What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

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davebo
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What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by davebo »

So I’m a Verizon customer paying $150/month for 2 lines. I get 6GB of data plus unlimited talk/text. I’m going to upgrade my phone shortly and I had assumed that the Edge program just takes the cost of the phone and divides it over 24 payments. The guy at the Verizon store told me that Verizon gives you some kind of credit towards the phone when you sign up, so the sum of the payments is lower than the cost of the phone. As I’m looking at it, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all so I’m not sure how this new program is better than the old one?

I’m considering just buying the new Iphone through Apple and then being able to get the new AppleCare included at no cost, which would cover some accidental damage and problems with the phone. My contract ends this month and my wife’s ends in June, so I’m thinking of just testing out another network and seeing if there is a better option available.

1) With the unlocked phone from Apple, can I literally just hop from carrier to carrier and test them out? I could try out Sprint, T-mobile, AT&T, and then hop back to Verizon if I wanted to? The same phone works on all networks?
2) From what I’m seeing, buying from Apple seems like it’s a no-brainer. Am I missing something here? It seems like you can recoup some cost by just selling your own phone whenever you want to upgrade.
3) Am I understanding this Verizon Edge program correctly? This guy kept telling me I’d get some kind of credit if I signed up…with no contract. Maybe he was assuming I was going to give them my old phone?

I know by getting a comparable plan through AT&T I could save at least $30/month it seems like.
soccerdad12
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by soccerdad12 »

I have bought multiple iphones from craigslist. I always buy 1 version back that is less than 1 year old (so it is still covered under warranty). I pay cash for the phone but get it at a good price. For instance, I bought a iphone 5s 2 months ago for $380 and it was less than 1 year old and in perfect shape.
BackOfTheNet
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by BackOfTheNet »

You can get a free iPhone by applying for this credit card.

https://www.citi.com/credit-card-detail ... redit-card
leod
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by leod »

Q: best way to purchase Iphone?
A: cash :D
james469
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by james469 »

leod wrote:Q: best way to purchase Iphone?
A: cash :D
I second this. My Verizon contract is up on the 20th, and I've been eligible for "an upgrade" since the 5th. In speaking with Verizon's billing dept, I've been informed that purchasing the phone outright after my contract expires removes the line activation fee on my bill ($40/month). Over the two year contract period, this is $960 on top of the $400 upgrade cost on the new iPhone (128GB 6S+). Additional benefit is that my contract would now be month to month.

If you can afford to purchase it outright then it definitely makes sense to.
Topic Author
davebo
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by davebo »

james469 wrote:
leod wrote:Q: best way to purchase Iphone?
A: cash :D
I second this. My Verizon contract is up on the 20th, and I've been eligible for "an upgrade" since the 5th. In speaking with Verizon's billing dept, I've been informed that purchasing the phone outright after my contract expires removes the line activation fee on my bill ($40/month). Over the two year contract period, this is $960 on top of the $400 upgrade cost on the new iPhone (128GB 6S+). Additional benefit is that my contract would now be month to month.

If you can afford to purchase it outright then it definitely makes sense to.
There is no problem for me to purchase it outright, but I was told by a rep at a Verizon store that there is no advantage to buying it outright since there is no discount on your monthly bill. In fact, he said that you'd lose out on the Verizon Edge credit that you'd get. I asked if you only get the credit if you sign the 2-year agreement and he said there is no 2-year agreement.

But then when I look on the website, it says I can switch my billing to the simplified "Verizon Plan" and basically get what I was paying for $120/month ($30 savings). If I'm looking at the Iphone 6S Plus for a full retail price of $850, it gives me the Edge payment plan of $35.40/month for 24 months ($850 total). There is also an option to do the 2-year contract and pay only $400 for the new phone ($450 savings).

