Why not just buy the device from the manufacturer, swap the sim, and boom you’re “upgraded”.
It blows my mind how people think ‘carrier store’ = ‘cell phone store’ and it’s the only place to get them. Friends and family were baffled by this new information when I had this discussion with them. Imagine thinking that the only place you can buy a vehicle is at [your insurance company’s local office]. All the carrier is doing is offering the service, and they sell phones too for convenience (and to lock in customers but shhh).
Not everyone has the luxury of spending $1200 cash on a phone outright. Unfortunately, the payment plan is a big factor for a lot of people (in a “family” plan.)
Yeah if you want a flagship, that’s how they get you. You can also get pretty decent phones for a few hundred on eBay. Like a couple year old flagship for less than half the original price. But if you’re adamant about having the latest and greatest, you have no one to blame but yourself.
I still get charged an activation fee for putting my sim in a new phone. It’s bullshit. I bought my phone outright from Apple. AT&T still charged the $30 activation fee.
Both those are for line activation, not switching devices. My main line currently is with AT&T small biz and I’ve moved from Pixel 6 Pro > 7 Pro > 8 Pro by just popping the sim in. No charges. When tmo postpaid was my main provider, same thing, charged once initially and that was it. For tmo prepaid, I currently have family on lines and again nothing beyond the initial sim charge. And as I recall, esim is free (as it should be).
If you don’t go to a store for assistance or do something weird (try and move from a phone to a tablet or something; and that limit is only for postpaid lines afaik), there should be no fee. It’s only when you involve a staff member do they charge you for assistance. Unless tmo changed the policy for postpaid lines in the last 2y, my experience doesn’t match yours o.O
Why not just buy the device from the manufacturer, swap the sim, and boom you’re “upgraded”.
It blows my mind how people think ‘carrier store’ = ‘cell phone store’ and it’s the only place to get them. Friends and family were baffled by this new information when I had this discussion with them. Imagine thinking that the only place you can buy a vehicle is at [your insurance company’s local office]. All the carrier is doing is offering the service, and they sell phones too for convenience (and to lock in customers but shhh).
Not everyone has the luxury of spending $1200 cash on a phone outright. Unfortunately, the payment plan is a big factor for a lot of people (in a “family” plan.)
Yeah if you want a flagship, that’s how they get you. You can also get pretty decent phones for a few hundred on eBay. Like a couple year old flagship for less than half the original price. But if you’re adamant about having the latest and greatest, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Shit, just go to Google and you can get last year’s pixel for like $500 new.
I still get charged an activation fee for putting my sim in a new phone. It’s bullshit. I bought my phone outright from Apple. AT&T still charged the $30 activation fee.
Both those are for line activation, not switching devices. My main line currently is with AT&T small biz and I’ve moved from Pixel 6 Pro > 7 Pro > 8 Pro by just popping the sim in. No charges. When tmo postpaid was my main provider, same thing, charged once initially and that was it. For tmo prepaid, I currently have family on lines and again nothing beyond the initial sim charge. And as I recall, esim is free (as it should be).
If you don’t go to a store for assistance or do something weird (try and move from a phone to a tablet or something; and that limit is only for postpaid lines afaik), there should be no fee. It’s only when you involve a staff member do they charge you for assistance. Unless tmo changed the policy for postpaid lines in the last 2y, my experience doesn’t match yours o.O