[ph0ust]

hi all. so i got an apple gift card for an iphone for my birthday. went to get the phone and att says that i am not eligible for an upgrade and thus i would have to pay the unsubsidized price. that is lame and i'm not interested in doing that.

is there any way that you all have figured out on how to get an iphone when they don't let you upgrade? both my girlfriend and i are not being allowed until 4 months before our 2 year contracts expire, which is preposterous! i don't mind re-signing the 2 year agreement, but that apparently isn't enough.

any suggestions are welcome. thanks.

[mduell]

If they didn't enforce the time rule, you could get a new $x phone for $x-200 every month (day?) by extending your contract. Consider the contract to be paying off the subsidy loan they gave you when you got your last phone.
Paying the early termination fee on your contract may be cheaper than the unsubsidized price of the phone, now that they've started to pro-rate ETFs.