Buying an Icon Now: Is Verizon Edge a Ripoff?

[trivor]

It's a lot easier if you just order online (wherever you get the best deal) to get your phones so you don't have to deal with salesmen. BTW, while your experience may vary, I have always had excellent service from both their customer service reps and tech support the few times I have had to call them. Also, except in a few cases in unique geography, Verizon coverage is the best (most reliable which means I can make calls and access the data network) of any carriers if you are talking about traveling Nationwide.

 

[Kyle Boone]

Paying for the phone and plan separately is still misleading because Verizon phones don't work on other carriers.

 

[Robinsonmac]

What happens on Edge after 24 months? Do they still give you the $25 discount if you're on the 10GB+ plan? Or does it revert back to $40? If the former, you could really get a good deal on Edge if you hold onto your phone past 24 months, so I'm guessing the discount ends. Is that right?

According to 3 different Verizon reps & a store manager the plan doesn't change.

 

[coip]

According to 3 different Verizon reps & a store manager the plan doesn't change.

That would mean if you kept your phone for 3 years you'd really get a great deal, right?

 

[Dyskresiac]

With the exception of AT&T's Next plan, I don't know that you do yourself any favors with these plans if you finance a phone. It is always best to buy your phone outright then pick your plan.

Not with EDGE if you have 10GB or more:

Without Edge:
$ Up Front Cost
$30 Upgrade Fee
$40/mo Line Access
Upgrade Eligibility: 2 years

With Edge:
$15/mo Line Access
$22/mo Phone Charge
Upgrade Eligibility: 1 year

Full Price:
$ Full Price of Phone Up Front
(Do they charge Transfer Fee? I think they do.)
$ 40/month Line Access
Upgrade Eligibility- Today

How do you figure the last option is the best?

 

[Dyskresiac]

According to 3 different Verizon reps & a store manager the plan doesn't change.

There is a currently a PROMO that if you are off-contract you will keep the $15/mo.
However there is no guarentee that "PROMO" will always be in place.

 

[coip]

I believe Verizon's discount for 10GB users on Edge has decreased from $25 off per month to $20 off per month. So, now it's an extra $60 per year, per line.

 

[Kasey Pierce]

TL;DR Yes.

Verizon's Edge phone upgrade plan is the same bad ripoff as AT&T Next | The Verge

If it sounds too good to be true, then it most likely is. Don't count on Verizon to be the good guy. If they can find a way to get more money out of you, and give you little gain in return they will. Don't get me wrong, i have 5 lines with Verizon. 4 smart phones and one feature phone. I love their service and LTE data is fantastic in my area (40-50Mbps not even the new spectrum) I just don't agree with their marketing schemes. I have 2 lines due for an upgrade, but am not willing to give up the unlimited data they carry. I really want a Lumia Icon (really REALLY badly), but it's not worth going to a tiered plan. With the Edge program, you end up paying way more than if you just stick to the 2 year cycle. I'm a HUGE tech geek, I drool over every new gadget announced and spec sheets are like looking at a Playboy centerfold. All that aside, even i'm not ultra materialistic enough to need a new phone more than every two years. Once phones get into the quad core/1080p area...threes really not much to me that's going to wow me to get another phone until i can buy an upgrade from someone who doesn't need it (any takers? ).

I would suggest sticking to what you have. Let us know what you decide!

 

[Robinsonmac]

I whole heartedly disagree. That Verge comparison was from Las year before Verizon lowered their prices. The math adds up & numbers don't lie. If you get a phone who's payments are equal to or less than the $25 access discount Verizon gives you if you are on the 10GB data plan or $15 for any plan under 10GB, its as good or better. If the phones cost over $25 per month its up to customer to decide if being able to upgrade in a year for an extra $2 -$7 per month is worth it.

I know for a fact I'm not getting ripped off and its not too good to be true.

 

[kencaz]

I am on the edge program... Currently paying 16.00 ea for our MotoX and Lumia 928. I called to order the Icon and what I have to do is pay the 133.00 which would bring to 50% of cost. Turn in my 928. The Icon normally is 27.00 a month on edge but I am getting a $10 discount which brings my total to 17.00 per month in addition to my share everything plan... That's only $1 over what my 928 is... I got on the edge because I knew I would be getting the Icon but were not avail yet at the time. It may cost a little more overall but I hate waiting for my contract to exp before I can upgrade... Probably going to pick it up Tuesday or Wednesday this week. Will be putting 8.1 on it...

 

[Kasey Pierce]

I whole heartedly disagree. That Verge comparison was from Las year before Verizon lowered their prices. The math adds up & numbers don't lie. If you get a phone who's payments are equal to or less than the $25 access discount Verizon gives you if you are on the 10GB data plan or $15 for any plan under 10GB, its as good or better. If the phones cost over $25 per month its up to customer to decide if being able to upgrade in a year for an extra $2 -$7 per month is worth it.

