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Short term plan help? Black Friday...

bdl89
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

Hi all:

 

I switched to PM from my previous carrier to save some money on my plan after my phone's device balance was paid. I do want a new device, and this will likely happen on Black Friday for me, with another carrier that has subsidized devices. I may have boxed myself into a bit of a corner, though, as I switched without really thinking through that:

 

--My next bill date is Nov. 20

--Black Friday is November 29

 

Now, it's not a guarentee that I get a new device and switch carriers on Black Friday. Currently, I'm on the $40 30 day PM plan. One option might be to switch to the $15 plan, with 100 min and 500MB auto-pay bonus, as I'm unlikely to use that before the 29th, or I can at least monitor my usage in those 9 days. Is there a better option for me, though, especially as it's no guarantee that I get a new device with a new carrier?

10 REPLIES 10

bdl89
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

I appreciate the feedback. I do enjoy having excellent hardware, especially a very good camera. I recognize that susbsidizing the purchase price with a two-year term comes at a cost, and it is one I'm willing to pay as an alternative to a massive upfront bill for a premium phone, or using a sub-par device. 

 

I make other fiancial decisions differently, such as never financing a car purchase, for instance. It's a give and take, depending on what I value. 🙂

 

It's also a bit of a gamble. The best case scenario for me is all of the stars aligning, and:

--my previous carrier offering a winback offer on or around Black Friday. 
--another carrier offering a migration offer on or around Black Friday. 

--a $0 premium smartphone with a decent monthly (probably "Silver/Gold" or "Small/Medium") plan, around $50-55 per month. Hoping Pixel 3A or S10e. 

 

If these criteria aren't met, I will simply continue with the device I have on PM, until perhaps Boxing Day.  

 

I also plan on, with this device, allocating +/- $20 month towards my next device. That way, I really can have my cake and eat it too. 

 

Feel free to point out any flaws in my thinking, or personal points of disagreement. 🙂

From what I observed eg Virgin $45 / month for 6Gb and Silver tab..you are getting ~$240 off a phone over a 2 year term. Since the OP is aiming for Black Friday let say $200 - 300 store certificate.. I don't think it is that bad, assuming OP is already spending $45/ month already. But $15 or even $25 is pittance by percentage.

jimbobs
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

@will13am wrote:

@bdl89, I think you are trying way too hard to price your moves to perfection.  Unless you have a perfect crystal ball backed up by a working time machine, you are going to find that minimizing costs all around isn't going to be as precise as you would like it.  ....


Exactly.  It seems you are over thinking this.  In the overall scheme of things, paying for a month and only using part of it before moving is not going to cost a huge amount.  

popping
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@bdl89 

There is no free lunch... Getting subsidized hardware and locking yourself to a 2 years contract with a higher plan cost per month is just a phone loan. The added monthly plan payment is paying for your new phone.  This is a case of pay it now or pay it later.

 

If you are not into the latest and greatest flagship phone, you may consider Zoomer Wireless $36 4GB LTE plan with a free cheap phone Moto G7 PLay on two years contract. IIRC, you get upto $300 referral credit per year if you refer your friend and family to Zoomer.  There is no additioal monthly payment for the phone account.  Zoomer writes down the phone account by a fixed amount every month.  $36 is all you pay every month.

geopublic
Mayor / Maire

@bdl89  Monitor your data usage when you get down <500MB available depending on date consider doing an immediate plan change to the $15 or $25 plan. So for example if you are close to using up your data between Nov 1 - 10 then do the plan change otherwise switch to the $15 on the 19th.

will13am
Oracle
Oracle

@bdl89, I think you are trying way too hard to price your moves to perfection.  Unless you have a perfect crystal ball backed up by a working time machine, you are going to find that minimizing costs all around isn't going to be as precise as you would like it.  All of us who are customers here have done some homework on the hardware side and have determined that the savings on the monthly fees help to offset the cost of hardware.  Those so called subsidized phones that you are trying to get are not so subsidized when you look at the big picture.  They cost more per month and perhaps more than the implied subsidy which is probably the reason why you came here in the first place.  Anyway, it seems like a lot of plan juggling to save maybe $15 if that.  Most of us have spent more than $15 on something unwise in our time.  Just saying...   Smiley Happy

PAULRANG18
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

There are only 30 day plans with PM. Best to wait until you've gotten a new phone and decide which varrier to go with. PM is a good choice.

@bdl89All plans are 30 days. There is no pro rated at all. Also once you have ported a number out from Public Mobile, the account is closed and all credits will be forfeited.

bdl89
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

Thanks! I guess it depends how much I want to risk getting/not getting a new device on Black Friday. $15 plan would get me through the 9 days to Black Friday, while the $25 plan would get me through 30 days, should I not get a device on Black Friday. 

 

Just confirming what I think to to true. There is no option to purchase prepaid minutes/data, as opposed to 30 day plan, then switch back to 30 day plan, should I need it?

Dunkman
Oracle
Oracle

@bdl89 

$15 plan only gets your 250 mb data.  Maybe switch to $25 plan with 1 GB data and unlimted Canada wide calling/international text.  

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