So it looks like my best bet (if it's even true) would be moving down to the new plan and save $720 over a 2-year period and then signing a 2-year contract and saving $400 on the phone.
SleepKing
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by SleepKing »

Dear davebo,

We just went through the same process. Allow me to share my experience:

DW and i have iPhone 5 16gb. Out of contract october 2014. Yes, we have been month to month for almost a year. We did not upgrade with iphone 6. We jumped on the new verizon plan to the tune of 2 paid phones and 1 gb data for $64/ month recently, down from $128/month. So i guess you could say we were paying for a phone subsidy without actually using it for a year.

Now to the present. At verizon this week and confirmed i can get a $200 trade in for each i phone 5 (memory size doesnt matter!). DW gets 6splus i get 6s with 'pay in full' option. But verizon will break the payments over 24 months with 0% financing if you want, no 2 year contract. So i can get interest free financing for 2 years, get $400 total in trade in to be used, and have no contract so i get the lower rate, admittedly without building up trade-in/subsidy or whatever you want to call it.

We took the deal. Commonly we hold onto ourphones a while, so we think it benefits us.

Best,
Sleepy
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mbk734
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by mbk734 »

No more subsidies :( This should bring the cost of plans down but I haven't seen it yet. There is also the iPhone Upgrade Program where you get the new iPhone every year renting it for $30-40 a month for at least a year depending on the model and storage. You can lease and upgrade early or buy it by paying the full amount over 2 years (your choice) http://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program

You're probably better off paying in full and selling it when you want to upgrade again to save the most money.
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bondsr4me
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by bondsr4me »

I purchased our iPhones with our FIDO Amex card directly from Consumer Cellular.
Unlimited talk text and 3GB data for 2 lines costs us $59/mo
Last edited by bondsr4me on Wed Sep 16, 2015 7:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
inbox788
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by inbox788 »

All these plans are complicated, and they couldn't have made it more so if they tried.

The math is wrong on some of the plans.

You'd think the total out of pocket cost column might be helpful, but the errors don't help. Some subsidized programs are 24 months, other leases are 18 or 22 months, and some allow upgrade to new equipment, while others are payment plans and you own the phone. You'd think the value of the phone in 24 months would be at least $200 and maybe $300, so many of the plans are really the same cost once you take that into account.
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babington
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by babington »

1. Buy it outright but without Apple's financing.
2. Self-insure by putting $20/month in the bank for the rest of your life. It's free.
3. Sign up for PagePlus and pay $30/month with access to the Verizon network, no contract and no Verizon b.s.
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babington
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by babington »

BackOfTheNet wrote:You can get a free iPhone by applying for this credit card.

https://www.citi.com/credit-card-detail ... redit-card
That's an option. Though "free" is a little deceiving. $95 annual fee and you need to spend $2,000 using a credit card that gives you ThankYou points, which are famous for being worthless (therefore presenting an opportunity cost of 2% cashback on other cards...). But this might be a good option for those who don't mind the hoops or a little credit ding for cancelling the card in short order.
TerryDMillerMBA
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by TerryDMillerMBA »

babington wrote:1. Buy it outright but without Apple's financing.
2. Self-insure by putting $20/month in the bank for the rest of your life. It's free.
3. Sign up for PagePlus and pay $30/month with access to the Verizon network, no contract and no Verizon b.s.
This is Boglehead philosophy in action.

:sharebeer
JeffAL
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by JeffAL »

Buy phone for full price.
Go to Cricket Wireless (AT&T network) or StraightTalk (Verizon Network) and pay ~$45/mo.

Your 2nd question above: If you look here http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/specs/ in the Cellular and Wireless section, the phones have virtually identical network capabilities with the exception of the AT&T version including LTE Band 30. So yes, all the phones will work on all carrier networks.
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Toons
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by Toons »

This may not be the Best way but I did it.
Bought a Samsung S5 from Walmart to be used with StraightTalk Plan.
Unlimited(first 5ig 4-g)45 a month.
Iphone also available :happy
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
Bfwolf
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by Bfwolf »

Verizon has moved to no contract plans. People that are still on contract plans can keep them, but they are generally disadvantageous. The new no contract plans do not offer you a subsidy for purchasing your phone and locking in a contract, but they are significantly cheaper, and IMO better in the long run.

