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Roderick Scott 0
Photo: AllThingsD
The past week or so, the phone carriers have been competing with each other to offer consumers the option to upgrade your device earlier than two years.  T-Mobile was first with their Jump plan, then came AT&T with their Next plan, and finally Verizon with the Edge plan.  At this point, it’s only a matter of time before Sprint gets into the mix.  With everyone following T-Mobile’s lead, it’s time to see is it actually worth it.

Let’s recap on the details behind the 3 plans, shall we?

T-Mobile’s Jump asks for $10 monthly w/ included insurance on your device.  You still have to put $$$ down on a device and payment monthly installments along with your rate plan.  Jump allows you to upgrade twice per year.  

AT&T’s Next asks for no monthly plan fee but requires you to pay monthly installment fees for your device that range from $15-$50.  After 12 months, you have the option to upgrade or continue paying the device off.  If you do wind up joining Next, always upgrade – the latter with be really expensive in the long run.

And lastly, Verizon’s Edge is similar to AT&T’s as it requires no monthly fees but device installments.  The difference here is that after 6 months, you have the option to upgrade only if you have paid 50% off of the full price of the device.  VZW subscribers interested in joining the Edge plan must be part of the carrier’s Share Everything plan as well.  

FYI: All plans require you to trade-in your device when upgrading and your monthly plans aren’t discounted when you join either.

Photo: AllThingsD

As you can see there is a bit of math involved to see the big picture in costs.  While this is a classic case of monkey see, monkey do – the originator is actually the better of the 3.  The ‘uncarrier’ T-Mobile’s early upgrade plan is the only one that makes sense – more or less.  While the carrier is just growing its LTE network, its HSPA+ still offers great speeds to fall back on and a great selection of devices to choose from.   AT&T has the phones and LTE speed + coverage but in competition to best Verizon, the Next plan plan is a complete & utter consumer rip-off.  Verizon’s phone selection this year has been MIA and their plans are expensive but they have the LTE speed + coverage.  The Edge plan plays off of AT&T’s a bit but doesn’t cost as much.

In reality, it’s just another way for the carriers to make more $$$ off of you by dangling a shiny new phone in front you.

These early upgrades are only worth it if you can spare the $$$ which is not the case for the masses.  At the end of the day, these plans benefit the carriers more than the consumer.  I would say to buy the phone out right if you can to avoid paying more in the long run.  You can always sell it on eBay or Craigslist to get $$$ for something new.  

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Categories: ATT T-Mobile Verizon VZ Edge

Author: Roderick Scott

Father. Husband. Creative. Mild foodie. Batman in my dreams.