone that I reallly want, and works on AT&T.

It is only $199 with a 2 year commitment and a mandatory data package.
Good luck with that
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I'm an evil genius

denco7 said:
It is only $199 with a 2 year commitment and a mandatory data package.
Good luck with that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, be warned: you end up paying a LOT for the monthly charges. (This is why, BTW, I've got my iPhone 3G without a full contract - that is, with one that allows for using any kind of T-Mo's subscription - even a BlackBerry one [which I use for my BB 8800].)

Though it could turn out to be a good investment...
I paid £99 for my iphone and kept it (still have it) and then bought a touch pro outright for £300 so if i did sell my iphone i would have equaled out, and im using the iphone sim in the touch pro to recieve my unlimited net etc.

kingsizeriz said:
Though it could turn out to be a good investment...
I paid £99 for my iphone and kept it (still have it) and then bought a touch pro outright for £300 so if i did sell my iphone i would have equaled out, and im using the iphone sim in the touch pro to recieve my unlimited net etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, if you can make use of the 200/400/whatever minutes included in the price of the package, then, it's a good deal. People (like me: I only speak 5-6 minutes a month) not needing thtat much free speech time, however, end up paying a lot of $$$ for something that they don't need.

In the U S , very few people ( generalized )spend $500 dollars on an unlocked phone and then shop around for a carrier. The carriers subsidize the phones and then lock you into a conrtract long enough to get the full price of the phone back and then some. By the time your contract is up, new models are out and your phone is all but worthless.
A phone, like a PC is not an investment, at least here in the US it is a disposible commodity.

Just FYI for everybody, I have a unlimited data plan already, for my Kaiser.
AT&T pretty much made me get it, because they put some $170 charge on my phone bill, claiming that I downloaded AT&T Navigator.. 17MB worth of it.
I didn't have the program installed, nor did I ever download it. I would know if I did, plus I would just connect via activesync if I really wanted it, and transfer over the .cab.
Anyway, they had proof I did, I had proof I didn't, so in place of the $170 charge, they said I can keep a data connection for 3 months and I will pay $90 instead of $170.
Also I've got 3 people on craigslist that are willing to pay $550 cash for it. Woo.
In a nutshell, all I paid was $217 (price plus tax) and a $25 data package, which replaces my current one of $30. So actually, I'm saving $5/month.

stuff said:
In a nutshell, all I paid was $217 (price plus tax) and a $25 data package, which replaces my current one of $30. So actually, I'm saving $5/month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And a 2 year contract that you cannot cancel, just because you sold the phone ?

stuff said:
For $199, only to turn around and resell it on ebay for $500-$600!
Then I can have money for when HTC releases a phone that I reallly want, and works on AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmm that is a good idea. so you get a sim card with data plan plus an extra $400 so i could just keep the phone i have now and get a years free.
how much is the iphone plan anyway?

stuff said:
For $199, only to turn around and resell it on ebay for $500-$600!
Then I can have money for when HTC releases a phone that I reallly want, and works on AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just did the same thing with an 8gig iPhone here in canada. Fido (canadian carrier) was selling it for $199 with a 3 year agreement. I had $200 in Fido Dollars (reward program) which I used towards the purchase, so it cost me nothing (except for the taxes). Sold it the same day (unopened box) for $510.
Easiest $500 I ever made!
I've been with Fido for the past 6-7 years, so I'm not planning on jumping ship anytime, so I didn't worry about the agreement I signed. And they didn't force me to get a data plan. I kept my existing plan.

outsider787 said:
I just did the same thing with an 8gig iPhone here in canada. Fido (canadian carrier) was selling it for $199 with a 3 year agreement. I had $200 in Fido Dollars (reward program) which I used towards the purchase, so it cost me nothing (except for the taxes). Sold it the same day (unopened box) for $510.
Easiest $500 I ever made!
I've been with Fido for the past 6-7 years, so I'm not planning on jumping ship anytime, so I didn't worry about the agreement I signed. And they didn't force me to get a data plan. I kept my existing plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay , now you have a new three year plan, $ 60/mo for 3 years = $ 2160, and no phone to go with it. Now you can't get another subsidized phone with a plan, because you already have the iPhone, which means you are going to have to buy an unsubsidized one , Diamond II = $ 575.00 + 2160 = $2735 over the next three years.
Now I must be dense, stupid, how are you making out ?

denco7 said:
Okay , now you have a new three year plan, $ 60/mo for 3 years = $ 2160, and no phone to go with it. Now you can't get another subsidized phone with a plan, because you already have the iPhone, which means you are going to have to buy an unsubsidized one , Diamond II = $ 575.00 + 2160 = $2735 over the next three years.
Now I must be dense, stupid, how are you making out ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, your math is wrong - he sold the iPhone for $510, so if he buys a Diamond II for $575 he has only put out $65 - and he needs and will use the call/data/text plan for one phone or another, so he's paying out the $60/mo regardless, but now will be using the phone he really wants, and essentially obtaining it for only $65.
I think he is smart. I have an iPhone 3G 16GB myself right now, but as soon as Touch Pro 2 for U.S. is available, I will do a similar gambit. And I only get locked in for 22 months with AT&T.

