AT&T to Ditch 2 Year Contracts on January 8th

[Almeuit]

AT&T reportedly set to ditch 2-year smartphone contracts on Jan. 8 | Android Central

Do you support this move? It seems pretty much everyone has moved away from this option for new customers in favor for device payment plans.

 

[Aquila]

yep.

 

[dpham00]

This is probably thanks to the fcc who said that they couldn't throttle unlimited data. They don't want to get rid of unlimited data but they want to make it as unattractive as possible.

For most others, they would just move to a current plan.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I moved from an unlimited plan to a 30GB a month plan last year during a promotion where I got the 30GB for the price of 15GB. I never used more than 18GB, and my new plan was $10/month cheaper than the old unlimited plan. I wouldn't get another contract anyway, since I'm not going to buy carrier branded phones.

 

[TWC42]

for those on the 15 GB and higher plan, it's usually more expensive to be under a 2 yr contract. they lose the $25 per line per month discount for 24 month ($600). Add that to the initial payment ($200?), plus higher activation fees, and they will spend more than if they just purchased the phone outright or used the no-interest Next installment plan.
Personally, I really don't want to be under contract. I like the option to easily switch providers if the service goes sour.

 

[thejesse]

I got my family off of contacts the minute they offered the option.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[cohoman]

My family has been on the NEXT program for the last year and we're good with that plan. Got 15 GB shared data for the monthly price of 10 GB and the three of us have new phones.

 

[Eddster]

This is probably thanks to the fcc who said that they couldn't throttle unlimited data. They don't want to get rid of unlimited data but they want to make it as unattractive as possible.

For most others, they would just move to a current plan.

They still throttle after 22 GB don't they? They throttled me last month.

 

[dpham00]

They still throttle after 22 GB don't they? They throttled me last month.

They network optimize after 22gb. Basically after 22gb,they will de prioritize you if you are in a high load situation. If you aren't in a high load situation then your speeds would not be subject to de prioritization

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Re: AT&T to Ditch 2 Year Contracts on January 8th

Fine with me. I'm done getting phones from AT&T and dealing with delayed updates and bloatware.

 

[anon(92475)]

Thankfully, the move doesn't impact corporate accounts. We have unlimited data on our 2 smartphone lines and this would have messed us up.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[murphcid]

Boo Hiss, I hate this. I just hate it, it makes getting new phones and upgrading so much harder to justify, and more importantly justify to the wife...

 

[Channan]

This is probably thanks to the fcc who said that they couldn't throttle unlimited data. They don't want to get rid of unlimited data but they want to make it as unattractive as possible.

For most others, they would just move to a current plan.

Funny. Because of this, my parents upgraded two lines that were available for an upgrade. My dad got another iPhone 6s and gave his "old" iPhone 6s to my sister. My mom upgraded from a 6 Plus to a 6s Plus just in time to get the discounted phone and then switch to AT&T's new unlimited plan which doesn't have phone subsidies baked in.

So they got cheap iPhones and switched to the new unlimited plan that gives them double the max lines and is still cheaper for them.

 

[muzichead]

Not sure why AT&T thinks that everyone can afford an extra $20-40 a month for this option!!! I've been a loyal AT&T customer for 10+ yrs until my contract is up later this year. This is the straw that will break the camel back for me. No reason for me to stay with them now...

 

[Channan]

Not sure why AT&T thinks that everyone can afford an extra $20-40 a month for this option!!! I've been a loyal AT&T customer for 10+ yrs until my contract is up later this year. This is the straw that will break the camel back for me. No reason for me to stay with them now...

The phone subsidy was always built into the plan. You were paying for it even though it wasn't a separate item on your bill. Without that subsidy, AT&T's plans are cheaper. It's better this way, because you don't continue paying extra once your phone is paid off or if you wanted to bring your own cheap phone.

If you're on the old unlimited plan, it sucks, but you still have unlimited.

 

[muzichead]

It's better this way, because you don't continue paying extra once your phone is paid off or if you wanted to bring your own cheap phone.

Not being on the 2yr contract means you are now charged a monthly fee for the phone, (only to have the option of upgrading earlier), which some people can't afford like myself. I am on a fixed income and its already hard to make ends meet..,.