So what this means is you can buy the phone outright or you can buy it on an installment basis with their Device Payment plan (formerly known as Edge). I haven't done enough research to understand whether this program is a good one or not. In general, it would be surprising to hear that you are getting a better deal paying in installments than upfront--this applies to any item one might buy in the world.
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sunny_socal
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by sunny_socal »

babington wrote:
BackOfTheNet wrote:You can get a free iPhone by applying for this credit card.

https://www.citi.com/credit-card-detail ... redit-card
That's an option. Though "free" is a little deceiving. $95 annual fee and you need to spend $2,000 using a credit card that gives you ThankYou points, which are famous for being worthless (therefore presenting an opportunity cost of 2% cashback on other cards...). But this might be a good option for those who don't mind the hoops or a little credit ding for cancelling the card in short order.
Hold on - that seems like a great deal even with the worthless points:
- Apply for card, buy $750 phone (Samsung Note5 or Apple iphone 6S+)
- Pay $60 in tax
- Pay $95 annual fee for the card
- Pay $20 for one month of service, no contract; You may cancel ATT service after 15 days
- Spend $1350 during the first 3 months of owning the card (no problem...); Cancel after this
- Get $650 credit on account

Total: -750-60-20-95+650 = -275

That's not bad for getting a new smartphone.
Last edited by sunny_socal on Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
OatmealAddict
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by OatmealAddict »

I'll admit to not crunching the numbers down to the penny, but I upgraded my wife's iPhone 4 to the iPhone 6 S Plus via Verizon's installment plan. Also, and I never thought I'd say this, but I purchased the $7/month device insurance as well. I've been married to her long enough now that I know we'll inevitably be replacing her phone when something happens to it and I'd much rather drop a couple hundred on the replacement than nearly $1,000.

I could have gotten it a bit cheaper AND an upgrade in a year if I purchased via Apple's installment plan, but you simply couldn't pay me enough to have to set foot in an Apple Store and as far as I could tell, purchasing via Apple required an in-store visit. Not happening. Our time is too valuable to waste there.

The above being said, I'm fairly certain we're paying a bit more than what's optimal, however Verizon's network cannot be beat and as busy as we are and as spread out as our family is, our phones are critical to our lives. She also recently got a 10% raise (in addition to a 8% raise last year), so the expense was pretty easy to justify.

Lastly, happy wife, happy life. :happy
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davebo
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by davebo »

Bfwolf wrote:Verizon has moved to no contract plans. People that are still on contract plans can keep them, but they are generally disadvantageous. The new no contract plans do not offer you a subsidy for purchasing your phone and locking in a contract, but they are significantly cheaper, and IMO better in the long run.

So what this means is you can buy the phone outright or you can buy it on an installment basis with their Device Payment plan (formerly known as Edge). I haven't done enough research to understand whether this program is a good one or not. In general, it would be surprising to hear that you are getting a better deal paying in installments than upfront--this applies to any item one might buy in the world.
Ok, I wonder if because I'm on the old plan that is the reason I was offered it was because I was on the contract-plan.
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Fat-Tailed Contagion
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by Fat-Tailed Contagion »

sunny_socal wrote:
babington wrote:
BackOfTheNet wrote:You can get a free iPhone by applying for this credit card.

https://www.citi.com/credit-card-detail ... redit-card
That's an option. Though "free" is a little deceiving. $95 annual fee and you need to spend $2,000 using a credit card that gives you ThankYou points, which are famous for being worthless (therefore presenting an opportunity cost of 2% cashback on other cards...). But this might be a good option for those who don't mind the hoops or a little credit ding for cancelling the card in short order.
Hold on - that seems like a great deal even with the worthless points:
- Apply for card, buy $750 phone (Samsung Note5 or Apple iphone 6S+)
- Pay $50 in tax
- Pay $95 annual fee for the card
- Pay $20 for one month of service, no contract; You may cancel ATT service after 15 days
- Spend $1350 during the first 3 months of owning the card (no problem...); Cancel after this
- Get $650 credit on account