cushcalc said:
Well, your math is wrong - he sold the iPhone for $510, so if he buys a Diamond II for $575 he has only put out $65 - and he needs and will use the call/data/text plan for one phone or another, so he's paying out the $60/mo regardless, but now will be using the phone he really wants, and essentially obtaining it for only $65.
I think he is smart. I have an iPhone 3G 16GB myself right now, but as soon as Touch Pro 2 for U.S. is available, I will do a similar gambit. And I only get locked in for 22 months with AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was a generalized reply, seeing as the op and others reading this will not have their " fido bucks " to spend. So let's say that without the fido bucks, you and I are into a new Diamond for $ 265 ( your math ). You don't think that if you went out and just bought a subsidzed Diamond, with a 3 year plan it would cost you $ 265 ? And without the Ebay fees and general hassle of selling and shipping the new iPhone, along with, as far as AT$T is concerned, violating their TOS by signing a new contract for one phone but actually using the sim in another phone. Grounds for termination of service if you get caught.
More power too you all , I am not criticizing , I am just pointing out that I do not get it ?

Can't people by an Iphone from AT&T without a contract for $500?

denco7 said:
It was a generalized reply, seeing as the op and others reading this will not have their " fido bucks " to spend. So let's say that without the fido bucks, you and I are into a new Diamond for $ 265 ( your math ). You don't think that if you went out and just bought a subsidzed Diamond, with a 3 year plan it would cost you $ 265 ? And without the Ebay fees and general hassle of selling and shipping the new iPhone, along with, as far as AT$T is concerned, violating their TOS by signing a new contract for one phone but actually using the sim in another phone. Grounds for termination of service if you get caught.
More power too you all , I am not criticizing , I am just pointing out that I do not get it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think AT&T cares as long as they keep getting their phone and data and text fees each month. I have swapped phones at AT&T corporate stores, I have bought and sold subsidized phones (I like to play with new gadgets, and I'm still looking for the "ultimate perfect phone for me") - AT&T never gives me any trouble as long as I keep using my family plan (5phones), data plan, and family text plan.
I've just sold off a Tilt and a Fuze in the last week, and previously bought and sold 8125, 8525, another Tilt, an i-mate 8502, an HP 914C, a couple StarTreks . . . Sometimes I make a little, sometimes I lose a little - but it's kind of my hobby, and I keep using the call/text/data plan regardless.
That's just me - YMMV.

cushcalc said:
I don't think AT&T cares as long as they keep getting their phone and data and text fees each month. I have swapped phones at AT&T corporate stores, I have bought and sold subsidized phones (I like to play with new gadgets, and I'm still looking for the "ultimate perfect phone for me") - AT&T never gives me any trouble as long as I keep using my family plan (5phones), data plan, and family text plan.
I've just sold off a Tilt and a Fuze in the last week, and previously bought and sold 8125, 8525, another Tilt, an i-mate 8502, an HP 914C, a couple StarTreks . . . Sometimes I make a little, sometimes I lose a little - but it's kind of my hobby, and I keep using the call/text/data plan regardless.
That's just me - YMMV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My wife has a full data plan for her AT$T iphone, which was mandatory with the iPhone from AT$T. My Tilt data plan ( on paper ) is the same but costs $ 10 dollars more. I don't know what the difference is, but I know they are not interchangable. ( I asked ). And they have been pretty strict about eligibility for a subsidized phone with me, ( also a family plan 4 phones )
My wife's contract has been up since Dec, but she is sticking with her iPhone, my Tilt contract is up next month, I asked them if I could use her eligibility for a new phone for my account and just extend my account for another two years and they said no. Against TOS to change phones within contracts. Go figure. If there is a way to make money from buying and selling phones, AT$T will find it before we do, I am sure.

denco7 said:
Okay , now you have a new three year plan, $ 60/mo for 3 years = $ 2160, and no phone to go with it. Now you can't get another subsidized phone with a plan, because you already have the iPhone, which means you are going to have to buy an unsubsidized one , Diamond II = $ 575.00 + 2160 = $2735 over the next three years.
Now I must be dense, stupid, how are you making out ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only did it because I had the reward program bucks, so it was an easy $500.
As for the plan, I still need a plan (for whatever phone I am using), and I am currently perfectly happy with my Kaiser.
I can buy another subsidized phone after 21 months in the agreement, so I can buy another phone (discounted) if I renew my agreement at that point.

outsider787 said:
I only did it because I had the reward program bucks, so it was an easy $500.
As for the plan, I still need a plan (for whatever phone I am using), and I am currently perfectly happy with my Kaiser.
I can buy another subsidized phone after 21 months in the agreement, so I can buy another phone (discounted) if I renew my agreement at that point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can see the easy 500 bucks, but now you still have your Kaiser plan, and now a new 3 yr plan. What are you going to do with your Kaiser plan? And Dude, add it up, you are locked into that Kaiser until Nov, 2010.
My Kaiser is 17 mo. old and I am chomping at the bit for an upgrade.

denco7 said:
I can see the easy 500 bucks, but now you still have your Kaiser plan, and now a new 3 yr plan. What are you going to do with your Kaiser plan? And Dude, add it up, you are locked into that Kaiser until Nov, 2010.
My Kaiser is 17 mo. old and I am chomping at the bit for an upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I am not locked in to a Kaiser plan. The plan can be used with ANY GSM phone... It's just a plan that I would be paying for regardless of the device.
I can use the $500 to subsidize whatever phone I want! The best phone I could get from Fido was the iPhone... so essentially I traded that for my choice of phones.

outsider787 said:
No I am not locked in to a Kaiser plan. The plan can be used with ANY GSM phone... It's just a plan that I would be paying for regardless of the device.
I can use the $500 to subsidize whatever phone I want! The best phone I could get from Fido was the iPhone... so essentially I traded that for my choice of phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly.
-src

Captivate is now 1 CENT!!

