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Let's Talk has The Fuze!!!

Sorry to start another thread, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that Let's Talk now has The Fuze. I have been waiting to see if it would pop up there or on Amazon first. I bought it through the Walmart website. You can get the phone for either $99 or free. The free option requires you to start out with a voice plan of at least $59.99. The $99 option let's you choose a voice plan of $39.99. Although, both options make you get a data plan, but I was going to get one anyway. My total price (tax and all) was 195.53 before the $50 mail-in rebate. I'm very happy, and can finally stop wasting time at work.

I was going to upgrade through them, but they told me something completely laughable. You can upgrade a family plan, but EVERY LINE ON YOUR PLAN BEGINS A NEW 2 YEAR CONTRACT!!!
I was like, what're you ****ing kidding me? That'd be five 2 year contracts to get a cheaper upgrade, thanks but no thanks.

I tried this with my 4-line family plan. The configurator allowed me to get two of them free and two lesser phones free of charge. None of my lines are currently under contract... I am finding it hard to see the drawbacks to this.

Black93300ZX said:
I was going to upgrade through them, but they told me something completely laughable. You can upgrade a family plan, but EVERY LINE ON YOUR PLAN BEGINS A NEW 2 YEAR CONTRACT!!!
I was like, what're you ****ing kidding me? That'd be five 2 year contracts to get a cheaper upgrade, thanks but no thanks.
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Was this a representative that told you that or on the internet because it sounds completely inane :O?
If you talked with somebody, i'd try to give it another go.

Interesting, if there is a way to do this without extending all the contracts on the line I'll take mine back to the AT&T store. You can do this in store right?

The website states that whether you upgrade one line or all lines there will be a new 2yr contract for all lines in a family plan.

blkjack74 said:
Sorry to start another thread, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that Let's Talk now has The Fuze. I have been waiting to see if it would pop up there or on Amazon first. I bought it through the Walmart website. You can get the phone for either $99 or free. The free option requires you to start out with a voice plan of at least $59.99. The $99 option let's you choose a voice plan of $39.99. Although, both options make you get a data plan, but I was going to get one anyway. My total price (tax and all) was 195.53 before the $50 mail-in rebate. I'm very happy, and can finally stop wasting time at work.
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The upgrade price is $249.99. Be careful when dealing with LetsTalk. They have different terms and conditions in addition to AT&T's that are more strict. You MUST have a data plan to get this deal, and MUST have the data plan active for at least 6 months, or they will charge your credit/debit card at least $250.00.

I maybe retarded but I can't find how to upgrade 1 line on a family plan. It never gives me the option of choosing one line, just selecting a plan. If I select the family plan that I have it asks me to add at least 2 phones to complete the order.
Any ideas on upgrading just one line on an existing plan? Thanks.

Hmm...I just went through the LetsTalk procedure and it's telling me that, with an upgrade, you can get two Fuzes completely free? If this is true, I'm running immediately back to the store and returning this $350 dollar one.

htcfan78 said:
The upgrade price is $249.99. Be careful when dealing with LetsTalk. They have different terms and conditions in addition to AT&T's that are more strict. You MUST have a data plan to get this deal, and MUST have the data plan active for at least 6 months, or they will charge your credit/debit card at least $250.00.
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Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully I won't have any issues, as I was already planning on getting a data plan. If anything "weird" happens, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

Just a head's up. I have been with AT&T for years. Simply put, purchasing ANYTHING from letstalk.com is like walking into a mexican brothel without a condom. I have read many situation regarding these people, they are 100% sales driven. For those not wanting to believe me, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE read ALL the fine print. You might save a little now but 80% of the time you will spend much more later.
This has been a public service announcement from KD8DNS

I too have been with ATT for many years, and read of many angry stories related to orders from them. I have ordered from them twice in the past and have not had any trouble either time, BUT... I agree with KD8DNS, there is an expansive amount of fine print with many rules that govern the purchase. Read this twice even three times, so that you won't be one of the many complaining in 6 months that Letstalk charged you $250 per line because you violated terms.

