Update #10 -Third party cell phone deals (Target, Costco) - are they really that bad?

[MommyAllison]

DH and I are ready to upgrade our phones. We are currently with Verizon but out of contract, so are eligible for phone upgrades with a new 2 yr contract. We need to stay with Verizon as they are the only company with good coverage in our area.

We were going to get two iPhone 5s 16gb phones, which are $100 each with a 2 yr contract through Verizon. However, Target has them for $50 plus a 10% Cartwheel discount, with a 2 yr verizon contract. Verizon has always warned us to steer clear of third party retailers, saying we are signing a contract with the third party and could have extra charges/fees for things like changing a feature on the account, or swapping a phone from one line to another.

We are on a business account, my parents are the primary, and they have used third party retailers for years with no problems. Verizon said they cannot match Target's price. The Target deal is only through today (I think?) so need to make a decision. Getting 2 phones at Target for less than the price of 1 at Verizon is really tempting! Any BTDT?

[o_mom]

We used a third party last time and had no issues.

[KrisM]

I've bought via Best Buy twice and have had no problems.

ETA: I have Verizon.

[NCGrandma]

I've bought via Best Buy twice and have had no problems.

When I switched from T-Mobile to Verizon pay as you go, I got my (non-smart) phone from Best Buy for 1/3 the price that Verizon was asking for the same phone. No problems.


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[squimp]

I bought my 6 from Target and I have Verizon. It was super easy, and the woman who did the upgrade was very helpful, telling me about cartwheel and a coupon. No complaints here at all, and actually much nicer than the grumpy Verizon dealer folks in town.

[AnnieW625]

Between myself and DH we bought two of our iPhones at the Apple Store and one through Verizon, both were fine and I don't think one was better than the other. I would have bought my current phone through Verizon, but Apple offered a better phone trade in value. I would look at who has the cheapest price. I will warn you at Costco they try to push you away from iPhones because the sales commission is less.

[Indianamom2]

My experience with Verizon has been that they will say anything to make a sale/keep your business, but won't do anything to help you out. We switched, but I understand about needing their coverage. I say go for it!

[AngB]

Might be too late to help you but you can use Verizon towers for service through Straight Talk in most areas, and bring your old verizon phones or get new ones. 45/mo unlimited talk/text/data. We use AT&T because the service is better for our area but we've been doing straight talk for over a year now and really like it.

[khm]

DH and I are ready to upgrade our phones. We are currently with Verizon but out of contract, so are eligible for phone upgrades with a new 2 yr contract. We need to stay with Verizon as they are the only company with good coverage in our area.

We were going to get two iPhone 5s 16gb phones, which are $100 each with a 2 yr contract through Verizon. However, Target has them for $50 plus a 10% Cartwheel discount, with a 2 yr verizon contract. Verizon has always warned us to steer clear of third party retailers, saying we are signing a contract with the third party and could have extra charges/fees for things like changing a feature on the account, or swapping a phone from one line to another.

We are on a business account, my parents are the primary, and they have used third party retailers for years with no problems. Verizon said they cannot match Target's price. The Target deal is only through today (I think?) so need to make a decision. Getting 2 phones at Target for less than the price of 1 at Verizon is really tempting! Any BTDT?

If the Target deal is through today and you didn't do it, it'll be rotating back around to Best Buy, or to the Verizon store, etc. It's just a big loop. Someone has "the deal".

When we last upgraded 18 months (?) ago, the deal was at the Sprint store. We ended up finally going in, and the deal had ended the day prior. Under his breath, the Sprint guy told us to go to Target.

This past Christmas, Target was the best deal for iPhone (gift card). I went to the Sprint store first because I had a question. They ended up matching the Target deal and then some. (I got an instant bill credit vs. a GC).

I bought my mom a cell on our plan through Best Buy last year. At the time she needed it, that was where it was $50. The week before it had been elsewhere.

[MommyAllison]

Thanks everyone! We went to Target and Costco yesterday, but unfortunately since we are on a business account, we can't use a third party. Strange, since in our old city, we used a third party retailer, but maybe policy has changed since then. We looked into straight talk, so thank you for mentioning that AngB! We actually only pay $45/month each for basically the same plan (unlimited talk & text, 10GB shared data which is way more than we ever need) and would need to buy phones as ours are old and not working so well anymore. So, we're going to stay with Verizon and buy at the Verizon store.