For example, the S6 is an extra $19.50 - $26.17 per month on top of my other charges for a period of 12-18 months.

I am on a plan all by myself and no one to share a plan with so there is no savings there as I am single and my children are all grown and on their own... I am already maxed out paying almost $90 a month for my phone and now they want me to pay over $100-130 a month. No can do... My last 2 phones from AT&T, (S3 and S5), cost a total between the 2 of less than $2 when I upgraded with the 2yr contract. Both devices were purchased during black friday promo's and were $0.99 each. Why would I want to pay $20-30 a month after paying those prices in the past?

I am now thinking it would be in my best interest to take my S5, (which I really enjoy using), and taking it to another carrier or using a service like Smart-Talk and pay even less per month. This may be my only option. I know I will not have all the functionality as I do now, but to have my bill cut in half every month may be the best option for me. I have a brother in the same situation as me and he is using my old S3 on Smart-Talk and I have used his phone on occasion and its not all that different as when I had it on my AT&T account...

 

[Channan]

Not being on the 2yr contract means you are now charged a monthly fee for the phone, (only to have the option of upgrading earlier), which some people can't afford like myself. I am on a fixed income and its already hard to make ends meet..,.

For example, the S6 is an extra $19.50 - $26.17 per month on top of my other charges for a period of 12-18 months.

I am on a plan all by myself and no one to share a plan with so there is no savings there as I am single and my children are all grown and on their own... I am already maxed out paying almost $90 a month for my phone and now they want me to pay over $100-130 a month. No can do... My last 2 phones from AT&T, (S3 and S5), cost a total between the 2 of less than $2 when I upgraded with the 2yr contract. Both devices were purchased during black friday promo's and were $0.99 each. Why would I want to pay $20-30 a month after paying those prices in the past?

I am now thinking it would be in my best interest to take my S5, (which I really enjoy using), and taking it to another carrier or using a service like Smart-Talk and pay even less per month. This may be my only option. I know I will not have all the functionality as I do now, but to have my bill cut in half every month may be the best option for me. I have a brother in the same situation as me and he is using my old S3 on Smart-Talk and I have used his phone on occasion and its not all that different as when I had it on my AT&T account...

Before they dropped contracts, if you were on a contract, you paid $40/month to add your phone to the plan. So, for example, if you paid $100 for 15GB with unlimited talk and text, you'd pay an additional $40 on top of that to add your phone to that plan. So a single line with unlimited talk and text and 15GB of data would be $140.

If you did NEXT or brought your own phone, the plan would still be the same, but it would only cost you $15 per line on top of the cost of the plan. So a single line with unlimited talk and text and 15GB of data would be $115. If you paid $20/month for a GS6 on NEXT, you'd be paying $5 less than getting it on contract and you wouldn't have paid that additional $200 or whatever to get the phone on contract. Then, if you wanted to keep the phone longer than 30 months instead of feeling like you need to upgrade every two years because the option is there, your bill would only be $115/month and you wouldn't be paying for the phone any longer.

With contracts, even if you didn't upgrade every two years, you're still paying for the phone every month. It's just built into your plan and you don't get a discount once your contract is up.

 

[jcp007]

Having been with AT&T for 22 years, we were able to do shared upgrades with the two year contract agreement last month when I upgraded to the GS7 and this month when I got my son an i6s. I was simply insistent and dealt with Customer Relations/Retention to obtain manager override. I may not be so fortunate next time and may end up on the Next plan.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[lafountain]

Having been with AT&T for 22 years, we were able to do shared upgrades with the two year contract agreement last month when I upgraded to the GS7 and this month when I got my son an i6s. I was simply insistent and dealt with Customer Relations/Retention to obtain manager override. I may not be so fortunate next time and may end up on the Next plan.

Posted via the Android Central App

Friend of mine just went in last week and was told he could still do contracts due to being grandfathered in. Not sure why you had an issue or if my friend just got lucky.

 

[jcp007]

Friend of mine just went in last week and was told he could still do contracts due to being grandfathered in. Not sure why you had an issue or if my friend just got lucky.

We were told that the corporate stores are on a different system and could process Next plans. If we wanted the two year, we would have to do it over the phone.

Posted via the Android Central App