The Pitch – Would you pay your early termination fee in order to get a great phone/plan on another network?

November 6, 2009 – 9:55 am – No Comment

smartphones

Would you pay the ETF to get a new phone?

Question:

A cellular carrier’s early termination fee is typically around $200; Verizon just upped how much it charges for an ETF if the user has a smart phone. Would you be willing to pay the ETF to get a new cell phone?

Answer:

It really depends no how much I want the phone and how much I would be able to sell my current phone for. I would also have to be getting a good deal on whatever plan I was moving to because right now my Sprint plan is only $59.99 per month for unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited mobile to mobile calling (on any network), and 500 anytime minutes per month with free nights and weekends that start at 7 pm.

There is a way, however, to purchase a phone from someone else, like on eBay, and sell my own. For example (and this only works when you want a phone with your current carrier), I have a Palm Pre and want a HTC Hero; I could sell my Pre on eBay and buy a Hero also. The difference is about $100, which is cheaper than an ETF and I don’t have to extend my contract.

As enticing as the Motorola Droid looks, I don’t think I’ll be switching carriers for it.

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