Friend just emailed me....the Captivate is now just 1 cent. Not a bad deal, eh?
http://tinyurl.com/2a9d8az

This is Amazon, much like WireFly,LetsTak and any other reseller they can price the phone at whatever price theyd like since they make comission off the monthly plans more so than the actual hardware. Theyll take a big hit ($200-$300) on the phone in order to make it back up with the plan.
BTW this is for new contracts only via Amazon, renewals are still $99 and Family is $149.

I just ordered one from Amazon for a penny. So long Sprint and so long samsung moment (blech)

I ordered mine from Amazon along with 3 other phones on a new family plan with 1400 minutes. Total cost after shipping: $.04.

makes me feel I made a mistake getting the phone in the first place. Good thing I like the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

iamamp3pimp said:
makes me feel I made a mistake getting the phone in the first place. Good thing I like the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would you feel like you made a mistake getting the phone if you like it just b/c the price went down? Hell, I paid $175 for mine (Family plan upgrade-secondary line) and I'm still happy with my purchase. I agree that it is annoying to see them offer such good deals for new users and screw over "loyal" customers though...

AT&T charged me $100, they gave me the $100 discount for being a loyal customer. Funny thing is i joined when the iPhone 3G came out.
I tried to get my wife to get it for 1 cent but she insists on getting the EVO, loyal yo sprint.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

logicrulez said:
AT&T charged me $100, they gave me the $100 discount for being a loyal customer. Funny thing is i joined when the iPhone 3G came out.
I tried to get my wife to get it for 1 cent but she insists on getting the EVO, loyal yo sprint.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Loyal enough to pay 240 dollars more over the length of her contract? I've been with Sprint for 5 years and I'm not THAT loyal to them

wildkarrde21 said:
Why would you feel like you made a mistake getting the phone if you like it just b/c the price went down? Hell, I paid $175 for mine (Family plan upgrade-secondary line) and I'm still happy with my purchase. I agree that it is annoying to see them offer such good deals for new users and screw over "loyal" customers though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be fair Amazon's a dealer like Wirefly. They make nothing on the sale of phones but get paid on selling the contracts. The Captivate is 99 dollars if you are renewing or adding a line on Amazon. Still a better deal than anywhere else. As a NEW AT&T customer I would have spent $199 on the phone at the AT&T store. I was all about to buy a Vibrant yesterday for 70 bucks on Amazon when I found the penny deal on the Captivate. So here I am.

Difference is, when you buy it from the AT&T store, they cover your warranty for the year - and their warranty is great.
If you buy it anywhere else, you have to deal with Samsung directly unless you get lucky and AT&T ships you a replacement regardless.

wildkarrde21 said:
Why would you feel like you made a mistake getting the phone if you like it just b/c the price went down? Hell, I paid $175 for mine (Family plan upgrade-secondary line) and I'm still happy with my purchase. I agree that it is annoying to see them offer such good deals for new users and screw over "loyal" customers though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not so much a mistake, I am happy with my purchase. It's just the price that we pay to get the best in tech before everyone else.
I've never done that before, and used to tout that my motorola karma was pretty much the same thing as a smartphone.
Obviously I had no clue what I was talking about.

qwertyaas said:
Difference is, when you buy it from the AT&T store, they cover your warranty for the year - and their warranty is great.
If you buy it anywhere else, you have to deal with Samsung directly unless you get lucky and AT&T ships you a replacement regardless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now THAT I dodn't know. Guess I'll be adding insurance.

gunnyman said:
Now THAT I dodn't know. Guess I'll be adding insurance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's what I was told from AT&T and when I spoke to Letstalk, Wifefly and so on. But FWIW, people have stated that they just called AT&T and they sent them a replacement - but that could just be a YMMV. I would try to verify as well before you add insurance in case you don't need to.
But for $.01, I'm jealous!

Amazon has such a great rep that I doubt they'd have entered the Wireless sales business without some assurances from carriers. Wirefly has a shady rep from what I was able to google.

i paid full retail cause i wasnt up for upgrade... and thats for two phones too.. -_-. bye 1000

The thing many of you guys are not realizing is that this price and other similar deals are for completely new accounts only. Upgrades or even new family plan lines will bump up the price to $100-150. Under the circumstances most of the people I know who paid for Captivates, they wouldn't have saved any more money if they had waited, as everyone I know who has a Captivate was already an AT&T customer.
And quite frankly, while the Captivate is a great phone, it's not worth putting up with AT&T over if you're on a good carrier, especially since there is/will be a Galaxy S for all major carriers.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

JPS81 said:
The thing many of you guys are not realizing is that this price and other similar deals are for completely new accounts only. Upgrades or even new family plan lines will bump up the price to $100-150. Under the circumstances most of the people I know who paid for Captivates, they wouldn't have saved any more money if they had waited, as everyone I know who has a Captivate was already an AT&T customer.
And quite frankly, while the Captivate is a great phone, it's not worth putting up with AT&T over if you're on a good carrier, especially since there is/will be a Galaxy S for all major carriers.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This man speaks the truth. Listen to his words. And get him a beer!