yea...
This looks too good to be true...
I am moving from T-Mobile and need my number ported...
I am planning on getting a hefty voice and data plan anyway, so that shouldn't be any issue...I need the data plan for work and I pay a arm and leg to T-Mobile now so over $100 is par for the course.
I think I am going to wait to see if this comes through for someone else...signing up for new service on ATT, they say that I am only going to have to pay $99, and get a $99 rebate after 6 mos of service...that is not a big deal, but getting the phone for free really seems too good to be true!
BTW, I have been looking to jump from T-Mobile for quite some time now as I need a WM phone on a 3G network and Sprint/Verizon service leaves something to be desired in my area...
I mean, come on...$99 out of my pocket for this phone???? And I get that back with a rebate after having service for 6 mos????
That is just crazy...seems way too good to be true.

I don't get it how people have problems with Letstalk. I have ordered twice from them and had a great experience. The rule is
You can NOT downgrade your plan and you can not be late on your bill. If you do that for 6 months, it is a great deal.

Simply put: If you take the LetsTalk deal, you cannot alter your account in any way for 6 mos. If you move and have to change your number that may cause your rebate to be rejected even worse they may charge you the $250 I mentioned earlier. If you are stable and the features you select are fine for 6 mo. it may be worth it. It is not really to good to be true. They make the bulk of their money in commissions paid by AT&T. However, the commissions are tied to you living up to your commitment to them/AT&T. I have ordered from them before without issue, but I admit that i am a rare breed. If you decide to take the plunge, just know what you are getting into.

aadadams said:
Simply put: If you take the LetsTalk deal, you cannot alter your account in any way for 6 mos. If you move and have to change your number that may cause your rebate to be rejected even worse they may charge you the $250 I mentioned earlier. If you are stable and the features you select are fine for 6 mo. it may be worth it. It is not really to good to be true. They make the bulk of their money in commissions paid by AT&T. However, the commissions are tied to you living up to your commitment to them/AT&T. I have ordered from them before without issue, but I admit that i am a rare breed. If you decide to take the plunge, just know what you are getting into.
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Yea, that fits me to a tee...
I have done the research and know what I want...I am not going to alter my account at all. I am not going to move at all.
They don't have them in stock though...backordered...D'OH!

It's also only good for new contracts or porting from another carrier. It's $250 for existing ATT customers with a 2 year contract extension.

I already bought my fuze through the At&t store. Can I return it to take advantage of this freebie deal Let's Talk has? What it he penalty for returning it?
I was an out of contract, upgrade available customer. So I ended up getting my phone for 260.

Thresher said:
I already bought my fuze through the At&t store. Can I return it to take advantage of this freebie deal Let's Talk has? What it he penalty for returning it?
I was an out of contract, upgrade available customer. So I ended up getting my phone for 260.
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I took mine back and all that I had to pay was $20.00 a restocking fee. The rest of the fees were all reimbursed. I was told by the 800# that it is up to each store whether they charge the $20.00 dollar restocking fee. The store I went to did.
I bought our family plan almost 2 years ago from Letstalk.com and it was a great experience. I have not changed out plan at all other than changing phones and data/text plans. But the base talk plan has stayed the same.
Jeff

I was actually considering buying from letstalk.com. I have my fuze that I bought yesterday all packed up like it's new and I'm returning it first thing. They also said that if you're returning and it has no problems, they'll take $20. If it has a problem, they'll waive that fee for you. But what's up with this part in LetsTalk's Terms and Conditions? :S
If you extend your contract length on a family plan, all lines will be extended.
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Tmobiles New 49.99 plan

Just called T-Mobile about their new 49.99 unlimited plan to find out some info because my other half and my daughter are on a plan together and the bill is over 200 a month .... The Rep told me there's a $200 migration fee PER LINE then the price of a new phone because we were going to get our daughter a new phone... I asked the Rep who in their right mind would want to pay a $200 migration fee per line.... They make like the plan is so great but oh wait then there's a migration fee of 200.... I told the Rep I was amazed that Tmo is charging that... I've paid a $35 fee but come on... She agreed its crazy and said she actually only heard of two people doing it.... And to add to all that craziness your not eligible for upgrade discounts anymore on that plan.. The higher ups at Tmo are losing it...
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Isn't the migration fee basically a contract termination fee?

