For new phones with contract on tmobile, are outright purchase and 0% down now the only options?...

Paisley

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or does the old way of regular subsidy still apply? When i looked around online i didn't see another option, but $24 x 24 = $576, and my sister is leaving verizon. With Sprint she would only pay $200 for the same phone, andi don't think she wants to switch every year, so does tmo still have an option like the old one similar to sprint's current one? although i guess tmo is $10/mo less than sprint so that's another $240 over 2 years so it's all even steven in the end pretty much? (but then i think you have to pay an extra 10 anyway to tmo to do the jump, ... whatever. lol). Anyway, could she just opt in to the usual thing? She would not have enough money upfront to buy a $500 phone, so the outright is not an option.

thanks.

i read a couple of pieces on the jump program, but for some reason it gets confusing as to how it works out for the consumer vs. the regular $99 or 199 with subsidy.
 
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dragonsamus

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T-Mobile will only sell you phones full priced. They got rid of their contacts and subsidies.
You'll need to calculate the total cost to see if it's worth it for you.

Sent from my HTC One using AC Forums mobile app
 

zorak950

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You can't get a plan contract with T-Mobile anymore, but you can buy a phone on a two-year payment plan, which is effectively the same thing. The only difference is that if you're still on T-Mobile after two years, you stop paying the extra money to finance your phone.

Just because you don't see a device charge on your monthly bill with a contract carrier doesn't mean it isn't there. On the contrary, it's always there whether you've paid off your device or not, built into the service cost. The difference is that T-Mobile lists it separately, which means the monthly charge goes away when the device is paid off.

Of course, none of this means that T-Mobile is necessarily the carrier for you; it's just an attempt to explain that- assuming you stay with any carrier for two years- you're not getting a deal on your device on contract that you're not getting with a payment plan on T-Mobile: it just looks that way because the device cost is hidden in the monthly service charge.
 

Paisley

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You can't get a plan contract with T-Mobile anymore, but you can buy a phone on a two-year payment plan, which is effectively the same thing. The only difference is that if you're still on T-Mobile after two years, you stop paying the extra money to finance your phone.

Just because you don't see a device charge on your monthly bill with a contract carrier doesn't mean it isn't there. On the contrary, it's always there whether you've paid off your device or not, built into the service cost. The difference is that T-Mobile lists it separately, which means the monthly charge goes away when the device is paid off.

Of course, none of this means that T-Mobile is necessarily the carrier for you; it's just an attempt to explain that- assuming you stay with any carrier for two years- you're not getting a deal on your device on contract that you're not getting with a payment plan on T-Mobile: it just looks that way because the device cost is hidden in the monthly service charge.

T-Mobile will only sell you phones full priced. They got rid of their contacts and subsidies.
You'll need to calculate the total cost to see if it's worth it for you.

Sent from my HTC One using AC Forums mobile app

Does it not end up more with the financing because if she finances @ $23 x 24 months = $552, but if she were to do subsidy with sprint it would be $200? Obviously that can?t be it, cuz that?s not a good deal at all. :D. What am I missing in this equation.

But it?s supposed to do something special too, right? Like she can turn it in a get a new phone and just keep on paying the $23ish or whatever it is? So where I as a sprint customer would pay $199 for a phone it would have to last me 2 years, and for her that would not be the case. But as a sprint customer, if i really wanted to do once a year as well, it would $199 for year 1 if I wanted to do a 1 year change up I would be $275 (thinking of full retail / 2) for 1 year of a new phone outright, so that would be $475, so I would still be on top, no? I know I?m missing something.

we're working on figuring out which carrier has better service in her area, but so far we think they are equal.
 

blazin247

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It's been said the built in subsidy on Verizon is anywhere between $20-30 a month. So the up front fee of $200 plus $30x24 turns out to be a lot more. Plus you continue paying the subsidy after your contact ends on Verizon.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
 

Paisley

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You can't get a plan contract with T-Mobile anymore, but you can buy a phone on a two-year payment plan, which is effectively the same thing. The only difference is that if you're still on T-Mobile after two years, you stop paying the extra money to finance your phone.

Just because you don't see a device charge on your monthly bill with a contract carrier doesn't mean it isn't there. On the contrary, it's always there whether you've paid off your device or not, built into the service cost. The difference is that T-Mobile lists it separately, which means the monthly charge goes away when the device is paid off.

