Is note 3 worthy of full retail?

[tiger85]

I have three phones on my account one smartphone with unlimited data, basic cell phone and home phone through Verizon. Was wondering if it would be worth paying full price for the note 3 to save my unlimited data? Was also looking to upgrade my basic phone to smartphone at beginning of the year and was wondering if big red would force me to change my entire plan to upgrade my basic cell to a smartphone. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[dasanman69]

I have three phones on my account one smartphone with unlimited data, basic cell phone and home phone through Verizon. Was wondering if it would be worth paying full price for the note 3 to save my unlimited data? Was also looking to upgrade my basic phone to smartphone at beginning of the year and was wondering if big red would force me to change my entire plan to upgrade my basic cell to a smartphone. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

That would depend on how much data you use a month. If you are a heavy user than it makes sense since the overage charges would eventually cost way more than if you had purchased the phone at full retail.

Edit: you can also upgrade the basic phone to a smartphone then switch the smartphone onto your current smartphone account and revert the new smartphone account back to a basic phone line.

 

[bkdodger]

It will definitely depend on how much data you use...If heavy then outright would make sense because if you look at the price difference of $400 (retail vs sub) you will save over the course of the contract by paying less monthly for data...as for the basic line you can get it's own data when you buy a smartphone...keep in mind if you think you don't use enough and can get on wifi often maybe a plan with both phones might benefit you as well...

 

[tiger85]

Right now I'm using between 4 and 7gb each month but I'm not using GPS like I normally would because my phone overheats . I would normally use on average 7 hours a week with my GPS.

 

[dezymond]

Depends on your data usage and whether you think the device itself is worth full retail or not. Considering your average data use that's a pretty wide gap, but I would think a 6gb tiered plan should suffice. Then again you haven't been using GPS and navigation uses data, so you could easily go over that 7gb average. Your call though.

 

[bkdodger]

Factor in the new phone and how much more you will be using it..I know myself my data is higher since the N2...especially that battery is a work horse..

N2 tap'd HD

 

[tiger85]

Good point on factoring in more use. My spectrum gets so hot and times it shuts down so that may be why there's a wide range of data use. Because it get so frustrated with it overheating. I'm on my second one and its no better than the first. I'm trying to hold out till January to upgrade but not sure if I can wait.

 

[New2u]

My problem is Verizon is that I have a discount through them which gives me 20% off my phone bill, and 25% off my data package, which nets me around 23$ savings a month on my plan. The new plans only allow you to use the discount towards your data. So I would actually be paying more money to Verizon to go from unlimited to 2GB. So it doesn't just go by how much data you use, but also if you'd actually end up paying more for your service going through their new plan system, because after 24 months if your paying say 5$ a month more for the new plan then you saved an extra 120$ throughout the next 2 years.

This is all under the assumption that verizon will allow people with unlimited to stay that way for 2 years. Since we are month by month, technically verizon could easily screw us over.

 

[TheMaskedMamba]

IMO, no phone is worth retail especially the way they're priced these days. If I can't get it at a discounted rate then I won't get it

Sent from my SG Note Deux using Tapatalk 4

 

[jseah]

My problem is Verizon is that I have a discount through them which gives me 20% off my phone bill, and 25% off my data package, which nets me around 23$ savings a month on my plan. The new plans only allow you to use the discount towards your data. So I would actually be paying more money to Verizon to go from unlimited to 2GB. So it doesn't just go by how much data you use, but also if you'd actually end up paying more for your service going through their new plan system, because after 24 months if your paying say 5$ a month more for the new plan then you saved an extra 120$ throughout the next 2 years.

This is all under the assumption that verizon will allow people with unlimited to stay that way for 2 years. Since we are month by month, technically verizon could easily screw us over.

