Switching to AT&T Next...is it worth it???

[pfry10]

My wife and I each have iPhone 5's and are with AT&T and have grandfathered unlimited data plans. I have been debating switching us over to their NEXT plan and would like any feedback from others who have switched. Good, bad, indifferent.

Looking over over our data usage over the past 2 years, we have only every once gone over 6GB. I'm looking at the 10GB family plan for 2 phones which starts at $130. We want to upgrade to the iPhone 6 64GB, which would add $75/m to the bill. Figure in $20/m in "fees", I am expecting our bill to be $225/month. Currently with our unlimited plans we are paying $179/m. I would be paying $46/m more, but no out of pocket costs. Only sales tax on the phones. My thinking is I would have to pay $598 upfront to go with a regular 2 yr agreement subsidized price or $552 ($46x12) with the NEXT plan and have the option to upgrade each year. If we don't want to upgrade, the $75/m charge drops off after 20 months.

I think its worth the switch knowing I can get the new iPhone each year it's released, but if I choose not to, I get a cheaper bill down the road.

Thoughts? Any flaws in my thinking?

 

[HankAZ]

I did the analysis for my family and decided to stay where we are - the Family Share plan and the 2 year contract with upgrades. My FAN (corporate discount) gets the upgrade fees waived, so that’s not an issue. I get less of a discount on the new Mobile Share plans with Next plan. Sounds like you’ve done the work to determine what the best deal is for your situation.

The only flaw that I see with the Next plan is that people talk about getting a new phone every year, but that is where AT&T cleans up. If you get a phone on 9/19, you will agree to make either 20 or 24 monthly payments on that phone. But if you want to upgrade in 12 months (iPhone 6S next September), you will either have to pay off the balance on the iPhone 6 (another 8 or 12 payments in a lump sum) OR give the iPhone 6 back to AT&T and essentially forfeit the 12 months of payments that you made. In your case, it would be double, since you’re doing 2 phones. It’s basically an equipment lease deal.

In my particular case, we have enough lines that we have multiple upgrades each year, alternating between 2 and 3 lines, so we get a couple of phones and pass the year old phones around the family. That works for us. YMMV.

 

[EmceeGeek]

Once I saw they charged a fee even if you bring your own phone, I lost interest.

 

[nikkisharif]

Once I saw they charged a fee even if you bring your own phone, I lost interest.

Wow...that's crazy!!