Verizon just gave me $800 for a Pixel 5 to upgrade to a Pixel 8 for $869 (before trade in) over 3 years.
First of all, Pixel 8 is only $700 from Google, so you might as well shave off $169 from that promo value. You're really only getting a value of $631. A used Pixel 5 is about $130 on eBay right now, so that takes you down to $501 of bonus 'value'.
My Pixel 8 on launch also came with free pixel buds pro. That's another $200 'value' you missed out on from buying at retail. But since that promo is over we'll just ignore that.
So I'm paying like $1.60 a month for the Pixel 8. If I have to take that back due to an issue screen, I will continue to appreciate my $60 Pixel.
That's great. I hope you verified on your bill that you are actually getting the promo. If so, be very careful to stay on a compatible plan for 3 years. It's not easy to even tell which plans are compatible as a customer. I hope also that you are on a plan you originally needed, and no cheaper pricing becomes available. Trade-in promos with Verizon often require a 'premium' data plan which are $10-20 more than the base plans. If you had to be on the unlimited ultimate for the promo That immediately eats up all that savings you think you are getting. Unlimited Plus eats up half of it.
Then, if you decide you want to upgrade before the 3 years is up, you lose the entire remaining promo credits. Upgrade after a year? Guess what, you're paying $533 to buy out the rest of your promo. Your 'bonus' value disappeared. Want to upgrade in 2 years? Pay $266 for the privilege.
That does not mean this issue is ok, just that my circumstances (and anyone willing to run Verizon) should see if they can get a steal via an old used phone raded in for basically a new phone.
It has not and never has been worth locking into a cell contract, honestly. Verizon has you by the balls and they know it. I genuinely hope everything works out perfectly but the tiniest wrench in your plan can instantly make you lose any savings you thought you were getting. And if your promo falls off for any reason, it's normal to take multiple months, with multi-hour long phone calls to get it corrected. It takes a minimum of 2 months before Verizon will do a correction, the promo correction takes a week to be reviewed, they can be denied for the tiniest thing, and if it takes more than a month for you to notice the promo fell off after leaving a grandfathered plan a normal rep cannot put it back on for you.
First of all, Pixel 8 is only $700 from Google, so you might as well shave off $169 from that promo value. You're really only getting a value of $631. A used Pixel 5 is about $130 on eBay right now, so that takes you down to $501 of bonus 'value'.
My Pixel 8 on launch also came with free pixel buds pro. That's another $200 'value' you missed out on from buying at retail. But since that promo is over we'll just ignore that.
That's great. I hope you verified on your bill that you are actually getting the promo. If so, be very careful to stay on a compatible plan for 3 years. It's not easy to even tell which plans are compatible as a customer. I hope also that you are on a plan you originally needed, and no cheaper pricing becomes available. Trade-in promos with Verizon often require a 'premium' data plan which are $10-20 more than the base plans. If you had to be on the unlimited ultimate for the promo That immediately eats up all that savings you think you are getting. Unlimited Plus eats up half of it.
Then, if you decide you want to upgrade before the 3 years is up, you lose the entire remaining promo credits. Upgrade after a year? Guess what, you're paying $533 to buy out the rest of your promo. Your 'bonus' value disappeared. Want to upgrade in 2 years? Pay $266 for the privilege.
It has not and never has been worth locking into a cell contract, honestly. Verizon has you by the balls and they know it. I genuinely hope everything works out perfectly but the tiniest wrench in your plan can instantly make you lose any savings you thought you were getting. And if your promo falls off for any reason, it's normal to take multiple months, with multi-hour long phone calls to get it corrected. It takes a minimum of 2 months before Verizon will do a correction, the promo correction takes a week to be reviewed, they can be denied for the tiniest thing, and if it takes more than a month for you to notice the promo fell off after leaving a grandfathered plan a normal rep cannot put it back on for you.