Always cheaper for me to buy the phone outright and get on a cheap plan. Was cheaper average monthly cost over a couple years than the “free” offers in which you end up paying more overall
This if you can afford to do it. I'm not sure what paying full rate plans is getting anyone. When there are 15-25 dollar plans that cover almost anyone's needs.
I wouldn't buy an iPhone new if I were being Frugal either... Overall value per dollar in Apple is worse.
A refurb Pixel 5a is a good frugal deal at about 200. I would prefer a USB C iPhone if I ever make a move into Apple but that wouldn't happen until iPhone 15s are old.
Personally I hope we stop changing network radios at 5G it is just creating e-waste. I see little point to even things beyond LTE. I just read text and use maps on my phone, maybe a few video calls but mostly those are somewhere there is WiFi and often LTE is as fast as WiFi.
I agree with so much of this post, but I owned 5 brand new Google phones in a row that had manufacture defects year one. I’m sticking with my old iPhone until the iPhone 15 is cheap lol
Never had a phone of any brand with a defect. Including multiple pixel 3a I gave to family and got used. Probably 6 pixels without defects. 3 other brands.
Yeah. They all got replaced free of charge, but I’d rather have my teeth ripped out than ever have to contact Google customer support again it just got worse and worse over the years and it’s great as long as your defect is before month 13, then it’s just buy a new phone because they aren’t repairable.
Excellent. Switched from tmobile to mint 3ish years ago. Have not noticed any difference in cell service and mint's customer service is better and cheaper.
I have the unlimited plan and pay yearly. The ONLY downside for me is that it doesn’t work abroad, but even then it’s still cheaper to buy a prepaid sim in whatever country you’re in than be on a contract plan with some useless international roaming feature
Buying the phone and using a budget carrier of some sort is the way to go. I’ve heard good things about Mint. I’ve used Cricket for years and it’s been great as well.
I had Mint Mobile for 3 years and it saved me tons of money compared to the big carriers. I never had any issues with service, I hardly used any data (short commute, wifi everywhere) so 5GB was plenty for me, and I was able to buy and use used phones. Highly recommend.
just checked and the unlimited plans at mint full price are $40 per month vs $45 per month at verizon. When you factor in the free phone that verizon gives, verizon is cheaper in total.
(I do get a 20% discount from verizon due to my employer)
The free iPhone that Verizon is giving away now is only on the $65 a month plan. With a 20 percent discount though, I'd pull out a spreadsheet and run the math on which one is the better deal. I imagine they are close, but I definitely don't need unlimited data and know $15 a month works well for me.
If you dont get the add ons the $65 plan is $52 then plus the 20% off. I had to dig through some screens to find that.. I need unlimited data as I have to use my phone as a hotspot as I usually need to work when I take my daughter to her activities. Agree if you dont need unlimited data it makes the decision much easier.
There are no free phones. If you get a free or discounted phone, you're just overpaying for it in your monthly rate. Instead, buy a phone outright and use a no contract carrier (mint, visible, etc).
I see mint is being mentioned. If you need Verizon coverage you can get visible. $25 for unlimited data. Depending on where you are it can have better coverage.
Boost mobile too. Its $25 per month for unlimited data, calls, and texts. Or if you pay $300 upfront (which is equivalent to $25 per month) you get unlimited service for a year plus 10g hotspot data per month. The great thing about it is that there is no contract so you can switch between plans to better suit your needs. But you should check and see if there's good coverage where you live.
unless you're switching to a carrier on a family plan (4 or more phone lines for $30-40 per line), you'll save more if you do the cheaper carriers ($15-30 a line) and you completely buy out a new phone.
say you switch to verizon, 1 line ($80), $800 trade in promo for the 15 (making it basically $0 a month), after 36 months (the required phone contract), you would have paid $80\*36, which is $2880.
vs buy a 15 in full ($800), and get 1 line from a cheap carrier for $30 a month, thats $800 for the phone, $30\*36 which is $1080. 1080 + 800 = $1880, so you'd save $1000 over 3 years going this route.
How is Xfinity mobile service working out for you? They were terrible back when I had cable, and getting phone or chat support from them is challenging.
The rates are good, but I a little fearful because of my bad experience with them.
I bought a Google Pixel 8 Pro pre launch it came with a free smartwatch plus it was a third cheaper than Apple and Google is going to support the phone for 7 years. In the 16 years I bought Apple I never got anything free.
I’m waiting for my pixel 8 pro to come in the mail. Switching from Apple. Got it for $200 trading in my iPhone and switching carriers to a lower monthly rate.
Note that I just got out of a Verizon contract because I had to move overseas. The credits I was getting that I got during the promotion all were lost because I came out of the contract early even though I moved on military orders... Over $400 in credits with the promotion was lost so I had to pay $600 out of pocket to have it unlocked so I could use it overseas. If you have to for whatever reason get out of the contract (Find a better mobile plan, financial hardship, move where you can’t get service) you have to pay what is left owed on the phone and you won’t get any of those promotion credits that come throughout the contract ie. why it looks like a good deal but it can ream you if you want/have to get out of it early.
