Wanted clarification on AT&T Next vs 2-year. When the plan debuted back in 2013, I was reading all over that it was a ripoff. That has forever stuck in my mind as I helped family members with upgrades. "Stick to the 2 year plan! Don't let them push you into a Next Plan." Even as employees wrote down on paper that we'd save money, I always dismissed it as a sales tactic and a trick. Even seeming foolish to stick to a 2 year when such savings were shown to me...
Now with AT&T starting to phase out the 2-year and with me in line to preorder an iPhone 6S, I am at a crossroads again. Do I do Next or stick to the 2-year? FYI: My purchasing behaviors are and will always be upgrading every other iPhone (every 2 years). I am in no need to upgrade early. I can be patient.
What am I missing when I think, "Why would I pay the full price of a phone over, say, 2 years through a Next plan, if I can just pay $200 + activation right now and be done with it?" Then I get to keep the phone when I'm done and resell it, and repeat the process. Do I keep the phone with Next? AT&T keeps advertising "trade in and upgrade" but is that just swapping it or am I selling it back to them at whatever the value is? It was my understanding that the phone was surrendered at the end of a Next contract, which leads me to believe that year after year, I'm always paying for the phone month-to-month but never truly owning it.
Thanks for your time with my lengthy and chaotic message. I just have a lot of questions and I'm not sure if my information is outdated.