gunnyman said:
Amazon has such a great rep that I doubt they'd have entered the Wireless sales business without some assurances from carriers. Wirefly has a shady rep from what I was able to google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but reading through Amazons policy, they only support the phone for 30 days - as do all online retailers besides AT&T itself (they have a full year). Other online retailers pass the warranty to Samsung. But for the period Amazon does cover it - they have great customer service.
I'm not saying that's bad as I never dealt with Samsung for warranty purposes. I just know that AT&T deals with warranty issues very well. But regardless, $.01 for this phone is an amazing deal. The chance of needing a replacement post-30 days might not even occur for you - and if it does - you can always try AT&T for replacement.

T-Mobile users - I just got an HTC Sensation for $50.00!

Another reason why I <3
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Got the Sensation with the $50.00 Rebate (Visa gift card) AND that web special -$50.00 "SENSATION50" in the form of a credit to my account.
Click here for website with code and details: http://htc.t-mobile.com/sensation
PLUS
Another -$50.00 credit to my other account for the [email protected] VOIP Phone service (contract extension for 2 more years)
Total saved today -$150.00
HTC Sensation final cost: $50 bucks! vs the $199.00 2-year contract price shown above.
Best deal EVER I've had while being a T-Mobile users (aside from the CelFi unit I have from them)
I also chatted up the CSR and made her crack up when I said, "I pray you guys don't get purchased by those assholes at ATT; they suck and you rock!"
She said, "I hope your prayers are answered because I don't want to be laid off along with the 800+ CSR reps here in this call center." She was talking to me form Ohio.
In the end this was a better deal for me when compared to what Amazon.com is selling the phone for. With T-Mobile I didn't have to change or modify my voice/data plan which is grandfathered in. With Amazon or WireFly you MUST choose a NEW rate plan. There is always a catch...
Go get em folks!

Wait - how did you get the third $50 discount?

How much a month is the Home Phone service.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App

xSDMx said:
Wait - how did you get the third $50 discount?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I pay $9.50 or so a month for unlimited talk with the [email protected] service. I have a corp discount rate though; normally I think its around $12.00 a month? The service for new customers has been discontinued for about a year now but T-Mobile still provides it for standing customers.

When i purchased my vibrant through amazon i had to change my data plan. As soon as I activated the phone I was able to call tmobile and tell them that I wanted my old data plan and they switched me back. They really know how to treat their paying customers.

Paging Dr B said:
When i purchased my vibrant through amazon i had to change my data plan. As soon as I activated the phone I was able to call tmobile and tell them that I wanted my old data plan and they switched me back. They really know how to treat their paying customers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very nice little walk around I'll remember that for next time, hehehe.

quailallstar said:
Why I <3 T-Mobile!
Got the Sensation with the $50.00 Rebate (Visa gift card) AND that web special -$50.00 "SENSATION50" in the form of a credit to my account.
Click here for website with code and details: http://htc.t-mobile.com/sensation
PLUS
Another -$50.00 credit to my other account for the [email protected] VOIP Phone service (contract extension for 2 more years)
Total saved today -$150.00
HTC Sensation final cost: $50 bucks!
Best deal EVER I've had while being a T-Mobile users (aside from the CelFi unit I have from them)
I also chatted up the CSR and made her crack up when I said, "I pray you guys don't get purchased by those assholes at ATT; they suck and you rock!"
She said, "I hope your prayers are answered because I don't want to be laid off along with the 800+ CSR reps here in this call center." She was talking to me form Ohio.
In the end this was a better deal for me when compaired to what Amazon.com is selling the phone for. With T-Mobile I didn't have to change or modify my voice/data plan which is grandfathered in. With Amazon or WireFly you MUST choose a NEW rate plan. There is always a catch...
Go get em folks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait what?
I think you missed a step there.
$250
-$50 Mail in rebate
-$50 "SENSATION50"
-$50 because of your phone service
= $100
Where did you get the last $50 off from?

Paul22000 said:
Wait what?
I think you missed a step there.
$250
-$50 Mail in rebate
-$50 "SENSATION50"
-$50 because of your phone service
= $100
Where did you get the last $50 off from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope I saved $150.00 as an incentive to renew the contract for the account containing the [email protected] service line. As a result the CSR offered me an additional -$50 off @Home account If I got the Sensation today. I couldn't pass this deal up.
In the end its
$50 VISA gift card
$100 back in my pocket (or never out, lol)

That's a good score.
However, I am waiting until Saturday to activate a new Sensation and contract, so I can stack SENSATION50 and the father's Day $10/month free data plan for a year.
Then, after that has been done, get my corporate plan to reimburse the activation fee and drop the monthly.