So you terminate, hopefully they have recent phones, You sell those phones for 200 each (if they are recent one could be more or less), you offset you phone cost, you then get the new G2x's at the free price. Yes its a new contract, you paid to terminate the old one, you are a new customer again.
If they have G2x's selling the used models at 200 is simple. It one heck of an IPOD music player at that price, combined with all the GPS and wifi usage.
Hopefully they have new phones. The raw deal, it takes 8 months to break even with 400 out of pocket.

The phones are un subsidized, they wouldn't be free. The plan is for people who already have phones.
Sent from my Bug Free G2X using the XDA App

swuln said:
Just called T-Mobile about their new 49.99 unlimited plan to find out some info because my other half and my daughter are on a plan together and the bill is over 200 a month .... The Rep told me there's a $200 migration fee PER LINE then the price of a new phone because we were going to get our daughter a new phone... I asked the Rep who in their right mind would want to pay a $200 migration fee per line.... They make like the plan is so great but oh wait then there's a migration fee of 200.... I told the Rep I was amazed that Tmo is charging that... I've paid a $35 fee but come on... She agreed its crazy and said she actually only heard of two people doing it.... And to add to all that craziness your not eligible for upgrade discounts anymore on that plan.. The higher ups at ATT have lost it...
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
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i fixed this for you

mr2324jgf said:
i fixed this for you
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The acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T has not been approved as of yet. T-Mobile and AT&T are currently acting as if nothing has changed and are still competing companies at this time. AT&T does not have authority to dictate pricing plans to T-Mobile's managers, otherwise you would have seen those plans skyrocket to much higher prices.
As far as I can tell T-Mobile is attempting to draw customers back in due to the giant gaping hole that customers have been jumping out of ever since AT&T announced their plans to purchase the company. One of the few ways that T-Mobile can compete against other cell companies in this country is by lowering the price, and in this instance that means removing the subsidy fees usually placed into plans by default. One of the reasons that cell plans in this country are so god-forsakenly high is because of the stupid subsidies people accept on their phones, including upgrade pricing.
Sure, you pay a lot less up front but you end up making up that cost and much, much more through the extra dime you pay on your monthly bill. That, and with the contract you cut your own arm off if you choose to leave. Sometimes it's better to pay $400-600 for a phone up front and not face $20-40 (a) extra a month and $200-300 ETF. That's just my opinion, however, and everyone is free to do how they please.
a. The only problem here is that most USA carriers don't have off-contract plans that are equivalent to their regular plans at a lower price. For a long time T-Mobile did; it was called FlexPay and you could get an off-contract plan equivalent to their regular plans just $20 cheaper. That's $200 every 10 months. I'm not sure if any of the four major carriers carry anything equivalent any longer.
Last time I checked though you should be able to switch plans on T-Mobile while on contract, so there isn't any reason anyone should be telling you you have to pay an ETF to switch to another on-contract plan. I would call and request to speak to a manager for clarification. Now, if it was switching to an off-contract plan that's a whole different story.

I in the past I have switched from a contract to a no contract plan and back to a contract plan and only paid a $35 fee each time I think it was... Definitely not a $200 fee ... Its crazy... This is no way to draw in customers .... Sure they'll tell you they can break up the fee in monthly installments but you still lose and they win...
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this is by far the stupidest plan ever and i can. hate it hate it.
so you pay 99.99 for 2 lines.. BUT you buy a G2x at 149.99 down payment. and pay 15$ a month ( paying 450 total) for 20 months.
its EVEN MORE PLUS with a contact...
to top it off you want to cancel you pay $200+ remaining phone so it can easily be $350+!!
talk about bent over and done wrong!

