Verizon Free Samsung S23 125GB: no trade in, no contract, & no change in service required - YMMV
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I am existing Verizon customer and was online examining my account. I did not see this promotional offering online, rather it was presented to me in their chat popups. The representative offered a Samsung S23 phone free. There would be no charge for the phone, but I was required to pay upfront the Maryland tax on the retail price of the phone, and their $35 upgrade fee. So, it's not really free.
Usually, these Verizon offerings require a more expensive service, but I keep the same service.
A monthly $22.22 credit to the bill offsets the cost of the phone. I have the Verizon 5G Start at $30/month, which will not change. As I said, there is no contract and no trade-in required.
Finally, they also offered the Samsung S23 256GB for $60 more ($1.66/month for 36 months). I took the 256GB phone. Again, no contract, no trade-in, and higher cost service.
you're stuck for 3yrs now. you signed up for a device payment plan where you are charged a monthly fee of $22.22/mo for the phone and they credit you that back as long as you maintain service with them. If you decide to cancel service or upgrade your phone through Verizon again, you'll owe the remaining amount that's unpaid. Check your account under Devices for the remaining amount owed. It's fine if you don't switch service providers or upgrade your phone.
you're stuck for 3yrs now. you signed up for a device payment plan where you are charged a monthly fee of $22.22/mo for the phone and they credit you that back as long as you maintain service with them. If you decide to cancel service or upgrade your phone through Verizon again, you'll owe the remaining amount that's unpaid. Check your account under Devices for the remaining amount owed. It's fine if you don't switch service providers or upgrade your phone.
But they were already a customer and presumably not planning to switch. But yeah, it is effectively a contract because of the commitment to get the monthly credits. And Verizon switching to a 3-year payout annoys me. I switched to T-Mobile earlier this year, they're still at 24 months.
I agree that there is this catch, but there is no contract. So, how do they enforce what I owe if I am not under contract? Are they breaking their original free offer if they claim that I owe? Somewhere in the fine print I will be caught. If I decide to switch, I'll find out.
At $30/month I only find a few cell phone providers that I am willing to switch to.
They will stop the credits as soon as you move out before 36 months and will need to pay the rest of the balance on the phone.
This is their new gimmick.
"No contract" or time commitment....
But if you cancel service before the full term, the remaining prorated balance on the phone is due in full. It's in the contract 🤯...but not a service contract. A phone payment/credit contract.
This is their new gimmick.
"No contract" or time commitment....
But if you cancel service before the full term, the remaining prorated balance on the phone is due in full. It's in the contract 🤯...but not a service contract. A phone payment/credit contract.
The only thing new about it is that they switched to a 3-year payout on the credits rather than 2-year. But it's been that way for at least a year, so not new.
Basically, this deal is for a new phone, Samsung S23, for a 3 year commitment to Verizon. While I don't like the 3 years, but the cost is less than $100. I ldo ose the ability to switch to another cell phone service, which would have to be less than $30/month.
What is the cost of the commitment? Say, another cell phone service becomes available at $20/month. The negative is that I lose the ability to save $360 ($10/mo x 36 months) by switching. If I abort this deal, I would need to find a cheaper service and find a phone. Let's say I find a phone for around $460, which would make the deals similar. For example, the pixel 8 for $440. https://slickdeals.net/f/17177038-ymmv-google-assistant-members-get-additional-100-off-pixel-8-or-pi.... Where is the cheaper cell phone service for $20?
This deal is quite similar to the pixel deal. This deal has 1 thumbs down, the pixel has 5 thumbs up. Someone show me why this deal is 1 thumbs down.
I pay $74/mo for 3 unlimited lines and a watch with Tmobile...get my phones on deals when I can grab one. Like others have said, you just locked yourself in to VZW for another 3yrs of service or payout remaining full price for the new phones if you leave. If you're happy, good for you...but this is not a good deal for most slickdealers.
I pay $74/mo for 3 unlimited lines and a watch with Tmobile...get my phones on deals when I can grab one. Like others have said, you just locked yourself in to VZW for another 3yrs of service or payout remaining full price for the new phones if you leave. If you're happy, good for you...but this is not a good deal for most slickdealers.
I understand your argument. I'm locked in for 3 years. You have a much cheaper cell phone service than I. However, you should add in the cost of the cell phone to make the comparison meaningful. My analysis includes phone and service.
I'm staying with Verizon and would be very interested in this deal. OP, did the chat that popped up give you the offer or did you have to initiate a chat and ask about what offers you would qualify for?
I'm staying with Verizon and would be very interested in this deal. OP, did the chat that popped up give you the offer or did you have to initiate a chat and ask about what offers you would qualify for?
