Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Verizon told me the full price of my 6 and how that was broken down based on two different plans I could choose.

In the end since I had completed and past the end of my contract on the 4s the 6 was free. Pay 200 to get it and get 200 back for returning the 4s.

There are some good deals out there but most people don't look for them or worse ignore them. There are people won't do the 4s or such trade in because "its a hassle". Yeah, they mail you mailer and you send it back in postage paid. Oh, fill out a form on the site to start the process.

There are people who don't care what the true price is just as there are people who don't want to know; they aren't the same people




Actually, you aren't aware of the full price of your contract either. The second you get the opportunity to upgrade you should take it and seek to maximize the value of the discount you get.

Phone upgrades are like a call option you get every two years but since you had a 4S you let some time slide in between excercing. If you didn't like the 5s the better move would have been to upgrade anyway and immediately sell the phone, possibly saving the money to buy one later or spend it on something else.

The longer you wait to upgrade, once you have the ability, the less your upgrade is worth to you as the carrier has already made the discount back (and then some) through your payments.

The optimal strategy is to hit it as soon as you get it.


This is why I don't like this model. I don't need or want to spend money on a new phone every two years, but if I don't exercise the option, I'm leaving money on the table.

I think the optimal strategy is to avoid "buying" the option to begin with, get a cheap unsubsidized plan, get an inexpensive phone, and keep it for three to five years.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: