Re: T-Mobile kills 2-year contracts

[andrew s]

Paul Miner wrote on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:35:01 -0500:

> Instead of paying one lump sum for a smartphone and
> 24 months worth of contract, consumers can pay a minimal upfront cost of a
> smartphone and then a monthly fee as part of their bill.

I called T-Mobile today to ask how it works, and, it seems
that the existing contracts will still run their 2-year course.

However, for NEW equipment, we can now buy a phone in the same
model as we buy a car today:
a) We agree on a total hardware price (e.g., say, $300).
b) We pay the initial down payment (e.g., say, $60).
c) The rest is payed over 24 months (i.e., $10/month).

What I like about this plan is the sheer simplicity
(which is why I had moved from AT&T to T-Mobile in the
first place - since AT&T won't allow you to own a smartphone
without also forcing you into a data plan even if you don't
want a data plan for your kids!).

[Trevor]

Too bad I paid outright for my Google Nexus 4 and switched to a Value
Plan with a new 2 year contract just a month ago. Except since I don't
plan on going anywhere, I guess the contract doesn't really matter. I
still own my phone for a lot less than what T-Mobile would have charged
me, and my monthly service fee is significantly lower than it was with a
Classic plan.

[nob...@nada.com]

If you have your own phone and want a data package, you can get a
T-Mobile no contract plan for about the same price as a comparable
value (now their regular) plan.