How Do You Buy Your New Phones?

Just a few years ago, there weren’t a lot of options for buying new phones. You could either buy them outright, or sign a contract. Now there are more options than ever, so we want to know, how do you buy your new phones?

The number of ways that you can buy new phones has increased dramatically over the years. It used to be the case that you had to sign a two year contract to get a subsidized price or pay the full price up front. Now there are tons of options, including but not limited to:

• Carrier financing: Some carriers will allow you to finance your phones, adding an extra monthly charge to your cell phone bill until it’s paid off.
• Early upgrade plans: While not all of them are great deals, many carriers offer some kind of early upgrade plans that let you swap out your old phone more often than every two years.
• Carrier leasing: Even newer than upgrade plans, T-Mobile recently introduced a program that lets you lease a phone for 18 months, with the option to trade in up to three times a year.
• Manufacturer financing: While not every manufacturer has given this option, companies like Motorola sometimes allow you to finance phones directly from the source, with no carrier involvement whatsoever.
• Buying used: Sites like Swappa have popped up specifically for the purpose of buying and selling used phones. Of course you can also find them on older sites like eBay or Craigslist.
• Carrier subsidies: The most common way to buy phones for years, most carriers still allow you to buy a heavily subsidized phone with a two year contract.
• Paying full retail price: You can almost always just buy a handset for full price. Many manufacturers are putting out cheaper and cheaper handsets, making this more feasible.

Not all of these options are good for everyone, but the number of choices for how to pay for that expensive hunk of glass and metal in your pocket has never been greater. What have you found that works for you? Let us know how you prefer to buy your phones, as well as the country and carrier you’re in so we have a bit of context.

Photo by Nicola.

from Lifehacker http://ift.tt/1H606YL

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