Buying a Carrier Locked Phone from the Microsoft Store

[TechmeIN64]

I hear tons of reasons why it is best to get your Windows device from a Microsoft Store: service, experience, no bloatware, MS Complete, etc. So I have a question. How does it work if you want to use a two year upgrade with a carrier (AT&T) to buy a phone at the Microsoft Store? Is this possible or do I have to go through an AT&T store? I can see that it is possible in the online MS Store but is it the same at a physical location?

 

[EBUK]

In the UK we have 'SIM only' deals where you can pay either monthly or yearly for a contract that provides a SIM but no phone. Do you have anything similar in the US?

 

[rld082982]

I remember getting my first WP (samsung focus) at a radioshack... and they set me up with a 2yr plan. I think they just called at&t while I was there in the store and did it.

 

[sbtpdx]

Just bought my Lumia 830 from a Microsoft store a week ago, as the local AT&T stores had none in stock. I was given the same options as on the store (2 year contract vs Next). I chose the latter, but saw no reason why you wouldn't be able to handle your contract extension as if you bought it from the carrier.

BTW, I also got the same freebies (extra back cover & Fitbit) that AT&T was offering. On top of that, they gave me a $50 Microsoft card. I don't think AT&T was doing that.

 

[ygtgngr]

In the UK we have 'SIM only' deals where you can pay either monthly or yearly for a contract that provides a SIM but no phone. Do you have anything similar in the US?

Yes there are some plans that you cannot sign a contract with, so you should pay the full price of the phone.

 

[manicottiK]

In the UK we have 'SIM only' deals where you can pay either monthly or yearly for a contract that provides a SIM but no phone. Do you have anything similar in the US?

Yeah, we have that (on AT&T and T-Mobile, but not yet Verizon or Sprint because they still use CDMA for voice). However, folks in the States are used to paying between $0-200 for phones because the mobile operators "hide" the cost of the device in a multi-year contract.

This is starting to change. T-Mobile started it, but the big guys (AT&T and Verizon) and Sprint followed suit. If you buy your own phone, the monthly service fee on AT&T is dropped by $15. On the other hand, if you buy a phone under a two-year contract, not only do you pay $15 more per month, but the monthly price remains $15/month higher even after the 24-month contract term ends. On T-Mo, the monthly bill includes a base price (unlimited voice and text plus 1 GB of high-speed data), a charge for extra high-speed data ($10 per 2 GB/mo), and, optionally, a charge for 1/24th of the cost of whichever phone you selected.