So what's the deal with cell phone companies.

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MileHighDart

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Why is it that you can get a much better deal on a plan, with more data if you sign up and buy your phone and plan online, rather than in store?

Going to switch to Verizon prepaid plan $45 for 8gb high speed data, and for a limited time the'll throw in another 8gb. That's what I read on their site anyway.
Go into the local Verizon store, nope, only get 8gb.

And, they sell the Motorola G6, and the cheaper, less impressive G6-play.
You can only get the G6-play if you go with the prepaid plan. Why wouldn't they want to sell the more expensive phone regardless if your going prepaid, or contract?
 
Why do people even have a cellphone contract these days. Pay as ya go is future. Just like pay as you go streaming.
 
My wife and I have Google Fi service. $35/line plus $10 for every Gig. But...you get refunded for any data you don't use. For example, I pay up front for 2 GB but only use 1.5 GB, I get $5 off next month's bill. I think you no longer pay after 8 GB but I rarely go over 2 with wifi at home.

Right after I bought a Pixel 3a XL from Google for $349, Best Buy had them for $200.

If you go through the online, you'll probably get the extra 8GB.
 
66fyssh said:
My wife and I have Google Fi service. $35/line plus $10 for every Gig. But...you get refunded for any data you don't use. For example, I pay up front for 2 GB but only use 1.5 GB, I get $5 off next month's bill. I think you no longer pay after 8 GB but I rarely go over 2 with wifi at home.

Right after I bought a Pixel 3a XL from Google for $349, Best Buy had them for $200.

If you go through the online, you'll probably get the extra 8GB.
Click to expand...

Yeah, part of this was me not reading the fine print...lol
But surprised the guy at the store didn't know about it. You don't get your 8gb doubled until you sign up for autopay. So you have to sign up for the 8gb plan, at $50 per month,buy a phone and activate it, THEN you can sign up for auto pay which will double the gb, and gives you a $5.00 discount so it's $45 a month.
 
Also was finally able to "chat" online with an actual person at Verizon.

Turns out I can put a Moto G6 on the prepaid, I just have to pay full retail for the phone, not their discount "prepaid" phone price.
So she said that I could buy an unlocked G6 straight for Motorola for instance, and then bring it in and have it activated with the prepaid plan. So I can use that phone, just cant get it from Verizon.
 
free phones are tied to a 2+ year contract. ~50/mo thats $1200 right there to subsidize the cost of the phone. Data cost nothing to the carriers....sort of like long distance to the landline carriers, its a cash cow. If you dont stream away from your house wifi, you can easily get by with <2GB of data and thats including using maps and casual internet use. if you get a BYOP account , get a cheap BLU phone at a retailer for $150, great phone no plan attached.
 
Nuts! To me a phone is for talking. I don't do text. Don't even have it activated. I have Consumer Cellular for both my cellular flip phone, and my home phone. $35 per month, total for both, unlimited minutes. I have basic Spectrum for my computer/wifi at $14.99/mo, and antenna for TV which is free.
 
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