When I logged into Verizon and browse into the Shop/Deals, a chat box pops up in less than a minute. Initially, the representative offered a BOGO phone promotion, I replied that I can only use one phone at a time. The representative then came back with the offer. The chat session took a long time as we went over the details of the promotion. In fact, it took so long that the session timed-out.
I relogged on and got another chat representative. I had to inform the second chat person about the details and was able to reacquire it. So, the deal is available but may not be the initially offering.
I dislike these chat sessions due to the time outs. My previous experience with chats was usually unproductive. I have had a chat promotions that required a more expensive level of service. Effectively, the phone was not free.
Finally, the criticism to this deal is the implicit 3-year lock-in. Each month a charge for the phone will appear as well as an equal credit. But, the critics with lower monthly cell phone plans did not consider the cost of the phone. Consequently, the criticism seems hollow.
I pay $74/mo for 3 unlimited lines and a watch with Tmobile...get my phones on deals when I can grab one. Like others have said, you just locked yourself in to VZW for another 3yrs of service or payout remaining full price for the new phones if you leave. If you're happy, good for you...but this is not a good deal for most slickdealers.
Here is why this is a good deal for slickdealers.
John126w pays roughly $24/month/phone ($74/3) for phone service, I pay $30/month. John126 payes $6 less or $216 over 36 months ($6 x 36). Essentially, I paid $216 for a Samsung S23 phone, and if I add the taxes in, $54, and we're now upto $270 for the S23.
If John126w paid less than $270 for a equivalent phone, then he had a great slickdeal. If he paid more, then I had a better slickdeal. But, why is this not a good deal for most slickdealers? Sometimes slickdealers misjudge a good deal. There is an inherent bias against lock-ins that on further review make a good slickdeal. I don't like lock-ins either but sometimes they are worth it.
As I noted earlier, a pixel 8 was given 5 thumbs up for a phone over $400, but a Samsung S23 for $270 is a thumbs down. I would rather take 1 thumb down deal with the 3-year lock-in.
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At $30/month I only find a few cell phone providers that I am willing to switch to.
They will stop the credits as soon as you move out before 36 months and will need to pay the rest of the balance on the phone.
"No contract" or time commitment....
But if you cancel service before the full term, the remaining prorated balance on the phone is due in full. It's in the contract 🤯...but not a service contract. A phone payment/credit contract.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
"No contract" or time commitment....
But if you cancel service before the full term, the remaining prorated balance on the phone is due in full. It's in the contract 🤯...but not a service contract. A phone payment/credit contract.
What is the cost of the commitment? Say, another cell phone service becomes available at $20/month. The negative is that I lose the ability to save $360 ($10/mo x 36 months) by switching. If I abort this deal, I would need to find a cheaper service and find a phone. Let's say I find a phone for around $460, which would make the deals similar. For example, the pixel 8 for $440. https://slickdeals.net/f/17177038-ymmv-google-assistant-members-get-additional-100-off-pixel-8-or-pi.... Where is the cheaper cell phone service for $20?
This deal is quite similar to the pixel deal. This deal has 1 thumbs down, the pixel has 5 thumbs up. Someone show me why this deal is 1 thumbs down.
I relogged on and got another chat representative. I had to inform the second chat person about the details and was able to reacquire it. So, the deal is available but may not be the initially offering.
I dislike these chat sessions due to the time outs. My previous experience with chats was usually unproductive. I have had a chat promotions that required a more expensive level of service. Effectively, the phone was not free.
Finally, the criticism to this deal is the implicit 3-year lock-in. Each month a charge for the phone will appear as well as an equal credit. But, the critics with lower monthly cell phone plans did not consider the cost of the phone. Consequently, the criticism seems hollow.
John126w pays roughly $24/month/phone ($74/3) for phone service, I pay $30/month. John126 payes $6 less or $216 over 36 months ($6 x 36). Essentially, I paid $216 for a Samsung S23 phone, and if I add the taxes in, $54, and we're now upto $270 for the S23.
If John126w paid less than $270 for a equivalent phone, then he had a great slickdeal. If he paid more, then I had a better slickdeal. But, why is this not a good deal for most slickdealers? Sometimes slickdealers misjudge a good deal. There is an inherent bias against lock-ins that on further review make a good slickdeal. I don't like lock-ins either but sometimes they are worth it.
As I noted earlier, a pixel 8 was given 5 thumbs up for a phone over $400, but a Samsung S23 for $270 is a thumbs down. I would rather take 1 thumb down deal with the 3-year lock-in.