Of course, none of this means that T-Mobile is necessarily the carrier for you; it's just an attempt to explain that- assuming you stay with any carrier for two years- you're not getting a deal on your device on contract that you're not getting with a payment plan on T-Mobile: it just looks that way because the device cost is hidden in the monthly service charge.

It's been said the built in subsidy on Verizon is anywhere between $20-30 a month. So the up front fee of $200 plus $30x24 turns out to be a lot more. Plus you continue paying the subsidy after your contact ends on Verizon.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I just checked tmo, and they?re now $70/ mo to Sprint?s $80, so that?s $240 built into sprint, so that ends up about even. Thanks! For some reason I thought they were the same price as Sprint.
 

21stNow

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You are trying to analyze several different things here, and are combining them in a way that causes you confusion. There are three options for new postpaid T-Mobile customers (who submit to a credit check), listed below.

1. The traditional two-year contract with subsidized device route. This is still available; however, it is only available at third parties like Costco. Your plan price will be $20/month more for the same plans that you see advertised on T-Mobile's website. Please note that JUMP is not an option with this plan.

2. The Simple Choice route. This is the choice for those that want to pay $70/month for the totally unlimited plans and either pay for the device upfront or use the Equipment Installment Plan (EIP) to pay for the device in 24 monthly installments. Downpayments will vary according to the device chosen, credit class and any promotions that may be going on (such as the current $0 down promotion). In most scenarios, the total price that is paid for the device will be the same because a higher downpayment also leads to lower monthly installment payments.

3. The JUMP route. This is the choice for the people who wish to upgrade phones frequently and take good care of the phones while they use them. This customer will pay $70 for the totally unlimited plan (or less for a different plan), the monthly device fee, any downpayment that may be required and the $10/month JUMP program fee. This JUMP program fee includes the cost of insurance for the device. In six months, this customer may choose to trade-in his current phone for a new phone and pay any downpayment that is required for the new phone at that time. The remaining EIP balance is wiped out for the old device and a new EIP balance will start for the new device. If the customer's old device is damaged, the customer will have to pay the insurance deductible (usually $199) in order to trade-in an old phone, plus the fees that I stated two sentences ago.

I hope that this helps.
 
My advice is to not go with T M]obile AT ALL. I had a miserable experience with them. Here is the message I just got sending them from their Facebook App:

I got a Samsung Galaxy S Blaze when I still lived in South Carolina. Then I moved to NY and all hell broke loose. My data blew. was barely getting any signal, and paying for unlimited data. This went on for months.

Finally, they had me factory reset the phone, which of course meant losing all of my stuff. Then, when it STILL didn't work, they had me switch out the phone. After all that, I finally got an honest technician that said that the coverage from them is bad in this area.But by then, I had switched out the phone, and as if all that wasn't enough, they charged me an $80 out of warranty fee for water damage.I know I didn't do it, because I am very careful with my phones and other electronics. It was never anywhere near water.Then, when I tried to dispute it, they were supposed to put me through to UPS, and not once, but twice, I got connected to some late night phone sex line instead of UPS. So, yeah. I am ready to leave.

Credo Mobile has an offer, since I link to them for the progressive causes they support, to give me a brand new Samsung Galaxy S III for free, buy my contract out, offer TRULY unlimited data (no data caps), and all of the services I get from T Mobile for a bill that is $40 cheaper per month. They are also on Sprint's network, which has great coverage where I am. Now, every time I address these issues, all I get is people begging me to stay and apologizing. Well, at this point, those apologies mean nothing. I don't want to hear it. I want real action and solutions. BTW, I am still paying that outrageous bill for water damage I didn't cause (don't you dare insinuate again that I had to have caused it), and for data coverage that I still don't get. However, despite all of that, I believe in loyalty. Do something to make me stay.

Thanks,
One Really Irritated Customer
 

swebb

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Sorry for your bad experience. They should have been more forthcoming upfront regarding the coverage. I understand being upset with all you went through. But this underscores the importance of coverage in the decision making process. It really is the only factor in choosing your carrier. You can have the best equipment and greatest deal but bad coverage will negate all that. TMo definitely has advantages so long as the coverage is adequate where you need it. So do your research and trial TMo within your return time frame before you go all in.

Obviously not the situation that Shannon was in, but TMo is a really great value where it works.
 

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