How iPhone 4S Users Can Save On theiDevices News

Unfortunately for the consumers who bought the iPhone 4S last year, you are ineligible to get the iPhone 5 at the discounted pricing. This saddened the hearts of many Apple fans that want to get the new iPhone but don’t want to pay over $650 for it. Luckily, there may be a way out!

Now this method is a bit messy and would require you to change carriers. But if you want to avoid paying the full pricing for the iPhone 5, it may be one of your only options. If you wish to upgrade your iPhone 4S right now then you won’t even be able to get the exception upgrade that AT&T offers. According to Cnet, AT&T is not offering early upgrades for the iPhone so current customers would have to suck it up and pay the full price. So the only alternative would be to switch carriers and just pay AT&T the early termination fee.

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When you sign up with a new carrier you will be able to get the 2 Year Plan price of $199. You will also have to pay AT& T an early termination fee which will differ depending on how long you have been with them. The fee starts at $325 and decreases $10 every month that you have been their customer. Let’s just assume you signed up when the iPhone 4S was released so that would be about 10 months give or take. That would bring your termination fee down to $225. So in total you would be paying $445 plus whatever activation fees Sprint or Verizon charges. Let’s just round it off to $480. That would save you close to $200 on your upgrade.

In order to sweeten the deal, you should also consider the trade in value of your iPhone 4s. If you choose to trade it in with Verizon you can net $230. But let’s look at the pricing you can get from popular used cell phone buyer Gazelle.com. Here is their current pricing for an iPhone 4S in Good condition:

Then there is also eBay where the 16GB iPhone 4S for $300-400. You could also sell your iPhone 4S on Amazon or Craigslist. This essentially offsets the cost of the termination fee and actually places you in a position to get the iPhone 5 for less than $300 potentially.

A Breakdown of How It works

Here is a basic breakdown of how to get the discounted iPhone if you just got the iPhone 4S last year:

The Drawback

Now obviously the number one issue some people will have with this method is having to switch carriers. This is something that you will have to weigh out. If you haven’t been happy with your current carrier then this move will make perfect sense. But if you’re happy with your coverage and love everything about your current carrier it might be a little more difficult. You won’t know how the coverage will be with a new carrier and you might not want to take the risk. You’ll also have to consider the pricing for data plans. These are all things to consider before you change carriers.

Things To Keep Note Of

Be sure to call your carrier before you do anything. One customer service rep might tell you something entirely different than what another one will. You may come to find out that the carrier will be willing to give you a discount, especially if you tell them you plan on leaving. So call around and see what you come up with. One thing is for certain though; there are ways to get around paying $650 for the iPhone 5.