Should I switch to the AT&T Next program?

I'll break this down so you can decide (hint: it'll be obvious). I'm assuming that since you are on a 2-year contract cycle, you probably get a new phone every two years, so we'll look at 24-month costs, including the service and equipment (your phone). I'll also assume your subsidized phone price is $199 + tax + $40 upgrade fee. If you tend to get more expensive phones (e.g. iPhones with 64gb+), no big deal as it doesn't affect the difference too much.

Your current plan, you said, is around $70 a month. I'm assuming that the limitations of your plan (4GB and 500 minutes) are seldom and issue, if ever.

$70 x 24 = $1,680
Phone upgrade w/ new contract = ~$258 including tax and upgrade fee
Total 24-month costs on current plan for subsidized smartphone with 4GB/unl. text/500 talk = ~$1,938

Now, if you switched to AT&T's new plans. Two choices here: the $30 per month 2GB plan, or the $50 per month 5GB plan.

But, that $30 or $50 is not all you pay. You see, that's just the cost of the service. AT&T now charges a separate fee to actually use a fricking phone on that service. Not to just add a second phone, but to add any smartphone whatsoever. The monthly charge for this is as follows:

If you choose a 5GB or less plan: $25/mo. per smartphone
If you choose a plan higher than 5GB: $15/mo. per smartphone

Yep, $10 more per month if you have the audacity to choose less data.

So, let's say you go with the modest 2GB plan. That's $30 per month, plus another $25 per month since you in fact probably want to use a smartphone on the plan. $55/month

$55 x 24 = $1320

That same flagship phone you got for $258 would now be $708.50 ($650 + estimated 9% tax that's due to AT&T up front). And this is assuming you treat the Next plan as an interest-free loan and pay off the phone instead of being a sucker with the 12-month upgrade.

Total 24-month costs for new smartphone with ATT Next 2GB/unl. text/unl. talk = ~$2,028.50. Perhaps a few hundred less if you keep your phone for 3 years instead of 2, or decide to go with a cheaper phone like a Nexus or One Plus.

If you go with the 5GB plan instead of 2GB, 24-month costs become $2,508.50.


EDIT: Sorry, I totally missed the part where you said you keep phones for 3 or 4 years. You benefit a whole lot more if you use that subsidized upgrade every 2 years, because you're in an older plan that doesn't penalize you by raising your monthly bill if you do the discounted upgrade. However, if you do keep a phone for 4 years, cut the calculated phone costs in half in this case. So your current 4GB plan ends up costing an average of $1809 over 2 years, and switching to the 2GB plan as described above would have a 2-year cost of about $1674 (you'll pay more per month initially until the phone is paid off, but since you wouldn't buy a new phone after 24-months in this scenario, it'll average out to a little lower over 4 years). If you want 5GB, it's $2154 over 2 years on average.

EDIT2: If you're just looking to get out of the endless cycle of AT&T contracts, I second the suggestion for Project Fi, or Straight Talk, especially since you keep your phones for so long. AT&T's plans are designed to look attractive for people who like shiny-and-new as often as possible but don't like the idea of paying for shiny-and-new in full up front.

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I'm assuming that since you are on a 2-year contract cycle, you probably get a new phone every two years,

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Incorrect, read my OP

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Straight Talk

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Can you bring any ATT phone to Straight talk, so if I go to Amazon or craigslist and buy a Note 5, I can use it on ST?

Att next is like buying a phone at 0 percent interest. Just never trade it in. you get a discount off your bill with att next.

If you want to go in another direction, cricket uses att's network and their prices are easy to understand. I think att's are slightly lower though

Why are you even worried about this right now? You said you keep your phone 3-4 yrs. You haven't even had your current phone for 2 yrs. You are contradicting yourself some.

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Why are you even worried about this right now? You said you keep your phone 3-4 yrs. You haven't even had your current phone for 2 yrs. You are contradicting yourself some.

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My contract is up next month, so I can keep my phone and go elsewhere.... Doesn't matter how long I keep my phone since the contract is up.

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I'm assuming you want to stick with AT&T towers, so yep, any AT&T phone will work, including a Note 5 supporting the GSM network.

There aren't too many restrictions, if any, on what phone you can use with Straight Talk -- GSM or CDMA, locked or unlocked (I believe CDMA phones have to be unlocked because while GSM essentially controls phones via the SIM card, CDMA ties customer data to the actual phone and won't let you go to another carrier without its permission).

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Thanks. What I thought. I have a Note 4, and the wife has a S5 active. My contact with ATT was up in August, but I haven't done anything yet, not renewed or researched much. Have been thinking about Straight Talk, as ATT is the dominant provider here, and I can't get decent sprint coverage out in the country where I live. Need to be on ATT towers, and I have ATT now.

So, I could switch with my phones, just get new sims and away I go it sounds like. I'm paying $150/2 now with ATT, could likely go to about $90 with ST, but I would lose my unlimited data, but unlike most, I rarely use more than 2Gb in a month. I don't stream unless I'm on wifi, and mainly use data when driving and needing info, or GPS. I think I could save some real money if I can convince myself to switch.

I will call ATT and tell them what I'm planning and see what they offer me to not switch.