I know for a fact I'm not getting ripped off and its not too good to be true.

That's good to know. I was going off of what i read, i'm glad to see I was wrong. Thank you for the info! Can you blame me for not trusting Verizon though?

 

[Starrbuck]

I believe Verizon's discount for 10GB users on Edge has decreased from $25 off per month to $20 off per month. So, now it's an extra $60 per year, per line.

Not true. Just checked my latest bill and it's still $25 off.

 

[coip]

Not true. Just checked my latest bill and it's still $25 off.

TThat's because you signed a contract at that price, which is no longer offered for new edge contracts.

 

[Robinsonmac]

TThat's because you signed a contract at that price, which is no longer offered for new edge contracts.

1-They added the discount to my contract after the fact

2-Why does Verizon state this on their website?


"Verizon Edge helps you save on The MORE Everything Plan

When you buy your smartphone on Verizon Edge, you receive exclusive savings on your wireless plan. Verizon Edge is a way to purchase a smartphone. The full retail price is broken down into 20 affordable monthly payments and added to your bill. Save $10 on your smartphone monthly line access on The MORE Everything Plan with 250 MB to 8 GB of data. Save $25 per smartphone monthly line access for 10 GB or higher plans."

Verizon Edge - Verizon Wireless

Stop trolling already......

 

[Brian Miller6]

True, it's really for frequent upgraders, but if you do the math it's cheaper to buy the phone outright, or with Edge. If you're not in the middle of a contract, or early in one then do Edge. Edge = ultimately paying the full price, which means they'll give you a much cheaper plan. If you have the money right now, then skip Edge and just pay it full on the spot and still get the cheaper monthly plan that comes when there's no subsidies to cover.

What I don't get is with Edge you get to spread out the cost, but if you're a frequent upgrader then you're constantly running into a situation where you have to pay IN FULL the remaining balance on the phone RIGHT NOW, and that would probably be $300 or so if you're only lasting a year or less with each phone. Someone has money to burn to be able to regularly drop $300+ whenever they get burnt out on a phone and wanna try a different one.

Point being: Edge (spread over 20 months or less) or Point of Sale it's Always cheaper to buy the phone outright. It's just most of us can't drop hundreds on a phone on the spot. So we do the credit option (edge) until we see something else we like, then we go get that and Ooops forgot we have to then PAY IN FULL the remaining balance, so we just then add it to a credit card so we can get the next cool phone....rinse and repeat many times til you have no cards with balances left.....then you're screwed.....

 

[scottcraft]

I'm considering using the Edge program to get the M8, so I've been doing the math. The M8 is $30 a month. To upgrade to another phone I'd have to have 60% of the phone paid of which comes out to $360 and I would reach that amount in 12 months. With the amount of data my plan has I would get a $10 discount on my line which would make the phone cost $240 after 12 months. If I upgraded to the M8 the traditional way I would have to pay $150 for the phone plus $36 for the upgrade which totals $186. I don't see how the Edge plan is bad at all for someone who wants to upgrade more often than two years. For someone who has 10gb of data or more I think Edge is an even better deal.

 

[video_master]

You do NOT have to PAY IN FULL. You only have to have the phone 60% paid off. You can upgrade after 30 days of being on the new device as well. You only have to pay off up to that 60% mark and then turn that phone in and you can get a new phone. I am on my second phone under the Edge program and will be on my third device come October as there is a new phone coming out then that I want to Edge up to.

The Edge program was created for people like me that want to get a new device more often. I get 2 or 3 new devices a year and this is a way to do it without signing up for a 2 year contract or paying the full amount for the phone. These 2 phones that I have had, I have yet to pay full price for them. I just pay the monthly amount towards the phone.

 

[DavidinCT]

I looked into this myself last year (when it first came out), I like to change phones out but, after the costs over 24 months, I would pay less for a phone buying one used (but MINT), or new from a 3rd party about 2-3 months after a phone is released. After the deals on my last 2 phones, I think it's a rip off but, to each their own.

I honestly hold phones for 6-12 months, sometimes more, sometimes less.

It seems like a rip off to me but, I guess not everyone wants to spend days looking around for a 2nd hand or best deal possible for a phone and I understand that. A lot of people who like new gear don't know about the 3rd party sites (like swappa.com or even ebay), nor care.

I also like to sell my current phone after I am done with it to recoup my costs for my new phone.

 

[orangeman34]

How is this even a question? Look at it this way: The phone is roughly $23 per month, but you get a $25 per month discount on your plan each month. So you're actually paying less for service in this case. The only time edge isn't the better option really is if the phone's monthly payments are more than the $25 discount.

 

[anon(9047871)]

But isn't that only if you are on a huge data plan? I'm on the 4GB (5GB actually with the free 1GB for upgrading) plan and would only get a $10 monthly discount.