I got a $90 bill credit, HTC Sensation 4G at the 2 yr agreement price and a free Nokia Astound, the upgrade dates on my other lines are untouched but the contract was extended 2 years on all of them.. LOVED this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

heygrl said:
I got a $90 bill credit, HTC Sensation 4G at the 2 yr agreement price and a free Nokia Astound, the upgrade dates on my other lines are untouched but the contract was extended 2 years on all of them.. LOVED this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get the $90 bill credit?

heygrl said:
I got a $90 bill credit, HTC Sensation 4G at the 2 yr agreement price and a free Nokia Astound, the upgrade dates on my other lines are untouched but the contract was extended 2 years on all of them.. LOVED this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Paul22000 said:
How did you get the $90 bill credit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Talk to customer loyalty

antiregister11 said:
Talk to customer loyalty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is 'customer loyalty' & 'retention' department one in the same?

quailallstar said:
Nope I saved $150.00 as an incentive to renew the contract for the account containing the [email protected] service line. As a result the CSR offered me an additional -$50 off @Home account If I got the Sensation today. I couldn't pass this deal up.
In the end its
$50 VISA gift card
$100 back in my pocket (or never out, lol)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that still only adds up to $150 off of $250... I still don't follow you lol

galaxys said:
Is 'customer loyalty' & 'retention' department one in the same?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just call 1-800-TMobile and say "Cancel" when it asks you what your calling for.
OR call their Executive Customer Service Dept (little hidden secret) 1-877-724-4659 or 505-341-8059

drummr8 said:
that still only adds up to $150 off of $250... I still don't follow you lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, it didn't make sense to me but I said forget it.

drummr8 said:
that still only adds up to $150 off of $250... I still don't follow you lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude the phone was $199 (upgrade price w/2 year service), -$50 (visa) -$100 (credit to my account which was 50 for the web special and the other 50 for the [email protected] contract renewal)
That equals $50
Get it now?

quailallstar said:
Dude the phone was $199, -$50 (visa) -$100 (credit to my account) That equals $50
Get it now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the problem.
The phone is $249, not $199.

I was offered the bill credit, I didn't ask for one.. I was happy enough getting the Sensation 4G 14 months before I was supposed to be able to.

Wife and I both got FREE Evo 3D's: Sprint deals you may not know about

OK, so I was all geared up to get the disappointing news because I checked at Best Buy and also on my online Sprint account and both said I'd only get $75 off because I got the Evo 4G last year and I'm only "early upgrade" eligible. I'm posting here because I found Sprint running some incredible deals and I knew nothing about them: perhaps this info will save some people money. I had to go to my local Sprint store to find these deals!
DEAL #1 YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT:
I called my local Sprint store and the customer service was astounding! They said that because I'm a Premier Silver member (most people are so you may be too: I was and didn't even know it), I could get the FULL upgrade: Evo 3D for $199. Why? Because Premiere Silver members got 1 yr full upgrades until just recently so they are "grandfathering" that for at least a while. It's 2 year full upgrade now but if you are a Premier Silver member, they're giving us FULL upgrade price. Don't know for how long though and this must be done in a Sprint store AFAIK as it is an "override" they must do.
DEAL #2 YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT:
They also told me that they have buy backs on a LOT of phones so you don't even have to turn in your old Evo 4G! Turn in a crappy old iPhone instead for almost the same money if you have one! We had an old iPhone 3GS and I turned that in and they give you $134.95 for one of those (with 16GB): so I did that and KEPT my Evo 4G. I love my old Evo and it's only a $15 difference to get rid of an iPhone I'll never touch and keep my Evo. My 10 yo daughter is ecstatic: she was using the old (unactivated) iPhone as an iPod and now she gave me $15 difference and she's loving her "new" Evo. I suspect I'm not the only one with an old smartphone laying around: they take lots of them not just Evo 4G's.
DEAL #3 YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT:
My wife's contract was just up with AT&T. She too had an (activated) iPhone 3GS: this was her (only) cell that she used for over a year. She dumped AT&T and got an Evo 3D the same day I did. Why? Because Sprint PAID HER to own one! She got the same $134.95 credit for the iPhone she turned in and here's deal #3: Sprint gives $125 credit just for porting your cell phone number over from another carrier! I don't know how long this deal lasts either but if you keep your number with Sprint for 60 days, you'll automatically get $125 credit on your bill at that time. So for my wife: it was a new Sprint contract for her so the Evo 3D was $199. Subtract the $134.95 that they give you IMMEDIATELY for her old iPhone 3GS and the cost of her Evo 3D is down to $64. Now after 60 days, she gets the $125 credit for porting her number over to Sprint and all tolled, Sprint will have PAID HER 61 bucks to walk out of the Sprint store with a brand new Evo 3D. Even if your contract isn't up with another carrier, that 61 bucks would help pay most/all of the early termination fee if you're maybe 6 months or less from the end of the contract.
DEAL #4 YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT:
Are you a AAA member? Are you a credit union member? Ask at your Sprint store. BOTH of those (and some others I can't remember) get you a 10% discount on your monthly bill!
Hope this helps some people. I had no idea about these deals and if I had bought from BB, Target, or any of the other places, I would have gotten just about squat and I would have probably paid the full $499 minus the $75 "early upgrade" benefit... and my wife would still be using her pathetic iPhone. She's never used an Android phone and just since yesterday... she's happier than a pig in poo with her new Evo 3D. She'll still reveling in the "My God... I could NEVER think of doing this with my iPhone".
I'm BEYOND impressed with the customer care I got at my Sprint store! This is how a customer should be treated! Oh, and the subject of this thread says that my wife and I both got free Evo 3D's because even though I paid $64 for mine after turning in one of the iPhones, her $61 credit that they paid her for walking out with one pretty much makes us even. I think in the end I probably paid a dozen or so dollars more than that actually because you have to pay tax on the full amount... but let's not split hairs.
Happy Evoing.
Mike

huh.Thanks for the info. Too bad i don't get sprint reception out here.