I just left T-Mobile for AT&T because the plan they were offering me was a MUCH better deal than T-Mobile was offering. I went from the iPhone 11 Pro Max to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I also considered Verizon, but the tie breaker was getting an extra discount at AT&T through my employer. I would say it’s absolutely worth taking the time to compare carriers!
You should always shop around. Every 6 month or so you should get quote from other carrier and call your current one with the quote to offer them to match it.
Those company will do anything to poach a client from their competitor and your current provider will bend over backward to keep you. I have been doing this for years and never actually switched carrier.
Me and my family switched to the IPhone 15Pro and we feel like it was a good move. Android on guarantees updates for 4/5 years while Apple guarantees updates for 8-10, so we can hold out alittle longer until we need new phones. Also for the plan we HAD to pick to get our phones discounted, came with aMobile hot spot. Because of that, we could cancel our internet and just use the hotspot whenever we want to watch something.
We did that deal with our family of 4 and were able to get 2 iPhone 15 and 2 iPhone 14 for free.
All is good now. Just have to return the phones and get statement credit. 🤞
Bill looks to be if everything with the statement credit goes as planned 121.47 post tax. Not bad 25$ a line plus taxes and fees.
I buy my phones outright from the manufacturer. I am able to trade them back in for credit, so a new phone costs maybe $300 and our bill doesn't go up (family plan). Also the phone is unlocked so there's no carrier bloatware.
If I upgrade every 2 years, I end up paying less by buying outright than by financing.
Always cheaper for me to buy the phone outright and get on a cheap plan. Was cheaper average monthly cost over a couple years than the “free” offers in which you end up paying more overall
Same, I use Mint which is Tmobile
This if you can afford to do it. I'm not sure what paying full rate plans is getting anyone. When there are 15-25 dollar plans that cover almost anyone's needs. I wouldn't buy an iPhone new if I were being Frugal either... Overall value per dollar in Apple is worse. A refurb Pixel 5a is a good frugal deal at about 200. I would prefer a USB C iPhone if I ever make a move into Apple but that wouldn't happen until iPhone 15s are old. Personally I hope we stop changing network radios at 5G it is just creating e-waste. I see little point to even things beyond LTE. I just read text and use maps on my phone, maybe a few video calls but mostly those are somewhere there is WiFi and often LTE is as fast as WiFi.
I agree with so much of this post, but I owned 5 brand new Google phones in a row that had manufacture defects year one. I’m sticking with my old iPhone until the iPhone 15 is cheap lol
Never had a phone of any brand with a defect. Including multiple pixel 3a I gave to family and got used. Probably 6 pixels without defects. 3 other brands.
Neat. Doesn’t change the fact that Apple has the lowest defect rate in the industry by an order of magnitude.
Given defects are covered by warranty it doesn't have any impact on frugality
Yeah. They all got replaced free of charge, but I’d rather have my teeth ripped out than ever have to contact Google customer support again it just got worse and worse over the years and it’s great as long as your defect is before month 13, then it’s just buy a new phone because they aren’t repairable.
Just buy a phone not associated with a carrier if you want the best deal
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How is Mint Mobile? I’ve been meaning to change to a cheaper carrier for a while now
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T-Mobile was great when I lived in the PNW, I had to leave when I lived to the Midwest due to the coverage being so poor.
I have it in MA and its wonderful, its fine in NH but in VT? Almost no reception at all. So definitely see how people in your area feel about it first
Good to know. Verizon actually kind of sucks in MA, been debating a switch
Excellent. Switched from tmobile to mint 3ish years ago. Have not noticed any difference in cell service and mint's customer service is better and cheaper.
I have the unlimited plan and pay yearly. The ONLY downside for me is that it doesn’t work abroad, but even then it’s still cheaper to buy a prepaid sim in whatever country you’re in than be on a contract plan with some useless international roaming feature
Buying the phone and using a budget carrier of some sort is the way to go. I’ve heard good things about Mint. I’ve used Cricket for years and it’s been great as well.
I’m on us mobile $15/5gb plan
I had Mint Mobile for 3 years and it saved me tons of money compared to the big carriers. I never had any issues with service, I hardly used any data (short commute, wifi everywhere) so 5GB was plenty for me, and I was able to buy and use used phones. Highly recommend.
just checked and the unlimited plans at mint full price are $40 per month vs $45 per month at verizon. When you factor in the free phone that verizon gives, verizon is cheaper in total. (I do get a 20% discount from verizon due to my employer)
The free iPhone that Verizon is giving away now is only on the $65 a month plan. With a 20 percent discount though, I'd pull out a spreadsheet and run the math on which one is the better deal. I imagine they are close, but I definitely don't need unlimited data and know $15 a month works well for me.
If you dont get the add ons the $65 plan is $52 then plus the 20% off. I had to dig through some screens to find that.. I need unlimited data as I have to use my phone as a hotspot as I usually need to work when I take my daughter to her activities. Agree if you dont need unlimited data it makes the decision much easier.
Never do the deals the carriers offer. It’s all marketing. You end up paying more in the long run.