Total: -750-60-20-95+650 = -275

That's not bad for getting a new smartphone.
Thanks Sonny,

Would this phone be able to be used on different carriers ? How would that work ?
“The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists.” | ― Benjamin Graham, The Intelligent Investor (75/25 - 50/50 - 25/75)
cheapskate
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by cheapskate »

Just ordered a iPhone6 for daughter from T-Mobile. They have a lease plan where you pay $27/mo for 18 months towards lease. At the end of the lease period you can pay balance and own the phone.

Benefit : T-mobile gives you $7/month credit for 18 months. Saving $7*18 = $126.

Works if you already use T-mobile. No contracts and T-mobile will unlock iPhone after 18 months.

Outside of credit card deals, $126 is the best deal I have seen.

Sprint has a similar promotion as well. But we are a T-mobile family (we have their $50 + $10 each additional plan).
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englishgirl
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by englishgirl »

JeffAL wrote:Buy phone for full price.
Go to Cricket Wireless (AT&T network) or StraightTalk (Verizon Network) and pay ~$45/mo.

Your 2nd question above: If you look here http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/specs/ in the Cellular and Wireless section, the phones have virtually identical network capabilities with the exception of the AT&T version including LTE Band 30. So yes, all the phones will work on all carrier networks.
Yeah, when my iPhone 5 went off contract with AT&T, I shipped it over to Cricket, and started paying $35 a month for service. Several months later, when I had dropped it one too many times, I upgraded to a 5c, which Cricket has for $300. No, it's not the latest and greatest, but it's still an improvement. I expect that they'll have the iPhone 6 at some point soon. By making each phone last as long as you can, and upgrading to not-the-latest model, you can still have a lot of the iPhone enjoyment factor but keep the costs more reasonable.
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bloom2708
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by bloom2708 »

Buy 2 nice unlocked iphones from Craigslist or eBay. (iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, 6..pick your poison)

Switch to cricket. Your bill will be $70/month including taxes. Very good AT&T coverage. Unlimited calling/texting. 2.5gb 4G LTE data and unlimited data after that, but throttled down.
ERISA Stone
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by ERISA Stone »

sunny_socal wrote:
babington wrote:
BackOfTheNet wrote:You can get a free iPhone by applying for this credit card.

https://www.citi.com/credit-card-detail ... redit-card
That's an option. Though "free" is a little deceiving. $95 annual fee and you need to spend $2,000 using a credit card that gives you ThankYou points, which are famous for being worthless (therefore presenting an opportunity cost of 2% cashback on other cards...). But this might be a good option for those who don't mind the hoops or a little credit ding for cancelling the card in short order.
Hold on - that seems like a great deal even with the worthless points:
- Apply for card, buy $750 phone (Samsung Note5 or Apple iphone 6S+)
- Pay $60 in tax
- Pay $95 annual fee for the card
- Pay $20 for one month of service, no contract; You may cancel ATT service after 15 days
- Spend $1350 during the first 3 months of owning the card (no problem...); Cancel after this
- Get $650 credit on account

Total: -750-60-20-95+650 = -275

That's not bad for getting a new smartphone.
It looks like you have to buy the phone from ATT. What other networks would work with it?
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sunny_socal
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by sunny_socal »

ERISA Stone wrote: It looks like you have to buy the phone from ATT. What other networks would work with it?
Likely ATT and T-Mobile. Possibly Verizon per this post:
http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/con ... t.1839013/

"The T-Mobile iPhone is sold without a contract at Apple. It will work on T-Mobile or AT&T. If you have a Verizon SIM already, you can also use it on Verizon. However, the SIM-free model is the better one to get if you plan to pay full price, since it will work with all 4 major carriers, including Sprint, and thus may have a slightly higher resale value down the road."
hudson
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by hudson »

babington wrote:1. Buy it outright but without Apple's financing.
2. Self-insure by putting $20/month in the bank for the rest of your life. It's free.
3. Sign up for PagePlus and pay $30/month with access to the Verizon network, no contract and no Verizon b.s.
The babington plan fits me. I can pass my iPhone 5s to my wife and sign her up for $30 per month with PagePlus.
https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/2995/

I can get an iPhone 6s plus Sim Free at Apple for $749
http://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/ip ... space-gray
I would also go with the $30 per month plan....and I guess that all the taxes and fees are included in the $30?
I think that I might have to buy a $5 Sim card?

Right now I'm paying $107 per month for the iPhone 5s...or $2568 plus the $200 initial phone payment...total $2768 for 2 years....average $115 per month....ONE PHONE

My future costs would be $60 per month for two phones plus $749 for an additional phone.
24X60= 1440 ...add the iPhone 6S+ for $749....total $2189 for 2 years...average $91 per month...TWO PHONES

I would self insure
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Alto Astral
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by Alto Astral »

Purchased my iphone6 outright last thanksgiving from tmobile. They had a black friday deal for a 64gb phone fo the price of 16gb. Wife and I have a month-to-month family plan with unlimited talk/text and 3gb data for $75 (includes tax)
takeshi
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by takeshi »

davebo wrote:There is no problem for me to purchase it outright, but I was told by a rep at a Verizon store that there is no advantage to buying it outright since there is no discount on your monthly bill.
Depends on the plan that you have been on. Our prior plan had a $40/month access fee for each smartphone. The new unsubsidized plan is $20/month for each smartphone. I think we're paying a bit less for the core package as well but we also stepped down to a smaller data limit since we were not using anywhere near our limit.
davebo wrote:From what I’m seeing, buying from Apple seems like it’s a no-brainer.
Such decisions always require consideration of various factors, both objective and subjective. I primarily purchase from Apple because I can't stand dealing with Verizon. YMMV.
leod wrote:Q: best way to purchase Iphone?
A: cash
10% cashback on Apple Pay & Discover plus the Discover double cash back bonus worked best for me.
joe3411
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by joe3411 »

Bfwolf wrote:Verizon has moved to no contract plans. People that are still on contract plans can keep them, but they are generally disadvantageous. The new no contract plans do not offer you a subsidy for purchasing your phone and locking in a contract, but they are significantly cheaper, and IMO better in the long run.

So what this means is you can buy the phone outright or you can buy it on an installment basis with their Device Payment plan (formerly known as Edge). I haven't done enough research to understand whether this program is a good one or not. In general, it would be surprising to hear that you are getting a better deal paying in installments than upfront--this applies to any item one might buy in the world.
I was recently in the market for a new Verizon phone via upgrade. I was also month to month. The whole process was quite confusing. I ended up buying from Best Buy with a 2 year contract for $1 plus taxes on the phone. This was quite surprising because I thought there were no more contracts for Verizon. So now I pay the $20 per line charge plus whichever data plan I purchase.
Freddy
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by Freddy »

There are plenty of refurbished iPhone 6 on eBay in the low $400 range. Just sayin'.
hudson
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by hudson »

hudson wrote:
babington wrote:1. Buy it outright but without Apple's financing.
2. Self-insure by putting $20/month in the bank for the rest of your life. It's free.
3. Sign up for PagePlus and pay $30/month with access to the Verizon network, no contract and no Verizon b.s.
The babington plan fits me. I can pass my iPhone 5s to my wife and sign her up for $30 per month with PagePlus.
https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/2995/

I can get an iPhone 6s plus Sim Free at Apple for $749
http://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/ip ... space-gray
I would also go with the $30 per month plan....and I guess that all the taxes and fees are included in the $30?
I think that I might have to buy a $5 Sim card?

