Can someone explain cell phone upgrades?

I mean I was fine with doing the two year contract with a $200 phone. Whatever.

I just can't fathom paying $600 for a phone. Especially since they had no issues selling it for $200 not even a few years ago

You used to pay $40 per line and now pay $25 per line. Our cell phone bill is as cheap as it’s ever been and we all have unlimited.

Overall you are paying the same just in different ways

That’s on you for not changing your plan

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I'll stick with my s6 until it stops working before I pay $600+ for a phone

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Look for one cheaper then? Is it that hard?

My bill goes down the equivalent of the difference?

I have unlimited text and unlimited data.

I find it difficult to believe they are gonna charge me $25 per line (as a previous poster mentioned) with all that just bc I buy a $600 phone.

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I find it difficult to believe they are gonna charge me $25 per line (as a previous poster mentioned) with all that just bc I buy a $600 phone.

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That's on you then... Verizon or AT&T it doesn't matter. That is the standard pricing model now plus your phone payment. Once phone is paid off then it's just $25 hence your bill dropping. Go look at your carrier's website instead of asking on here since you think everyone's opinion on here is incorrect.

They still get their money those first two years in the form of the monthly phone payment and the monthly usage payment.

The perk is after the phone is paid off that payment is gone leaving you with a lower monthly bill. It does actually work out better for most folks once you get your head around it. It's just a different pricing model to allow the phone companies to make a killing on the crazies that change their phone out every year for some reason.

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at least this way, now people understand how expensive flagship phones really are instead of thinking the mini computer in your hand is only $200.

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I always saw the "market price" (for lack of a better term) of the phones I was purchasing. I thought they were simply bloated to allow for these "free upgrades" and the $200 replacement costs.

I was fine with $200 and paying my phone bill every month.

I'm going to head to the AT&T store tomorrow to see what I can do.

I never changed my plan because I was grandfathered in with unlimited data whenever unlimited data was no longer offered. Now it seems that is not the case.

If I can get the same pricing outcome over the 24 months I pay for the phone, I'm okay with that. But it wouldn't make sense, in my mind, to pay the extra $400 for the phone and still pay the same amount for my bill.

Their website doesn't do a great job of explaining the transition for my current plan to the new ones with the monthly phone payments.

Good news is, I tend to keep phones for a while before I switch, so I won't take the hit there by having to give the phone back any time soon.

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Also, unlimited data is available again so you can change your plan to the new version without fear of losing your grandfathered unlimited data plan.

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This was the entire reason I never changed my plan on my last phone purchase 2-3 years ago.

I'm glad I brought this question up. I had no reason to keep up with what was going (concerning their business model) as I was satisfied with what I had.

Thanks for everyone's help