iPHONE,How much a month?

[Ms.Grumpy]

So I just graduated with a BA in Education!!! I told my husband that as a graduation gift I would love to have an iPhone instead of the Sprint phone that I have. Our contract is ending soon, so I am intersted in knowing how much does a contract with AT&T average around. Do you have to pay for all the extras like internet access and what nots?
All advice and information is appreciated. TIA

 

[hoffmann2828]

My iPhone is shared by my DH and I... here is our breakdown:

$59.99 - 700 minutes
$20.00 - "Data Plan" (basic plan covers all internet, etc., and 200 texts/mo)
$20.00 - Additional Line (shares the 700 minutes)
$20.00 - "Data Plan" for additional line (incl another 200 texts)
= $119/mo

Keep in mind since you are in Chicago, you likely have AT&T for your home line. If that is the case, you sign up for a special AT&T plan (AT&T Unity) for your phone and when you use your iPhone, you get ALL calls to other AT&T lines FREE. This includes family with AT&T HOME, your own home, etc.

I barely use many minutes each month and I'm self-employed.

 

[sndtrklvr]

Congratulations to you.

I would recommend that you wait a month or so for to get a iphone. Next week Apple has its conference and they will probably announce a new iPhone. Rumors have that it will be cheaper and that plan will be less as well. Traditionally these new phones are available by the end of June first week of July. They will also probably have new better features.

The iPhone phone plan isn't that much different that than a traditional AT&T plan -- it's the data plan that kills you. Data and unlimited text messaging can be up to $40 a month. The new plan is rumored to $10 less.

 

[PurpleTurtle]

Hi there - DH surprised me w/ an iphone for Christmas, and I LOVE it! I pay $30 per month for unlimited data as well as $40 per month for 450 anytime rollover minutes and 5000 night and weekend minutes. The total including tax is $78.31. HTH!

 

[PurpleTurtle]

Oh yeah, one other thing. You are required to pay for both data and phone service. You can't have just one. Mine was the smallest amount of minutes you can buy b/c I mostly use it for emailing, syncing calendars, gps, internet access while away from the house. I don't like talking on the phone!

 

[mtquinn]

Hi. Had to chime in because my DH and I both have IPhones. He has the 1st gen and I have the newer 3G. The new, cheaper IPhone is coming out this year, I think, and it will be about $99. Great price, right? Problem with that is, it is like the 1st gen IPhone, meaning it will NOT be on the faster 3G network and will have only an 8gb memory. My DH complains about his lack of memory constantly and will get the OTHER new Iphone coming out. That one will have a ton of memory and will cost $299, I believe.

Mine, I feel, is the best if you can get, say, a refurb for less than a new one. It has lots of memory and I really love the 3G network. Fast web, faster phone, etc. The cheaper IPhone is good for those who just want an IPhone as a toy/phone. If you have lots of music to store then go for the 3G. My DH loves tunes and his memory is almost eaten up by music alone. You'd be suprised how quickly it is used up.

If money is not an issue and you simply cannot wait for the newest version, then go on and get the current 3G. But if you plan on storing lots of movies and tv shows, PLUS music and you can wait a little while then you should definitely buy the newest IPhone. Call and Apple store directly. They will give you details as to release dates and how to get your hands on the newest IPhone quickly.

Btw, IPhones really are the greatest phone out there. The only knock on At&T is the dropped calls once in a while. I rarely ever have a dropped call, but I have heard others complain about that.

Hope that helps!

 

[mtquinn]

Hi. Had to chime in because my DH and I both have IPhones. He has the 1st gen and I have the newer 3G. The new, cheaper IPhone is coming out this year, I think, and it will be about $99. Great price, right? Problem with that is, it is like the 1st gen IPhone, meaning it will NOT be on the faster 3G network and will have only an 8gb memory. My DH complains about his lack of memory constantly and will get the OTHER new Iphone coming out. That one will have a ton of memory and will cost $299, I believe.

Mine, I feel, is the best if you can get, say, a refurb for less than a new one. It has lots of memory and I really love the 3G network. Fast web, faster phone, etc. The cheaper IPhone is good for those who just want an IPhone as a toy/phone. If you have lots of music to store then go for the 3G. My DH loves tunes and his memory is almost eaten up by music alone. You'd be suprised how quickly it is used up.

