My Blog, Your Money

I recently heard some advice that you should buy cell phones unlocked so that you don’t get locked into expensive contracts set by the carriers.  At the time, I didn’t think it was a very good idea because carriers subsidize their phones making them much more affordable.  Without the subsidies, phones can get pretty expensive.  If you plan on sticking with your carrier for a while, I thought that it was a pretty good deal to just get your phone with your plan.

With that said, I still ended up buying an unlocked phone because my previous phone died on me and my carrier didn’t have the one I wanted.  It wasn’t a bargain, but it was worth it to me.

That was a while ago and I saw a pretty good deal on a new phone so I paid a visit to AT&T.   When I tried to get it though, I was told I would only qualify for the rebates if I got the phone with a $30 a month data plan.  This is $20 more a month than what I’m currently paying for data.  Over the course of the 2-year contract that I’d have to sign to qualify, that’s $480!  Since the phone was only being subsidized $200, I’d end up paying $280 more!  Needless to say, I decided to keep my phone.

I guess, in some cases, buying unlocked phones actually does make more financial sense.