Sorry AT&T Subscribers, No More Subsidized Phone Upgrades at 20 Months
Few things are unavoidable in life, such as death, taxes, and the fact that as soon as you buy a flagship smartphone, something newer, shinier, and better inevitably comes out. There's no way possible to stay ahead of the curve, but at least on AT&T, you would qualify for a subsidized phone upgrade after 20 months and begin the dance anew. Well, that's not the case anymore.
In a consumer blog post today, AT&T announced some changes to its upgrade eligibility, the biggest one being that you now have to wait the full 24 months until qualifying for a subsidized upgrade. That's a bit of a bummer if you're the impatient type, though to be fair to AT&T, it makes sense to align the upgrade schedule to its two-year service agreement.
Fancy yourself a smartphone aficionado? You can still upgrade early at a partial discount once you've completed six months or more of your service agreement. Should you go that route, you'll have to ink a new two-year commitment. Alternately, you can purchase a device at full retail price without entering into a new agreement, though high-end smartphones typically go for $500 or more.
In a consumer blog post today, AT&T announced some changes to its upgrade eligibility, the biggest one being that you now have to wait the full 24 months until qualifying for a subsidized upgrade. That's a bit of a bummer if you're the impatient type, though to be fair to AT&T, it makes sense to align the upgrade schedule to its two-year service agreement.
Fancy yourself a smartphone aficionado? You can still upgrade early at a partial discount once you've completed six months or more of your service agreement. Should you go that route, you'll have to ink a new two-year commitment. Alternately, you can purchase a device at full retail price without entering into a new agreement, though high-end smartphones typically go for $500 or more.
