iPhones and Android Phones etc

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Do you buy outright? Or do you opt for a contract over the space of several months? When buying a new phone I mean?

 

[tvguy]

My provider no longer links contracts to phones. You buy your phone outright. As a matter of fact Verizon had very few phones in stock last week when we got new phones. They sent us to Best Buy who had a huge inventory.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Both AT&T and TMobile have told me that there's no benefit to going through them vs. buying somewhere on our own...aside from buying through them means buying something that's provider locked for the same price.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I bought my iPhone secondhand, it's an older one-an 8+, and took it to Metro where they added it to our family's plan. I saved a lot of money by not going through Metro.

 

[firefly_ris]

I buy refurbished models online.

 

[fla4fun]

I have had three iPhones. The first two were family hand me downs, so I didn’t pay anything. The one I have now I purchased outright and unlocked, direct from Apple. I have an old prepaid plan and didn’t want to risk messing that up by buying a locked phone, even through my carrier.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have done it both ways. I have purchased used iPhones outright and used them as prepaid for whichever provider I was using at the time.
Most recently I have been doing the contract ones, because you get them for "free" by doing that trade-in of an older phone thing.

 

[disneychrista]

I use straight talk for my service and last time I bought a new phone outright purchase was the only option.

 

[Praying Colonel]

When AT&T offers a pay-as-you-go plan and it doesn't cost any more than buying it up front, I take the plan. I look at it like an interest-free loan, and we've been with AT&T for over 20 years and not changing anytime soon.

 

[AussieFan8]

we always buy outright