IMO, no phone is worth retail especially the way they're priced these days. If I can't get it at a discounted rate then I won't get it

Sent from my SG Note Deux using Tapatalk 4

For me, I get a 21% "account" (voice) discount and 20% on data, although in lieu of the 20% data discount I am getting the $20 per line Talk Text & Data discount on my 5 smartphone lines. That $100 per month discount makes it a no-brainer to pay full retail to keep unlimited. The $100 a month I am saving to keep unlimited more than makes up for having to pay full retail. Over a two year contract/upgrade cycle, that works out to be $480 per line that can be applied against any subsidy that I could get if I used a subsidized upgrade. For example, with the Note 3, I am just paying $400 more for full retail versus subsidized. The last subsidized upgrades that I used was for two S3's. I have purchased a Note 2, S4 and now a Note 3 at full retail.

 

[TheMaskedMamba]

For me, I get a 21% "account" (voice) discount and 20% on data, although in lieu of the 20% data discount I am getting the $20 per line Talk Text & Data discount on my 5 smartphone lines. That $100 per month discount makes it a no-brainer to pay full retail to keep unlimited. The $100 a month I am saving to keep unlimited more than makes up for having to pay full retail. Over a two year contract/upgrade cycle, that works out to be $480 per line that can be applied against any subsidy that I could get if I used a subsidized upgrade. For example, with the Note 3, I am just paying $400 more for full retail versus subsidized. The last subsidized upgrades that I used was for two S3's. I have purchased a Note 2, S4 and now a Note 3 at full retail.

Like you said yours is a no brainer and like you, I have unlimited everything. I bought the N2 for $350 from someone who had it for 2 days and didn't like it. And since I manage my jobs corporate account, I'm using the upgrade on my company blackberry to get the N3.

So I totally understand your point, I've just never had to.... Knock on wood!

Sent from my SG Note Deux using Tapatalk 4

 

[wcjeep]

That would depend on how much data you use a month. If you are a heavy user than it makes sense since the overage charges would eventually cost way more than if you had purchased the phone at full retail.

Edit: you can also upgrade the basic phone to a smartphone then switch the smartphone onto your current smartphone account and revert the new smartphone account back to a basic phone line.

This upgrade does work. I've had three friends do this. Two accomplished it at Best Buy. The third at Costco. It may take two days.

 

[droidprincess]

I am having a hard time seeing myself paying $700+ just to keep unlimited data when I dont use more than 4gb a month......just my opinion

 

[maf113]

I have three phones on my account one smartphone with unlimited data, basic cell phone and home phone through Verizon. Was wondering if it would be worth paying full price for the note 3 to save my unlimited data? Was also looking to upgrade my basic phone to smartphone at beginning of the year and was wondering if big red would force me to change my entire plan to upgrade my basic cell to a smartphone. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

That depends on your current plan. I have one with 550 shared minutes and 500 Text on regular phone and one smart phone with unlimited data. To go to one of the new plans with 2GB of data would cost me over $50 more per month. I figured the pay back on the phone was less than 6 months for the difference between the upgrade price and the full price. When I was at the Verizon Store the clerk asked me about using the easy payment plan. I asked if i could keep my unlimited data and he said no. So my question to him was why would i want to pay more per month and get less in return?

 

[k1ngr4t]

What everyone else said. But a few things to consider...

If you decide to go the get a phone for retail and then put that phone on the unlimited line route, be wary of going to a Verizon store. They pulled a fast one on me and a few others I've seen on here when trying this, saying Verizon no longer allows it. I fought over it for a good 10 minutes but the lady INSISTED it wasn't allowed anymore (this was shortly after the S3 came out). But, of course I keep reading all the time on here about people who were able to do this at Best Buy or Costco with no trouble. So maybe it's only a rule if you work in a Verizon store!!

Also, I do want to emphasize that this N3 is just AMAZING. I've used many smartphones, this is BY FAR the best. The S-Pen is so underrated, if you really use it you realize how efficient it is. And the battery life is blowing my mind. What would normally be 23% on my S3 is 73% on my N3. This is the first time I've literally not had to worry at all about battery. I actually tried to drain it completely the first night, and not even kidding, with heavy use it took almost 15 minutes to go from 1% to shutting down. Amazing!!