The fine print for this plan states "If you switch plans you may be bound by existing or extended contract term (including early cancellation provisions) and/or charged up to a $200 fee." Seems kind of ridiculous for changing from one contract term to another. Appears they are charging a termination fee and then starting a new contract. If you are going to do that you might as well get two new phones in the deal also.

That plan in general is dumb. If cheap pricing is really what someone is after they should be looking at Sprint not one of the other big carriers. With student discount my 450 minutes, unlimited data/unlimited text plan is $55/mo.

[Q] Early Termination Fee at&t

What would be the Early Termination Fee for a Skyrocket if canceled in the first 30 days. Per at&t policy i read it would be 0. I plan on buying a White Skyrocket and cancel the contract on the first week of purchase. But most importantly to Keep the Phone.
Will at&t allow me to keep the phone? I would like to keep the phone,unlock it and finally use it in my main country. I was thinking of buying a Galaxy Nexus but it is still expensive and the Skyrocket strategy plan B would be a cheaper solution if possible.
Feel free to comment. Thanks

less then 30 days you pay a restocking fee at most unless you damaged the phone, then not sure.
you have to return the phone or pay for it outright.
handheld google device

No, AT&T or any other US carrier for that matter will not let you keep the phone if you plan to cancel within 30 days. You will have to bring the phone back to the store to cancel if still within the 30 day period. They will issue a refund for the phone first, then will they cancel the contract.

Is there anyway i can keep the phone without paying the full off-contract price?
In 2007 i brought a couple of iPhones to my country. They were not activated in store and i could keep them. I dont remember much, but i did get to keep my iPhones and then unlocked them myself

Only way I know how is to look on craigslist and find someone selling theirs. That is what I did. I was able to get a skyrocket for $300. It is not as good as as paying $150, but I did not have to sign a contract.

mvtm said:
Is there anyway i can keep the phone without paying the full off-contract price?
In 2007 i brought a couple of iPhones to my country. They were not activated in store and i could keep them. I dont remember much, but i did get to keep my iPhones and then unlocked them myself
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So you want to cancel the 2 year contract you signed, keep the $600 phone that you only payed $150-$250 for as incentive for signing the contract, and pay no termination fee?
Good luck with that!

mvtm said:
What would be the Early Termination Fee for a Skyrocket if canceled in the first 30 days. Per at&t policy i read it would be 0. I plan on buying a White Skyrocket and cancel the contract on the first week of purchase. But most importantly to Keep the Phone.
Will at&t allow me to keep the phone? I would like to keep the phone,unlock it and finally use it in my main country. I was thinking of buying a Galaxy Nexus but it is still expensive and the Skyrocket strategy plan B would be a cheaper solution if possible.
Feel free to comment. Thanks
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per at&t policy u must give the phone back during the 30 days if u cancel or change mind trust me if this was not the case people would do this all the time and i would have about 10 new devices right now
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium

AT&T will bill your account the $325 Early Termination Fee, and will only remove it once you return the device. If you don't return it. I imagine they'll continue to add late fees to the bill, or eventually send you to collections if it remains unpaid. You're better off trying to find a used one on CL or eBay. Otherwise save yourself the hassle and buy it outright.

Here in Cincinnati, Cincinnati Bell will buy out your current contract with competitors, maybe you can do the same with a carrier near you. It will require a contract signed with the next carrier, with termination fees probably including the cost to buy out original contract. CBell is GSM, it might work here dependent of frequencies. Thats the only way out as I see it and keeping the device.

"Sticking it to the man" threads are not looked too good upon here.

US Petition: Make Carrier Locking Illegal

I made this petition to accomplish the goal of allowing all consumers to choose a their carrier while keeping the phone they already have with another. This could enable greater competition between carriers and therefore fairer terms and lower prices. I would appreciate your support.
make locking cell phones to specific providers illegal

I'm assuming you are happy to see contract prices rise as a result.
The key problem is most Americans are totally ignorant as to the price of a phone, and how their monthly plan subsidises it.

