LG G2 for $0 at BestBuy (2 years). Great deal?

[bearxor]

The problem I'm seeing with this though, is when you upgrade they lock you in for another 2 years. So you're stuck in an endless loop paying the high subsidy prices, even if something else better comes along

I think, first off, you have to understand that the ultra-vast majority of population doesn't care. Those of us "smart enough to know" then typically have specific reasons for choosing Verizon and don't mind signing the two-year contract. There's two ways of looking at that cost.

Buy your phone outright. Spend $600 on your phone (a "cheap" one) and have the right to leave whenever you want.

Buy your phone on contract. Spend anywhere from 0-300. Let's split it and say $150 which is the going price for most new flagship phones after a few months of release. Have an ETF of $375. It goes down $10 every months. Nine months later, you want to Sprint (just for the sake of the argument), now you've paid $435 total. And that amount goes down $10/mo. Even if you tack another $150 on top of that for like a Note 3, the amount goes to $615. Still cheaper than purchasing a Note 3 outright.

If you know you're going to be with Verizon for even 4 months, you still come out ahead getting the device with a subsidy.

 

[Wingznut]

Buy your phone outright. Spend $600 on your phone (a "cheap" one) and have the right to leave whenever you want.

Buy your phone on contract. Spend anywhere from 0-300. Let's split it and say $150 which is the going price for most new flagship phones after a few months of release. Have an ETF of $375. It goes down $10 every months. Nine months later, you want to Sprint (just for the sake of the argument), now you've paid $435 total. And that amount goes down $10/mo. Even if you tack another $150 on top of that for like a Note 3, the amount goes to $615. Still cheaper than purchasing a Note 3 outright.

If you know you're going to be with Verizon for even 4 months, you still come out ahead getting the device with a subsidy.

Seems like the whole argument against buying a subsidized phone on Verizon is that you can go with another carrier for less per month.

Which is true... But you may get less service, since it varies per area, and how the person uses their device.

 

[bearxor]

Seems like the whole argument against buying a subsidized phone on Verizon is that you can go with another carrier for less per month.

Right, but I believe what he was trying to say was "Why upgrade when you're eligible when you could decide to leave in six months? Then you'd have to pay an ETF."

My point being that, if you sit on your upgrade, you're wasting money. Because the cost of your subsidy is built in to the plan. Your plan doesn't get cheaper when your contract ends. The reason I did the math was because it's still cheaper for you to get a phone on a subsidy and pay the ETF in six months if you do decide to leave than it is for you to purchase a new phone outright on Verizon.

So you can sit on your upgrade and "waste" $15-20/mo by not upgrading or upgrade as soon as you can to a free phone and if you decide to leave, your ETF is only $375-$10/mo.

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

I see what you're saying now bear. So thats how they do it at verizon.

I am with AT&T and they do it a little differently with the new pricing plans....basically you have your underlying phone plan charge...then you pay $15/month for each phone line but if you got a free upgrade from them it would be $40/month for each (upgraded) phone. And then of course they have the new NEXT financing thing, which seems be the way to go, as opposed to the "free" subsidized upgrade.

So I'm trying to figure out the most economical way for me to have the newest goodies as well. The S5 is lookin mighty tasty, but it probably makes more sense to wait and see what the new Nexus looks like, and even what the new iphone will be like.

 

[bearxor]

I see what you're saying now bear. So thats how they do it at verizon.

I am with AT&T and they do it a little differently with the new pricing plans....basically you have your underlying phone plan charge...then you pay $15/month for each phone line but if you got a free upgrade from them it would be $40/month for each (upgraded) phone. And then of course they have the new NEXT financing thing, which seems be the way to go, as opposed to the "free" subsidized upgrade.

So I'm trying to figure out the most economical way for me to have the newest goodies as well. The S5 is lookin mighty tasty, but it probably makes more sense to wait and see what the new Nexus looks like, and even what the new iphone will be like.

Even that is a really recent change to AT&T pricing. But yes, now you do at least get some $$$ off for not having a phone under contract. Verizon does not have a discount if you no longer have a phone covered by subsidy.

The best thing about AT&T Next is you can pay it off as quickly as you want. Buy the S5, you can pay it off in 4 months if that's what you want to do.

 

[GoodEnough]

I've been a VZ customer for 15 years.
It's the only game in town for phone calls.

I just got the LG G2 for free today.
I have zero issues paying VZ $60/mo. for the next 2 years. (or 20 frankly)

Lg G2 is a huge upgrade from the Droid Inc2.
WAY faster. And now I'm on 4G, not 3G.
I think that means faster internet.
Love the bigger screen. I could even go bigger!
And the 2013 UI seem to be much slicker than the 2010 UI.

 

[s44]

Love the bigger screen. I could even go bigger!

Sell this one to your friend, buy a mint Note 3 off Swappa.

 

[paraskhosla]

It's a pretty awesome deal

 

[bearxor]

Sell this one to your friend, buy a mint Note 3 off Swappa.

Not a bad idea. Your friend could get a brand new G2 for $300 and it would be about another $200 for a good Note 3.

 

[kaerflog]

Not a bad idea. Your friend could get a brand new G2 for $300 and it would be about another $200 for a good Note 3.

Or pay NOTHING and keep one hell of a phone.

 

[nOOky]

Note 3 isn't worth $200 over the LG G2 imho. That'd be a bad move.

The problem with Verizon as stated is that your monthly payment does not go down after your contract is up. You continue to pay the same amount for your plan regardless of device. So if you're stuck on Verizon, then getting a free phone every 2 years seems like a no-brainer, you're wasting the subsidy your paying them if you don't it seems to me.

 

[GoodEnough]

Or pay NOTHING and keep one hell of a phone.

Bingo. This LG G2 blows away the Inc2.
I'm all set for a few years

:whiste::biggrin::thumbsup:

 

[JimmiG]

Its just a 'good' deal, not great. The phone has been free before, and usually hovers around $50-$100 online. I think its always cheaper simply because its less popular - kind of an oddball phone with the buttons on the back. It does have great specs and amazing battery life though. I'd probably choose it over an S4/S5.

Don't worry about the haters, they will cry about any 2 year contract deal despite verizon having by far the best coverage in many areas.

I've had the G2 since it came out and I love it. Don't mind the button placement at all, but I love the knock-on feature. It's got a huge screen, and the thin bezel makes it look like the whole front of the phone is all screen. The screen is bright and beautiful as well.

Haven't even bothered with custom ROMs. LG's UI is not the prettiest, but it's not intrusive and doesn't seem to lag. Just received the official KitKat OTA update last week, which makes it even better and faster.

 

[GoodEnough]

Sale is over. Back to $50. Glad I got it at $0
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&id=1219061252155