Right now I'm paying $107 per month for the iPhone 5s...or $2568 plus the $200 initial phone payment...total $2768 for 2 years....average $115 per month....ONE PHONE

My future costs would be $60 per month for two phones plus $749 for an additional phone.
24X60= 1440 ...add the iPhone 6S+ for $749....total $2189 for 2 years...average $91 per month...TWO PHONES

I would self insure
Results of recent research:
I need the Verizon Network...the only network that works at my residence without an extender

The Straight Talk Chat Person said that Verizon would work for my Zip Code.

My wife would get my paid-for iPhone 5S and get Straight Talk @ $45 per month for 5G data then 2G
I would get an iPhone 6S plus 64GB, SIM FREE @$924.35 including tax and shipping...directly from Apple. Straight Talk would also cost $45 per month for 5G data then 2G

Therefore my costs are $924 for the phone and $90 per month for 2 iPhones
hudson
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by hudson »

hudson wrote:
hudson wrote:
babington wrote:1. Buy it outright but without Apple's financing.
2. Self-insure by putting $20/month in the bank for the rest of your life. It's free.
3. Sign up for PagePlus and pay $30/month with access to the Verizon network, no contract and no Verizon b.s.
The babington plan fits me. I can pass my iPhone 5s to my wife and sign her up for $30 per month with PagePlus.
https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/2995/

I can get an iPhone 6s plus Sim Free at Apple for $749
http://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/ip ... space-gray
I would also go with the $30 per month plan....and I guess that all the taxes and fees are included in the $30?
I think that I might have to buy a $5 Sim card?

Right now I'm paying $107 per month for the iPhone 5s...or $2568 plus the $200 initial phone payment...total $2768 for 2 years....average $115 per month....ONE PHONE

My future costs would be $60 per month for two phones plus $749 for an additional phone.
24X60= 1440 ...add the iPhone 6S+ for $749....total $2189 for 2 years...average $91 per month...TWO PHONES

I would self insure
Results of recent research:
I need the Verizon Network...the only network that works at my residence without an extender

The Straight Talk Chat Person said that Verizon would work for my Zip Code.

My wife would get my paid-for iPhone 5S and get Straight Talk @ $45 per month for 5G data then 2G
I would get an iPhone 6S plus 64GB, SIM FREE @$924.35 including tax and shipping...directly from Apple. Straight Talk would also cost $45 per month for 5G data then 2G

Therefore my costs are $924 for the phone and $90 per month for 2 iPhones
Update...Straight Talk does not work with an iPhone 6S visual voicemail...it only has old fashioned dial up voicemail with NO indicator on the phone. Straight talk support did not talk straight about the situation...they beat around the bush. Don't get me wrong Straight talk works...the price is right...but the Iphone internal voicemail won't work...at least for me...after a couple of hours of research.
BW1985
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by BW1985 »

ERISA Stone wrote:
It looks like you have to buy the phone from ATT. What other networks would work with it?
The 6's work on any network. ATT will unlock it for you since it's paid in full.

edit: Just realized that post was old.
Chase the good life my whole life long, look back on my life and my life gone...where did I go wrong?
ERISA Stone
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by ERISA Stone »

BW1985 wrote:
ERISA Stone wrote:
It looks like you have to buy the phone from ATT. What other networks would work with it?
The 6's work on any network. ATT will unlock it for you since it's paid in full.

edit: Just realized that post was old.
I read this a lot but i can tell you from direct experience that the unlocked iphone 6s plus I purchased from ATT would not work on Verizon's network.
looking
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by looking »

davebo wrote:So I’m a Verizon customer paying $150/month for 2 lines. I get 6GB of data plus unlimited talk/text. I’m going to upgrade my phone shortly and I had assumed that the Edge program just takes the cost of the phone and divides it over 24 payments. The guy at the Verizon store told me that Verizon gives you some kind of credit towards the phone when you sign up, so the sum of the payments is lower than the cost of the phone. As I’m looking at it, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all so I’m not sure how this new program is better than the old one?