CrazyPeter said:
I'm assuming you are happy to see contract prices rise as a result.
The key problem is most Americans are totally ignorant as to the price of a phone, and how their monthly plan subsidises it.
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This will not end subsidies. The ETF still applies.
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lynyrd65 said:
This will not end subsidies. The ETF still applies.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
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subsidies are fine, it's a consumer aweness issue. Too many times you hear American's claiming their iPhone cost them $50....

Im sorry but America has to have the WORST legal system and even worse Carriers.
Let me explain something us Brits learned a long time ago. Some may have realised this but i constantly see people calling phones a $200 phone. ITS NOT
PHONES ARENT SUBSIDIZED - A Subsidy implies that Carriers are giving you a "subsidy" or "Discount" on the phone when you take out your 2 year plan with them. - THIS ISNT TRUE.
You pay 200$ for the Phone and XX per month which is actually significantly higher than the UK pays even with our 20% VAT taken into account.
The Price of a Nexus 4 is $349 Retail and $549 from Tmobile USA - Plus you have to take out a $90 a month plan which gives you unlimited calls and data and texts.
A sim only deal is $69 per month so you save $20 a month which is $480..... (not sure how long contract this is, its not clear)
So HOLD ON! You pay $200 + $480 = $680 Extra to get the Phone included in your deal?
$680 for a Phone which Retails for $349 from Google? or $680 for a phone which retails from Them! at $549
So basically these are called CARRIER SUBSIDIES because YOU are subsidizing the carrier! AND they want to lock YOUR phone so you cant take it elsewhere????
And you thought communism was a bad thing?

It has nothing to do with Nexus 4, that's why I moved it to General.

[Q] Off Contract Advantage?

I am on the Sprint Network and will stay with them for a variety of reasons. I have always had a contract with them and upgraded whenever that opportunity presented itself. I am no longer on a contract and I'm considering a few options. The Note 3 (probably won't go that way due to problems on voice calls), The LG G2 or the Nexus 5. Advantage of the Nexus 5 is that it is off contract but if I am staying with Sprint anyway what advantage is there to being off contract? Sprint won't discount my monthly bill as far as I know so the off contract advantage has me a bit puzzled from the purely dollars and cents point of view. I'd be happy to hear views from others as to why this seems like a good idea. I'm leaning toward the LG G2 which will likely have a better camera and battery than the Nexus 5 and it's only $99 at Sprint with the 2 year contract. I'd go for the Nexus 5 at 399 for the 32GB model if it meant something off my monthly bill but I don't see Sprint giving me a discount just because I bought the Nexus 5 off contract. What am I missing?

I am in the exact same situation as you, except I bought a Note 3 and just returned it. If the Sprint Nexus 5 is available through google play, you buy that, use your upgrade towards an iphone 5s and sell it sealed. If the Nexus 5 winds up being only available through Sprint, then I'm not so sure what I'm going to do.

You can change your mind and leave whenever you want. And with the nexus you will be able to go to any carrier you want (except Verizon).
All in all, it gives you more options on what service provider you want. I would recommend seeing what offers the best service (data and calls) and pick that carrier or see if you can go prepaid. I know straight talk offers at&t and T-Mobile Sim cards and its like $51 a month after taxes for unlimited everything with 2.5 GB uncapped data.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app

ricecake2000 said:
You can change your mind and leave whenever you want. And with the nexus you will be able to go to any carrier you want (except Verizon).
All in all, it gives you more options on what service provider you want. I would recommend seeing what offers the best service (data and calls) and pick that carrier or see if you can go prepaid. I know straight talk offers at&t and T-Mobile Sim cards and its like $51 a month after taxes for unlimited everything with 2.5 GB uncapped data.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
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Yes, I totally agree that there are A LOT of options. I've even thought about picking up Tmo @ $30/month, but I'm on Sero, only pay $50/month for unlimited everything, and my Sprint service has been fantastic since relocating to Orlando, FL. Oh decisions decisions

Jocelyn said:
I am in the exact same situation as you, except I bought a Note 3 and just returned it. If the Sprint Nexus 5 is available through google play, you buy that, use your upgrade towards an iphone 5s and sell it sealed. If the Nexus 5 winds up being only available through Sprint, then I'm not so sure what I'm going to do.
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Boom Baby. Haha
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app

