contrails

Eskimo Ave

gloopy

That's because you did a lot of things at once and that helped move numbers around so you don't see the cost. That's how they set it up, and that's what they count on you thinking of it as.

Plans change. Lately they've changed a lot. They used to build more core cost in to all the plans, which is why they could "subsidize" the phones for you. Now plans are generally cheaper and include a lot more (minutes and texts were all add on extras for most plans not that long ago) so if you did nothing other than move your paid for phone to the plan you have now, you would be paying even less per month than you are now.

But all most people care about is "out the door" or "per month" costs. That's how they obfuscate the true price of the phones they are selling. Rest assured you are paying full retail for your phone, and it costs about 700-800 dollars.

Part of that may be offset by your trade in, and the $299 "down payment" even though they don't call it that. But you are essentially financing the remainder into your plan. You don't see it because while you were doing all that, she moved you to a cheaper plan, and that's great. But that plan was available to you regardless, and you could have moved to that same cheaper plan anyway with your old phone, and if you did you would be paying less per month than you are right now.

Whatever your monthly bill is, it is higher for the next 12-24 months than it would be under the exact same plan had you switched to that exact same plan and brought your own paid off phone (your old phone).

gloopy

Didn't UAL pay someone off to get a ridiculous 777/787 common type of some sort?

Purple Drank

Thanks, bro. I did some hard time in the big house. Word to the wise: don't use one of those puffy things in the shower bay. Apparently it sends the wrong message.

Sink r8

You're all over it, Gloopy. I recently asked, about five different ways, what the benefit was of being eligible for an upgrade with AT&T wireless, and not once did I get a good answer. They want you on the "Next" plan, whereby you're leasing the latest phone, for the highest possible price.

It's like renting your sofa, maybe worse.

As far as I could tell, the best option is to buy the phone outright, and not try to mask the cost, because it's always there. The more masking, the greater the actual cost.

Purple Drank

So many loopholes and exemptions I can't keep them straight!

gloopy

I agree, however they don't want you to do that so they make it as hard as possible to actually buy the phone for the price they actually charge for it without getting into their money shuffling plans.

Apple flat out will not sell you a fully paid for iPhone 6 other than the T Mobile option, which I guess you could maybe take to another carrier if you paid two activation fees, who knows. Other than that, you have to look hard for how to do it. You usually will have to go to the service provider website or certain brick and mortar stores (not all can do it). Even then its a well hidden option burried well below the other lease/financing options, and you will likely be the only person any given salesman has ever dealt with that has tried to do it.

Even then, you'll have the latest phone with half the storage of the latest cellular iPad Mini3 at the same price or more.

They know people won't upgrade every year or two if they put the true price they have to pay on a sticker up front. That's why they lead with $299 or no money down and roll the rest into plans with some very fuzzy math.

CheapTrick

That's a good word right there. And I probably shouldn't have to say it, but scented bath oils screams the wrong message.

Hrkdrivr

Answering my own question. EMail from the Easybid/Easyswap folks says it won't work on the Surface 2, because it uses Windows RT versus a full-up version of Windows, which it needs. Later versions of the Surface use Windows 8.x, I guess.

Hrkdrivr

I put in a WS for a specific trip in open time. The value is below my p/u limit, there are no turn-time issues...the trip falls into a huge blank spot in my schedule.

Last PCS run, no award, yet the trip is still in open time. Aren't white slips awarded every PCS run? I though as long as nobody senior to me asked for it via WS, it would be awarded. Where am I wrong?