If money is not an issue and you simply cannot wait for the newest version, then go on and get the current 3G. But if you plan on storing lots of movies and tv shows, PLUS music and you can wait a little while then you should definitely buy the newest IPhone. Call and Apple store directly. They will give you details as to release dates and how to get your hands on the newest IPhone quickly.

Btw, IPhones really are the greatest phone out there. The only knock on At&T is the dropped calls once in a while. I rarely ever have a dropped call, but I have heard others complain about that.

Hope that helps!

 

[LadyBeBop]

Mine, I feel, is the best if you can get, say, a refurb for less than a new one. It has lots of memory and I really love the 3G network. Fast web, faster phone, etc.

Right now, you can get a refurb for about $100. However, I talked to a local AT&T salesman who pretty much said it's not a good deal, because the warranty isn't as good. That sorta scared me away from getting a refurb. After all, these are second-hand phones with a three month warranty, and you still have to sign (or in my case, re-sign since I'm already with AT&T) a two year contract.

Or am I missing something?

 

[Green Tea]

the plan is the same for anyone with the same iphone. the prices are on the website.

The "new" plan that is coming out is not going to include unlimited data, as i understand it. No bargain there!

 

[mtquinn]

Right now, you can get a refurb for about $100. However, I talked to a local AT&T salesman who pretty much said it's not a good deal, because the warranty isn't as good. That sorta scared me away from getting a refurb. After all, these are second-hand phones with a three month warranty, and you still have to sign (or in my case, re-sign since I'm already with AT&T) a two year contract.

Or am I missing something?

Suspicious as I am, I would never trust a salesperson trying to sell as much as he can. My husband got his first gen IPhone as a refurb and it works just fine. Frankly, the technology is so fragile that, to me, it matters very little if the phone is new or refurbed. To me, these phones are all so overpriced and delicate that if you can get one for less you grab it. Plus, Apple won't sell a monthly insurance to protect against breakage. So, if you drop it or what-not, and the thing is busted, you are forced to buy a new one. Frustrating. Save wherever you can!!

 

[01spirit750]

Well here is my experience with a refurb iphone.

I bought my wife a refurbed iphone from At&t for $149. She went to the at&t stand at the local mall to help activate the phone get everything transfered over from her old phone.

The phone worked for exactly 4 hours and died. She spend 45 minutes on the phone with at&t troubleshooting the phone, they then transfered her to Apple tech help since it became apparent that it was a hardware issue.

Well guess, what? The phone was returned from the previous owner for the exact same problem and had never been refurbished (per Apples own records).

It appears (per the apple tech) that the phone was returned to at&t where they did an initial evaluation. The phone turned on and worked so they put it directly into the pool of phones to be sold without actually fixing the problem.

The problem was that the phone would work for a short time and then die.

Apple made arrangements for my wife to return the phone to our local apple store. She was given a replacement which turned out to be a brand new phone. Apple also called At&t and complained and at&t credited $100 to our account.

Of course she only has 3 months left on the warranty from the original refurbed phone.

 

[Ms.Grumpy]

Thanks everyone for the great responses. Am I safe to assume that At&T does not have free nights and weekends? Are your plans only for local calls or are national calls included also?

 

[brekin67]

At the store I was told that it was $30 per month. I got mine in December and the website said I was eligible for "special discount." I pay $25 per month.
I am a state employee and I get a phone rate discount for that, so maybe that is why my data plan is a little cheaper.

 

[casndan]

AT&T does have free nights and weekends and the calls are national...also AT&T to AT&T is free, which works great for me because almost everyone we talk to has AT&T

 

[momto2inKC]

I have the cheapest minute plan ($40), data plan ($30), cheapest text plan ($5) and with taxes my bill is $88 a month.

 

[ambgoph]

Double check to see if you can get any discounts - ie state or city employee, or a union member. We were able to get a state employee discount. It basically pays for the taxes/fees each month.

I'm typing this on my Iphone - I love it!

 

[Nermel9]

My boyfriend and I just got IPhones last week and we share the family plan with 1400 minutes, unlimited texting (I think that's $30?) and of course, we both have the data plans to pay for. After taxes, it comes to about $90 each a month, which sounds like a lot, but considering I was paying $60 for my Verizon phone which did nothing, it was just a phone, the extra $30 a month is totally worth it for the IPhone. I'm addicted, I don't know how I didn't get one of these sooner! And the guy at At&t told us to keep track of our minutes because if we don't use the 1400 a month, we can change to the 700 minute plan and it will be like $10 cheaper! Oh and my boyfriend gets a state employee discount too!