mjshealy said:
huh.Thanks for the info. Too bad i don't get sprint reception out here.
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Click to collapse
Which is why I posted this in the Evo 3D forum. It got moved here.
Edit: BTW if you have Verizon service then you have Sprint service because they both roam freely (and seamlessly) on each others networks. That includes both voice and 3G data.
Mike

mikeyxda said:
Which is why I posted this in the Evo 3D forum. It got moved here.
Edit: BTW if you have Verizon service then you have Sprint service because they both roam freely (and seamlessly) on each others networks. That includes both voice and 3G data.
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are still charged roaming fees which can be quite large.

America is f#ck*d up.
A deal for a deal for a deal
Reading this makes my plan childsplay. Damn.
Anyway have fun with your phone.
Greetings,
Europe.

Hmm, I could use one of these deals to get an evo 3d
-Posted Using Tapatalk

yousefak said:
You are still charged roaming fees which can be quite large.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually no im on sprint premier and i manually loaded the newest verizon prl and ive been preferred system roaming for about 4months now and sprint hasnt said a word or raised my bill a dime. i did this because sprint service isnt the greatest at my house and i could barely get above 500kbp/s and now look at the difference lol.
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now on all sprint stock prls you can roam of verizon, but youll be stuck in 1x land.
however when i loaded the 52299 prl i had full evdo rev a.

wow..interesting deals...I went into a sprint store months ago just browsing before me n the wife now own 2 LG Revo's..anyways..the sales people told me they could enter "special codes" into their system which would save us hundreds..as I re checked at another store and talked to the manager about this..he replied..in about 6 months max when Sprint looks at your application to verify everything..they will see these codes and realize that you dont work for a company discount program type of thing and the codes will deleted..hence you paying just as much as Verizon's family program (yes we now are grandfathered into VZW's unlimited data)...just an FYI incase anyone had one of those deals you could pass up.

yousefak said:
You are still charged roaming fees which can be quite large.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are never charged roaming fees in the U.S. Both Sprint and Verizon roam for free (both cell service and 3G data) on each other's towers. They've been sharing towers for over a year now. We live out in the country and there's a gap in Sprint coverage on the way to my house. I can hold a call easily through the entire area as my phone roams from Sprint to Verizon towers and back to Sprint again. Never notice anything in the call, the call never drops, and you'll never be charged a roaming fee for that.
So unless you throw 4G into the equation (which they don't share, but most of us don't have anyway), being on Sprint is like having the best of both worlds: the coverage of Sprint plus Verizon, with the lower cost of the Sprint contracts.
Mike

yousefak said:
You are still charged roaming fees which can be quite large.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know about Verizon but Sprint has included free roaming for years in almost all their plans. I will say this there are roaming limits so don't go overboard but this is very hard to do so I don't worry about it too much. I think the data roaming limit is 300MB even though is says unlimited on my bill. Someone please correct me if I'm mistaken.

dannytill said:
Don't know about Verizon but Sprint has included free roaming for years in almost all their plans. I will say this there are roaming limits so don't go overboard but this is very hard to do so I don't worry about it too much. I think the data roaming limit is 300MB even though is says unlimited on my bill. Someone please correct me if I'm mistaken.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct.
Sent from my NS (no it's NOT SNS or GNS)

no it is unlimited ive been roaming of verizon for months now and use aboud 12-18gigs a month and sprint hasnt said a word

My understanding is that the limit is there in case they want to give you the boot. It's kind of arbitrary when they will say enough is enough and tell you to kick rocks. So no they don't charge you I don't think but they reserve the right to show you the door whenever they feel like it.

Sprint sucks
Sent from my Samsung Epic using latest ACS Syndicate rom.

Why are we the only ones that subsidize phones?

So Verizon releases the GS3 locked and all the other US carriers, and the world for that matter, get an unlocked version. After that Samsung releases a developers edition unsubsidized right from them.
It got me thinking, what if it was always like this. You don't buy the phone from the carrier you buy whatever phone you want from the manufacturer or Best Buy or wherever and as long as it will work on the network you can activate it on whatever carrier. That's how the rest of the world does it, I think we're one of the few if not the only countries that has a set up that subsidizes phones.
Think about it, Manufacturers could concentrate on making phones, instead of making a special phone for each carrier, then going through the hassle of putting their software on it, even packaging would be reduced by standardizing it. Just a few different models to cover different wordwide networks, not 3 or so for the world and 4 or 5 just for the US. Sure they may be expensive at the beginning but the prices will come down and budget phones will appear too that arent absolute crap because you would actually still have to pay for it.
Not to mention having more options as to where yo can get your phone which should also help prices.
Carriers could stop concentrating on what new phone to release and what to add and what to lock down and actually concentrate on improving their networks. Also in theory plan prices should come down too, because you may pay less up front but the extra cost of that phone is built in into everyones plans. I mean they get the money back over the course of the plan by forcing you into a contract, does that make them that much extra money? I mean it must right?
On the surface this looks like it should work. Now In sure there is a reason it wont otherwise it would have happened by now right? But then again the rest of the world does it this way.
Why are we different? Yeah it would be painful at the beginning but I really think that this would be better form everyone in the long run. Wouldn't it be great to just go out and buy whatever new phone you wanted. Not have to wait to see what gets picked up by what carrier. All the complaining about this phone not coming here or that phone not going there gone.