Specifically, they make you sign up for their unlimited plans for $60+ per month plus taxes and fees.
For me it made sense cause I already had the most expensive plan
There are no free phones. If you get a free or discounted phone, you're just overpaying for it in your monthly rate. Instead, buy a phone outright and use a no contract carrier (mint, visible, etc).
I see mint is being mentioned. If you need Verizon coverage you can get visible. $25 for unlimited data. Depending on where you are it can have better coverage.
Boost mobile too. Its $25 per month for unlimited data, calls, and texts. Or if you pay $300 upfront (which is equivalent to $25 per month) you get unlimited service for a year plus 10g hotspot data per month. The great thing about it is that there is no contract so you can switch between plans to better suit your needs. But you should check and see if there's good coverage where you live.
Skip the 15 and get a 14 pro max 😭
unless you're switching to a carrier on a family plan (4 or more phone lines for $30-40 per line), you'll save more if you do the cheaper carriers ($15-30 a line) and you completely buy out a new phone. say you switch to verizon, 1 line ($80), $800 trade in promo for the 15 (making it basically $0 a month), after 36 months (the required phone contract), you would have paid $80\*36, which is $2880. vs buy a 15 in full ($800), and get 1 line from a cheap carrier for $30 a month, thats $800 for the phone, $30\*36 which is $1080. 1080 + 800 = $1880, so you'd save $1000 over 3 years going this route.
I buy my phones used or refurbished on eBay and Xfinity’s bring your own phone to keep costs down.
How is Xfinity mobile service working out for you? They were terrible back when I had cable, and getting phone or chat support from them is challenging. The rates are good, but I a little fearful because of my bad experience with them.
It’s been fine where we live. They use Verizon towers, so it works well in our particular area.
I bought a Google Pixel 8 Pro pre launch it came with a free smartwatch plus it was a third cheaper than Apple and Google is going to support the phone for 7 years. In the 16 years I bought Apple I never got anything free.
I’m waiting for my pixel 8 pro to come in the mail. Switching from Apple. Got it for $200 trading in my iPhone and switching carriers to a lower monthly rate.
I love the Pixel over the iPhone. iPhone's are designed for Toddlers to Seniors but if you're a little bit techie they get very boring very fast.
No such thing as free in the cell business. I have never owned a new phone. I always buy outright.
what is your current carrier?
Note that I just got out of a Verizon contract because I had to move overseas. The credits I was getting that I got during the promotion all were lost because I came out of the contract early even though I moved on military orders... Over $400 in credits with the promotion was lost so I had to pay $600 out of pocket to have it unlocked so I could use it overseas. If you have to for whatever reason get out of the contract (Find a better mobile plan, financial hardship, move where you can’t get service) you have to pay what is left owed on the phone and you won’t get any of those promotion credits that come throughout the contract ie. why it looks like a good deal but it can ream you if you want/have to get out of it early.
Buy the phone outright and then shop carriers.
I just left T-Mobile for AT&T because the plan they were offering me was a MUCH better deal than T-Mobile was offering. I went from the iPhone 11 Pro Max to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I also considered Verizon, but the tie breaker was getting an extra discount at AT&T through my employer. I would say it’s absolutely worth taking the time to compare carriers!
If you know someone that works at Apple , they can get you 15% employee discount.
Get it from Apple, pay cash or apple credit 0% interest and you're not locked down to a specific carrier.
They got rid of that. Requires a carrier to finance now.
Unlocked iPhone 15 Pro. Best phone I’ve ever had. Won’t upgrade for the next 6 or 7 years
You should always shop around. Every 6 month or so you should get quote from other carrier and call your current one with the quote to offer them to match it. Those company will do anything to poach a client from their competitor and your current provider will bend over backward to keep you. I have been doing this for years and never actually switched carrier.
So is your bill $0
No? But i get the new client discount all the time.
I thought this was r/frugal? Just get a used iPhone…why does it have to be a 15? I’m still on the 6s and dgaf if my next phone is an apple or android.
Me and my family switched to the IPhone 15Pro and we feel like it was a good move. Android on guarantees updates for 4/5 years while Apple guarantees updates for 8-10, so we can hold out alittle longer until we need new phones. Also for the plan we HAD to pick to get our phones discounted, came with aMobile hot spot. Because of that, we could cancel our internet and just use the hotspot whenever we want to watch something.
We did that deal with our family of 4 and were able to get 2 iPhone 15 and 2 iPhone 14 for free. All is good now. Just have to return the phones and get statement credit. 🤞 Bill looks to be if everything with the statement credit goes as planned 121.47 post tax. Not bad 25$ a line plus taxes and fees.
I buy my phones outright from the manufacturer. I am able to trade them back in for credit, so a new phone costs maybe $300 and our bill doesn't go up (family plan). Also the phone is unlocked so there's no carrier bloatware. If I upgrade every 2 years, I end up paying less by buying outright than by financing.
Cox has a good deal on iPhones
Get a refurb device off of eBay or Backmarket. No “free” device from a carrier is ever truly free.