Should you get the newest cell phone or keep your older model? How do installment plans and contracts measure up? This calculator will help you compare the total cost of plans with different price structures over the next two years. Total costs are based on the accounting principal of Net Present Value.
Costs quoted in the above infographic reflect the Net Present Value (NPV) of a 64 GB iPhone XS under the following types of plans:
Individual Plans
| NO CONTRACT (BUY PHONE UP-FRONT) |
LEASE PLAN | INSTALLMENT PLAN (CARRIER) |
INSTALLMENT PLAN (APPLE) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | AT&T Unlimited | N/A | AT&T Unlimited | AT&T Unlimited |
| Sprint | Sprint Unlimited Plus | Sprint Unlimited Plus | Sprint Unlimited Plus | Sprint Unlimited Plus |
| T-Mobile* | T-Mobile ONE Plan | T-Mobile ONE Plan | T-Mobile ONE Plan | N/A |
| Verizon** | Go Unlimited | N/A | Go Unlimited | Go Unlimited |
| Walmart Family Mobile | Family Mobile Plan — Unlimited | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Boost Mobile | Boost Mobile Unlimited Plan | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Family Plans (4 lines)
| NO CONTRACT (BUY PHONE UP-FRONT) |
LEASE PLAN | INSTALLMENT PLAN (CARRIER) |
INSTALLMENT PLAN (APPLE) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | AT&T Mobile Share Flex | N/A | AT&T Mobile Share Flex | AT&T Mobile Share Flex |
| Sprint | Sprint Unlimited Plus | Sprint Unlimited Plus | Sprint Unlimited Plus | Sprint Unlimited Plus |
| T-Mobile | T-Mobile ONE Plan | T-Mobile ONE Plan | T-Mobile ONE Plan | N/A |
| Verizon | Go Unlimited | N/A | Go Unlimited | Go Unlimited |
| Walmart Family Mobile | Family Mobile Plan – Unlimited | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Boost Mobile | Boost Mobile Unlimited Plan | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Data is accurate as of 9/18/2018.
Notes:
* T-Mobile’s ONE plan provides all members with Unlimited 4G LTE data. Customers who use more data than 97% of T-Mobile’s customers (currently over 26GB per month) will have their usage prioritized below other traffic and may notice slower speeds. Customers are required to set up autopay.
** For a limited time, when you buy an iPhone 8, iPhone 8+, iPhone X, iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max you can save $700 on your second iPhone when you purchase both on a Verizon device payment plan and activate a new line of service. You can also get a guaranteed $100 minimum trade-in with the purchase of an iPhone XS, XS Max, 8, or 8+ on a Verizon device payment.
Taewan Kim
Asistant Professor of Marketing, Lehigh University
John Bergmayer
Senior Staff Attorney, Public Knowledge
Matthew Osborne
Assistant Professor of Marketing, Department of Management, University of Toronto
Michael D. Grubb
Assistant Professor of Economics, Boston College
Mark Ratchford
Assistant Professor of Marketing at Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management
Amar Cheema
The Frank S. Kaulback, Jr. Professor of Commerce in the McIntire School of Commerce at University of Virginia
How can I dispute my bad credit? I was a victim of identity theft.
Have you visited the Federal Trade Commission's website?? They have information on identity theft.
Do the other non-Apple plans calculate insurance in the overall price of the phone or would the insurance fee be an additional monthly fee added on top of these prices? The Apple installment plan, of course adds it in.
I'm pretty certain that Verizon, for example, charges an additional monthly fee for insurance. It's about $13.00 per device/per month. For higher end devices. Such as the Galaxy S10 or S10 plus.