Alot of Americans do this. It is called prepaid.

lowandbehold said:
Alot of Americans do this. It is called prepaid.
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Click to collapse
That used to be the inferior way to go though. They were on some off network with spotty coverage and the phone selection was usually garbage. They have come a very long way, but still arent quite there, albeit very close now. It would be nice if everyone did it though. When my contract is up on Verizon next year there is a good chance Ill go prepaid if they take unlimited away which I'm nearly sure they're going to do.

loki993 said:
That used to be the inferior way to go though. They were on some off network with spotty coverage and the phone selection was usually garbage. They have come a very long way, but still arent quite there, albeit very close now. It would be nice if everyone did it though. When my contract is up on Verizon next year there is a good chance Ill go prepaid if they take unlimited away which I'm nearly sure they're going to do.
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Click to collapse
Not quite there?? With straight talk you have the option to use either t-mobile or AT&T. It uses the exact same towers and gets the exact same service as the customers of their carriers! Prepaid has come a long way my friend.

lowandbehold said:
Not quite there?? With straight talk you have the option to use either t-mobile or AT&T. It uses the exact same towers and gets the exact same service as the customers of their carriers! Prepaid has come a long way my friend.
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Click to collapse
Amen. Unlimited everything for $50 a month, and I'm enjoying it on my i9300. Full AT&T service for a fraction of the cost. I've gone over the safe limit of 2GB and haven't been warned or cut off either. Port your number to Google Voice and you never have to worry about losing it if you get cut off.

A big part of it is control; a bigger part is money.
Despite Sprint and Verizon's 3G being compatible (and commonly sharing towers), neither carrier will allow each others phone to be on their network. They want to ensure that the phone you are using, they (VZ) were paid for (a model that GSM providers cannot (easily) do).
And you best believe that the Dev SIII has VZ's blessing; again, they can block any phone they like, and this phone would not activate on their network if they didn't allow it to. They allow it, because Sammy has assumed all the liability on this one (can't buy it at a VZ store, no worry about warranty issues).
The control comes in, in the form of nice "cheap" phones, getting you to agree to nice long contracts. Far too many people live just for today; they opt for the $200 phone, but agree to a far more expensive contract for 2 years. They know people will only look at the "now" cost, not the total, so it is easy to lure em in...

I have Sprint with TEP. I have 3 lines and had two phones replaced this year, one with a broken speaker and the other the charging port broke off. I don't think a prepaid service would ever do that for me. I'd be stuck shelling out $500+ to replace my phone.

OP is basically asking for how the "rest of the world" does things. And Divine_Madcat got it down best. They want to control their own phones, even though it's sold to you. And they want more money.
There's thread on the Gnex forum that goes into better detail how these "subsidized" models are bad overall, as the OP is realizing(or has already). I always buy my phone off-contract because I don't want to tied to a contract. Now? I want to buy a pentaband phone so I can get service anywhere I please.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1455014

I agree there actually at the point where they are an option now. I said they were very close. The phones they offer are still not the greatest, but I guess that wouldn't matter as you just go get whatever you wanted and had it activated. I don't know though I looked at straight talks coverage map and it looks pretty bad, well not pretty bad but really really bad, if your using an android phone, for whatever reason they have one for non android and one for.

phatmanxxl said:
I have Sprint with TEP. I have 3 lines and had two phones replaced this year, one with a broken speaker and the other the charging port broke off. I don't think a prepaid service would ever do that for me. I'd be stuck shelling out $500+ to replace my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Manufacturers offer warranties as well. There are also many different insurance options out there...ensquared comes to mind...and most of them are cheaper per month with no deductible. Think of it like buying an Iphone straight from the Apple store. Just because you didn't purchase it on AT&T doesn't mean you are screwed if it is defective...

alpha-niner64 said:
OP is basically asking for how the "rest of the world" does things. And Divine_Madcat got it down best. They want to control their own phones, even though it's sold to you. And they want more money.
There's thread on the Gnex forum that goes into better detail how these "subsidized" models are bad overall, as the OP is realizing(or has already). I always buy my phone off-contract because I don't want to tied to a contract. Now? I want to buy a pentaband phone so I can get service anywhere I please.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1455014
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know its bad, but I guess the way I see it is it seems bad from everyone. I could see everyone making more money if we went unsubsidized.
Also if I were to go no contract which I will be doing weather I stay with Verizon or not, as I have unlimited, I doing see how I would save any money doing it. They don't change me any less of I don't use their phones, though that would be nice. They actually make more money because the subside fee is built into everyones plans as far as I know.
lowandbehold said:
Manufacturers offer warranties as well. There are also many different insurance options out there...ensquared comes to mind...and most of them are cheaper per month with no deductible. Think of it like buying an Iphone straight from the Apple store. Just because you didn't purchase it on AT&T doesn't mean you are screwed if it is defective...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They would just sell you applecare for you iphone. You would still get protection it would just come from somewhere else.

