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this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2024
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Why not just buy the device from the manufacturer, swap the sim, and boom you're "upgraded".
It blows my mind how people think 'carrier store' = 'cell phone store' and it's the only place to get them. Friends and family were baffled by this new information when I had this discussion with them. Imagine thinking that the only place you can buy a vehicle is at [your insurance company's local office]. All the carrier is doing is offering the service, and they sell phones too for convenience (and to lock in customers but shhh).
Yup, T-Mobile lets you bring your own device. I buy all of mine used on eBay for significantly less than retail. I just have to make sure it's unlocked or locked to Sprint or T-Mobile.
Which is probably why most people get the phones from their carriers. Some of them do have special models, because they do something weird with their spectra.
Well, for many years carriers would give you ~$400 credit towards buying a phone when you signed a contract. There would be "free" phones or the $500 Motorola Razr would be $100 with contract.
Not everyone has the luxury of spending $1200 cash on a phone outright. Unfortunately, the payment plan is a big factor for a lot of people (in a “family” plan.)
How long you been buying phones? How do you not know there are far cheaper phones?
You're still paying the money either way. Buying from the manufacturer typically means paying a much lower price.
Yeah if you want a flagship, that's how they get you. You can also get pretty decent phones for a few hundred on eBay. Like a couple year old flagship for less than half the original price. But if you're adamant about having the latest and greatest, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Shit, just go to Google and you can get last year's pixel for like $500 new.
Or you can buy the newest at sticker initially, and when the next model drops, sell it to family for half price as lightly used. Rinse and repeat. They get bargains phones, you get the latest tech.
Miss me with that, I'm disabled and get less than a grand a month for all my expenses. All of the major cell phone brands offer their own financing (and all I've seen is 0% interest for 24 or 36 months), and have for 10+ years. And because you're not buying from a carrier, you aren't locked in, so you can hop to prepaid plans or even MVNOs and enjoy actually massive savings. If you actually needed to, you can get by with service at $10 or less a month, and assuming you are paying $65 a month currently (the going rate for an "unlimited" tmo plan, I don't know the math for groups) you'd save $55 a month, or $1,320 over 2 years. Enough to make your flagship phone "free".
Today's $1,200 handset can be had 24 months from now for 1/4th of that. To forestall the "I broke my phone and need something NOW!" argument I'd point out that phones like the Samsung Galaxy A15 exist, are COMPLETELY usable, and cost less than $200 brand new.
Anyone forking out $1,000+ for a new phone either has some very specific needs or is stuck in a FOMO trap.
I still get charged an activation fee for putting my sim in a new phone. It’s bullshit. I bought my phone outright from Apple. AT&T still charged the $30 activation fee.
Both those are for line activation, not switching devices. My main line currently is with AT&T small biz and I've moved from Pixel 6 Pro > 7 Pro > 8 Pro by just popping the sim in. No charges. When tmo postpaid was my main provider, same thing, charged once initially and that was it. For tmo prepaid, I currently have family on lines and again nothing beyond the initial sim charge. And as I recall, esim is free (as it should be).
If you don't go to a store for assistance or do something weird (try and move from a phone to a tablet or something; and that limit is only for postpaid lines afaik), there should be no fee. It's only when you involve a staff member do they charge you for assistance. Unless tmo changed the policy for postpaid lines in the last 2y, my experience doesn't match yours o.O