Trying to weigh my options as well.
My 2 year contract expired many months ago. I can buy the 16g Nexus 5 for $150 if I sign a new 2 year agreement, I can change to the Sprint One Up plan so I can be eligible for a new phone once a year (not sure pricing details), or I can buy through the Google Playstore for $350/$400. I have so many family members tied to the plan I am on I probably wouldn't switch carriers.
So if I bought through Google and in a year's time I wanted to switch phones I guess I could sell the Nexus 5 then use my upgrade to buy whatever phone I wanted. If I buy through Sprint, the upfront cost is cheaper, but I will have to wait a couple years if I want to switch phones.
Decisions, what do ya'll think?

For someone off-contract but that wants to stick with their post-paid account, the only advantage is flexibility. If coverage or financial conditions changed, you have the choice to be able to switch providers with no termination fees.
The only real exception to that would be the newer T-Mobile post-paid accounts where they do offer plans with lower base costs per month because they split off the phone subsidy, so if you bring your own phone you pay less since you aren't using a subsidy.
If you have a high degree of confidence you will be staying with your current contract provider and that other things like your financial situation will remain stable, I would say it makes more sense to just re-up with them and choose whatever phone you want from them. As far as which one, read some reviews and then try them out in-person at your local provider's store. Everyone has slightly different things they want out of phones, so without specific criteria it would be hard to say whether a Nexus 5 would still be the best phone for you.

I agree with you, flexibility is the main advantage of staying off contract. I've had an S3 for the last couple of years and am getting the itch to switch. If the HTC One came out today I would probably get that because I love the looks and build of it and I liked my original Evo, but it's so "old" now I want something newer - LG G2, Nexus 5 or some other upcoming phone.
electricpope said:
For someone off-contract but that wants to stick with their post-paid account, the only advantage is flexibility. If coverage or financial conditions changed, you have the choice to be able to switch providers with no termination fees.
The only real exception to that would be the newer T-Mobile post-paid accounts where they do offer plans with lower base costs per month because they split off the phone subsidy, so if you bring your own phone you pay less since you aren't using a subsidy.
If you have a high degree of confidence you will be staying with your current contract provider and that other things like your financial situation will remain stable, I would say it makes more sense to just re-up with them and choose whatever phone you want from them. As far as which one, read some reviews and then try them out in-person at your local provider's store. Everyone has slightly different things they want out of phones, so without specific criteria it would be hard to say whether a Nexus 5 would still be the best phone for you.
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It always amazes me how people would rather be in a contract that will require them to pay between $1-2,000 more over two years, instead of buying a phone outright and upfront, and save the money. Unless someone is too broke to afford a phone upfront... Of course if you can't afford a phone upfront, you likely can't afford a $100 monthly cell phone bill either.

wvcadle said:
It always amazes me how people would rather be in a contract that will require them to pay between $1-2,000 more over two years, instead of buying a phone outright and upfront, and save the money. Unless someone is too broke to afford a phone upfront... Of course if you can't afford a phone upfront, you likely can't afford a $100 monthly cell phone bill either.
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Sure, but for people who only pay $50/month for essentially unlimited everything ( 1000 landline minutes, unlimited mobile minutes, texts, and data), subsidizing phones works in our favor.

We've been w/Sprint forever and have numerous phones on the account. I'm one of the ones who pays $50 for unlimited. I'm assuming I would continue to pay $50/month whether I bought a phone outright or through contract. I doubt if I bought a phone off contract my bill would be lower than $50/month.
Jocelyn said:
Sure, but for people who only pay $50/month for essentially unlimited everything ( 1000 landline minutes, unlimited mobile minutes, texts, and data), subsidizing phones works in our favor.
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If your on contract, why not buy the phone through google play and just use that on Sprint til you leave for ATT/Tmo?

I'm off contract, like a year now.
SageWilliams said:
If your on contract, why not buy the phone through google play and just use that on Sprint til you leave for ATT/Tmo?
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