Hey I'm from Britain, how does it work in the USA with phone then? Here even of you buy it from a carrier you can get it unlocked for say £10 or do it yourself if you do a quick Google search and some reading then it works on all other carriers?
Sent from my GT-I9000 running remICS-UX using XDA premium

lowandbehold said:
Manufacturers offer warranties as well. There are also many different insurance options out there...ensquared comes to mind...and most of them are cheaper per month with no deductible. Think of it like buying an Iphone straight from the Apple store. Just because you didn't purchase it on AT&T doesn't mean you are screwed if it is defective...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that was one of my concerns with prepaid. I have kids with smartphones, they are pretty rough with them sometimes.

phatmanxxl said:
I have Sprint with TEP. I have 3 lines and had two phones replaced this year, one with a broken speaker and the other the charging port broke off. I don't think a prepaid service would ever do that for me. I'd be stuck shelling out $500+ to replace my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TEP is just went up to $11 a month with a $200 deductible. $11 x 24 months x 3 lines = $792, +2 broken phones x ($200) = $1192. If the phones were broken starting from the day the price changed. This is assuming you had the protection from the beginning to the end of your contract.
Square-Trade covers almost any type of device, including phones. 2 years of protection is $125. The deductible is $100. If you had Square-Trade, you would have paid $125 x 3 + 2 broken phones x ($100) = $575. Also, $125 for 2 years of coverage divided by 24 months is $5.21 per month per device vs $11 with Sprint. And if they can't fix it, they'll cut you a check for a new one up to $750.
The only thing they don't cover, I believe, is theft. But let's be honest, how often are you robbed? And I've personally never lost a phone because I watch out for my $600 device.

alpha-niner64 said:
OP is basically asking for how the "rest of the world" does things. And Divine_Madcat got it down best. They want to control their own phones, even though it's sold to you. And they want more money.
There's thread on the Gnex forum that goes into better detail how these "subsidized" models are bad overall, as the OP is realizing(or has already). I always buy my phone off-contract because I don't want to tied to a contract. Now? I want to buy a pentaband phone so I can get service anywhere I please.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1455014
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check those coverage maps, Maybe I'm used to Verizon but the coverage on those GSM Prepaid guys especially for smartphones is pretty terrible.
calum96 said:
Hey I'm from Britain, how does it work in the USA with phone then? Here even of you buy it from a carrier you can get it unlocked for say £10 or do it yourself if you do a quick Google search and some reading then it works on all other carriers?
Sent from my GT-I9000 running remICS-UX using XDA premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't work that way here and thats the problem, it should. You buy a phone from the carrier that only works on that carriers network. Even if you get say a Verizon phone that should theoretically work on Sprint, as theyre both CDMA and even share towers sometimes, they wont let you. You would have to get Verzion to unlock your phone first and then even if they did you would have to activate it on sprint which they wont do. They will only activate an ESN that is tied to them. I think they get all the ESNs for the phones they're going to sell and put them in a database. If you have an ESN isn't in the database the phone will not activate. I think the GSM providers basically do the same thing, but I would know I haven't been on GSM for I cant even remember how long.

loki993 said:
Check those coverage maps, Maybe I'm used to Verizon but the coverage on those GSM Prepaid guys especially for smartphones is pretty terrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Straight Talk offers unlimited talk, text, and data for $50 a month after taxes. It comes with full AT&T coverage or full T-Mobile coverage, with your choice of SIM. There's no throttling, and I get the same data speeds that any post-paid AT&T subscriber would get.

Product F(RED) said:
Straight Talk offers unlimited talk, text, and data for $50 a month after taxes. It comes with full AT&T coverage or full T-Mobile coverage, with your choice of SIM. There's no throttling, and I get the same data speeds that any post-paid AT&T subscriber would get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure your right, but if someone went to the straight talk website wanting a smartphone and looked at that coverage map they would think the coverage was awful. They need to update that map.
Still arguing coverage aside the real question is I guess is why does subsidizing happen here but not anywhere else?

Product F(RED) said:
Straight Talk offers unlimited talk, text, and data for $50 a month after taxes. It comes with full AT&T coverage or full T-Mobile coverage, with your choice of SIM. There's no throttling, and I get the same data speeds that any post-paid AT&T subscriber would get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not true unlimited data though, right. If you go over around 2 don't they cut off your service?
Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2

TJBunch1228 said:
It's not true unlimited data though, right. If you go over around 2 don't they cut off your service?
Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
I've been over 2GB. Others have gone over 6GB. Nothing has happened. It depends on the subscriber base in your area; if a lot of people are on the same network you're on (meaning AT&T ST SIM and AT&T Post-paid subscribers, for example) you shouldn't strain the network by streaming Pandora for hours and tethering. But hey, I'm in NYC and nothing has happened. I live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan by Radio City Hall/Rockefeller Center. Not even a single warning.
leo321 said:
Here's me data usage with att straight talk this month. I don't think they give a ****... Mind you my month started June 28th
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loki993 said:
I'm sure your right, but if someone went to the straight talk website wanting a smartphone and looked at that coverage map they would think the coverage was awful. They need to update that map.
Still arguing coverage aside the real question is I guess is why does subsidizing happen here but not anywhere else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you shouldn't be looking at a straight talk coverage map as they don't own towers. You should be looking at an AT&T or T-Mobile coverage map.