I’m considering just buying the new Iphone through Apple and then being able to get the new AppleCare included at no cost, which would cover some accidental damage and problems with the phone. My contract ends this month and my wife’s ends in June, so I’m thinking of just testing out another network and seeing if there is a better option available.

1) With the unlocked phone from Apple, can I literally just hop from carrier to carrier and test them out? I could try out Sprint, T-mobile, AT&T, and then hop back to Verizon if I wanted to? The same phone works on all networks?
2) From what I’m seeing, buying from Apple seems like it’s a no-brainer. Am I missing something here? It seems like you can recoup some cost by just selling your own phone whenever you want to upgrade.
3) Am I understanding this Verizon Edge program correctly? This guy kept telling me I’d get some kind of credit if I signed up…with no contract. Maybe he was assuming I was going to give them my old phone?

I know by getting a comparable plan through AT&T I could save at least $30/month it seems like.
What is the best way to purchase Iphone?
Unread postby davebo » Wed Sep 16, 2015 11:34 am

nexus 5x best
targ
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by targ »

Be careful.
You only mention "iPhone," but didn't say which one. If you are talking about a 6 (6+) or earlier, model number is very important. You *cannot* simply hop networks with these phones. Well, it's not exactly that simple.

Without getting into excessive details, and limiting this discussion to only iPhone 5, 5s, 6, or 6+ within the US, for maximum transportability, you need a Verizon version. The Verizon version gets you the CDMA radio and it is unlocked for GSM/LTE from the factory so you can carry it over to ATT, T-Mo, or any other US GSM carrier. The "factory unlocked" versions of these phones were the GSM only versions - they *cannot* be used on Verizon's CDMA network.

I can personally attest that the Verizon iPhone 5, 5s, and 6+ work just fine on ATT and T-Mo since I have used one of each of these on both Verizon and at least one GSM carrier within the US.

My recommendation, if you want maximum portability, would be to purchase a used Verizon model (5 or higher only) from some place like Gazelle or Glyde or any reseller that guarantees there is no iCloud lock on the phones they sell.

As for carriers, I recently dropped Verizon (they started upcharging for my grandfathered unlimited data plan) and went to Cricket (an ATT MVNO) with my Verizon iPhone 6+.

Also on the subject of carriers, if you wanted to use Straight Talk, realize that they piggyback either ATT/T-Mo or Verizon depending on the sim card you get. If you want to use ST on Verizon's network, you *must* have a Verizon iPhone and you *must* get their CDMA activation kit and sim card. If anyone doubts me on this, be aware I am speaking from personal, real, experience, not conjecture. I recently purchased a used Verizon iPhone 5c, activated it on Straight Talk's CDMA side to test it out for a while, and then ultimately moved it over to Cricket.

All that said, if you are interested in the 6s or 6s+, I *believe* that the ATT version can be used on Verizon's CDMA network, but I have no first hand experience with this model so cannot say definitively.
The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. | -REBEC OF GINAZ
targ
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Re: What is the best way to purchase Iphone?

Post by targ »

Update...Straight Talk does not work with an iPhone 6S visual voicemail...it only has old fashioned dial up voicemail with NO indicator on the phone. Straight talk support did not talk straight about the situation...they beat around the bush. Don't get me wrong Straight talk works...the price is right...but the Iphone internal voicemail won't work...at least for me...after a couple of hours of research.
That does not jibe with my experience. When I activated a Verizon iPhone 5c on Straight Talk (using a CDMA activation kit and sim), VVM worked flawlessly. I did nothing special to activate it. Out of curiosity, did you activate on ST's CDMA or GSM network?
The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. | -REBEC OF GINAZ
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